Tours
Walk in the footsteps of the past as you hear the stories and experience the sights and sounds of the oldest and most scenic parts of the city.
With appreciation to the Bill and Kay McReavy and Family Fund for Programming in Connection with Tours on the Stone Arch Bridge.
Millers' Tour
Tour the National Historic Landmark Washburn A Mill Complex, the home of Mill City Museum, focusing on how the flour mill operated and the lives of the people who worked there. This 60-minute guided tour includes many nooks and crannies, plus regular museum admission.
Dangers and Disasters Tour
Explore the dangers that workers faced on the job, including the deadly 1878 mill explosion. The tour will take place in the historic Washburn A Mill, and includes no more than 1 mile of moderately-paced walking on uneven surfaces. Tour price includes museum admission.
Minnesota Labor History Tour
Discover the dramatic story of work and labor in Minnesota from the nineteenth century to today. The tour will take place in the historic Washburn A Mill, and includes no more than 1 mile of moderately-paced walking on uneven surfaces. Tour price includes museum admission.
Outdoor tours (June-Sept)
Women's Work Walking Tour
Discover the stories of women who lived and worked in Minneapolis on this outdoor tour with a Mill City Museum Guide. Learn about labor–paid, unpaid, legal, and illegal–in industries from laundries and sewing factories to brothels. Be inspired by the stories of activists including Eva Valesh and Nellie Stone Johnson who fought to improve the lives of working women. The tour includes about 1.5 miles of moderately-paced walking. It starts and ends at Mill City Museum.
Historic Riverfront Walking Tour
Take a guided walking tour of the Minneapolis riverfront and learn about its dramatic past and bright future. Visit the historic district at St. Anthony Falls, once the milling center of the world and now a growing cultural, recreational, and residential neighborhood. Stop along the Stone Arch Bridge for spectacular views of the falls, view historic buildings surrounding the riverfront, and learn about the many people who have worked and lived in the area over the years.
Disasters on the Riverfront Walking Tour
Explore the various disasters that accompanied the industrialization and development of the Mississippi Riverfront. This guided tour offers visitors a look at the unintended consequences brought on by the transformation of the riverfront into the flour milling capital of the world. The tour includes about 2 miles of moderate-paced walking with several stops. Topics discussed will include industrial accidents, deindustrialization, and the impact of the milling industry on the natural landscape.
"Going Out, Coming In" Walking Tour
Take a guided walking tour of LGBTQIA+ community spaces in Downtown Minneapolis. Visit a selection of the sites highlighted in the exhibit, Going Out, Coming In: LGBTQ+ Spaces in Downtown Minneapolis. Hear the stories of queer resistance, love, and identity formation amid the evolution of the neighborhood through the 20th century. The tour includes about 2 miles of moderately-paced walking. It starts and ends at Mill City Museum.