Mill City Museum

We spent the day at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. I must admit I was a bit hesitant to believe that a museum could make the proccess of milling flour interesting. I was wrong - it was great. It might be one of my kids favorite museums and they enjoy museums as a whole.

There were several good hands on exhibits. The kids favorite of course was the water room. Here the kids can try to build and create dams to make the wheels spin and see the effects of building up water and then releasing it. They can try to guide logs down along the river to get where they need to go. They try to build a bridge and put the buildings of the area in their right order. It was a fun room, it was a messy room. Sirah was completely soaked when we were done but they had great fun.

It was wonderful again to go the first two weeks of school as it was very empty. The kids and I kept to our own schedule, took our time at exhibits and went back to our favorites again and again. The musuem also offers a freight elevator tour that is interesting and the kids enjoyed. You ride in a freight elevator with a guide who tells some of the history and you see short videos and equipement used. It was fun and Rhiannon's favorite part of the day. You end the tour with an amzing view of the falls and the stone arch bridge and the area. We finished the day with a visit to the baking room for some fresh bread and a walk through the burned courtyard.

If you are in the Twin Cities I recommend it. For us the cost is perfect as we are historical society members - so it was just 1.00 to feed the meters. Plus the additional money we choose to spend feeding the meters up and down the street we parked on. The kids thought it was fun and it was a lesson in random acts of kindness, a trait I am always happy to pass on to my children. Feed parking meters, pay tolls or admission for the car behind you and little things like that for no reason other than to be kind and share the blessings God has given you.

Blessings,
Tenn