Reviews of Bell Museum. (Museum) in Minneapolis (Minnesota).

Bell Museum

357 Reviews

194 Comments

Museum

Museum

2088 Larpenteur Ave W, St Paul, MN 55113, United States

Description

Information of Bell Museum, Museum in Minneapolis (Minnesota)

Discover the opening times, the location, contact, popular times, photos and real reviews by internet users.

This place has a very good rate, they treat their customers well and you’ll feel welcome, super recommended

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Open hours of Bell Museum

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Reviews of Bell Museum

Lizbeth de Padua

Delightful, informative natural history museum. I especially enjoyed the permanent "Journey to Minnesota" exhibit featuring how the state's geological formations developed starting withe the Big Bang, with life-sized dioramas of the state's native flora and fauna in their natural habitat. I also enjoyed relaxing in the pond habitat just outside the building. Has an "Touch and Feel" Room that kids AND adults would enjoy. I got to pet an eyelash lizard! 🙂 Relaxed viewing, not at all crowded even on a Sunday afternoon.

Z C

This museum caught my eye on a drive-by due to its naturalized landscaping and outdoor sculptures, and I planned a return visit. So glad I did! This is not a large museum, but every exhibit is well designed and informative. Lots of interactive exhibits for children and adults. My good fortune that I visited when their temporary bird exhibit was on display, which was excellent. A great way to spend an afternoon, and a must-visit for families with young children.

Anu sampath

Excellent museum. The ambience is so nice and quiet!! There is a planetarium inside the building. Both are very good! The kids will love the place. If you want to know more about planets, animals, birds and plants, it's a great place to visit indeed :)

Kara Mundy

I used the audio guide on the website. I wish there was more of a full fledged audio tour, but it was still nice. I really loved the mammoth, the interactive phylogenetic tree, and the dioramas. The dioramas are from the 40s and still look incredible! The artistry of them is absolutely beautiful, and I spent a lot of time trying to find all the little nooks of each one. The museum was kind of small, but the price was valuable. Really gorgeous facility. Easy to get to by bus as well.

GRAMS

BlueStar Museum with on site parking for $2. See and touch lab is great for children. The space and life exhibits are very interactive and informative

Justin S.

Such a nice place With lots of knowledge in it! I wish I got more time to explore ! Definitely visit again in the future ! Come on Thursday plz if you don’t plan to come in the morning ! You will get more time to study!

MEC M.R.

Great museum for the entire family, especially the little ones. Lots of interactive exhibits and even on a weekend, not crowded at all. We will definitely be back!

Joon Loves Crabs

I’m not even lying I think this is the best museum I’ve been to. As an extreme animal lover, this place was heaven. The staff were really sweet and answered questions. The planetarium and employees in there was great too. Literally come here I’m begging, it’s so good!!!

april m

the planetarium!!! so enjoyable. the outside spaces are so lovely as well. saw a muskrat (we think???) in the pond.

Cindy Sanders

Parking ample & safe. Building is in middle of agricultural area and beautifully modern! The information presented on Minnesota's natural history, geology, astronomy and of course plant & animal species was so well done! Beautiful dioramas, taxidermy, photos...interactive in all its rooms. Staff knowledgeable & friendly! Kid- and adult-friendly! I would go again theres so much to explore.

Awesome Finder

The exhibits we're great! There was great attention to detail. Check out the bees in the kite exhibit. I personally do not like the architecture of this museum but it was surprisingly big. I thought there were going to be only a few exhibits but there was definitely enough bang for a buck! I love how alot of the exhibits focused on different ecosystems in Minnesota. Their exhibits of biodiversity were well organized but there were barely any plaques that listed the species name. Unfortunately many exhibits did not identify what species were in them.

Tricia B.

I absolutely love the Bell Museum! I have been going here for well over 25 years, perhaps longer. It is a very personable museum with wonderful exhibits. One of my fondest memories is when a child I was with woke up and tried to walk into an exhibit, bouncing of the glass. While this is a smaller museum, you don't have to rush to try and see it all or come back another day. You can meander and enjoy.

Vanessa Mills

The new Bell Museum in St. Paul is beautiful and impressive! The museum is spacious, aesthetically pleasing, and has very interesting exhibits. It is an amazing place for space, natural history, and zoology buffs. We will definitely come back to see it again!

Jamie Spaulding

We visited during the Seeing Birds exhibit and my daughters (and I) loved it. We also walked away with a 7 year old newly obsessed with woolly mammoths! The interactive stations along the MN dioramas were also a hit, especially the Sandhill Crane dancing game. Lots of good sensory fun for kids in the touch lab as well. The narrator for the planetarium show was fun and handled kid questions very well!

Colette A

Interesting museum with nicely arranged displays. Staff was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. My family and I explored at a slower pace and took in all of the exhibits in a little over an hour.

Deborah Uhlemann

This is a wonderful place for families to spend quality time. The Touch and See room is fun with its live animals and bones to examine. The planetarium has great shows for all ages. There are large examples of a Wooly Mammoth and a huge type of Beaver that used to roam around Minnesota. Lots of hands on activities with caring, informative staff.

Stephen Smith

Worth the entry fee! Free street parking nearby. Check out a planetarium show while there (check online for showtimes). The whole museum is easily enough to teach and entertain all day

Patricia Kimble

Planetarium disappointing- unless you stand in line for more than 2/2 hr to get a back seat for 1/2 show/lecture, you won’t be able to see 1/2 of show. Seats don’t go back far esp for short people. That said the rest of the museum is fantastic! Great dioramas. Parking costs also.

Roxanne Molskness

Loved it. Went with a middle school group. The new building is beautiful. It is made up of 4 parts, the exhibit galleries, the planetarium, touch and see room and learning landscapes which is the outdoor area. The galleries include the old dioramas which are still beautifully preserved and cool things like the wooly mammoth and space exploration areas. The displays are informative and interactive. The planetarium has a unique, seamless dome which allows you to suspend disbelief and really feel like you are seeing into space. Things to do with any age kid. Lots of admission/membership options. Fun to go year round.

Nazly Elemary

It’s nice place for adults and kids to know a lot of information and good knowledge

Robyn Christopher

The College students working here are extremely helpful and attentive. This museum is full of quick to read informative and interesting facts about the universe and Minnesota wildlife. The displays are top notch! Disappointed the Planetarium was closed today and we wanted to see a show.

Matt Olfson

The staff there is wonderful and very knowledgeable in their respective areas. Personally, I went for the planetarium show and stayed for the the exhibits of natural history (a $17 combo ticket; available online or by phone); both of which were engaging and enjoyable. If I had a complaint it would be that parking isn't free, but it's not a gouge either.

Frecky Lewis

Not enormous, but a fantastic natural history museum and a great place to spend a few hours The dioramas are truly breathtaking, even if you have been to many more "prestigious" natural history museums. Bring your own food, since the offerings in the gift shop were very disappointing.

विश्वजीt ପଣ୍ଡା

A quaint natural museum, perfect for folks with toddlers. It's small, but big enough for the little toddlers. It has got things you can touch and feel, again a plus for toddlers. For adults/teens though, not a cool place. The planeterium doesn't really play real adult content, just babish astronomical information, good enough for small kids.. a little disappointed actually ..

Nate B

The new building is absolutely incredible. Beautiful space filled with great dioramas and exhibits. Super family friendly. The touch lab is a unique and awesome experience. Highly recommend, one of the best museums in the Twin Cities.

John Weirick

Spent the last 15 minutes of open hours walking around some of the galleries and I was impressed. So many visual displays with concise descriptions. Lots of wildlife and flora on display. Entry fee is a fair price. I’m definitely coming back to spend a lot of time taking it all in, as well as planning to see the planetarium presentations. Even the outdoor space by the pond is beautiful.

BP StPaul

Hurry if you want to see the Bell Museum. It closes at the end of Dec, 2016 and will be moving to a new building on the University of Minnesota St Paul campus (with a state of the art planetarium) in Summer, 2018. It a state supported Natural History Museum on the University campus, but in truth it's what museums looked like in the 1950's. It mainly a zoo that's been attacked by a taxidermist. But the dioramas are beautifully done and it's a showcase of the wildlife of the Upper Midwest. Keep an eye out for the diorama where the badger has killed a golden gopher. What's up with that - on the U of M campus of all places. Worth seeing before it moves

Jessica Dean

Museum is small but still a great place to visit. Definitely a fun activity on weekends or a cute date.

Tsai-Ling Chen

Thanks for sharing this with us I'm so happy we was actually coming in here in the rain day it's so cool to see so much different animal from the way back until now! I do think it's worth it for the price for the ticket but only things is i don't understand why do they charge the parking fee i thought it was free but oh well!

Nathan McCartney

Well maintained displays. Some live exhibits and hands-on activities. Staff is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

Brewski

Did not contain any bells. I really appreciate the community coat rack for everyone. Going to the planetarium is a must.

Lou McCoy

This place has always been a Minnesota treasure. It has moved to new digs. The new building is just beautiful. Wide open spaces between the exhibits. Let's face it, if you don't see the dioramas and the mammoth (it's kind of a big deal), you missed the best things around. We volunteered at the grand opening. It was fun to see the kids (& big kids) excited about nature. Didn't have a chance to see a show in the planetarium, but I am looking forward to it in the future.

Rodd Hall

Outstanding. Amazing. My wife nearly had to drag my son and me out of the museum. Everything, including the staff, was wonderful. Don't skip the planetarium show.

Marina Tingblad

Exceeded expectations. This is a really nice museum and I very much enjoyed my visit. Appropriate for kids and adults alike and had many unique items on display from their collection that I haven't seen at other museums.

Ben Brown

This would have been great if some kid wasn't kicking my wife and I's head rests in the planetarium. Parents, please parent your kids.

Joe Eder

We went to a James Webb telescope viewing party. Learned alot about the formation of stars and things to look for with my own telescope. They also have telescopes setup for night shows that you can look at the stars and planets.

Julie Teran

Beautiful, modern venue for your next event (after Aug 1, 2018)! Thoughtfully designed interior and exterior spaces combine with the great dioramas, an awesome new planetarium, and an experienced event planner to make the most of your event!

Tanya A.

They honestly did such an amazing job with this museum- highly interactive, & aesthetically beautiful. The staff seem genuinely passionate about their jobs & it permeates into the general ambience of the museum. Loved it. Whether as an adult, older adult, child, or teenager- it really offers a wonderful display of historical phenomenon that pulls you in to learn. This location surpasses the previous venue it was stationed at historically- and for good reason! I’m definitely a fan 😊

Hillary Toulson

Beautiful museum. Lots of information on space and animals. We really enjoyed the Touch and See Lab. The interactive scavenger hunts with the dioramas were a hit with the kids. Thank you, Bell Museum, for a wonderful day out for our family.

Matthew Kauffmann

Amazing place. I’ve been to the previous version on the East Bank campus and it’s not like that. I liked the previous building but this is much better. More open space, so many exhibits and the Mammoth is something to behold.

Angel Scott

A nice museum. Newer so exhibits and the like are in good condition and the atmosphere clean. Prices are ridiculous. The planetarium is awesome if the shows were not so short and really expensive by the time you purchase tickets for the family. Maybe going lower tech n the museum as a whole and lowering prices for accessibility should have been considered. Then they stick you with parking fees.

hawra alnabi

Loved the new building. Very nice architecture and the exhibits are fun and educational for all ages.

Amy Workman

The museum is fantastic. The exhibits are really well done, engaging, and interesting. A combo of Minnesota and world natural history. Great place for adults and kids of all ages. The staff are wonderful. I've been going for years, but just this weekend got to experience the planetarium. We saw the Spooky Skies show and we were sadly disappointed. I appreciate what they were going for and the story telling was fun, but the images were just white spots on a black background connect-the-dot constellations and a few square photographs of actual space images thrown up there. They showed what the MN night sky looks like and where the planets are, but I can see that anytime. Would've been nice to see the planets and moons they were discussing as more than a tiny white dot. We'll go back and try one more time, see the regular space show and hopefully that'll be better.

Angela Conley

Brought my Dad and 8yr old here and it was even better than we had hoped. They create a nice combo of technology with nature to keep all generations engaged. My dad liked the realistic dioramas and my son liked playing the touch screen photo hunt game to find hidden animals within the diorama. Planitarium show was so interesting and engaging. There was more than we could see in one day. I highly recommend. They have something for all ages!

Blake Lassahn

My wife and I took a trip to the Bell with our son and stopped in the "touch and see" area with all of the animals. There's a worker there, name is Liv. Full name Elivabeth perhaps? Anyways she is the best of the best. So incredibly knowledgeable about the various creatures in the museum. Her great attitude and personality truly made our trip to the bell worthwhile! At one point, she even pulled out an educational snake and let our son pet it! Oh, how that made his day. Absolutely fantastic. Would go again!

Cpt Otis

Fantanstic museum!!!! The planetarium was awesome and more interactive than I expected, the bird exhibit was great and the second lvl has some superbly put together displays culminating with the mammoth. Thoroughly enjoyed by three generations of this family.

Thomas Lawton

Very nice and new natural history museum. Covers a lot of material, with a focus on Minnesota. The dioramas are excellent including the wooly mammoth. Unfortunately the planetarium is out of order as they wait for a part from Europe.

Troy Nelson

Huge, gorgeous museum! Great place for kids too! Lots of kid friendly displays!

Aaron Armstrong

Very interesting, informational and super fun! 2 very nice staff members helped us with understanding our tickets and when we can use them. Overall a really fun place to go. The way the museum is laid out made it really easy to get around. The gift shop is also really nice! A lot of cute trinkets, jewelry, shirts, etc.

Titima V.

Small but has a lot to learn.

Archille DuCharme

The Bell Museum is small, but has some very goid exhibits and programs. What was extremely disappointing was that we had purchased a one year membership just before the start of the covid pandemic, and the museum shut down shortly after. We called and asked if our membership could be put on hold and were told no. So we paid the yearly membership and were able to go once.

Michele Illies

What a wonderful museum! We loved the remodel and the new exhibits are a fantastic addition to the dioramas. My personal favorites were the short video explaining supernovas and the interactive Tree of Life. The first was the best lay person explanation of the phenomenon I've seen and the second was just addictive fun.

Reuben L Correa

The Bell museum is an architecturally ultramodern building. It is beautiful inside an out. It's a great place for kids and young families, not so much elderly or those with dementia. The problem is that it is to dark the floor is a luxurious black stone, but unfortunately seniors have difficulty in dim situations. Dementia patients are at a double disadvantage because the see that vast black expanse as a big hole in the floor. Compound that with people walking on seemingly floating and you got a processing nightmare. The exhibits themselves are beautiful and well designed. Unfortunately we didn't get to see much because my senior client couldn't see and he wasn't going to walk into a situation that he couldn't comprehend. The bathrooms were a double dementia nightmare as they too were solid black and very dimly lit. The sink was a puzzler as well... different is good but these were confusing and the water on the 2nd floor came out painfully hot in the men's room. As it was it wasn't a very good visit for us. Young grand parents and parents with children will get the most benefit there are a lot of hands on learning experiences.

Carvel Kuehn

We loved our visit! Extremely nice and upscale facility full of fascinating exhibits that are well tended with many employees eager to interact and inform. Our family spent about 3 hours touring the exhibits and viewing a planetarium presentation. Highly recommended for curious minds young and old!

Thomas Sluciak

My wife and I went here for an afternoon of wandering. We went to the planetarium, which was cool, but the real highlight was the museum exhibits. Easily one of the coolest museums of natural history that I've ever been too, very informative and the layout was fantastic. The staff were all friendly and helpful. If you are a local or just visiting, it's definitely worth stopping

Paul Kyser

Pretty awseome place... ibreally liked the food exibit and the specific Minnesota wildlife exhibit. The exhibit of how the earth formed was great and will get some people huffin and puffin about hownthe world is only 2k years old. All in all a very nice interactive and fun learning place.

Charles Corcoran

My wife and I visited yesterday. It's a decent weekend activity, but pricy at $34. As some exhibits are closed, the admission price should be reduced accordingly. The best are the dioramas. They are as artistic as informative. They deserve credit for artistic quality, perhaps a brief overview of when and who did the art work, with some perspective. Staff was mostly informative and enthusiastic. Parking should be free. The museum is expensive enough, and free street parking is close.

Duane Anderson

Great planetarium show. Great wildlife dioramas. Animated Audubon temporary exhibit was breathtaking. Helpful docents

Kevin Reed

Enjoyed the Bell Museum with the exhibit about Minnesota animals and learning about space and our planet

Anne Carroll

Fantastic reboot for this historic museum -- stunning contemporary take on our natural world from the birth of the universe until today, highly educational, and marvelous for every age. Go often, take family and friends, get a membership, and enjoy!

Nicole Koonce

My mom came down to see me for my birthday and we visited the museum on a Sunday morning to see the Moon sculpture before it moves on, and the new One Giant Leap planetarium show. Everything was very excellent and we had a great time. There was a lot to learn about many different fields of science, and my mom and I had fun being scared of the giant beaver! The wildlife exhibits are very good, and my mom was so interested in one that she leaned in and introduced her forehead to the glass wall, so that should tell you how clean and well done everything is! Haha The gift shop was well stocked and even had pretty reasonable prices compared to other museums in town! Overall a grand experience and we can’t wait to come back to see other planetarium shows!

Christine Smith

Love this new space. Have visited multiple times and always enjoy it

K H

The new Bell is truely a gem of a natural history museum. Many of the original dioramas have been beautifully restored and displayed to stunning effect, and items from their collections are showcased throughout. This small museum is big on wonder, curiosity, and impact for children and adults alike. The curators know that the core of this place is a gorgeous traditional collection, and have taken care to honor that. Displays are arranged to highlight vital connections and inspire reflection, rather than to tell a limited, linear "story" through canned explanations and hokey "effects." The facility's intimate size is an advantage here as you make your way through the galleries on the upper level. The hands-on room on the first level is one of the best I've experienced, with replicas specimens, and even live animals. There is also a substantive exhibit about food on this level, which was a surprise. There is, of course, the planetarium as well. In my opinion, this is one of the finest museums in the Twin Cities, and actually far outshines the larger, but uninspired and uninspiring, Science Museum of Minnesota. The Bell transported me back to the wonder and awe of the natural world I felt as a child, without ever once underestimating the sophistication or nuance of its adult audience. Well worth the modest price of admission.

Gretchen Gosnell

Great little museum. They have a planetarium and a touch and feel area with bones and furs. Kiddo loved it. His favorite was the wooly mammoth 🦣

Raymond Wenzel

The new museum is beautiful and the collection is amazing. My family and I enjoyed walking around and seeing the exhibits. We also took in a planetarium show which was good but honestly could be better but it's still good, I would have like to see more of the planets in our solar system not just Mars. My kids are a little to old (15 and 18)for the hands on area but they have alot of fun activities for the younger crowd. We are very happy that the Bell museum is back.

Rebecca Ts

Interesting place. New museum where students go for free. I think it’s a good place to go for a date or with your kids.

Jason Franklin

Great planetarium!

Peter Xiong

Very nice looking building and architecture, love the simple floor layout that is easy to navigate, and good science and research in all exhibits and the planetarium. Plenty of activities ranging from visitors interacting with the exhibits to experiencing the tour through the universe at the planetarium. This museum met my expectations for a small natural history museum, didn't have high expectations such as the larger Science Museum of Minnesota, but have enough science for the all ages to enjoy especially to the children. Overall, this museum is good for a trip with family and kids to enjoy the simple facts and science of the natural world. Good starting place for youngsters to experience the science and research at a museum, but on a smaller scale. Would love to come back for another trip with my younger brothers and sisters again to experience the sciences at this museum again.

Anna Bottila

So enjoyed visiting the Bell Museum over the weekend! I had a chance to pop into their Wicked Plants exhibit, which was so spooky and well-done. I loved shopping in their curiosity shop - I found so many great gifts to bring home with me. I didn't have the chance to check out the Planetarium, but will definitely be back!

Sara Burt

Gorgeous museum! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the museum and at how much I learned. There are so many interactive exhibits for younger kids too. My 3-year-old loved the beaver puppet theater, the stork mating dance tutorial was hilarious and the huge Touch and Feel Lab on the first floor has a lot of things to do, we ran out of time! I recommend anyone visiting Minnesota to put this on their top 5 things to see! Yes, top 5!!

Danae Bye

This is a very informative museum. It is great for all ages. Has a touch section where you can check out cool rocks and bones and live animals. I do wish that part was better labeled. They had all these rocks and skulls but we didn’t know what they were!! The current giant moon exhibit is also very cool and interesting to see. The exhibits were immaculately clean I’m not sure how they do it, but probably the cleanest natural history museum I’ve ever been to. I also enjoy that there seems to be room for growth of new exhibits as time goes one.

Steph Fish

What a gem! Lots to see and do for folks of all ages. The mammoth was my favorite!

Fee Thomas

The Bell Museum is definitely worth a visit . From the natural pond that greets you to the informed, courteous staff ready to answer your questions - this place is a hit! The exhibits are literally out of this world. Much respect to everybody who works and volunteers there. Brilliant experience!

Joel Abrahamson

The new building is really beautiful. Many interactive exhibits with updated content, which is no small feat with topics like exoplanets or climate science. The museum guides and staff whom I met were friendly and engaging, especially with things like snake and turtle petting. I look forward to a star party some day!

Shae Erlandson

I have never been to a more engaging place. Truly a museum for all ages. It has the best articulated signs and plaques I've ever seen. The information is easy to understand for people of any education level on the subject matter, but is still elaborate and extensive knowledge. It is interactive for young people and thought provoking for older ages. It is wonderfully set up so you can learn about and experience many different subjects and ideas but it is not overwhelming or intense. You can learn as much as want and then some more and it is not intimidating in the way some museums are where I might feel ignorant because of how little I know. I love this place so much and recommend it to anyone.

Nicholas Zinos

They did a really nice job with this new facility. On the first floor is a hands on room that kids will love. There are furs, bones, etc. that kids can touch as well as spiders and snakes in tanks that a decent take out if you ask. The second floor has the main exhibits. Some are more child friendly, while others might be over their head and will be of more interest to adults. The recreation of the life sized wooly mammoth is awesome, as are the interactive dioramas. The criticisms that I have are similar to those expressed by others: for the price, the planetarium was a bit of a let down. I think that they can improve the experience for the money they must have paid for it. Also, it's silly to charge for parking in their lot in such a far off place near a bunch of cornfields.

Skin Quilt Productions

This was my first time at the Bell Museum and i loved it! They had great exhibits and the planetarium was awesome. The saff were extremely friendly and accommodating. The cost of admission is extremely fair. They did a great job with Covid precautions and made me feel very safe. I would definitely go back!!!

Joan Bailey

Absolutely fabulous welcoming staff and friendly volunteers. Love the planetarium show.

Raymond Alcaraz

My wife and I visited for the first time, yesterday. We absolutely loved it! We didn't check out the planetarium yet, but the rest of the exhibits were great. Great place to learn about space, and natural history. There is even a wooly mammoth on display. There are hands on areas as well for children. Will definitely be coming back here.

Brian Balquist

This museum is very fun. I loved the dioramas and preserved animals. Highly suggest to anyone visiting the area. Free for students as well!

Rose Maria

I had a good time with my friends at Bell museums

Paul R

Nice museum and you can tell there's been a lot of money invested in it however there's not a lot for young kids to do there. I heard a couple of kids complain about being bored as most of the exhibits aren't real interactive. There are also no descriptions on the exhibits which is done so guests have to ask the workers what they are which is a little irritating. The Planetarium you can tell was very well built however the actual show was a little painful. It seems that each show is kind of an assignment for the various students to present so it's totally hit and miss as to the knowledge and/or the quality of the show you'll get. It was probably worth the money from a helping out the students perspective, but I doubt we'll be going back anytime soon.

Andrew S

Beautiful museum, lots to see in a smaller sized building.

Krista Bjork

I took my kids since they offer free admission on Sundays. I would suggest this museum to anyone,particularly people with kids. they have an entire room that is 98% kid friendly and they have different amphibians that they will gladly take out for up close encounters The guy working the 'touch and see' area was very knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy answering questions kids had. I would have liked to see more than wildlife exhibits, but I have no regrets about going. It was sort of like a zoo with only animals found in America, and none were living.

Jillski 13

Fun museum on natural history and astronomy. Takes about 2 to 3 hours if you read everything. Love the store. Got a Carl Sagan candle and t shirt listing women scientists.

Leah Brooks

Took my 19 month old here a few days ago...was a little nervous at first as I wasn't sure it would be appropriate for him but he loved it! The cultural food exhibit was awesome (although he did try crawling int a few exhibits) and he especially loved the touch and feel lab where there were bones, different sized blocks, and (his favorite) magnets for kids to play with. Lots of learning for me and plenty of activities to keep him busy. Highly recommend for all ages!

paige heinen

We had to park far away because the University traffic was crazy. Also, it was $23 for myself and 3 kids to get in. But there are lots of beautiful displays and the touch and see room was great. The helpers there are super good with kids, very knowledgeable and ready to answer questions and help kids get interested. The live animals and habitats were engaging.

Jedd Peters

A fun place. Good for the kids or adults

Brittany B

This museum is mostly taxidermy animals. The touch and see room is the only highlight. They have a few aquariums with reptiles that you can ask to touch. The room has a lot of interactive and educational elements. The museum is moving to a new space soon, I'm betting it'll get a much needed modernization then.

marz hamilton

The star party was awesome! Hurray for the James Webb telescope!

Chunfen Zhou

This completely reinvigorated natural history museum comes with a lot of modern features: a spacious lobby for gathering and socializing, a touch lab for active engagement with the collection, gardens for native vegetation, and so on. There is no cafe on-site, but you can purchase food from the gift shop. Deceptively large from the outside, the museum has only one major exhibition: Minnesota Journeys. But it is a very well done one, which weaves astronomy, biodiversity, ecology and evolution together into one coherent, informative story, supplemented by a regional focus. It seems to me from the exhibition, however, that their anthropological and paleontological collection is not particularly strong. This place is a bit isolated from other attractions in the Twin Cities, but to me, paying a visit here is worth the extra effort, and I hope you would feel the same way, too.

Douglas Harper

I was most interested in the exhibitions relating to Minnesota natural history. As a child I attended the old Bell museum many times and marveled at the Brekenridge dioramas. Thankfully about half of them (according to a staff person) made it to the new museum. They are surrounded by ecological messages that are gentle rather than strident. In general I found the textual material effective. Powerful, short quotes are featured on wall spaces, generally extolling the importance of science. Often they are historical. The missing piece is that science had to assert itself against religion and it was (and is) not an easy process. The other texts are designed for kids and thoughtful parents. My favorite is the historical photo of the wolf diorama being observed by school kids 60 years ago and the information that this piece of naturalist's art was crucial in redefining how the public defines and acts towards wolves. I bought a season pass and will attend regularly! Hurrah for you all!

BILLYBOB Bauer

The kids had a good time learning.

Kristie Carter

The new Bell Natural History museum opened in mid July, 2018; I visited in mid-August. The building and surrounding landscaping is lovely and sits at the corner of Larpenteur and Cleveland ave's where a one room school house once stood. This museum replaces a smaller one on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota: there the subdued lighting, quiet, and stunning dioramas of Minnesota wildlife offered a quiet respite from the busy atmosphere outside. The new museum has preserved whose dioramas and placed each in a larger context of both visual and written information. Some reviews have noted that there is "too much" text for kids to absorb, but I think that depends on how you approach a museum visit. There is plenty to see and touch without doing much reading. The museum also has special activities for kids.

Ivan Odriozola

The Planetorium presentation was lame and nothing special everything presented in it is widespread common knowdledge already, Museum was Really good especially the giant woolly mammoth sculpture.

Mayuri Borkar

Good to spend winter weekends and gain awesome knowledge.

Michael Schroeder

Great place to visit. Children both really enjoyed it

L B

It is a nice museum but it was difficult to hear the movie today . The I'm ongoing crying and moving around from children throughout the theater was distracting. The movie was wonderful it was about the universe.

Bryan Scholtes

Planetarium review only: great projection technology, very crisp. Seats are awful for a planetarium, I've been to quite a few. Limited recline. The recline pushes back and takes effort to stay reclined; tough for my seven year old. The headrest limits your ability to tilt your head back. No footrest, which is not normally a problem but I needed to push against the floor constantly to stay in a position to view the ceiling.

JASON JEWELL

Very kid friendly exhibits my 3 year old daughter wasn't frightened by any of them. Highly recommend you bring your children there's lots of hands on things for all the kiddos to take part in.

Elizabeth W

Took my daughter (6) and her 2 friends and they loved it. We all enjoyed the tactile experiences and the dioramas. Very impressed by the amount of information available and how it was presented.

Elizabeth McKay Sinacori

Wonderful place to learn and enjoy educational fun! The exhibits are beautiful and well maintained, the emphasis on local Minnesota natural resources and history is fascinating and the planetarium is superb! I love this place!!

April H

This is a small natural history museum that has so much on display. My five year old loved all the interactive exhibits and talking to the employees/ volunteers there. The plannitrum is excellent.

Brett Johnson

Fantastic building, great staff, cool planetarium

Linda Krantz

Enjoyed the Planetarium show.

Cecily

Nice small museum. I really liked the “touch and see lab.” Even for an adult, it’s awesome to get to handle some specimens.

Paj Ann Herr

This place is underrated! What a gem in the cities.

Harry Dean

Worth coming to for the planetarium alone! Bring the whole family

Jordan Webb

One of the best museums for all ages. Rotating exhibits are fun and interesting and we always find something new to investigate on each visit. LOVE IT!

Ben Koch

Terrific upgrade to the original! The dioramas are still terrific, but now with so many more interactive pieces. Loads of digital content that wasn't available before. Great for adults and children!

Malty Gribbletum

Charming. Perhaps it would be better named the Bell Museum of Early 20th Century Vertebrate Zoology since it mainly contains dozens of wonderful antique dioramas of local birds and mammals. A great display of the art of the diorama. A guidebook that describes the connections between the species (e.g., their ecological niches) would useful. The diorama with the Passenger Pigeon is worth the modest admission cost -- the most populous bird species in North American made extinct in a few years by insane humans. The Touch & See room is the crown jewel. The student staff were wonderfully welcoming.

Jeremy Johnson

The best! Get a membership you won't regret it. The planetarium is phenomenal.

Nathan Houfek

A wonderful museum with a fantastic planetarium and very helpful staff! Good for a date or with the kids!

susan hetzel

The new museum was so much fun! My boys(9 and 12) enjoyed the touch and see lab.

saran kumar

Limited exhibit items, limited space . Good thing is properly maintained.

Diane Skramstad

Kids enjoyed all the hands on exhibits. The planetarium was so enjoyable.

Brent

1st visit to the musuem after it relocated a few years ago. Great space and fun rekindling of memories.

Annamarie Moseng

My grandson loved it there and wants to go again. Really liked all the interactive and hands on things to do.

Lanette Christensen

Enjoyed, liked the touch screens located near the dioramas, touch and see room great for children

Eric T

Wonderful new building. The dioramas are the best part, preserved and transported from their old location to a new, spacious architecturally interesting modern building.

Jon Gates

Nice new building and tons of stuff to look at for the right age. Kind of went over my kids' heads. The planetarium is nice as well.

Sarah Pearson

The planetarium is amazing and the dioramas are stunning. The downside is that parking isn't free and there's no signage inside to tell you where to go.

Charles Nguyen

Very nice place. The exhibits are classic and wonderful. Touch and feel room is fun for kids.

Slsclimbhgts Minneapolis

What an amazing improvement at this new location on campus! Interactive exhibits, so much more to see and do. Reserve a time for the shows in advance.

hailey j

They have a cool variety of nature and planets. But a lot of the things werent labeled so we had to question some of the animals. The people there were also very helpful and kind.

Jason Wessel

Bell Museum itself is a decently interesting visit and the One Great Leap show at the planetarium was enlightening and had novelty effect but left a lot to be desired.

Krista Frank

We all had a great time! The touch exhibits were a big hit, and the whole museum is so we'll designed.

Tarin B

I think the price is very steep for what you see. The planetarium show was fine, but nothing mind-blowing.

Isaac Romsdahl

Beautiful brand new planetarium. Well designed and perfectly kept natural history dioramas all extraordinary in size of collection.

Lily

Super cool place to hang around with 3 kids and learn at the same time.

Tim Drake

A great place to take children, the Bell Museum of Natural History has great dioramas and lots of stuffed birds and animals that you'll find interesting to look at.

Brad Lee

The planetarium was a highlight, the exhibits very informative, and the paintings worth coming for.

a h

Fantastic hands on for all ages!

Trey Schroeder

Not overwhelming, easy to get around with great exhibits. The planetarium was amazing!

RED on VFR

Very nice place! I wish the planetarium session is longer than 30 minutes.

Jocelyn Zeller

I was a good experience and my son really liked it the staff were very helpful and had a great attitude.

Taffy Storck

Mn star party night . April 8th , 2022. It was really nice !

Nelson Mondale

Small but very good exhibit with wonderful dioramas

sidney wallgren

lots of interesting things to see, better than the science museum for the value

E Zweber

Fantastic Natural History museum. The staff in the touch and see room were in enthusiastic and very knowledgeable.

Tom Whitten

Really enjoyed my visit. Many great diaramas. Be sure to visit the planetarium.

Misi Stine

Great educational opportunity. Dioramas are still amazing.

Paula Ariza

Nice museum. Great for kids. Make sure to visit the planetarium.

Albert Jonathan

Free museum admission for UMN students.

Uwe Heck

Great experience, fun. Very affordable

Sara Barney

Plan ahead and reserve a parking spot. Allow time to see exhibits and the Planetarium show.

Jen Jenny Jennifer Jamison Johnson Jones

This is a great museum for all ages.

Alex Burns

The best museum in the Twin Cities. The planetarium in amazing.

April Lehmann

Great visuals spectacular dioramas original to 1940.

Erin McCabe

I was really happy that they did an event for the lunar eclipse in January, it was pretty cool!

Ali Adam

Great tour, but staff did seem uninterested

Craig Oswell

Wasn't impressed. Parking was expensive especially given you have to pay to get in too

Alex Freeman

Small collection, but amazing in every way. Love it here.

Victor

Great place to visit with kids.

Daniel Fergus

Love this place. Lots to see and learn. Great for all ages.

Kenneth Harden

Not a huge place, but very interesting, especially if you love animals.

Caroline Sousa

Loved the planetarium.

Matthew Gravel

Great entertainment for our young one (19 months).

Withered_Scylla

I just got done The planetarium is great and the rest of it was good

Marcus Redlin

Very nice facility. Loved the planetarium.

Jennifer Thompson

Rainy misty weather kept us from touring the outside gardens and ponds...next time💖 …

Andrea Lamb

Multiple attractions to enjoy for the whole family!

Patty Ford

Our first time there and we enjoyed it!

Erin Muenter

Beautifully done!

Marie Moore

The Details put unto the diorama is amazing

Samantha Johnson

Such a fun place for the kids, young and old.

Wild man1314

Great place to learn about Minnesota's natural history

Jesse Bumala

Amazing artwork in the displays. That was worth it on its own.

Nick Preese

Neat little place. Can't wait for the new on to open.

Karl Hillstrom

Love the new space!

Jen Ghilardi

We always love coming here!

K Denton

GREAT museum!!

Bill Peterson

Awesome Natural History Museum!! 👍👍 …

Robert Hillestad

Wow!

Chet Wallace

Planetarium is super cool!

Brad Ganzer

Great experience with a ton of history in the community

Ottavian T.

Very informative & Relaxing experience!!!

Kamel

Nice

Joshua Schwartz

Fancy and new and near a cornfield.

Wasi Ur Rehman

Informative

S G

Very cool!

avery smallmonster

Awesome!

Deb Chinander

Beautiful new building.

Patrick Sanchez

Cool place to take the kids

Matt Fischer

Fantastic collection.

Paul B

Awesome

L

Nice

Andre Batchelder

My opinion quite boring

Judy Nielsen

This is a beautiful museum

Eduardo Calero

It's great

Ali

Bell Museum of Natural History

Darken Haloz

Cool place, great if you like diorama displays. Better to take children to as it's geared much more to them over adults.

Mari Castillo

(Translation) They charge you 12 dollars for admission. It is a very small museum, but interesting. It has a room to live the experience of seeing and touching. Since you can not touch the mammoth or other exhibits there. (Original) Te cobran 12 dolares la entrada. Es un museo muy pequeño, pero interesante . Tiene una sala para vivir la experiencia de ver y tocar. Ya que no puedes tocar al mamut ni otras exhibiciones que hay.

Leeanne Brown

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