Broadway costumers, Nigerian textiles and Danish furniture are just some of the visually lush exhibits featured at the Goldstein Museum of Design. The only design museum in the Upper Midwest, you can get your fashion fix visiting its collection of world-famous designers like Christian Dior and Isaac Mizrahi. And you can learn the connection between better living through nature, or biophilic design in your home. The Goldstein, located in Gallery 241 in the University of Minnesota’s McNeal Hall, celebrates design that improves our quality of life.

Museum Hours are 10am-4:30pm Tues-Saturday. Closed Sun-Mon. Meter, Lot and Ramp Parking all $3 an hour on weekdays, $1/hour weekends.

Ping Pong ball launchers, 3D paintings and a giant spiral slide – the Minnesota Children’s Museum is a mind-body experience - let your kids activate both! Visit ‘underwater’ shipwrecks unearthed from the depths of Lake Superior and hold your breath as your fearless five-year-old maneuvers the 40-foot-high netted catwalk. There’s even a sensory playroom for babies and toddlers.

Museum Hours are 9am-4pm Tues-Thurs; open later Friday-Sunday. Closed Mondays.

Go purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, then drive two miles south to Chanhassen and enter the creative temple of one of the world’s greatest musicians – Prince. Paisley Park still kicks out the jams with live performances by various Prince sidemen and DJ’s for lucky fans who make the pilgrimage from all corners of the planet. Tour studios where Prince created and produced music with artists from Madonna to Lizzo; Walk on the Hollywood-sized soundstage where his Sign O’ the Times concert was filmed; and see one-of-a-kind exhibits, like ‘The Beautiful Collection’, a display and short video on the amazing design and construction of Princes’ 3,000 custom pair of high-heels shoes and boots. Early June is a good time to visit: the annual ‘Celebration’ event for Prince’s birthday (June 7) is filled with love, amazing fashion and two nights of classic Prince songs that’ll have you dancing till dawn.

Fall/Winter Hours: Sun, Mon and Thurs 9am-5pm; Fri-Sat 9am-6pm; Closed Tues-Wed

Minnesota’s railroad baron actually lived the resplendent life seen in the latest big budget Hollywood period dramas streaming on cable. Step inside the former home of Great Northern Railroad titan James J. Hill and get a glimpse of what homelife was like for the man business rivals called, “The Empire Builder”: Marvel at the 36,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art mansion that boasts 16 glass chandeliers, 22 fireplaces, a world-class skylit Impressionist art gallery and a three-story organ featuring more than 1,000 pipes. There are exhibits, a home tour and tours of the beautiful Summit-Crocus Hill neighborhood Hill made the spotlight of America. Admission to the James J. Hill House is $12 for adults, $8 for kids (free under 4).

Hours: Thus-Sat 10am-3:30pm, Sun 11am-3:30pm. Closed Mon-Wed.

Kramer. Grant. Moss. Just whisper their names and you can hear the faint roar of the purple faithful in stadiums past. If you’re a die-hard Vikings fan, then you have to make the pilgrimage to Viking Lakes in Eagan and immerse yourself in the ultimate sports experience: the 14,000 sq. ft. Vikings Museum. Relive team battles for the game ball against NFC adversaries, learn how the legendary Purple People Eaters became one of the most feared defensive lines in football history and recount the heart-stopping minutes of the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ - the walk-off touchdown by Stefon Diggs that crushed the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 Division Playoffs.

Museum Hours are Thurs-Sat and Mon, 10am-6pm; Sun noon-5pm; Closed Tues-Wed.

When you visit the Russian Museum of Art on West Diamond Lake Road you'll learn about the breathtaking arts and craft produced in the largest country in the world. The collection hosts more than 7,000 works from 15 countries in the Russian Empire and former Soviet Union, including Lithuania, Armenia, and Ukraine. See religious art from the Balkans and political cartoons by Russian illustrators. Folk tales are told in the gallery on Saturdays and a trip to the gift shop will fill you with traditional teas, cakes and jams while you pick up filigree eggs and those world-famous Matryoshka nesting dolls. You’ll be saying “zamechatel’nyy!” (wonderful!) in no time.

Museum Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1pm-5pm Closed Major Holidays.

Did you know Frankenstein was the first sci-fi novel? That you can create a hailstorm with a generator? Or that the first human heart pacemaker operated on batteries? They’re all connected because of electricity – the spark of innovation. When you visit the Bakken Museum, you’ll have a shockingly good time learning what can happen when experiments go wrong in the frightening re-creation of Mary Shelley’s legendary monster, and see the 18th century gadgets and gizmos introduced at Benjamin Franklin’s house parties for scientists. Photograph your own stop-motion movie or move your body along with machines to create virtual brush strokes and splatters of art. The Bakken is the place to discover what’s uniquely human – imagination and innovation.

Museum Hours are Tues-Sun, 10am-4pm Closed Mondays.

We use things like phones, radios and TVs everyday, but have you ever wondered how these electronics looked and functioned at the time of their invention? Explore a collection of antique radios, televisions and broadcast equipment so large it takes over 12,000 square feet of space at the Pavek Museum. You can also find telegraphs, phonographs, record players and more! To learn about all the technology on display, be sure to take a guided tour that's included with admission the first Saturday of each month. Whether you come for the history, the tech, or the nostalgia, you won't be disappointed.

Museum Hours are Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm, Closed Sun-Tues

The movie Fargo introduced the world to the Minnesota accent – but where did it actually come from? More than 400,000 people in the state will proudly tell you it’s Swedish. By the turn of the 20th century more than a quarter million Swedes settled in Minnesota, and ya sure, you betcha – their influence is still felt throughout the state. There’s a lot to learn about one of Minnesota’s predominant cultures – so jump in your Volvo and visit the American Swedish Institute. It’s impressive – built in an actual castle once owned by a prominent Swedish family. Today the Turnblad Mansion is the anchor for the arts and culture campus which hosts tours, folk festivals, language and cooking classes and exhibits featuring Swedish glassmaking and textiles. There’s even an exhibit – by kids for kids – about what happens when dragons meet at the Turnblad Mansion.

Museum Hours are Tues.-Sun 10am-4pm (open till 8pm Thursdays). Closed Monday

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali immigrant and refugee population in the United States. To hold on to some of their cultural history and educate Somali youth growing up in the diaspora, The Somali Museum of Minnesota was developed by Osman Ali. In 2009 he began collecting artifacts of his native Somalia’s traditional nomadic culture. The collection on display at the museum now includes examples of everyday craftworks as well as paintings and sculptures created by artists in Somalia and the diaspora. The museum serves as a great way for visitors of all backgrounds to encounter Somali art and traditional culture.

Museum Hours: Currently closed, moving to new location: 920 E Lake Street, Greenway Basement, will re-open in May/June (TBD)

Minneapolis was built on flower power that made names like Pillsbury part of the Great American Breakfast. Flour mills lined both banks of the Mississippi, driven by Midwest grain and the churning river. But in 1878, The “A” mill owned by flour tycoon C. C. Washburn exploded, killing more than a dozen workers and destroying almost all of the west side mill district. Today what remains of the Washburn mill has been turned into the Mill City Museum, an architectural showpiece that’s preserved many features of the original mill. Visit the Ruins Courtyard, tour an eclectic collection of local and regional art and take in a panoramic view of the Stone Arch Bridge from the Observation Deck. There are also samples of fresh bread in the Baking Lab, interactive exhibits and an incredible Farmer’s Market every Saturday Spring through Fall.

Museum Hours are Thurs-Fri 10am – 4pm, Sat – Sun 10am – 5pm.

Ever say, “I know I have family in the Twin Cities, but I don’t know anything about them”? A group of Minneapolis residents realized while buildings and businessmen were always talked or written about, the stories of everyday people tended to slip away. The Hennepin History Museum was created with a commitment to telling real, robust stories about the events, places and people who have played a part in shaping the history of Hennepin County. The Hidden Gems exhibit unveils the imagination and expression of Minneapolis’ 20th century Modern artists; learn how parents charted their own path towards desegregation in an interactive exhibit about the merger of Nathan Hale and Eugene Field elementary schools in South Minneapolis or take a genealogy workshop to dig into your family’s roots.

Museum hours are Thurs-Fri 10am-3pm, Saturdays 10am-5pm.

Celebrate and understand Black history through exhibits, programs and events that educate and inform the public about the history, culture, and art of African Americans in Minnesota. Through many different stories and displays the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery provides a thorough look at the Black experience, from African Americans who left the South to find a new life in Minnesota during the “Great Migration”, to early African American settlers and pioneers in the 1800s, to abolitionists and civil rights leaders who were at the forefront of the Black Liberation Movement in Minnesota.

Museum hours are Tues– Fri 1pm – 5pm, Saturdays 10am – 2pm

Take a trip through time at the newly redesigned Bell Museum in St. Paul The 92,000 sq. ft museum is an exploration of the Cosmos that engages all of your senses: the Touch and See Lab is filled with 10,000 year old fossils (there’s a full scale wooly mammoth) and living animals; stand on the green roof and take in everything that creates a living landscape: native plants, geology gardens and a solar station. You can even walk through the museum’s world-famous wildlife dioramas. But the fan favorite of both out-of-town visitors and amateur astronomers is the state-of-the-art Planetarium featuring the Milky Way’s galaxy of 100 billion stars. See the new original show Mars: The Ultimate Voyage – a collaboration with the scientists at NASA. You may forget your feet are still planted on the ground. Showtimes are from 10:30am – 2:30pm.

Museum hours are Wed-Sun 10am – 4pm. Reserve advance tickets online.

More than 90,000 works of art from six continents spanning 5,000 years of history – the Minneapolis Institute of Art (nicknamed ‘Mia’) is undoubtedly the jewel in Minneapolis’ crown of art museums. Aside from being one of the leading fine art museums in the country, the 110-year-old landmark is one of best examples of the arts and craft-driven style of Prairie Architecture, attributed to design legends like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright – which means open floor plans and lots of connected spaces for world-class art collections, like Mia’s brilliant assortment of Asian jades, bronzes and ceramics; and contemporary exhibits like the current Black History Collection featuring noteworthy artists like Dawoud Bey, Clementine Hunter and Kehinde Wiley, who created President Barack Obama’s official portrait. Free admission, but reserve tickets online or by phone for special events and exhibits.

Museum hours are Tues-Wed and Fri-Sun 10am – 5pm. Open till 9pm Thursdays.

Designed by world-class architect Frank Gehry, the Weisman Art Museum is a masterpiece of architecture. Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi, its 8,100 sq ft. stainless steel and brick deconstructed design was inspired by Tibetan monasteries on the faces of its cliffs. The Weisman is a part of the University of Minnesota, so it’s all about learning the cultural, social and historic relevancy of art. Stroll its galleries - two for American art, one for ceramics and one for works on paper and photography. There’s also an open space to watch artists at work. You can view the largest collection of traditional Korean furniture outside of Asia and see how Native American Mimbres pottery breathes life into the southwestern influenced works of painter Georgia O’Keefe. There are digital art exhibits featuring neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer and composer and artist Christian Marclay; Explore the American Experiences of Jacob Lawrence and Jim Denomie and learn about the holistic, spiritual and environmental relationship between your brain and art as seen by artist Santiago Ramon y Cajal.

Museum hours are Wed 10am – 8pm, Thur - Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm. Admission is always free.

The Walker Art Center wins hands down as the coolest (and most cost affordable) museum in Minneapolis. What began as an impressive private collection by lumber czar T.B. Walker became one of the most impressive contemporary art museums in the country. Check out works by photographer Cindy Sherman, paintings by the legendary Jasper Johns and drawings and landscapes by one of Britain’s most celebrated artists – David Hockney, who also influenced the LA art scene. Relax and indulge yourself with a saffron crème brulee at Cardamom Restaurant and if you’re lucky you’ll make a showing of the annual holiday season showing of the British Arrow Awards, a reel of the best TV ads in the UK. Then head outside to take selfies in the Sculpture Garden – with Katharina Fritsch’s whimsical blue rooster and of course the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenberg and Cossje van Bruggen. No rush touring the art park – it’s open every day 6am – midnight. Walker members get into the museum free, so do kids 18 and under. On Free First Saturdays kids can make art and join interactive workshops and performances. Thursday nights? Open 5pm-9pm and free, too. Wed 10am-5pm, Fri-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Mon-Tues.