Twin Cities Region, Minnesota Attractions

The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St Louis Park features antique radio, television, and broadcast equipment. The foundation of the museum began with the Joseph R Pavek Collection of more than one thousand radio receivers, transmitters, and televisions from the first half of the 20th C. Items on display include the first RCA Theremins ever made, the actual record lathe used to cut the discs for The Jazz Singer, an Edison cylinder phonograph, and a replica of Edison's very first phonograph.

Exhibits at the Carver County Historical Society Museum in Waconia include the Veterans' Exhibit - honoring America's veterans and Carver County's servicemen; the Immigrant Experience in Carver County - highlighting the ethnic groups that settled the area; hammers, axes, planes and other tools; Childhood in the 19th Century - including toys, chores, illness, food and clothing. Other displays include typewriters, musical instruments, fine china and laundry equipment including washers and irons.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen is part of the Department of Horticultural Science within the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota. The Arboretum features more than 1,000 acres of public gardens including annual and perennial display gardens, collections of plants developed for northern climates, natural and native areas, and demonstration gardens.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska is part of the Department of Horticultural Science of the University of Minnesota. Visitors will enjoy more than 1,000 acres of public gardens that include annual and perennial display gardens, collections of plants developed for northern climates, natural and native areas, and demonstration gardens. Hiking trails are available in summer and cross-country ski trails in winter.

Dakota City in Farmington is a 1900 era village and museum located on the on the Dakota County Fairgrounds. Farm equipment, including steam and gas tractors, threshing machines, planting equipment, and many tools are on display as well as a mail wagon. The village consists of a depot, fire barn, bank, schoolhouse, jail, blacksmith shop and post office.

The Sibley House Historic Site is home to four limestone buildings from the era when the American Fur Company operated a regional trade with the Dakota, between 1825 and 1853. Henry Hastings Sibley, the company's young regional manager, was begun in 1838. Other buildings include a fur company cold store from 1843 and the 1840 residence of longtime trader-turned-hotelier Jean-Baptiste Faribault.

Ojibwe and Dakota Sioux Indians were attracted to the abundance of woodlands, water and game in the Bloomington (pop. 84,000) area. French Canadian fur trappers followed as well as soldiers and pioneers. Bloomington is named for the flowering fields.

Kelley Farm southeast of Elk River is a living history farm with costumed guides who perform agricultural tasks typical of the 1860s. Visitors can pick heirloom vegetables from the garden, visit the farmhands and animals at the barn, or churn butter and see what's cooking in the farmhouse.

Banfill Tavern was built by John Banfill who was a mason and innkeeper. He converted his summerhouse into a hotel. Located on the Metropolitan Trail, the hotel served the military and fur traders. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors to Minnesota Pioneer Park in Annandale will learn about the daily life, customs, and cultures of a pioneer settler. The reconstructed village contains 23 buildings.

The Minnesota Zoo is home to 2,300 animals in settings that closely resemble their natural habitats. Exhibits are arranged by trails such as the Tropics Trail, Minnesota Trail and Northern Trail. The zoo has a monorail and an IMAX theater.

The Steamboat Minnehaha was built during the early 1900s and was originally used as a streetcar on Lake Minnetonka. Passengers can now take cruises around Big Island and round-trips from Excelsior to Wayzata.

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area includes a 72mi/116km stretch of the Mississippi River from Ramsey and Dayton in the north to just south of Hastings. Several parks and historic sites are found within the boundaries.

The Ellingson Car Museum in Rogers has more than 100 vehicles including cars, trucks and motorcycles, from the early 1920's through the muscle cars of the 60's and 70's.

The Gammelgarden Museum is an 11-acre site located northeast of Minneapolis. It features a barn, house, and church. Swedish heritage and history is preserved through the exhibits

Built in 1853, the Warden's Home Museum in Stillwater was the residence of the Stillwater Territorial Prison warden. Most of the 14 rooms are decorated with items from the first European settlers.

Jesse Taylor built a cabin, sawmill, dam, and blacksmith shop for the new Baker Falls Company in the mid-1800s in the location of Taylors Falls (pop. 950). A dam was built in 1902 that covers the falls.

Exhibits at the Afton Historical Society Museum include July 4th celebrations, the Anchorage, and clamming on the St Croix River.

Cascade Bay in Eagan is an outdoor aquatic facility that features a zero-depth pool, waterslides, a sand play area and a lazy river.

Shakopee (pop. 30,000) was named for Chief Shakopee, when the town was founded in 1851 on a Dakota Indian village site.