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!

Seeing the wolves close up is pretty amazing, they are so beautiful! The pups were really cute too…read more But after you watch them for a while with the handlers (who were in the enclosure the entire time we were there) you feel like you're watching large domesticated dogs. There was also a demonstration when we were there and we had hoping we'd learn more about each wolf but it was only the wolves being fed bratwurst. I would have left 4 stars but the bathrooms were really gross. Still cool to see the wolves but for the price it didn't quite hit the mark.

Our destination was Bear Head Lake State Park and we decided to take a detour to check out the…read morecenter. So glad we did. While there are several areas to peruse, my favorites were the presentation by the guides and the enrichment activity. At 3:15pm, the guide gave a very educational and engaging presentation about several aspects of wolves, I.e. their color, what they eat, how they hunt, how they work and live together, etc. the presentation was made in front of the viewing area so as the wolves walked by, she also talked specifically about that individual. She had props and answered many questions. Very nicely done. At 4pm, and enrichment activity was held for the wolves. Trainers enter the wolves' enclosure and hide various treats for them to explore. It allows guests to see the wolves doing natural behaviors. Their large paws were fascinating to me. Such a beautiful animal. So glad we stopped.

So incredibly frustrating when a website has listed a place as open -you make the effort to attend…read moreand they are closed for the season. Update your website. Grrrrr.

I'm a conniseur of weird tourist attractions. I loved the Tom Sawyer diorama in Hannibal Missouri…read morethe underground tour of Miles, Montana and the worlds most depressing theme park, "Ironworld" in Chilsholm Minnesota. But the Greyhound bus museum beats em all. Last year, our car broke down in Hibbing and we were stuck there for four days with a toddler. I tell you what, he loved this place. He's heavily into buses and the displays allowed him to really, really get his fill of them. We were the only people in the museum so the staff went out of their way to give us the grand tour. They also had live greyhounds and other fun things for kids. If you like kitsch, then don't miss this. My personal favorite, the Bob Dylan sock sculpture wearing a bus driver's uniform in one of the displays.

We loved our little visit of Dorothy's museum. We thought it would be just a kitschy, niche little…read morelocal experience, maybe like visiting Paul and Babe, but it was so much more than that. We didn't do any formal tours but opted to explore the cabins on our own. You could really get to know the kind of person Dorothy was through her purposeful misspellings and quirky home decor. As we finished looking through the first cabin, it really sunk in with us that Dorothy had become a pillar of her community and the communities in and around the BWCA. She served such a unique role as the last non-Indigenous person to live in the Boundary Waters, offering emergency medical care when needed due to her nursing background or offering lodging or root beer to those passing through. I can tell you we did not expect to be crying at the Root Beer Lady's museum, but the eulogies for her hit us right in the heart. I aspire to be such a firecracker and build that beloved of a community. If you're humble, work hard, and share your gifts and fortunes, the world will be a better place. As we imagine our own futures and purpose, we will definitely ask ourselves, what would Dorothy do?

Considering my maiden name is Molter, I am a little partial. :)…read moreMy family and I enjoy taking trips to visit & pick up root beer every few years. Every single time, we look over everything & read it all again as if it were the first time. We truly enjoy it & even submitted some magazines and photos the last time we were there. We had to leave the items with the museum to make copies and entrust them to return them to us, and they absolutely did. Jess is wonderful and our family is super thankful for her.

Prison Writings by : Leonard Peltier is a must read. Homeschoolers, the museum makes an excellent…read morefield trip, a fun way to gain an education.

I'm in town for the week , trying to find somewhere open in this winter tundra for gifts…read more Jackpot,found this adorable shop! Mmmm the lovely smell as you walk in. Lots of Ely stuff here. Saunas are a big thing up here, they have a whole section dedicated to sauna stuff. Lots of essential oils! Jewelry,kitchen stuff,garden deco. And lots more! The girl working here was very friendly and helpful. You need to stop in here!

We found this gift shop exploring around the city of Ely. It had lots of unique items and Ely…read moregifts we could not find at any of the other Ely shops. It has a section dedicated to soaps and sauna stuff. It became our favorite gift shop in Ely.

Small museum with a lot of great information and exhibits to show! Not only did I learn about…read moreinternational falls history but it also covered the great football legend Bronko Nagurski. Good museum!

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!

I can't believe this has not yet been reviewed. What a small-town delight! Don't let the outside…read morefool you, it looks small, but man have they packed a ton inside. From a maze, water feature, vet office, music room, stage complete with tons of dress-up outfits, a dock, boat, fish and poles, a tree house, a talking tree etc. etc.... there really is a lot to do here. You can tell there is a lot of local effort/ideas/builders involved here. What a treasure for this community.

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.