This place is one of the best kept secrets of Northern MN. Especially if you have kids that would…read morelove to climb big equipment. But I will honestly say this museum was one of the most interesting I've been in in quite a while even as an adult. It's not just about mining, but walks you through everyday life "back in the day". From the school room, doctor's office, barber shop, washing machines, kitchen, printing press etc etc. So much is here, and so many photos almost all with captions stating where/when. Super interesting. There is SO much stuff here! It really blew me away. And the woman who was working that day was so friendly and knowledgeable (that's you Velma!)... she was an absolute delight. It unfortunately decided to downpour 1/2 way through our first visit which cut it short, but that meant that I was able to go back and meet a friend and her kiddos! Whoever set this up cared a lot and thought it through and the donations of things large and small is incredible. Go here! .... Pull all the way in and drive up to the castle. There are parking spots there and that's where you pay. It's deceptive making you think you park outside the gate but nope.... pull all the way up!

Our destination was Bear Head Lake State Park and we decided to take a detour to check out the…read morecenter. So glad we did. While there are several areas to peruse, my favorites were the presentation by the guides and the enrichment activity. At 3:15pm, the guide gave a very educational and engaging presentation about several aspects of wolves, I.e. their color, what they eat, how they hunt, how they work and live together, etc. the presentation was made in front of the viewing area so as the wolves walked by, she also talked specifically about that individual. She had props and answered many questions. Very nicely done. At 4pm, and enrichment activity was held for the wolves. Trainers enter the wolves' enclosure and hide various treats for them to explore. It allows guests to see the wolves doing natural behaviors. Their large paws were fascinating to me. Such a beautiful animal. So glad we stopped.

This was a very expensive stop. Granted I did not feel bad about giving back to the wolves but the…read moreexperience was lacking. The majority of the hands on activities did not work (howl room in particular) which was a huge bummer. They didn't talk about the wolves themselves - mentioned them but didn't go into much detail. It would have been awesome if they did a presentation on the wolves they have at the facility and then went on to chat about different things during the presentation. The staff was nice, the building was clean, but it just lacked information. For the ticket price - I'd like to learn more!

Great place to learn a lot about forestry in Minnesota! Has living history demos of sawing and log…read morerolling. Knowledgeable employees on site to talk about how the loggers operated and lived, cooked, etc. Operating kitchen and even cookies the day we visited! Draft horses snd a wagon that brought us back to visitor center from the logging camp (not a far walk, but a decline to get there, slight incline on way back,. We could have walked back but the ride and offer were there! Thanks to Chuck and Chad, the brother horses, and to their drivers!! We didn't get their names!

This is a small town standby. They have a beautiful building and the older ones are well kept…read more Lots of activities year round here and interesting exhibits inside and out. Attended the critter day which was filled with lots of interesting live animals, presentations, and wings, talons and furs to touch. Very hand's-on. We have also gone in the winter for sleigh rides, also very cool.

A fun stop if you are a fan of Judy Garland. Her childhood home was really beautiful and fun to…read morewalk through. The museum itself has a ton of information about Judy Garland and the carriage from the Wizard of Oz was so cool to see in person! There is a gift shop and children's discovery center attached.

Somewhere over the Rainbow . . What a treat to tour the artifacts and photos and memorabilia from…read morethe life of Judy Garland, who lived till four years old in Grand Rapids MN. It was emotionally rewarding to get a glimpse of her amazing talent, yet sensing the tragedy and sadness for many of her years. Five husbands and addictions and early mistreatment by the movie studios tell the story of her short life. I recommend a visit or many visits, as the praises and new items continue to be donated. Well done!

im 14 and this place is peak.it has alot of cool stuff to mess around with.i hate the charector…read morelimit on yelp

I can't believe this has not yet been reviewed. What a small-town delight! Don't let the outside…read morefool you, it looks small, but man have they packed a ton inside. From a maze, water feature, vet office, music room, stage complete with tons of dress-up outfits, a dock, boat, fish and poles, a tree house, a talking tree etc. etc.... there really is a lot to do here. You can tell there is a lot of local effort/ideas/builders involved here. What a treasure for this community.

After having been to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto thisnpast spring, hubs and I said "hey, we…read moreshould really check out thw US one that's basically in our backyard". While it definitely had a MN focus, it was fun to see a lot of the artifacts and displays here. Being a Minnesota kid who grew up on hockey, I recognized most of players and games being depicted. It was even fun to go take a few slapshots, something I am admittedly not good at, since I was a goalie. Staff were friendly. A couple areas that could be improved were the gift shop being a little lackluster and some of the displays just had printed out computer paper, rather tham a nice plaque or something, so made it look a little cheap.

I'm a Wild fan, not a hockey fan, meaning my knowledge of the sport goes little beyond the last 4…read moreyears of the Wild but I enjoyed perusing the Hall of Fame. There is three floors of art and memorabilia. I especially enjoyed the displays on the Miracle Team, 1980 US gold medal winning Olympic hockey team. I also liked seeing some of the history of hockey, such as old uniforms and skates. I was happy to see some female hockey athletes honored as well. I loved the interactive areas where I could shoot a puck with a real stick to check my accuracy as well as shoot to measure puck speed. If you are in the area, for the $8 entry fee, it's worth a stop. It's looking a bit dated but it's clean and the people working there were so nice.

As you may have noticed, my family and I are definitely adventures even in our own backyard. Today…read moremy family and I decided to take a trip to Tower and visit the old Train Museum. Trains have always been a fascinating thing for me because at one point that was our way for transportation, and the history of the tracks forming from the East to the West is a phenomenal tail. This particular train that sits here permanently in Tower, MN was a former passenger train that ran from Duluth to the Iron Range. Looking inside the the old engineering area is a little eerie looking at all the original speedometers, the compartment for the coals, where a piece of rope once was to help ring the bell on top of the engine. You could almost imagine the puffs of smoke roaring overhead, the whistle blowing, a conductor yelling, "All aboard!" It all feels so real. From Wikipedia it states, "Tower station, often called the Tower Passenger Depot, is a former passenger railroad depot in Tower, Minnesota, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1916 by the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, it provided passenger train service until 1951." It's a fun place to bring the whole family. Come check it out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading Schroyer Family Daily! #towermn #tower #trainmuseum #museum #trains #historic #history #explore #minnesota #arrenschroyer #cassieschroyer

The Virginia Area Historical Society is a small community historical organization that maintains a…read morehouse museum building with several well designed exhibits and out buildings next to a community park. Take some time to learn about the fire that took out the downtown or get to know your Finnish Iron miners.