I’m not sure why I lived in Minnesota for almost four years without getting a membership to the Minnesota Historic Society or exploring the historic Fort Snelling. I didn’t realize how beneficial those passes would be, or what a beautiful place the Fort is!
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Fort Snelling is a fun and education field trip for your family in St. Paul, Minnesota. You will learn about army life, see live demonstrations, learn how they cared for the sick, explore the beautiful home of the commander, taste what they ate, watch how they made their tools, and more!
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First of all, the Minnesota Historical society annual family pass is less than $100, and grants your family (plus two guests) access into amazing spots all over Minnesota, including: the Mill City Museum, the State Capitol, the Minnesota History Center, and today’s focus: Fort Snelling!
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Upon arrival, we pulled into the gated parking lot for Fort Snelling. The parking fee is $4 for members, $6 for non-members. There’s a beautiful walking path along the Minnesota River up to the entrance of the visitor center. This area was recently remodeled. It has a small museum inside, as well as a gift shop and clean bathrooms.
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From there, we enjoyed a golf cart ride to the entrance of the Fort.
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The Fort is phenomenal. It was constructed 200 years ago and used until the end of WW2. It’s been restored to show visitors what life was like as a soldier living in this fort. There are characters dressed and ready to teach everyone about anything from laundry, to slavery, to fur trading, to black smithing! (Is that a word?) You can watch guns and canons being shot too, and food being made.
Some things to discover and explore:
- The school house
- The hospital/medical exhibit
- The armory/weapons storage
- Jail
- Blacksmith shop
- Dred Scott’s living quarters and how his time living on the base enable him to fight for his freedom from slavery.
- Commander’s home
- Kitchen
- Archeology exhibit
- Soldier’s quarters
- Married quarters
- Trails to the river
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My kids and I absolutely LOVED it. We learned a lot about the history of Minnesota and military life, and enjoyed the beautiful grounds. There was even a baseball game happening as we left. We hope to be a part of that during our next visit.
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Fort Snelling is very close to the Minneapolis airport, so if you have a layover – it would be worth checking out!
Locations, Hours, and Admission:
Historic Fort Snelling is open Wednesdays through Sundays from May 31 to September 4, 2022. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m
Address: 200 Tower Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55111
Admission is $12 for adults, or $10 for seniors and college students with ID. Children aged 5-17 are $8.
Admission is free for Minnesota Historical Society members, military veterans and family, native Americans and families, and active military and families (walk up only.) Tickets may be purchased in advance online, through the box office at 651-259-3015, or at the visitor center.
Website: Click here
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Here’s a peek into our visit:
Thanks for reading!
Here are more places worth mentioning:
Click here for a peek into our visit to Mill City Museum.
Click here to read our Minnesota Bucket List.
Click here to read: 20 Gifts Minnesota Gave the World