Photo courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society
Experience sweeping views, hands-on history, and engaging exhibits—all within a stone’s throw of the Mississippi River and U.S. Bank Stadium. Built within the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, a National Historic Landmark, the award-winning Mill City Museum chronicles the flour-milling industry that fueled the growth of Minneapolis.
Explore popular museum features, including the Water Lab, Baking Lab, the Minneapolis in 19 Minutes, Flat! film, and the Flour Tower, a signature experience that brings the story of the mill to life. Flour Tower visitors sit in the cab of a freight elevator and are taken to different floors of the building, each designed to look like a floor in a working flour mill. Voices of people who worked in the Washburn A Mill are heard throughout the show. As you exit on the eighth floor, you’ll learn about old machinery, and you won’t want to miss the ninth-floor observation deck with fantastic views of the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mississippi River’s St. Anthony Falls.
The museum also offers special programs, such as baking demonstrations, walking tours of the historic riverfront, and family days. Plus, special art exhibits rotate regularly in the Mill Commons area near the store and the Bushel & Peck cafe by D’Amico, which serves up grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, snacks, and beverages.
Mill City Museum is open Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $8-12, MNHS members are free. Visit www.mnhs.org/millcity for details and event listings.
