- Historic Fort Snelling Historic Fort Snelling is an excellent place to visit for anyone interested in American history, military history, or history in general. The site is fairly large, but parking was easy and cost about $6. Payment appeared to operate largely on the honor system, with instructions posted near the visitor center. Admission was around $15. Guided tours are offered at the top of the hour and last approximately 15 minutes. The tour is brief, but it provides a helpful overview of the fort and gives you enough background to explore the rest of the site on your own. Afterward, you can visit the different buildings and areas discussed during the tour. Costumed interpreters are stationed throughout the property and provide more detailed explanations about the fort, its residents, and daily life during different historical periods. There are also large informational displays throughout the site for anyone who wants to learn more independently. Some of the highlights included live blacksmithing demonstrations showing how items such as nails were made, as well as exhibits covering the quartermaster, sutler, physician, pharmacy, library, enlisted soldiers, officers, and the commanding officer's residence. The medical exhibits were especially interesting and showed how medicine and the role of physicians changed over time. The different sections of the fort represent multiple periods in its history and appeared to be carefully presented with period-appropriate details. Visitors can also see areas such as the ammunition magazines and the spaces where enslaved African Americans lived. I appreciated that the site did not ignore or minimize that part of its history. There was also a live rifle demonstration using blanks, which was interesting and added another interactive element to the visit. How long you spend here really depends on how deeply you want to explore. You could move through fairly quickly or spend several hours reading the displays and speaking with the interpreters. A large school group was visiting while I was there, and the children seemed engaged and excited. Between the costumed interpreters, demonstrations, and hands-on style of learning, this would be a great place to introduce children to history. Overall, I am very glad I stopped at Historic Fort Snelling. It was educational, engaging, and well worth the visit. read more

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Immersive experience with staff to guide you at the entrance for an overview of what you'll see in the various buildings as well as at various exhibits such as the fort hospital, the blacksmith forge, the commissary, and the barracks. All the staff are to be commended not only for their knowledge but also their friendliness and willingness to answer questions. I especially enjoyed the blacksmith's explanation and demonstration of the work he does there. In the gift shop they sell actual nails and hooks they forge on site! The museum at the visitor center has an excellent exhibit of the history of the fort that's worth visiting! read more

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If u like us history this is the perfect place to spend the day and lots of Beldings to explore. There are show every 20 or so mins and people to talk to about the fort. read more

Historic Fort Snelling - Bed and foot locker - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

The fort is really fun to see. A lot of the buildings are accessible and contain exhibits. The historical society has interpreted the crap out of this, leaving no stone unturned. The musket demonstration is a neat as well. Attached to the fort is a cathedral and what was once a hospital giving this attraction more depth. read more

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I came here with my uncle who came from out of town just to see the fort and a bit of the cities. I went during Memorial Day so it was a special type of set up. Really neat place! I love the various personnel they had around giving you lessons on various things about the fort and military history. Only 4 actual buildings were built from the 1820s with the rest being renovations from the 70s after a local effort towards reinvestment into historic sites or buildings built during periods of time beyond the 1820s. Interesting living quarters, hospital set up, commander's house, as well as the fort 'store', well, and round tower. It wasn't huge but there were a lot of cool artifacts on display that were done as part of archaeological digs and renovations post '70s. And of course story boards. Interesting stuff and just a cool environment. Also super cool was they had staff dress up in different eras military uniforms (men and women).!!! Enjoyed it alot. I wish I had come by myself or with more time to really read through all the information available. read more

Landmark Review: A great educational experience for familes! There is nothing like this in Chicago. You pay only 10 dollars and you can go on a self guided tour of the fort with many workers dressed in costume answering any historical questions and performing many of the task such as make a nail with the black smith and daily drills for firing the cannon at the end of the day. Great for pictures and history buffs! Hidden deals: Great way to spend the afternoon, inexpensive. read more

Yes, yes, yes! I hopped off the airplane and came straight to Historic Fort Snelling ... and recommend you do the same! A must-see during your time in the Twin Cities. The fort was the first white settlement in the area, a military base that pretended to be a trading post. (It's actually a little disturbing to hear about how the Snellings tricked the Native Americans in the area and basically killed them off.) However, the Fort itself is at the convergence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, and is surrounded by vast foliage. The fort is in a typical pentagon shape, and you can easily tour by starting at one spot and walking around the perimeter. About every half hour, there's something going on -- canon firings, school sessions for children, reenactments, etc. The staff is so friendly... almost too friendly! I would have finished my tour 30 minutes sooner but everyone wanted to talk to me about what was going on in their areas. :) Also, Fort Snelling is where Dred Scott and his wife Harriet lived when they started their lawsuit to sue for their freedom. Since that "catalyzed sentiment against slave ownership" (thanks Wiki), he *basically* set off the Civil War. #NBD. Anyway, the Fort is historic, educational, and beautiful. Carve out 2-3 hours during your trip to come take a visit. And if you live in MSP and haven't been here since first grade, bring a date to enjoy the scenery! You've got so much American history right under your nose. read more

Historic Fort Snelling - Peeking through a "window" where guns would sit. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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I'm not a huge history buff as some people may be but I do like to visit sites and learn about history. This site in my opinion does an exemplary job of telling the history and eliciting the emotions that go along with it. Not only is the front video extremely informative of the history at this site, the gallery is well done. It shows accounts of people who were affected from young to old, the photography is great, the write ups make you feel what they had to go through. Eliciting an emotion about the past is not easy and I feel that they did a great job. It doesn't stop here. The old and new buildings give a great idea of what the fort was like in the past and they have staff set up in period costumes who don't pretend to be in the past but are there to tell you about it in their own ways. The staff were knowledgeable and helpful. Kudos to the park for doing such a phenomenal job portraying the history and importance here. There are even activities to help kids learn and keep them entertained. read more

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Interesting enough. I had no idea what the Ft. was about but surprised at the amount of information and displays that were available for viewing for free. I did not pay to get inside and on the big tour as It was a tad pricey in my opinion and I was just not willing or that interested in the grounds. Go take in the free part and spend your money on a nice cocktail after. read more

I, Julie D. am in no way a history buff. However, I always enjoy the opportunity to get a flash from a near or distant pass. We stopped here as soon as we hit town. Apparently, for hundreds of years, many generations of Native American Dakota tribes lived in tiny villages along the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. In the 1820s, (think Civil Wars times) Fort Snelling was built on the bluff above these rivers to control the exploration, trade, and settlement on these waterways. The area was established as a state park in 1961. The swimming beach, added in 1970, remains a popular recreation attraction in the park. In 1997, a new visitor center opened to the public. Inside the fort, you are able to catch a glimpse as to what military life was like. You are greeted by men in military garb answering questions about the Fort. There are narrators in some of the buildings sharing the history of the fort and the Dakota people and townspeople and children showing some of the "toys" that were used in those days. While we were there, there was a military drill, fascinating, which including the firing of canons. At at the end, the audience was encouraged to participate in the drills. On a side note, this park has some nice walking/biking trails that are also used for Winter sports such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing. Worth checking out. read more

Went here to take some pictures one day, it was pretty nice. There's lots of paths to walk around on with lots of history lessons on plaques, I even stumbled on a path that leads down into Fort Snelling State Park, which is another place everyone should check out. Either way, historic Fort Snelling is a nice place to visit, takes some pictures, bring the kids for a little history, and just enjoy yourself read more

A state and national treasure. The place where Dredd Scott lived for a time, where fur trading was monitored, where many soldiers geared up for various conflicts up until World War 2. This is a fabulous place to learn about the roleMinnesota played in national and world history. The kids always love it and you discover new things every time. Highly recommended. read more

Went to Fort Snelling with John K. and Frank R. The buildings at the fort are in good shape and contain many interesting items. The entrance fee is ten dollars for a self guided tour that has people in costume along the way who will answer any questions that you might have. Throughout the day they have military drills, laundry, cooking and blacksmith demonstrations. Twice a day they fire a cannon on the parade grounds. A very nice place with great views of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. They have picnic grounds by the visitor center. read more

We figured we would go and soend an hour or so there...were we wrong! 4 hours later we were still exploring the Fort. It was great, the staff in period costumes are very informative and will doend a lot of time answering questions. They also re-inact drills, setting off the cannons etc. Was a very fun afternoon, would recommend to anyone. read more

Absolute 5 Stars. Went to the Fort Snelling tour for no reason at all - just had some time to kill on a business trip. WOW! Was I glad I did. The staff - no, a better term is "Cast Members" because this is more like a production than a tour - are in full period costumes, and and are well versed in the day to day minutia of what it was like to work and live at Fort Snelling. The tour is small groups, and as you visit one area of the fort and then the next, there is a cast member (Cook, Quartermaster, Doctor, Soldier, Maid, Etc) describing their role in function of the fort. Also, I have to applaud them for the wonderful history of the Fort. Most particularly, they did not shy away from the fact that the fort was responsible for some of the more shameful moments of our history. Very highly recommended! read more

This is a wonderful way to spend a day! The living history staff are so knowledgable and interesting! The admission fee is very reasonable. We intended to only be there a couple of hours and ended up staying all day! read more

Good park, not a whole lot to do but it abuts state parks and trail systems. Their exhibits and display signs are interesting, and the clock on display is really neat. The inside of the visitor center smells horrible, like fermented sunscreen and sweat. read more

Went here several times on field trips back when I went to school in Bloomington in the 60's. Sparked my life long interest in historical places. read more