Learn About Your Experience

School Year Field Trips

September - Mid-June 
2.25 hours

Visits include a self-guided scavenger hunt in the exhibits, hands-on micro lessons in the Baking Lab and Water Lab, the multimedia Flour Tower show, the film “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat,” and the 9th floor Koch Rooftop Observation Deck.

Micro-lessons

Baking Lab
Food is essential to all of us. In the Baking Lab, learn how food production changed during the rise of the flour milling industry in Minneapolis and how those changes affect how we eat today. Students will sample a food that helps tell these stories.

Water Lab
Water is essential to the story of Minneapolis. The Mississippi River and Owamniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) have many stories to tell about why people chose to move here, how people changed the river and the affects those changes had on people and the landscape. Students will explore hands-on water tables that help tell these stories.

Summer Field Trips

Mid-June - Labor Day
2 hours

Youth Group visits include a self-guided scavenger hunt in the exhibits, reserved time in the Water Lab, the multimedia Flour Tower show, the film “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat,” and the 9th floor Koch Rooftop Observation Deck.

Signature experiences included in all field trips

The Flour Tower

Students will take an eight-story elevator ride through a recreated historic mill to hear the stories of employees who worked there. The ride uses historic film and photographs; the dramatic use of lighting, sound and special effects to tell the story of the mill when it was working. The ride provides your students with a memorable trip back in time - and allows them to experience the powerful, noisy process of transforming grain into flour. (30 students per show. Arrive a few minutes prior to showtime. Due to capacity some adults may not be able to participate in this experience.)

“Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat” movie

The film,“Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat”, is a lighthearted take on the city’s history by local humorist, playwright and radio personality Kevin Kling. Through photos, film and television footage, his own stories and memories, and animation, students will be taken on a whirlwind tour of the history of our fair city, Minneapolis. (60 students per show.)

Koch Rooftop Observation Deck

Enjoy rooftop views of the Mississippi River, St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge, and the historic mill district. Observation deck includes indoor and outdoor viewing areas.