This list of museums in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

encompasses

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

s which are defined for this context as institutions (including

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

s, government entities, and private

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

es) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Non-profit and university art galleries are also included. Private museums which are not regularly open to the public and

virtual museum A virtual museum is a digital entity that draws on the characteristics of a museum, in order to complement, enhance, or augment the museum experience through personalization, interactivity, and richness of content. Virtual museums can perform as t ...

s which exist only online are not included.

Current museums

Regions defined

;Northwest Minnesota Region Counties: Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Grant, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau ;Northeast Minnesota Region Counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Clearwater, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Mille Lacs, Pine, Saint Louis ;West Minnesota Region Counties: Douglas, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin ;Central Minnesota Region Counties: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Morrison, Stearns, Swift, Todd, Wadena ;Minnesota River Valley Region Counties: Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Swift, Yellow Medicine ;Twin Cities Metro Region Counties: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, Wright ;Southwest Minnesota Region Counties: Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, Watonwan ;Southeast Minnesota Region Counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Winona

Defunct museums

* Amdal House Museum, Lake Park, MN, was sold in 2015 and the collections of the Lake Park Area Historical Society moved to a new location. * Arches Museum of Pioneer Life, Lewiston. Collection transferred to the Rural Heritage Museum in St. Charles. * Arrowhead Bluffs Museum, Wabasha. Closed in October 2011. Displayed hunting trophies, antique rifles, and Native American artifacts. * Baseball Museum,

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Baseball memorabilia collected by a

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

equipment manager and displayed in a souvenir shop near the Metrodome. Closed in 2015. * College of Visual Arts Gallery,

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. Gallery space of the former

College of Visual Arts The College of Visual Arts (CVA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, was a private, accredited, four-year college of art and design offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fine arts, graphic design, illustration, and photography. The fine ...

, which closed in 2013. * Grand Mound History Center, near

International Falls International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly acro ...

. Interpreted the prehistoric Grand Mound. * The Le Sueur Museum in Le Sueur, Minnesota, United States, was sold by the Le Sueur County Historical Society in January 2018 to the dairy cooperative Agropur Inc. which in has applied for a permit to demolish the building. * Mikkelson Collection, Willmar. Collection auctioned off in 2012. * Midwest Music Museum, Bloomington. Was located at the

Mall of America Mall of America (MOA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway ...

, no current information. * Minnesota African American Museum,

. Started in October 2012 in the historic Coe Mansion but never fully opened to the public. It was to display exhibits surrounding Minnesota's African-American community. * Minnesota State Fair History Museum was replaced with the Minnesota State Fair History & Heritage Center which opened in 2014. * Monongalia Historical Museum, New London, Minnesota housed in the former Lebanon Church. The Monongalia Historical Society vacated the building in November 2013. The building was demolished in June 2014. * Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, Minneapolis. Closed in 2002 and collection transferred to the Science Museum of Minnesota. * Planes of Fame East Air Museum,

Eden Prairie Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...

. A WWII aviation museum that housed a collection of 30+ historic, flyable airplanes. Closed in 1997. Most airplanes transferred to the Palm Springs Air Museum. *

Rifle Sport Gallery Rifle Sport Alternative Art Gallery was an underground art space open from 1985 to 1988 in the Block E (Minneapolis), Block E segment of Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was an important and groundbreaking venue for non-mains ...

, Minneapolis. An underground art space open 1985-1988 on Block E. * Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center, Sauk Centre. Property sold for development in 2016, collection moved to

Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home The Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, United States. From 1889 until 1902 it was the home of young Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951), who would become the most famous Ame ...

and temporary storage. * Soderlund Pharmacy Museum,

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

. Medical instruments, pharmacological products, and

show globe A show globe is a glass vessel of various shapes and sizes containing a colorful liquid. It has been a symbol of pharmacy from the 17th century England to the early 20th century in the United States. It marked the drugstore or apothecary in much ...

s, plus a 1911 soda fountain, housed in a working drugstore. Closed as of 2014. * Spicer's Classic Car Museum, Chisholm. No current information. * Story Lady Doll & Toy Museum,

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Miller Lea Albert Miller Lea (July 23, 1808 – January 16, 1891) was an American engineer, soldier, and topographer with the ...

. When it closed in 2010, the collection was moved to the Freeborn County Historical Museum. * TRACES Center for History and Culture, Landmark Center, Saint Paul. Interpreted the

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

experience, closed November 2008. *

Wells Fargo History Museum The Wells Fargo History Museum is a museum operated by Wells Fargo in its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California that features exhibits about the History of Wells Fargo. It includes original stagecoaches, photographs, gold nuggets ...

in Minneapolis, MN was permanently closed along with 11 of 12 Wells Fargo History Museums around the country in 2020.

References

External links

Historical Museum Guide for MinnesotaMinnesota Historical & Genealogical SocietiesMinnesota Valley History Learning Center: Historical Sites
- most are open by appointment {{Minnesota

Museums Museums

Current museums

Regions defined

Defunct museums

See also

References

External links