American Swedish Institute

Such a beautiful place and rich with history. The four stars is because some of the staff are over the top political and overbearing as you tour the house. Also, one tour guides kept making fun of Downton Abbey and all those who like the show, explaining that this house was nothing like Downton Abbey and he was tired of the comparisons. Amazing how one person can just take everything down a notch. The play area on the lower level is amazing for kids and you have to visit the Norse Saga room!!

I had no idea that the museum would be of an actual home. The woodwork was simply amazing. We could freely walk the house to almost all areas. We had a blast and we loved the gift shop as well.

Visited on 7.1.2025. BRAVO and KUDOS to Michela and Jennifer for proving me with a Spectacular experience while touring the interior rooms of the mansion. There are not enough words to describe how stunning this place is and no picture can capture the magnitude of the beauty of it. Highly Recommend to anyone traveling through Minneapolis!

What an incredible experience. The staff were lovely and very helpful. I was visiting from out of town and they made me feel welcomed and had so much knowledge about the mansion and it’s surroundings. Highly recommend.

My fiance and I had both come here to experience the rich culture that the museum had to offer. The mansion was incredible to explore. The staff is extremely friendly as well. We had an amazing time exploring and learning about the art, culture, and variety of rooms that there were. The music that is weaved into the history there was nice too. They had two beautiful pianos there to see, though you can't play them without advanced permission, so if you'd like to preform do contact them ahead of time. We did have an odd experience in the top floor where the uniforms are displayed next to a wooden sculpture. My fiance sings opera. when she sang some of the songs that were used for the women there, one song in particular. I noticed a white mist in the hallway that seemed to zip by twice. Unless they have a fire alarm or something installed up there, and someone was smoking a vape, or a candle was going. I'm also sure we were the only ones on the top floor at the time. I also noticed while she was reading the sheet music and singing along to a track, that the uniforms moved in the case. I'm not sure if they have a device that makes it do that, but it did move. Wasn't creepy, it was like someone had come to listen. All in all though an amazing experience, highly recommended.

The museum overall it's beautiful and really interesting, it's not crowded and very organized but when we went there was a couple taking their wedding pictures there and the cafe kind of closed and we felt like we were getting kicked out. But, in general, very good place and great experience.

Such an awesome museum & mansion combo! I brought my family here on a Thursday evening because they offer free admission on Thursdays from 3-8pm. My family loves touring historic mansions and the Turnblad mansion was super cool to see up close in person. I love that they have an authentic Swedish cafe onsite and the gift shop is filled with terrific Swedish wares and goodies. Highly recommend anyone to come make a visit here.

The museum is 90% The Mansion itself. it hosts rotating artists who display their art within the mansion. If you are into old mansions.. or structure s this is for you. The artististry in this Manson is breathtaking. The ceilings, woodworking, everything has hand crafted details.

Do NOT come to Fika cafe when you are in time constraint. All foods are made in SMALL batches and if the place is full usually on thursday, holiday seasons, special events, Be ready to wait for your food minimum half an hour. We made a mistake of going here before going to the museum. We ended up wolfing our food down so that we will have enough time to enjoy the new holiday exhibition. I wish that this is communicated to us when we get the table. Then manager did come and apologize but it was too late! We were wishing that we would have more time to actually enjoying the foods than anxiously waiting for the foods to come out. Just ruined the whole night. Aside from managements communications snafu. Foods are always great! Always get whatever is "special" of the day! You can't go wrong.

I visited the ASI on a Saturday afternoon in late October 2024 based on Yelp reviews. This was a delightful museum filled with lovely architecture, a dose of history, and art. If you've already been to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), and are willing to walk 15 minutes, ASI is a little gem! Within the main mansion, you can find guides available to answer questions about the history of the house and family. Don't miss the music room which is sunniest spot on the first floor, or the "heating room" on the second floor. The porcelain fireplaces are a special treat and energy efficient. The ASI does not have as much art as the MIA, but it feels much more intimate as you'll learn a bit about the Swedish family that owned the home, a bit of history on the Great Famine in the late 1800s (which prompted a migration of many Scandinavian families to Minnesota), and the artist (Carl Larsson) on display throughout the mansion. Would definitely recommend a visit!

What a beautiful and tidy museum. I really enjoyed visiting the different exhibits and also enjoyed the gift shop on the way out. I also stopped by the restaurant and had a fabulous meal.

This place was actually really cool inside. Lots of little exhibits, activities (they had woodcarving when I went), live music (probably not every evening), and children's areas (play area, art). The building itself is like a mansion. Lots of cool art, architecture, and history to explore. They even have places where you can take cute selfies/group photos. We were also able to get some snacks at Fika, which were enjoyable. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

Fun and enriching place to visit. A lot of history and stories of the Turnblad family who once called this their home. Beautiful and well thought out hand carved wood throughout the entire house and imported porcelain fireplaces! There are 3 floors and a lot to explore. They have very knowledgeable guides and a really nice gift shop as well. Varied special Swedish heritage exhibits are featured year round. Ample parking available and easy to get to from city center. Excellent Swed Cafe inside serving traditional fare. Gravlax was 10/10!

I went to the American Swedish Institute for a wedding reception and it was absolutely breathtaking! They opened up the museum for all to explore during cocktail hour and it was so fun to walk around and see all the unique spaces. The courtyard was beautifully lit and the bride and groom did their first dance there. They also had a great area upstairs for dinner. Overall I would definitely recommend hosting an event here!

I came to MN in 1988. My first visit here 2023 for a Yelp event. It may have been for St. Patrick's Day. I was also here at the end of the year for a Romanian festival for the Romanian's in MN. There's always something going on. And it's always packed. I love the Swedish items in the store. Starting with Lars Swedish Pearl Sugar. Nice large granules. $7. They have Lars Elderflower Saft (syrup). $14.50, love this stuff in a fizzy grapefruit drink. I think it should be mandatory for those moving to MN to visit here right away, so you know what you're getting into, survival, and the cultural origins. Of course the Hogg mansion is impressive. If somebody's missing they're probably living in MN.

If you live in the Twin Cities and have not been to the American Swedish Institute then you have missed something unique. The Swedish Institute is housed in a beautiful mansion dating from the 1890's. The mansion is located on Park Avenue in Minneapolis and you get a sense of what an elegant upscale neighborhood this was. The Mansion itself has beautiful carved wood work which would probably be impossible to replicate today. A visit gives a sense of what life in the gilded age must have been like for the well to do. There is a parking lot but it can fill up when there is a special program such as their Christmas Holiday exhibit. When you go take time to grab a bite at Fika's an excellent Scandinavian restaurant attached to the Institute.

Our family loves coming here during different events throughout the year. Everyone that works here is friendly and the place is stunning! Come check it out during an event

such a cool and interesting place not just for swedish descendents. Covers lots of interesting history beyond that and is one of the most well maintained beautiful homes I've ever been in. The cafe is great!

Make sure not to eat at the cafe is you have allergies. I informed the server today I had celiac and was told what dishes would fine. Unfortunately, I got sick from my meal despite following recommendations.

Absolutely beautiful museum! We really enjoyed our time here and learned a lot. Looking forward to going back and trying their restaurant!

My husband and I came a few weeks ago for the Swedish festival and had a really great time! The gift shop was adorable, the different activities was really great for kids, and even though it was raining that day there was a lot of ample space to be able toroam and chat with others. I loved that the mansion was connected to the Institute, we loved walking around and being able to see all of the different rooms, the architecture, and all of the historical furnishings. We had a really great time!

This is a real educational experience. The Christmas decor just added to the enjoyment. An amazing job presenting interesting Swedish & Islandic information that I was not aware of before visiting. Great ideas for decorating. The cafe was also amazing. The wait was LONG - they said 45 mins but it was over an hour! Put your name in the list BEFORE starting your tour if the line isn't too long. Will definitely return

I've been to the American Swedish Institute on a number of occasions for a number of fun events. They SERIOUSLY know how to put on an event. I attended some sort of festival thing in September 2023 with a pair of friends. We drank, we ate, we greatly enjoyed the live music they had playing, and we got to wander about the castle. They regularly host events, and it's rare (if EVER) that I've seen one of their events and thought 'well that looks boring.' A number of years ago I also visited and did the official tour, which was incredibly interesting. If you're an enjoyer of architecture, of history, or just like looking at a beautiful home (or maybe gawking!), it's absolutely worth the visit. They also have a wonderful cafe with truly some of the best 'museum food' I've eaten - it's actually just good food! This really should be higher up on the list of 'fun things to do in the Twin Cities'. Don't sleep on the American Swedish Institute!!!!

Amazing location. Friendly staff and lots of knowledgeable people. I would recommend.

Not sure why it took so long for me to visit this museum but I'm glad I finally made it. The Morning Dip was the main exhibit on display. The very stoic pics of Swedes in their fancy bathrobes after a traditional morning dip in the chilly waters provided colorful art to view as you toured the museum. You even get a chance to take your own Morning Dip pic without the cold water. One of the main attractions is the mansion on the museum grounds. The wood working and ceilings were my favorite. The ceramic fireplaces were stunning as well. The staff is so amazing and enthusiastic about their role in educating patrons about the history of the place. I almost felt like I was on a personal tour. Loved it. I also stopped into the gift shop and bought a few things. So many interesting, unique items in the gift shop. My visit also included an artistic cocktail at Fika on the patio of the museum grounds. Try the Water Under the Bridge and you won't be disappointed. A free parking lot next to the museum is another perk. I'll be back soon!

Was lovely attending summer sommnar at the institute with great music, food, people, art, and history. We had a wonderful time and will definitely go back again.

I went here with Debra R, Jose R and some other people a few days ago. We saw the big building and had a tour. I enjoyed the experience and it had a good gift shop.

Need a Scandinavian getaway that's both traditional and modern, tot-friendly but decidedly adult? Look no further, ASI ticks all the boxes. The "new" wing is modern and sleek, hosting the gorgeous Fika restaurant and drool-worthy gift shop & small gallery, the upstairs lecture/flex-space (I've been to lectures, craft bazaars, poetry readings, and dance parties all in this same great space), modern bathrooms and locker area, and classroom area. Through the breezeway or across the great lawn is the "mansion" or "castle" as we like to call it, which is a work of art unto itself, but which also houses installations and of course, the incredible holiday show. This has become my favorite easy art space to visit. Plus, you can't beat the coffee and thumbprint cookies.

My friend and I were both visiting Minneapolis for the first time over Memorial Day weekend and both felt that a visit to the American Swedish Institute (ASI) was a must do. We had lunch at FIKA (the café at the Institute) before visiting the ASI; I recommend eating there if you're visiting the ASI. The highlight of visiting the Institute was definitely the historic Turblad Mansion. They offer guided tours, but we just did a self-guided tour of the mansion. It's really incredible - gorgeous (the stained glass, the wood, the ceilings...!). There is also a small exhibition space, where we saw a cool exhibit on a Swedish-American glass artist. I did wish that there was more of a permanent collection (I thought there would be a bit of a history museum decided to the Swedish-American experience, but the museum is mostly the mansion plus the exhibition space). It has a great gift shop, but the museum portion wasn't exactly what I was expecting! Still worth a visit - for the mansion itself!

Although the space feels rather cafeteria-like, Fika has excellent open-faced sandwiches. We enjoyed the shrimp, salmon, and gravlax. Anything else the cardamom is always a delight for me. Fresh and tasty.

I was a little bit nervous about heading downtown Minneapolis because of the ongoing riots, but the American Swedish Institute has a big parking lot and it looked and felt very safe. It was absolutely stunning inside. I'm so glad I made the trip. I am also thankful that they partnered with our local library system and give complementary passes through smart pass!! Inside the institute, the café looked like it had delicious coffee and pastries, as well as soups and sandwiches, and a few other things. The mansion was magnificent. So beautifully maintained. I was curious about the family that built the home, what they did to earn their money, and what kinds of parties they threw. I asked and did some research and discovered so many interesting things. You can read about it all here: https://kathrynegly.com/2021/06/04/step-inside-a-43-million-dollar-minneapolis-mansion/

I'm Swedish, and when I found myself in Minnesota last month I felt compelled to visit. The museum was a bit dull, I walked through in about half an hour and felt that I got the gist of it. Visited the gift shop afterwards to buy something and show support, and was in there for about 15-20 minutes browsing and it wasn't until I walked up to the counter to make my purchase that the cashier acknowledged my existence and said hi. I noticed she spoke to other people that came in, but I wasn't afforded the same hospitality, so that left a sour taste in my mouth. Mind you, this is a small store, a gift shop, and I was in there for 15-20 minutes, so it's not like she didn't see me. Either way, glad there's a Swedish Institute but it could definitely do with some improvements, both from the exhibit perspective and their customer service. At this point, it's not something I would recommend to anyone visiting Minneapolis.

I had been once before for a Yelp event, but was only in the area where FIKA is located. My friend and I met for lunch at FIKA and then asked whether I would like to go through the mansion! Of course! The inside is absolutely beautiful to walk through and see the beautiful woodwork. We both lamented how much pledge one would need to keep the dust away All of the history and being able to see the home was great and to be able to walk through at your own pace and see quite a bit of the home was fun. It's beautiful inside and definitely worth a visit. Cute little gift shop. Such a fun afternoon.

We had the chance to tour this beautiful former home/museum, and really loved it. So many rooms with beautiful ornate ceramic "stoves" (fireplaces), a 3-story wooden fireplace, and beautiful ceiling decorations. The gift shop had some really wonderful Swedish items, too, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch at FIKA downstairs. Just $12 for adults, and $8 for seniors. A very special place.

Fun place with interesting history and facts. Amazing build in the mansion. We took our large family and they all enjoyed it.

We visited on a cold & snowy February afternoon and had an awesome visit. 33 room mansion with incredibly ornate decor, tons of detailed woodwork and unique architecture. Beautiful paintings and a wonderful history review of the Swedish influence in The Minneapolis area. Be sure to try the restaurant FIKA (an acronym like tea time) The meatball dish and Brussels sprouts are super gourmet. Great visit.

Had a wonderful time visiting the ASI and our tour guide was great. The food and service at the Fika cafe was good.

After a tour of the incredible Swan Turnbald Mansion we had lunch at the Fika Cafe. I had the best Swedish Meatballs ever....I enjoyed the food so much I forgot to take a picture of the plate .... now it is my quest to recreate this meal at home. Our waiter, Tony, was very informative. So glad we decided to have lunch here.

If you're looking for a museum to check out on a rainy or cold day this has to be one of the best ones in Minnesota to check out! We visit ASI this morning and we're beyond impressed, we are already planning the next visit with more family members with Swedish heritage. The mansion is absolutely beautiful! The architecture and all of the fine details that went into it are incredible! I would 100% come here again, the staff was super friendly, the gift shop was so cute! And there is a parking lot next door! (I was also super impressed at all the knowledge the staff had about the mansion and owners that used to live here.

The ASI was on my mother's bucket list from the time she was a college student as Gustavus, so somehow I ended up tagging along. Go figure. Well worth the trip though, the ASI is beautiful. There is a free parking lot, and the interior is clean and pristine. They have a Swedish food restaurant, which is an experience. Very good food, but if this is representative the food in Sweden is very different than American fare. The Turnblad Mansion is breathtaking. It is worth the admission, and all the better if you can go during a guided tour. Ask at the front desk whether they'll be having a tour starting, they seem a little varied. The day I was there, they were only having one guided tour that day, and she was so knowledgeable about the mansion and it's former residents. Currently there is a Kim Simonsson exhibit, and that definitely gives it a more .... interesting.... vibe. If you see something out of the corner of your eye, it's probably just a statue. The gift shop is expensive, with some cute Swedish merchandise, but there's a better selection at Ingebretsens in Minneapolis.

Supporting local artists around the holidays with handmade gifts of highest quality. Scarves made of wool and silk that are works of art, jewelry, cutting boards, bags, cars, purses, all standout from anything manufactured & more elegant. Be art. Wear art.

I thought this would be a fun place to stop, seeing as how my boyfriend has some Swedish lineage. It was a good time, with a few exceptions. The Turnblad mansion is the former home of a wealthy Swedish newspaper publisher. I guess the mansion was bought or donated to the ASI and turned into this museum. The mansion has very little in it. Certainly nothing that belongs to the Turnblad family or artifacts from the newspaper publishing days. The docent we talked to was very nice and explained a little bit of the history of the Swedish population around Minneapolis/St. Paul and he knew a little about the newspaper and how long it lasted after Mr. Turnblad's death. When we visited, there was a clothing exhibit by a Swedish designer. Clothing was the typical oversized colorful linen stuff you see in eclectic artsy women's shops. It was a shame that some of the 11 tile stoves throughout the mansion were covered over to showcase a bunch of clothing. They were also setting up for a party that evening. I dock ASI 1 star because I sort of got the impression that as long as you're of Swedish heritage, you can put your art here. You're not really seeing historical Swedish stuff and you're not really seeing anything old, per se. However, I did enjoy watching my boyfriend ride the mechanical Dala horse. 25 cents well spent! Hehe!

I love a lot of things about ASI. The building and mansion are beautiful, the garden is gorgeous. As the mom of two toddlers - I'm amazed by the play space for kids and the preschool programming. They have kids at the castle events, along with special classes you can enroll in. The classes are organized and entertaining. My kids love them.

Regardless of one's ethnicity, one always feels welcome at ASI. The organization is known for its outreach to South Minneapolis neighbors from various African countries, Mexico and others. Of course, if you're of Swedish extraction ASI holds a special appeal. But everyone can benefit from a visit to the remarkable "castle", the original building, as well as the recent Nelson Cultural Center addition. Don't miss the Gudrun Sjoden exhibit. It's a feast for the eyes. There's always something going on at ASI, and it's always interesting. And the food at Fika, the restaurant located inside ASI, is fabulous.

If you have any Swedish ancestry - or are just interested in Swedish culture in general - ASI is definitely a worthy stop. For $10 (adult), you can check out the Turnblad Mansion, which has temporary exhibits. Currently, there's a Karin Broos exhibit, which contains about 20 oil paintings depicting women. The painting themselves are thought-provoking, but there were rooms where the presence of the mansion, itself, overpowered the artwork. That said, the mansion itself is exquisite. I wish we had done the live tour of the building, though there's plenty material around the building, on the pamphlet, and via audio on your phone if you want more detail. The tile stoves scattered around the building alone are worth the price of admission. The gift store has lots of Swedish and Scandinavian goodies, including a section for cookies and candies. One whole wall is dedicated to books, and there's a section for baby and kid accessories, as well. Also, I loved the sock selection!

ASI is absolutely beautiful and such an enjoyable experience. I am particularly fond of Scandinavian culture (I'm Danish) and I feel that ASI truly represents the culture, food, and art of Scandinavia. The volunteers/employees were all so helpful and knowledgeable about every piece of the institute. You can walk around freely throughout the house, but they also offer guided tours. There is a cafe located in the main lobby that makes for a perfect treat before or after your visit. There was something very relaxing about enjoying a cup of tea and a scone after perusing throughout a Swedish mansion. Parking is free, it's fairly inexpensive to visit, and the ASI is truly stunning. I will definitely be back and I hope to enjoy the courtyard aspects during the summer.

On opening night for the winter exhibit Nobel Creations-Inspired By The Nobel Prize the American Swedish Institute welcomed guests from Sweden who were part of the creation. The tour of Turnblad Mansion is worth the visit anytime. The massive amount of hand craved rails, the ceramic tile fireplaces. The third (and very chilly) floor has a small area for children's creative play with wooden blocks from Sweden and play tents with a pretend kitchen. Helpful volunteers roam the rooms to give you historical references about the bulding and former tenants.

A must visit in Minneapolis! It's a good place to have lunch, tour a mansion, and even get married! The Turnblad Mansion is stunning and, for a few minutes, transported me to Europe. Lunch at Fika is mighty tasty. I went for lunch about a year ago, and remember the soup and Swedish meatballs stood out. I had lots of drinks as well! My most recent contact with the Swedish Institute was in January 2017 for my sister's wedding venue search. Lisa was prompt, friendly, and knowledgeable. Don't miss this Minneapolis gem. There is a parking lot with lots of parking.

The American Swedish Institute is a fun museum highlighting the Scandinavian roots that many Minneapolis dwellers share. The institute consists mostly of the Turnblad Mansion, a historic home once owned by the Turnblads, who were Swedish immigrants to the USA. You can explore the mansion's four floors and appreciate the architectural aesthetics while also learning a bit about the Turnblad's way of life. The top floor also has a play area for children, where the kids can make believe and enter into some Swedish children's stories. Attached to the mansion is the newer part of the museum. There are just a few attractions here: one room showcasing a special rotating exhibit, and then Fika, the Swedish café. There are also some convention rooms on the upper level, if you want to host an event here. The admission ($10 per adult) is in my mind a bit pricey compared to how much there is to do. But it's a charming time nonetheless. Check it out if you'd like to explore an old mansion and pick up some Scandinavian knowledge and appreciation along the way.

A must see if you've never been. There's parking on site. Very cool modern architecture for the main building. Missed the mansion tour, but best check their website for tour times before arriving. However, it was still informative walking on your own. The stain glass is stunning. Amazing how bright it is in the house. There's an explanation right above the stairs across from it. I didn't have time to check out the cafe inside the main building, but next time. The menu looked delicious though. There's a cute right of the entrance and bought syrup waffles (Stroopwafel) my favorite! They happened to be setting up for a wedding. Gorgeous venue for it. Bet they fill up fast. Had to take a peak and definitely would consider this place when I get married.

The American Swedish Institute is a Minneapolis treasure that is for sure worth visiting. I went with my mother because I wanted to check out the new Papier exhibit. Tickets for a one-time admission were $12 for adults. I made reservations online and then checked in at the front desk. The front desk assistant was very friendly and explained the building/best way to view the institute. The exhibit had a smaller room at the front with most of the dresses. They were pretty incredible. We then made our way to the historic building part of the tour and headed up to the third floor as we were told to start there and work our way down. This place is huge and so beautiful. I loved looking at the different details. The exhibit was sprinkled throughout the floors and different rooms. What a perfect back drop for these incredible paper dresses. I think we took a little over an hour to go through everything. There was also a cute cafe that is quite popular. We noticed a lot of people coming just to get take out so we knew the food must be good. My mother ordered a salad and soup while I snacked on some Swedish Fish I bought in the gift store. I would recommend checking out the Institute if you have never been. I would especially recommend it while the Papier exhibit is there. Great experience overall and a nice COVID friendly activity!

Such a wonderful museum. You get to enjoy the historic museum, art collection, and special exhibits all at the same time! They also have a nice selection of classes and events. An hour or two is enough to enjoy everything.

My husband and I visited on Sunday in January. We had a coupon 2 for 1 admission. It was pretty nice deal. Otherwise $12 for adult sounds a little expensive. The mansion is pretty cool and we really enjoyed it! If you like old mansion, old architecture, family history, etc, I would recommend this museum!

As Minneapolis visitors, we've been driving past this gorgeous building a few times and decided to finally give it a shot. It goes without saying we weren't disappointed. As being born 100 miles away from Finland and studying there for a while, I appreciate all the Scandinavian things and its culture. It was nice to see familiar things at the American-Swedish Institute's Store, but more importantly - touring the mansion was a great experience. Every room had beautiful decorations. Some of them, not all of them, were original. However, a lot of items were created by modern artists and a few rooms looked a little empty. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our time exploring the mansion and took some nice pictures. It also has a cafeteria and a museum store that contains items from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and even Iceland. The institute is a great place to visit for families, couples, or singles and I'd say it will take around 2 hours to check out all the floors and the store. A huge parking lot is onsite and free!

I first visited this past weekend in order to take in the current Sapmi Exhibit (ending 5/26/13). ASI offers free parking in a private lot. There's a nice open reception area in the new addition staffed with friendly and helpful people to advise on admission and exhibit features. We started off by viewing the concurrent exhibit of birchwood plaques (ending 6/2/13). On our way into the old mansion, a staff member stopped us to share info about some viewable features we would soon be encountering. The features inside this mansion are really beautiful. Plenty of dark, carved wood. Porcelain, hand-painted, tiled stoves. Hand-woven carpets. Intricately sculpted detailing around and on ceilings. A spectacular stained glass "painting". A newly renovated solarium. Once through the Sapmi Exhibit, we spent some time in their gift shop. They offer a wide variety of things: books, jewelry, textiles, gadgets, candies/cookies, and toys. I was very tempted to buy a small bag of salted black licorice Swedish fish but could not stomach the $7 price for just 8 oz. Maybe next time.

I pass this place every day as I ride the bus to work and have always wondered what the inside looked like, so I was delighted to accompany a friend to their Christmas / Solstice / winter holiday exhibit. I don't generally get excited about xmas decor, but this was tasteful and didn't detract from all of the great museum pieces. The house was originally built for a family of three and their staff, and just the size of it means there had to be substantial staff for it to stay functioning because it's enormous. The interior is well-cared for with a ton of gorgeous old woodwork, old enameled fireplaces, and luscious carpet. We were told when we came in that there were three tomte (I think the plural is tomtar? I don't know) hidden around, one on each floor, as kind of an easter egg hunt. I saw various depictions of tomte (tomtar? someone who speaks Swedish, help me out) but not the same little figurine that the docent showed us. I basically stopped looking because I was enjoying the exhibits too much. There are a few rooms that are set up as historical dining rooms with absolutely gorgeous place settings, antique china and flatware, stuff the family would have had. There are a series of rooms dedicated each to a country, showcasing things about that country's design and history. The Norway room has a gorgeous embroidery piece showing off anti-fascist signifiers from World War II and has plaques up describing the Norwegian resistance to the Nazis, and the subsequent Nazi ban on people wearing red stocking caps. The Finland room had some great modern design including sculpture mixing traditional and modern technological elements, and a modern environmentally-conscious living space. The Denmark room had a lot of great light fixtures and other modern design elements. There were rooms for Sweden (of course), Iceland, and... Ireland? Yeah, not the Faroe Islands, but Ireland. Whatever, it was cool and I was cool with it, each room gave a sense of both historical and modern cultural elements and the ways things had changed over time, and it was really nice to see Scandinavian culture celebrated in an explicitly anti-fascist way rather than having it coopted by shitty neo-nazis who apparently didn't pay attention to the resistance movements in these countries. We unfortunately only caught the end of the Viking re-enactors' storytelling segment, but next time we're going to plan around that so we don't miss it. The house was built in the 1920s so not exactly the era of the Vikings, but it was super cool to see the traditional clothing folks had on. Overall, A+ museum, would museum again.

I work for a nonprofit and we had our annual gathering, a gala, there this past September. The venue is great and the person we were able to work with, Amanda Vanderplas, is one of those event planners who has a food background and is not here to play. I started my new position in the spring and I had to book a venue in the summer, for a September gala. Yikes indeed. Since I went often to Fika for breakfast (unstoppable flavors), and liked to visit donors here for the free parking lot and great food, I figured this would work nicely. This was a pretty big transitional year for us, and this event had to smash expectations. I asked for a special walleye dish, it was done. I asked for a special beer, and even brought Ely rootbeer to sell and that wasn't a problem. Anything I threw at Amanda, even last minute, even *during* the event with an angry couple who signed up but showed up an hour late and still got hot food was covered. I don't recall the catering manager's name, but she was orchestrating one of the larger events at the institute all year. We rented the entire museum and the mansion, with a major donor pre-event in the mansion ballroom. We had a small screen brought in, some bluetooth speakers, a little hosted bar and some passed appetizers. The feel was just perfect, like you're in your rich uncle's lake cabin (which is totally a lake palace) and you're a visitor there to have a great time, maybe even learning a thing or two. As for the event, I moved from 225 to 250, to 260 people literally in the last week. Being full is a problem, but a good problem. Amanda, our event person who handled the catering too, didn't even blink. She offered great solutions like serving food to volunteers downstairs because of the cramped space, offering up floor plans with options, and even solutions to setting up early in their board room, then wheeling out silent auction items, as the event was on a Friday because I planned it so late. You'll notice why I gave four stars, and would have been able to set up during the museum being opened, it would've been perfect. I suppose that is a bit high maintenance, sure, but it sure would've helped. We had a few hiccups like audio/visual, though it's hard to tell if inherent or a user error on our speaker's part. That's the nature of the beast, and were I to have planned it earlier, I bet it would've been moot. You have a volunteer constantly checking that beforehand and I only checked it once. The attached parking lot made it much easier on out of town guests who worried about parking. Though let's be honest, Saint Paul is the nightmare to park if it approaches a neighborhood. The food is *still* being talked about, especially in comparison to donors dunking on similar galas were the food wasn't good. They cooked a mean walleye with wild rice, no doubt there. The vegetarian quinoa had few vegans go out of their way to say that we had a food item that was actually flavorful and worth their time. Kind of a deep cut, but I respected and liked the honesty. We then moved to coffee and Swedish cookies downstairs in the Fika area for the final silent auction time of the night, and people could pick up our parting gift at the check in table. Transitions were easy and clean, and had I not sold out and turned away two dozen guests, I would totally have it here again. I'll likely use the Mansion for a major donor get together again, because if you have 20-50 people, that ballroom is perfect. Add in the third level of the Mansion having a movie room atmosphere, and this could be a very fancy high end venue, for a fraction of the price. I'm recommending other nonprofit friends to look into this spot, it definitely exceeded my expectations and Amanda was just wonderful to work with. I sure do like keep getting pats on the back from board members who said I killed it. That sure feels good.