This place is one of the best kept secrets of Northern MN. Especially if you have kids that would…read morelove to climb big equipment. But I will honestly say this museum was one of the most interesting I've been in in quite a while even as an adult. It's not just about mining, but walks you through everyday life "back in the day". From the school room, doctor's office, barber shop, washing machines, kitchen, printing press etc etc. So much is here, and so many photos almost all with captions stating where/when. Super interesting. There is SO much stuff here! It really blew me away. And the woman who was working that day was so friendly and knowledgeable (that's you Velma!)... she was an absolute delight. It unfortunately decided to downpour 1/2 way through our first visit which cut it short, but that meant that I was able to go back and meet a friend and her kiddos! Whoever set this up cared a lot and thought it through and the donations of things large and small is incredible. Go here! .... Pull all the way in and drive up to the castle. There are parking spots there and that's where you pay. It's deceptive making you think you park outside the gate but nope.... pull all the way up!

With all the fires going on and the heatwave that came through, we decided to get out of the cabin…read moreand go explore the wolf center. The wolves get some sort of activity a couple times a day. At 4pm they called out overhead that there would be a demo. The wolves were presented with some treats and came out for viewing behind the glass of the auditorium. They have five wolves, only one is female and two of the wolves are brothers; all are neutered. We enjoyed the interactive museum- listening to wolf howls and touching pelts. They had some skulls of dogs to compare to the skull of a wolf. Wow. They explained wolf population decline and conservation efforts. There was even some Native American expressions of wolves. They have so many stuffed wolves in their exhibit- some are huge. There's a lot of history there- a lot to read. I would say this place serves adults and kids alike. The interactive part is good for the kids as well as seeing the live wolves. The adults can watch short clips and learn about wolves behavior and safety. The employees are very kind and answered my wolf questions. They have a gift shop with attire and many other wolf related items, as well as snacks and non alcoholic drinks. They have the local root beer in a can! They have ample parking (electric car charger available) and clean restrooms. Admission fees are reasonable. We spent about 1.5 hours there but you could easily spend more. I would recommend a visit here.

This is absolutely worth a stop if you're near Ely. It is so fun to see the wolves and talk to…read moreguides about all your wolf questions. People working here are very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. The center and facilities are beautiful and well maintained. My only wish is that there was an outdoor viewing platform or area.

Great place to learn a lot about forestry in Minnesota! Has living history demos of sawing and log…read morerolling. Knowledgeable employees on site to talk about how the loggers operated and lived, cooked, etc. Operating kitchen and even cookies the day we visited! Draft horses snd a wagon that brought us back to visitor center from the logging camp (not a far walk, but a decline to get there, slight incline on way back,. We could have walked back but the ride and offer were there! Thanks to Chuck and Chad, the brother horses, and to their drivers!! We didn't get their names!

This is a small town standby. They have a beautiful building and the older ones are well kept…read more Lots of activities year round here and interesting exhibits inside and out. Attended the critter day which was filled with lots of interesting live animals, presentations, and wings, talons and furs to touch. Very hand's-on. We have also gone in the winter for sleigh rides, also very cool.

A fun stop if you are a fan of Judy Garland. Her childhood home was really beautiful and fun to…read morewalk through. The museum itself has a ton of information about Judy Garland and the carriage from the Wizard of Oz was so cool to see in person! There is a gift shop and children's discovery center attached.

Somewhere over the Rainbow . . What a treat to tour the artifacts and photos and memorabilia from…read morethe life of Judy Garland, who lived till four years old in Grand Rapids MN. It was emotionally rewarding to get a glimpse of her amazing talent, yet sensing the tragedy and sadness for many of her years. Five husbands and addictions and early mistreatment by the movie studios tell the story of her short life. I recommend a visit or many visits, as the praises and new items continue to be donated. Well done!

This place is so well thought out! It's one of those "bigger on the inside" places with many…read moredifferent play areas within. Bigger kids can play in the pretend house (with a real piano), grocery store, doctor's office, etc. while smaller kids can play with the water table, crawl in the low maze, etc. My daughter could spend an entire day here if it weren't for nap time! We came when she was about 14 months old and she loved it. I think kids as old as first or second grade would also enjoy this!

im 14 and this place is peak.it has alot of cool stuff to mess around with.i hate the charector…read morelimit on yelp

After having been to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto thisnpast spring, hubs and I said "hey, we…read moreshould really check out thw US one that's basically in our backyard". While it definitely had a MN focus, it was fun to see a lot of the artifacts and displays here. Being a Minnesota kid who grew up on hockey, I recognized most of players and games being depicted. It was even fun to go take a few slapshots, something I am admittedly not good at, since I was a goalie. Staff were friendly. A couple areas that could be improved were the gift shop being a little lackluster and some of the displays just had printed out computer paper, rather tham a nice plaque or something, so made it look a little cheap.

I'm a Wild fan, not a hockey fan, meaning my knowledge of the sport goes little beyond the last 4…read moreyears of the Wild but I enjoyed perusing the Hall of Fame. There is three floors of art and memorabilia. I especially enjoyed the displays on the Miracle Team, 1980 US gold medal winning Olympic hockey team. I also liked seeing some of the history of hockey, such as old uniforms and skates. I was happy to see some female hockey athletes honored as well. I loved the interactive areas where I could shoot a puck with a real stick to check my accuracy as well as shoot to measure puck speed. If you are in the area, for the $8 entry fee, it's worth a stop. It's looking a bit dated but it's clean and the people working there were so nice.

As you may have noticed, my family and I are definitely adventures even in our own backyard. Today…read moremy family and I decided to take a trip to Tower and visit the old Train Museum. Trains have always been a fascinating thing for me because at one point that was our way for transportation, and the history of the tracks forming from the East to the West is a phenomenal tail. This particular train that sits here permanently in Tower, MN was a former passenger train that ran from Duluth to the Iron Range. Looking inside the the old engineering area is a little eerie looking at all the original speedometers, the compartment for the coals, where a piece of rope once was to help ring the bell on top of the engine. You could almost imagine the puffs of smoke roaring overhead, the whistle blowing, a conductor yelling, "All aboard!" It all feels so real. From Wikipedia it states, "Tower station, often called the Tower Passenger Depot, is a former passenger railroad depot in Tower, Minnesota, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1916 by the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, it provided passenger train service until 1951." It's a fun place to bring the whole family. Come check it out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading Schroyer Family Daily! #towermn #tower #trainmuseum #museum #trains #historic #history #explore #minnesota #arrenschroyer #cassieschroyer

The Virginia Area Historical Society is a small community historical organization that maintains a…read morehouse museum building with several well designed exhibits and out buildings next to a community park. Take some time to learn about the fire that took out the downtown or get to know your Finnish Iron miners.