Minnesota History Center

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Minnesota Historical Center

I love going to historical places. You can learn so much just by checking these places out. I’m from Wisconsin, and I go to Minnesota often, but I had never actually heard of the Minnesota History Center until recently. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to go here and take my family along as well. There is something great about seeing history, and I love bringing my family along so that they can learn as well. I think it’s important that we all learn from history.

Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition

Visitors will unlock the storied sleuth’s revolutionary investigative secrets through the interactive exhibit that combines history, science and culture to reveal the historic underpinnings of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s rich and vibrant stories. Just as historians study history, visitors will follow clues, examine evidence and use powers of observation, but this time to solve a mystery in Sherlock’s world filled with innovation and experimentation. Throughout the exhibit, visitors will learn how Sherlock Holmes, a scientific expert ahead of his time, used seemingly trivial observations of clues others missed to solve some of his era’s most mysterious crimes. His practices and techniques–created in the mind of doctor-turned-author Conan Doyle–changed the way police work was conducted and remain in practice today. Modern day leading Forensic Scientists from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) contributed to the making of this renowned exhibit. Visitors will see interviews with some of the BCA experts.

Once you get inside the Sherlock Holmes exhibit, they’ll give you your very own booklet so that you can start writing down clues and such to help you solve this mystery. Be your very own detective with this booklet and write down all the clues you can. This book is going to help you out in the very end. Make sure to fill it all out.

The Minnesota History Center is located in St. Paul, MN. From now until April 2, 2023 they have a Sherlock Holmes exhibit that you won’t want to miss. In this exhibit you actually get to be like Sherlock Holmes and solve a mystery. Each of the rooms you enter will have different items and clues to help you solve this mystery.

Look For Clues

There is so much you can see in this exhibit. It was definitely one of my favorites. I love a good mystery and being able to solve it yourself. It’s nice that you actually get to walk around and look for clues like you’re a real detective. This was such a fun exhibit. While you walk through all the rooms, you’re going to be able to do something different. Continue your way through the whole exhibit so you don’t miss out on anything to help you solve the mystery.

I love that they even had a set up of the crime scene. That was so neat to be able to see. It really felt like a real mystery in this exhibit. They did such a wonderful job. You could look at the crime scene to see how everything was to try to get some clues on what really happened.

Figure Out the Clues

There were multiple areas around this exhibit to get your clues from. You just have to walk around and try to figure everything out, just like a real detective would do. My family and I had a lot of fun in this exhibit. It’s interesting trying to figure out all these clues on your own. If you like a bit of a challenge and mystery, this would definitely be the exhibit for you. Just remember that it won’t be here forever. It will be here until April 2, 2023, so make sure to take a visit while it’s still there.

Kitchen

There were so many amazing things to see. I loved being able to see a lot of the stuff they did many years ago. I enjoy seeing how life was before I was even born. It’s nice to see how others lives were in all the different years. It is really interesting to me to see it all. This kitchen they had set up was amazing! I actually wish I had a kitchen like this with all these old appliances. Honestly, I’d love to have my very own kitchen set up very similar to this with all the old appliances and dishes too. They had some amazing things back then. A lot of their dishware was even way better back then. I’ve also have always wanted a fridge like this too.

Candies

This old candy machine was another fun thing to see. I can’t believe how cheap candy was back then. If only it were still that price today. It has definitely changed in price since then. This is actually the first time I have seen an older candy machine like this. I’m loving this style of the candy machine. It would have been nice just to own one of these for my home. I love older style items like these.

So many old T.V.s were being displayed, and I loved seeing them all. Another item I really wish I owned, was an older style T.V. like these. They are so incredible to see in person. We have come a very long way with T.V.’s now too. It’s amazing to see the difference from today to back then. These look so much smaller compared to todays, but they sure look beautiful too.

I loved being able to see all the clothing that they wore back then as well. It’s so interesting to see how much clothing has changed over the years. Every year it seems like clothes are changing, and they are always constantly changing. What was really neat about this, was that it actually worked, and you could have it move so that you can see more and more clothing. How neat is that?!

They even had some older classic vehicles there. With the Model T, you could turn the crank to see if you could get it started. That was a lot of fun getting that started. It definitely takes some work. I’m a big fan of the older classic cars. I actually would love to own one someday. I think it would be amazing to be able to drive one or even just ride in one.

 

Restaurant/Diner

This diner area was probably my daughters favorite from the whole history center. They had a lot of fun behind it pretending to take orders from everyone. They even had some fake props so that you can get a real feel of what it was like behind the counter. What an amazing experience this was. I have to say it was definitely a highlight of my day as well. It’s so neat to see a lot of the items they had back then when it came to diners and places like these.

They even had this old cash register behind the counter. This was definitely neat to see. I love seeing the old cash registers. I actually wish I had one of these myself. They are very interesting to see.

Of course they even had a menu so you could check out some of the items they offered and the prices. It’s really amazing to see how much these prices have changed over the years. Things definitely were a lot cheaper back then. We certainly pay a lot more than this for food in restaurants now days. If only prices were still like this today, right?!

The Bison

The bison is the largest land animal in North America. For centuries, Native Americans hunted it for food. They also carved horns and hooves into spoons and cups, used the bladder as a carrying sack, turned shoulder bones into hoes, used the hide for clothes and shelter, and laced rib bones together to make a sled.

They had a lot of things that you could actually interact with. This bison was fun for the kids. They got to learn where all the inside pieces go inside of the bison. My kids got to take all the pieces and try to put them together. They actually did a great job finding out where all the pieces go. There is also a sheet up that shows you where everything goes so that it can help the kids put them together. Kids can see how the bison was like a walking grocery store by scanning parts at a checkout counter. Then step inside a modern tipi and learn Dakota history and culture from poet/artist Bobby Wilson.

Check out how huge this canoe is! I can only imagine how many people had to sit in here to haul all kinds of stuff like guns, knives, etc. I’ve never actually seen a canoe this big in person, so it was really interesting to be able to see this. I’m very fascinated with some of the history and how people did a lot of things back then.

Mining

They even had an area that taught you a lot about mining. You could go inside and learn so much. There were a lot of hands on things for the mining, which was wonderful. It’s so nice to see more hands on things so that everyone can learn more about how it really was and how things went. It’s nice to get the actual feel of it. I love that about this historical center. They have a lot of hands on things, and it’s really nice to see that. The kids really got in to a lot of the hands on stuff. It was amazing.

It was nice to see them showing some of the outfits and equipment and such for those in the army, etc. I’m always interested to see the tanks and the clothing that they wore. It’s always amazing to see those who fought and I’m so thankful for everyone who has and still does today. I don’t think we’d be here where we are today without all these amazing brave men and women.

Grainland

If your kids need to burn off some energy, Grainland is a great place for them to check out. Kids can climb into a replica grain elevator where bins and chutes are replaced with steps and slides and curing nooks and crannies to explore.  Then hop into the vintage 1900 farmer’s wagon loaded with grain for market, or step into an authentic 24-ton Soo Line boxcar. The kid-size twists, turns, and tunnels will keep your little “crops” active while learning about how grain leaves the farm and ends up on your table.

Windmills and Tornados 

They had an area where you can learn about tornados and windmills. You could even try to get the windmills to move with some air. This was great for everyone wanting to see them move. I thought that was really neat being able to control those yourself. I’ve always loved windmills, and we actually even have one in our yard. It’s a taller standing one, and we love it. They are so neat to watch when the wind blows. The tornado was really interesting to learn about as well. You could see a demonstration where a piano went through the bathroom. Tornados can be really violent and destroy anything in their path within seconds.

Check out this beautiful horse mask some of the horses would wear.

Natives

This exhibit had a lot of neat native clothing and such. I’ve always loved the clothing natives wear. I love that they put so much work and soul into these pieces. I’m amazed at all their items they have made themselves. The beaded items are especially my favorite. They have such beautiful clothing and pieces. I’ve seen so many great pieces in this exhibit. It’s worth checking out if you love to see the styles of the native.

Amazing Experience 

The Minnesota History Center has so much you can learn and see. This is a great place to be able to learn a bit of history and even be able to experience some hands on activities. That’s one thing I really enjoyed about going here, was there were actual hands on experiences. You don’t get that a lot when you check out history places. That was such an amazing experience. I know my family can’t wait to go again. Don’t forget that the Sherlock Holmes exhibit is only here until April 2nd, 2023. Make sure to visit before that exhibit isn’t there anymore. It sure was an exciting part for us. Check them out the next time you’re in St. Paul, MN.