One of my favorite ways to learn new things is by visiting museums due to the immersive, hands-on educational experience you get from them. If you also love museums, then you are in luck—the Twin Cities has many fun and unique museums. Here are some of my suggestions of places to check out. Be sure to have your student ID on hand since almost all of these museums have a student discount.

Minnesota History Center

The Minnesota History Center, located in Downtown St Paul, is exactly what it sounds like: a museum dedicated to the history of our state. It is a part of the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), which has many museums and historical sites that can be visited across the entire state. At the History Center, you can learn about various historical topics regarding our state from the Dakota, Ojibwe and other Indigenous peoples' past and present to Minnesotans involved in World War II.
They often have special time-sensitive exhibits that are equally fascinating. While you have to pay most days, the Minnesota History Center currently has free Thursday nights from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, MNHS has quarterly free admission days to visit any of their locations throughout the year. This museum is a must-visit for all Minnesota residents because of the importance of knowing the history of where you live.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA)

The MIA, located in Minneapolis, is a huge art museum with public free admission. This museum features art from all corners of the world. Currently, the MIA has a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room exhibit with recordings of Tibetan throat singing playing inside, making for a very calm environment. Due to the size, it is easy to get lost. I have found myself thinking I had seen everything but then realizing I missed a whole other half.

The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA)

I wish I had known this museum existed earlier, as I visited for the first time early this year. TMORA is a fascinating museum focusing on Russian art and culture, located in Minneapolis. I was drawn to the massive matryoshka (Russian nesting doll) collection in particular. I loved seeing the unique patterns and designs painted on each of them as well as learning the history behind the dolls. Another exhibit I found interesting was “Say No to War,” featuring art by Ukrainian and Russian artists opposing the war in Ukraine.


The Bakken Museum

The Bakken Museum is one of the more unique museums I have ever visited. Located in Minneapolis by Bde Maka Ska, the Bakken’s focus is electricity. At this museum, visitors learn about the history of electricity and there are interactive experiences, including a device with increasing voltage in which one puts their hands on, giving the person some small shocks and hair standing on its ends. I also really like the Frankenstein’s Monster exhibit that has a short show where it tells a snippet of the famous Mary Shelley novel and a couple of jump scares.

Mill City Museum

Did you know that Minneapolis once led the world in flour production? Located in Minneapolis next to the Mississippi River in Mill Ruins Park, the Mill City Museum – another location part of MNHS – teaches about the flour milling history of Minneapolis. At this museum, you not only learn about the mills, but also the formation of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the usefulness of the Mississippi River in the labor history of the Twin Cities. The architecture of Mill City Museum is truly one of a kind. If you go and think the building looks broken, you would be correct. Mill City Museum is inside a flour mill that blew up due to a speck of dust, forever preserving the memory of the explosion in Minneapolis’ history.