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Highest-rated specialty museums in Minnesota by visitors

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Minnesota on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#28. State School Orphanage Museum

Tripadvisor

3 / 30

#28. State School Orphanage Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (56 reviews)
- City: Owatonna
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Twin City Model Railroad Museum

Tripadvisor

4 / 30

#27. Twin City Model Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (84 reviews)
- City: Saint Paul
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. Fagen Fighters WWII Museum

Tripadvisor

7 / 30

#24. Fagen Fighters WWII Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (73 reviews)
- City: Granite Falls
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Museum of Illusions Mall of America

Tripadvisor

11 / 30

#20. Museum of Illusions Mall of America

- Rating: 4.8/5 (63 reviews)
- City: Bloomington
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Minnesota Transportation Museum

Tripadvisor

12 / 30

#19. Minnesota Transportation Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (105 reviews)
- City: Saint Paul
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Grand Portage National Monument

Tripadvisor

13 / 30

#18. Grand Portage National Monument

- Rating: 4.8/5 (364 reviews)
- City: Grand Portage
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. Lake Superior Railroad Museum

Tripadvisor

17 / 30

#14. Lake Superior Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (470 reviews)
- City: Duluth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum

Tripadvisor

18 / 30

#13. Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (194 reviews)
- City: Walnut Grove
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum

Tripadvisor

21 / 30

#10. S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (421 reviews)
- City: Duluth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center

Tripadvisor

23 / 30

#8. Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center

- Rating: 4.6/5 (694 reviews)
- City: Duluth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Science Museum of Minnesota

Tripadvisor

26 / 30

#5. Science Museum of Minnesota

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,141 reviews)
- City: Saint Paul
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. Spam Museum and Visitor Center

Tripadvisor

28 / 30

#3. Spam Museum and Visitor Center

- Rating: 4.6/5 (734 reviews)
- City: Austin
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. Glensheen - The Historic Congdon Estate

Tripadvisor

29 / 30

#2. Glensheen - The Historic Congdon Estate

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,305 reviews)
- City: Duluth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. Mill City Museum

Tripadvisor

30 / 30

#1. Mill City Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,586 reviews)
- City: Minneapolis
- Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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