Had a great visit to the museum, Bob welcomed us and gave as a 45 minute tour, filled with…read moreinteresting information about the exhibits. His passion for the museum was obvious and contagious. Easy to recommend a trip here.

Absolutely amazing. It's the perfect size and the staff are all amazing. Tim was our guide and he…read morereally made a personal connection with all of us, including our two year old. You're never rushed and if you enjoy aircraft and/or military history, you have to, have to, HAVE TO, visit. They honestly could charge way more than they do and I would still say it is worth the visit. We will definitely be back again and again.

Another great kids railroad museum in the twin cities! This one is more interactive than others,…read moreyou can explore old rail cars and even take a train ride. We did the Santa train this past winter. Admission got us into the museum plus a quick train ride on a car decorated for Christmas time.

The name, "Minnesota Transportation Museum" is an umbrella name for three locations: the Osceola…read moreand St. Croix Valley Railway, which gives 90-minute rides; The Minnehaha Depot, which was restored to its 1890s appearance, and this location, the Jackson Street Roundhouse, which is a museum with indoor and outdoor trains. The event I signed up for is called Tots and Trains is geared for ages two to five. It includes full access to the museum (but not actual train rides), Story Time readings, a small snack, and crafts ($11 for adults, $6 for ages 3 to 6). The normal adult admission is $16.05. I would say there are two audiences for this museum. If you have a small child and are looking for a 2 hours or so of entertainment, your toddler will have a blast playing with all of the levers and buttons on the actual trains, as well as watching the model railroad, the various play areas, and the built-in story time and snack. My toddler had a blast. The second very different audience would be older teen through adults who are train buffs. They are at least half a dozen (or more) actual train engines inside the museum and volunteers who are happy to give you as much detail as you could possibly want. If you are model railroad person, this is also a good place to check out their very large exhibit. I'm glad this part of history has been preserved by this museum and the hard-working volunteers.

FAMILY FUN DAY at the The Bakken Museum!!! We had an unexpectedly great time. Each of us enjoyed a…read moredifferent aspect of this unique place: - My teen son loved the interactive, tech-inspired exhibits - I loved the beautiful Gothic/Tudor architecture and the history of the families that lived in the mansion throughout the years -Hubby loved the calming outdoor spaces and medicinal gardens - Our tween daughter loved her scavenger hunt for Lego people that were hidden throughout the museum From their website: The Bakken Museum inspires a passion for innovation by exploring the potential for science, technology, and the humanities to make the world a better place. Located on the West shore of Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis, the museum features interactive exhibits for all ages and exceptional STEM education programs. Make movies in the Spark exhibit, meet the mother of science fiction in Mary & Her Monster, and test out some of Ben Franklin's favorite experiments in the Electricity Party Room.

This museum is great! My son and I loved learning about inventions and trying them out. It was very…read moreinteractive and the staff were friendly and helpful. The only downfall is that when we went in March and were waiting for our turn in the Frankenstein show a group of school kids on a field trip bypassed us forcing us to wait again. While I understand school field trips are important I also believe that paying customers should be allowed the same level of experience.

Wow, what a cool train museum, ESPECIALLY for young kids. This place brings me back to my days of…read morehaving a train as a child, but watching my kids interact with the trains is the best part. If you have young kids (under 8 or so), this is a wonderful place to take them, and if you live nearby, consider a membership. Here's a summary of the cool aspects for kids: 1) Almost all the trains are interactive. There are buttons kids can press to start trains, and also start other aspects of the displays, like turning on lights, making cars go, helicopter blades spin, and even a roller coaster go (yes you read that right!). 2) There's so many trains, my kids would walk around for hours if I let them. 3) They change aspects of the displays often, so even if you visit a lot, there's always something new to look at. 4) There's three tables with large Lego trains and Brio trains, we always end here and my kids play endlessly with them. 5) There's a few other cool things like a scavenger hunt, a couple "racing" tables, and night trains (have not been yet but looks cool). 6) The bathroom is clean and set up for kids. All in all, this is a phenomenal place to bring kids, and even if you don't have kids, it's great for people who are kids-at-heart!

An amazing gem hidden away in St. Paul. This place is a gold mine for kids and adults alike. It's…read moreso fun to check out the amazing miniature towns, Lego sets, and other creations as trains wind their way through. I like that they have an "I Spy" guide for older kids who enjoy trying to find hidden items within the scenes. And the fact that the kids can actually interact with the exhibits and start and stop the trains makes it lots of fun.

Such a great experience checking out the Foshay Museum and Observatory!…read more It was a bit confusing to find since access is only available through the Marriott hotel, but the staff was super friendly and gave great directions. It was fun to learn about the history of Foshay. It was a bright a d clear day and we were able to clearly see spectacular views of the airport and downtown St Paul.

I used to work across the street from the Foshay - was there about ~9yrs and never checked out this…read moregem. I did go during Doors Open which is probably the busiest time to go. They have 1 elevator that goes straight up to the 30th floor. The details on the doors and around the building were amazing. Once you get up to the 30th floor there's a small museum where you can learn more about the tower. Then you take a few stairs up to get out to the observation deck. I will say it's pretty tight up there. Not ideal for big groups that can't separate. Each direction has a look out otherwise you can just look through the bars. For sure a cool place to visit at least once.

Better (extremely) late than never…read more The Pavek affords one a step back in time to an era when Radio was dominant. I find that it has a fascinating collection of all manner of radios as well as TVs and assorted broadcast equipment. The museum has made a heroic effort to preserve the early days of electronic media and to me it serves as a reminder that what's new is old. Hours are somewhat limited (see Pavek online for current info). The price of admission is quite reasonable in my opinion. Unfortunately the Pavek is relatively obscure and not at all well known (at least locally). I suppose that makes the place a "hidden gem." I personally think it deserves much greater recognition. Well worth a look in my book.

We often talk about "hidden gems" as a good think. In the case of the Pavek Museum, it's…read moreunfortunate that this gem is hidden. It's located off Highway 100 in St. Louis Park, very near the Post Office and Target. I've lived in the Twin Cities, less than 15 minutes from the museum, since before the museum opened in 1988. Yes, I had never heard of it or even seen it, even though I've been within blocks of it's location many, many times. Recently, I had the opportunity to tour the museum with one of their well-qualified interns. This museum specialized in mass communication, from the invention of the telegraph machine in the 1800's through modern times. In fact, many of the "artifacts" in the museum didn't even exist when the museum opened in 1988! I was most impressed with their exhibits and original objects, including the very first reel-to-reel tape machine brought to the US after World War I. It is a chance to get very close to all of these objects and to better understand the evolution of communication in a relatively short 150 years of advancements. As an adult, I really enjoyed this museum and I think we will find it well worth your time to visit. However, the main bulk of their visitors are school groups. It would be fun to watch kids try to figure out how to use the rotary phone dial they have in their phone booth exhibit. These is also a low-wattage radio station that kids can use to do actual broadcasts. Please help this gem become unhidden because it is a fun and educational museum that can be enjoyed by anyone.

This is a focused, unique but not peculiar museum. They have handsomely repurposed a church,…read morecreating several gallery spaces. The anchor paintings in their permanent collection are worthy, plus they feature several sets of Russian nesting dolls, most of which featuring cats--which is cool. We caught their outstanding show of USSR propaganda posters. The objects are interesting (most are in great condition) plus the wall text is illuminating. Definitely worth a visit.

We had driven by this museum countless times over the years and were so glad to finally check it…read moreout. The museum used to be an old San Antonio mission style church constructed in the 1920's. It was really cool how it was converted into a museum. The museum houses art from both pre and post Soviet Era. They had a really amazing visiting exhibit called the Violins of Hope that featured violins crafted and played by Holocaust Jews. It was a great day to spend the morning.

I wanted to scratch my train itch on my recent trip to Minneapolis and my friend was able to find…read morethis activity. The streetcar museum runs this old streetcar for ~10 to 15 minute round trips near Lake Harriet. If you're a transportation or classic technology enthusiast I highly recommend. The volunteers are very nice and helpful and do a great job of maintaining the streetcar and the station. You can get a round trip or full day ticket and also upgrade them for an activity depending on what the schedule is. When we went there was a pumpkin patch at the end of the line where kids (or I suppose adults too if you really wanted a pumpkin) could choose a pumpkin and take it back with them on the return ride. Being on the streetcar was enjoyable. The seat comfort was about what you would expect from 1908, but the rest was nice. Dropping the token in the machine, hearing the driver ring the bells and horns, feeling it pick up speed which clicking along the tracks, reading the era accurate add adorning the inside of the car. All in all a fun and inexpensive activity to do at the park! Also as a note, the address here is for the maintenance building that I don't think you can walk into normally. If you want to purchase your tickets and board the streetcar you need to go to the station at 2330 W 42nd St.

This is such a fun activity to do as part of an outing to Lake Harriet, especially with kids! While…read moreit's only a 15 minute activity, it's a TON of fun, and both of our kids loved every minute. It was also really neat to learn more about the streetcar lines from the volunteers, and to see a little bit of the area that's hard to visit on bike or foot. The price is super reasonable at $3 per person (babies are free). While I would not make a special trip here just to ride the street car, it's an awesome additional activity to eating at Bread and Pickle, walking around the lake or kayaking/boating on it, or playing in the playground!