Lazy start to the day, I have to admit. That’s the nice thing about staying in a hotel. You don’t feel bad about sleeping in because there isn’t housework waiting for you. Mason started the day with a dip in the hotel pool. How a kid can spend 30 minutes in the pool playing with a plastic cup that he got at dinner last night, I’ll never know! I’ve spent so much time in the water doing laps, I think I forgot how to just bob around and play.

Our next stop of the day was the Minnesota History Center. There we first went to the “Mystique of Mobility” exhibit. I really liked it’s focus on alternative transportation. This sign says what I have always said when I see highways being widen in metro areas.

I did find this sign amusing.

At the end of the mobility exhibit, there was a grain elevator/play structure called Grainland.

We then headed to the “Tales of the Territory” exhibit.  We met a really knowledgeable museum volunteer who told us about the Ojibwe Tribe and Minnesota as a territory.  This was the area that Mason and I got to build a log cabin.

The last area we went to focused on the fabulous Minnesota climate.    Needless to say there were lots of exhibits about cold and snow. lol!  Below, Mason was using a blower to make the windmills spin.  He did pass on waiting out a simulated tornado in a basement.

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If you think you missed the first two posts, you didn’t. The first two days here in Minneapolis were pretty unremarkable. Sunday, we drove the four hours here. Monday, since museums are closed on Mondays, Mason and I spent the day at the Mall of America and IKEA. Mason got one of his birthday presents early. He chose to choose a building set from the LEGO store. He got the CITY edition Police Station and a snowboarding LEGO man. He’s already put half of it together in the hotel room.

Today we went to the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis. It was created in the old Washburn A Mill on the river front near St. Anthony Falls. The mill that was housed in the building was shut down in 1965 and allowed to deteriorate. In 1991, a fire (possibly started by homeless taking shelter there) nearly destroyed the old mill building. It was an amazingly fun visit. The renovation of the building is exquisite. A classy blend of old and new. It’s kind of the way I envision the style of our corn crib when we’re done.

We started our tour with a video called “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat” It was a really entertaining trip through Minneapolis history. Mason soaked up every word. Even the theater full of junior high school students seemed interested.

After the video, we spent some time in the gallery. This is where most of the exhibits are housed. One of our favorites was the enormous puzzle of the state of Minnesota.

Another favorite was the water lab. Since the river is central to the milling industry, a lot of the exhibits were centered around learning how water power is used. There was one table that allowed visitors to direct the flow of water to make turbines turn. Another one where you had to direct logs to the correct sawmill. And the last one you had to build the spillway on the falls and place all the mills in their correct locations.

We then took the “Flour Tower” ride. A freight elevator took you on a ride through 8 floors of exhibits and told the stories of people who had worked at the mill. The Flour Tower ride ended with a stop on the 8th floor observation deck and an education about the importance of dust collection in a flour mill. Who knew that flour dust could be more explosive than black powder? From the observation deck you can see St. Anthony Falls and the mills across the river.

We ended our tour with a ride down the glass elevator and a trip to the Baking Lab. We played with some salt dough, did a couple of puzzles and sampled some fresh baked bread. I was disappointed that we weren’t allowed to make anything ourselves.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by Rockler Woodworking and picked up a plan for for my dad. We also stopped by a store called “Patina.” This is a fun store that you could spend HOURS in! I highly recommend it if you are in the area. I had ordered some things online for Christmas gifts. They have an amazing collection of quirky gift items. You are SURE to find something for everyone here!

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