Engage in the Wonders of The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis

I love hands-on science museums. There’s something fun about challenging your mind to try new things. The Bakken Museum was a favorite stop for my son and I during our visit to Minneapolis. We spent the most time in the first exhibit area we came to. There were so many ways to engage in science-related activities. As we stepped further into the museum, we stepped into the historical and fictional worlds of science.

The Bakken Museum was truly a hidden gem in Minneapolis, and we’re glad we had it as part of our itinerary. I’m glad Meet Minneapolis had this on their website for Things to do in Minneapolis. Here’s a rundown on the major exhibits at The Bakken Museum so you can get a taste of how engaging this museum can be. You won’t be disappointed… you will be AMAZED!

Directions and Tickets to The Bakken Museum

The Bakken Museum is roughly 14 miles southwest from downtown Minneapolis. We stayed at the Courtyard Minneapolis Downtown, so it was easy to grab an UBER on our way to the museum. If you’ve got your own vehicle, it’s easy to drive to the museum and there’s free parking in the lot off of Zenith Avenue South. This is along the west side of Lake Bde Maka Ska. If the parking lot is full, there’s also free street parking along Zenith Avenue South (West side of the street) and on both sides of W 36th Street.

If you’re on bike – since you can rent one from the Wheel Fun Rentals on the northeast corner of Lake Bde Maka Ska – there are bike racks available so you can lock up your bikes so you can visit The Bakken Museum.

It’s not required, but it’s highly recommended that you buy your tickets online in advance of your visit. During the purchase process, you’ll select the date and time of your visit. Then provide the number and type of tickets you need (adult, senior, youth, etc.).

• Adults (18-61): $13
• Seniors (62+): $10
• Child/Youth (4-17): $7
• Student (ID): $9
• Toddler (age 3 and under): Free
• Museum members: Free

If you don’t have tickets in advance, you can try grabbing them at the door, but you’re subject to availability. After checking in at the front desk, you’re good to start exploring The Bakken Museum.

Spark your Imagination at this Exhibit

We spent the majority of our time interacting with multiple exhibits in the Spark area. There were so many hands-on machines to “spark” your creativity or test your mind.

For example, as you can see from the photo above, my son used some of the figures to create a stop-motion animation. It was pretty simple to do, and gave him a chance to put together his own creative storyline.

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Some of the other exhibit areas include:

• Painting with movement on a large digital wall
• Creating your own tunes and rhythms with reflectors on a drum that trigger instruments
• Testing out different prosthetics to do things a little differently
• Playing Connect Four (my son beat me at this game)
• Playing a card game to see who laughs first
• Testing your puzzle skills on the Tower of Hanoi

My son spent a good 20+ minutes completing the Tower of Hanoi. Maybe you can complete it sooner? The puzzle was in an area with several tables, each one with a different activity to test your brain. One had several wires, electric motors, lights and propellers. Another had balloons stretched over tubes so you could bounce marbles across to see if your path could make it into a bucket at the end.

There are so many different ways to “spark” your imagination, so have some fun.

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein and the Science

Before heading upstairs to the second floor, follow the signs to the Mary Shelley and Frankenstein rooms. There are two main parts to this section. The first focuses on the life of Mary Shelley, the author of the famed Frankenstein story. She wrote the book at the age of 18 and it’s widely thought to be the first real science fiction story. In the room you can learn about some of the science and technology for the early 1800s that influenced Mary in her creativity.

The second room is Frankenstein’s Lab. As you can see from the photo above, you step inside what could be a rather intimidating setup for young kids. In fact, there’s a disclaimer/warning that this area may be too frightening for children under 9.

Grab a seat inside the lab for a 10-minute presentation on the story of Frankenstein. There are some interesting questions raised during the story – which are also raised in the book. How far is too far when it comes to experimenting?

Benjamin Franklin’s Electricity Party

While the Spark Exhibit area is where we spent most of our time, Benjamin Franklin’s Electricity Party was a close second. We were both fascinated by the single table with multiple science experiments developed by Benjamin Franklin. They mostly deal with static electricity, which is something you can easily generate with the spinning wheel at the table.

But why is this room labeled as a “Party”? Because back in the day, inventors like Franklin would host parties to show off some of their latest experiments. This room is definitely that – a place to show off and celebrate some of those electrical marvels.

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Using the spinning wheel, generate static electricity to operate a few of the crazy things that power can do. For example, you can store it in one of the bottles and then touch it to something else and transfer the electrical power. You can hold confetti in your hand and the static electricity will make it move.

But the coolest one was a small jar with some black crystals (or something). You would place it on the metal bar next to the wheel. But the only way to get the black things to move was to tickle the top of the jar. If you weren’t tickling, they weren’t moving. It was so cool. I definitely recommend having a party of your own in this room and laughing at all the simple, yet crazy, things you can do with static electricity.

KEVA Art and Architecture Studio and Other Exhibits

There are several other exhibit areas at The Bakken Museum worth checking out. After spending about 45-60 minutes in the Spark Exhibit area, we found ourselves in the KEVA Art and Architecture Studio. There were a few bins of wooden planks. I wouldn’t have thought much of them, until I saw the booklet with building ideas for towers, trees, buildings and more. They’re almost cooler than LEGOs and probably less expensive, too. But you have to be careful, because one wrong move and the structure may collapse.

Some of the other exhibit areas in and around The Bakken include:

• Deep Roots: Plants as Medicine
• The Gardens and Grounds around The Bakken Museum
• West Winds Mansion

You really can spend a few hours playing and learning in all the exhibits at The Bakken. Don’t rush your experience.

BONUS: At the front desk, there’s a handout you can grab for a LEGO minifigure scavenger hunt. See if you can find all the LEGO minifigures scattered throughout the museum. We were able to find them, and they aren’t always easy to find. You really have to be looking for them if you want to find them.

The Details

Address: 3537 Zenith Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55416

How long to spend: 2-3 hours

Cost: $13 for adults, $10 for seniors (62+), $9 for students (with ID), $7 for children (ages 4-17), and children age three and under are free.

Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Website: https://thebakken.org/

Phone: (612) 926-3878

DISCLOSURE: I received two complimentary admission tickets to The Bakken Museum, in partnership with Meet Minneapolis, for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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