A Peek inside the Beautiful Bakken Museum + Mansion

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A visit to the Bakken Museum has been on my bucket list since moving to Minnesota in 2018, and we finally made it happen.

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The beautiful home was orginally built by Mr. William E. Goodfellow, who owned Goodfellow Dry Goods in Minneapolis.  Later, the home was purchased Earl Bakken, the inventor of the pacemaker and founder of Medtronic. He used this mansion not as a home, but a place to display things he’d collected over the years. In time, the mansion became the Bakken Museum, with a mission to nurture a love of science in all who visit.

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The museum is filled with hands-on exhibits that teach kids about science and electricity. The activities are entertaining for a wide range of ages.

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Upon entering the museum, the staff offered my boys a scavenger hunt. This kept them all engaged and allowed us to explore the entire museum. My boys were looking closely at displays they may have missed if they weren’t on the ‘hunt.’

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There is a Frankenstein show that combines history, art, and science. The show takes about 10 minutes.  It’s not super- scary, but I don’t recommend it for kids under six. My older boys thought it was cool.

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The grounds outside the Bakken museum are beautiful. I could have spent a couple hours in the garden area if I’d brought a book to read (and didn’t have four busy boys in tow).

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The museum takes about two hours to explore, and parking is free.

Bakken Museum Address: 3537 Zenith Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55416

After leaving the museum, you may want to take a stroll (or drive) around Lake Bde Maka Ska, then visit the country’s first Caribou Coffee located close by.

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Thanks for reading! Happy Exploring!

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Click here to read by entire Minnesota Bucket List. 

Click here for more info about the Bakken Museum.