Mill City Museum
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Mill City Museum uniquely blends historical education with interactive science, built directly into the dramatic ruins of a former flour mill. It offers a captivating narrative of Minneapolis's industrial past through engaging exhibits, an immersive elevator tour ('Flour Tower'), and breathtaking rooftop views of the Mississippi River and Stone Arch Bridge. Its distinct atmosphere and hands-on learning opportunities make it a memorable experience beyond a traditional museum.
Key Highlights
- ✓The 'Flour Tower' is an immersive elevator-style tour that stops at different levels, vividly showing what life was like in the working mill with a fun and educational history lesson.
- ✓Extensive hands-on exhibits allow visitors to interact with water control models, valves, and learn about baking and water power principles.
- ✓A rooftop observation deck provides spectacular panoramic views of the Mississippi River, Stone Arch Bridge, and the city, described as the 'best part' by multiple reviewers.
- ✓Educational demonstrations, such as one about dust explosions, provide concrete scientific and historical insights.
- ✓Entertaining short film narrated by a local comedian introduces the history of Minneapolis and the mills.
- ✓Main gallery is incredibly well done, offering a deep dive into milling history and its impact on Minneapolis.
- ✓Staff and volunteers are consistently described as friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.
Standout Features
- ⭐The unique setting within flour mill ruins creates an unparalleled historic atmosphere.
- ⭐Interactive exhibits like water control models and turbine displays effectively visualize complex processes.
- ⭐The Flour Tower ride is a unique, dynamic way to experience history, distinct from standard museum tours.
- ⭐Stunning rooftop observation deck offers prime photo opportunities and scenic enjoyment.
- ⭐Knowledgeable and friendly staff/volunteers enhance the learning experience by providing insights and demonstrations.
- ⭐The museum was not reported as overly crowded, allowing for a relaxed and enjoyable visit.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Arrive early, especially on weekend mornings (e.g., 10 AM on Sunday as they open) to potentially avoid crowds and have a more relaxed experience.
- →Allocate sufficient time for the Flour Tower ride/tour, as it's a major highlight and integral to the experience.
- →Make sure to visit the rooftop observation deck for the best views of the city, river, and Stone Arch Bridge.
- →Don't skip the introductory short film for an entertaining overview of the area's history.
Price & Value
No specific pricing information is available from the reviews, but the consistent 4-5 star ratings suggest that visitors found the experience to be well worth the cost.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations were mentioned in the reviews, but the museum is generally known to be modern and well-maintained which often implies basic accessibility standards.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information about food or drink policies within the museum was mentioned in the reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •Convenient paid parking is available nearby the museum.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Reviewers indicated the museum was not overly crowded, contributing to a relaxed and enjoyable visit (Review 4).
- •Arriving right at opening (e.g., 10 AM on a Sunday) is suggested to experience it when it's less busy.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety features were mentioned in the reviews.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Field Trip: Core Experience
$8 per studentDuration: 2.25 hours
Students learn about the history of industry, the Mississippi River, and the growth of Minneapolis, located in the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill.
Includes:
- •Self-guided scavenger hunt in the exhibits
- •Hands-on micro lessons in the Baking Lab
- •Hands-on micro lessons in the Water Lab
- •Multimedia Flour Tower show
- •Film 'Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat'
- •9th floor Koch Rooftop Observation Deck
Field Trip: Summer Programming
$8 per studentDuration: 2 hours
Visit the Mill City Museum in the summer months with your group.
Includes:
- •Self-guided scavenger hunt in the exhibits
- •Reserved time in the Water Lab
- •Multimedia Flour Tower show
- •Film 'Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat'
- •9th floor Koch Rooftop Observation Deck
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Women with Taste: Culinary Visionaries of the Twin Cities
Ongoing (Special exhibit)
Included with general admission
Take a stroll through the former mill packing floor and see the latest special exhibit.
Mill City Farmers Market
Not specified
Not specified
Minneapolis’s trusted source for healthy, local, and organic groceries.
🍎Food Policy
- • Baking Lab is cleaned between every program, but the lab cannot guarantee to be completely free of all food residues that may present allergy issues.
- • Common ingredients in Baking Lab: Milk, Flour (All Purpose / Cake / Bread / Whole / Wheat), Nuts, Salt, Butter/Margarine, Eggs (Brown / White), Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, and Chocolate chips.
- • Severe allergies: If one or more students has a severe food allergy, they are requested not to participate in the Baking Lab micro-lesson for their safety. Any student not participating must be accompanied by an adult during the duration of the micro-lesson.
📅Booking Policy
- • General Admission: Groups of ten or more should pre-purchase tickets by calling the box office at (844) 667-8679.
- • General Admission: Groups without advance tickets are not guaranteed a time on the Flour Tower.
- • General Admission: All other visitors do not need advance tickets and should purchase admission upon arrival.
- • Field Trips: All booking requests must be submitted through the 'Request Form'.
- • Field Trips: Contact staff at fieldtrips@mnhs.org or schedule an appointment for booking questions.
🚗Parking Information
- • Mill City Museum does not have its own parking lot or ramp.
- • Many nearby parking options are owned by the City of Minneapolis.
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 5 reviews)
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
sureshmi s
a week agoWe had a fantastic time at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. It’s built right into the ruins of an old flour mill, which gives it a really unique and historic atmosphere. The museum does a great job of telling the story of how Minneapolis became the flour milling capital of the world. The Flour Tower ride was an awesome experience. It’s an elevator-style tour that stops at different levels and shows what life was like when the mill was running.👌👌 There are a lot of hands-on exhibits, You can even learn about baking and water power in really interactive ways. rooftop observation deck—the views of the Mississippi River and the Stone Arch Bridge are absolutely. Convenient paid parking is available nearby
Brad L
4 weeks agoArrived at 10AM Sunday morning as they opened. Started with a very entertaining short film narrated by a local comedian on the history of Minneapolis and the mills. Took the Elevator to the observation platform 9 floors up led to an amazing view of the city, river and waterfall. We saw a demonstration about dust explosions and learned a lot about the displays from the volunteers. We really enjoyed our time here.
Pheng Moua
a month ago3/22/25 - Wife and I came here after visiting bell museum and walker art museum. Mill city museum was our last museum of the day and it was the best one we went to this day. I did not expect this museum to be like this. They had water control models and valves you can play with. We also did the tour and it was not what I expected. It was fun going up and down the elevator, which I didn’t expect a tour to be like, also learning about the history of the mill was fun and educational. After the history lesson in the elevator, I thought it was over but we went to the top floor and that was the best part, going all the way to the top to get the best view of the city, river, and stone arch bridge.
Shiva
2 months agoMill City Museum is a must-see! The main gallery is incredibly well done, offering a deep dive into the history of milling and the role it played in Minneapolis. One of the highlights is the interactive room featuring models of turbines, the river, and the mills; it really helps visualize how everything worked together. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the museum wasn’t too crowded, making for a relaxed and enjoyable visit. Highly recommend for history lovers and curious minds alike!
Bo
4 months agoThe highlight was the observation deck on the top. A great view of the city and Mississippi River. The exhibition center place was not huge but interesting. The staff here were very friendly and helpful as well.