Bell Museum

I really enjoyed this museum. There’s an entry fee, so you might want to buy your ticket online ahead of time to save some time. The parking lot is small. When we arrived, there weren’t any spots available, so we had to park a bit down the street in front of a big field and walk to the museum. There are lots of exhibits, but I think the mammoth is the star of the show. It was interesting to see what beavers used to look like; they looked like giant rats to me, lol.

So glad I stopped in to explore the Bell Museum during my travels on Friday morning. My first visit at its new location on the edge of the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus that opened in July of 2018 (I know, better late than never). The exhibits are quite exceptional. With its relocation from Minneapolis, the museum was expanded significantly to include a planetarium, education wing, and touch & see lab. The landscaping was also upgraded with sustainable native plants, a geology area, and a solar station. The best part was watching the staff and volunteers in action sharing their knowledge with excited kids who showed up with parents, grandparents and school teachers. Made me smile big time. “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles to it.” ~ Margaret Fuller

What a phenomenal place to spend time on a cold snowy day with two young men on Spring break. The boys were entranced with all the exhibits. It’s very thoughtfully done and is self guided. We come here often. Don’t miss the live exhibit of amphibians and the planetarium show.

very interesting science museum with awesome dioramas of minnesota nature. the planetarium movie "we are guardians" was fun and informative. love the cute gift shop items (not too expensive)!

I'm so impressed by this museum! The staff and volunteers are so knowledgeable, the building is new, the exhibits are fascinating, and there are interactive activities. I will definitely be visiting again!

Informative, educational, and a wide variety of exhibits. Accommodating, spacious, and gorgeous gardens. Wonderful gift shop. An excellent time for any science lover.

We held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Bell Museum and can't recommend it as a venue enough! The Bell is a beautiful location that has proved to be a picturesque location for capturing our event in photos, the staff are all kind courteous and professional, and our guests were obsessed with over how cool of a venue it was for a wedding. Laura and Korra were exceptionally helpful when it came to planning and hosting the event. Laura walked us through the process of planning step-by-step so that when the big day came it ran exactly to plan and we had zero issues whatsoever. Korra provided excellent day of support and was helpful in answering all of our questions as the event unfolded. If you are planning a wedding or event that involves children as guests, or adults who just want to have something fun to do between the festivities, we can't recommend the Bell Museum enough. You will have zero regrets, and your guests will rave over the fun and inviting venue.

Bell Museum is a pretty chill spot! definitely underrated! If you’re into nature, space, or just cool stuff in general, you’ll vibe with this place. They’ve got neat exhibits about Minnesota wildlife, plus a sweet planetarium that’s honestly mind-blowing. Staff’s friendly and laid-back, happy to nerd out with you if you’re curious. Bonus points for being Insta-worthy—tons of photo ops here. It’s not massive, so it’s perfect for a casual visit without overwhelming you. Parking’s usually easy, too. Totally worth checking out, especially if you’re bored of typical museum vibes. I went there when there was an October star party, we looked through high-powered telescopes at astronomical objects (I saw comets and Venus!) Will update my review later when I back to visit the Museum again!

The Bell Museum has some great exhibits, awesome life-sized pieces, and some newer storytelling spots. Definitely take some extra time to thoroughly go through the upstairs exhibit, there are tons of spots that are super interesting. However, the layout is a bit odd, we double backed a few times because the order wasn't inherently understood. The worst part, in my opinion, was the pricing. Not only is there admission, but there is also a parking charge. All-in-all it seemed pretty steep for the small museum.

My office on the University of Minnesota East Bank Campus was near the old Bell Museum and I had visited it several times. I had not visited the new Bell Museum since it moved to the St Paul Campus. The new Museum is spectacular. Much more space than the old one. There is a planetarium which we enjoyed. The old dioramas have been dusted off and the mammoth is impressive. There were lots of kids who seemed to be having a great time. The museum itself is easily accessible and there is a small parking lot. It is easy to purchase tickets online. I highly recommend.

First time going to The Bell Museum and we will definitely be going back! My son and I saw the show at the planetarium and we enjoyed it. Next we got to see live insects and snakes, we even got to pet a live snake! We went upstairs and saw a wooly mammoth along with lots of interesting exhibits. Parking is easy and cheap, $2 and we were there about 2.5 hours. Can't wait for our next trip.

I took my four boys here on a day off. It was a neat museum and a place I'd recommend a visit! Pros: - hands on exhibits - recreated life size creatures - clean facility - unique learning opportunities - beautiful grounds Cons - they charge for parking and the museum is already a steep price - the planetarium was boring. I'd recommend they use the university creative writing department to come up with a more entertaining show. I thought it would be so educational but we were all bored and disappointed we paid extra for it.

Loved the open airy architecture and the amazing detailed dioramas. Came specifically to sketch the life size wooly mammoth in all its glory. Can't wait to come back and sketch the other animals.

I'm not really sure why this museum only has four stars! We are moving away to Washington so we are taking the time to visit all the museums that we haven't seen while living in Minnesota. This museum was the first one we went to this lovely morning. Parking was good (they have a parking lot right next to it) the staff is all super friendly and answered all of our questions about displays and their critters in the touch section. They have plenty of fun interactive things to do for both kids and adults. Their animal displays are incredible! Over all would definitely go again, especially with kids!

My husband and I were looking for a fun and unique date night, that wasn't just us going out to eat! Enter, the Bell Museum! We had the opportunity to check it out, they have an "after hours" type experience and we jumped at the chance. It is a pretty cool museum that sits on the edge of the University of Minnesota campus in Saint Paul. This museum of natural history has some pretty cool collections! My favorite ones were the Touch and See lab (holding the skull of a hippo was crazy!) and the observation deck where we tried to look at the sun! There's also an awesome gallery that walks you through Minnesota nature and all the cool plants and animals we have in this state I definitely think kids would love it (there's a cool DIY creativity section for kids) - for me, it was pretty fun but a quick experience. I do however want to go back when it's dark to use the telescopes on the observation deck and learn more about what I can see with them! It was nice that they had on-site parking. One thing I thought it was missing was some sort of cafe or food situation! All-In-all, something you should check out at least once!

This was a fun experience. My girls really really enjoyed the animals and the staff was so nice about explaining things about the animals and showing them the animal pelts, they really loved that because you can't really pet a red fox or wolf in the wild. The displays of the native animals was definitely a eye opener especially the woolly mammoth. It's great to know about what animals used to roam this region and what we can expect to see now. My girls are not really big into space so the we browsed through and listened to a talk about space rocks which was very informative. The Solution Studio is a great place for young and old minds a like. Lots of brain challenging activities. My girls had fun playing with the robots. Verdict- I would advise anyone who is interested about wildlife and plants in Minnesota and The Northern Region this the place for you. If you have kids I would strongly recommend only come if your child is interested in animals or space otherwise they might be a little bored.

What a great museum! I didn't really know what to expect going in, but it's fun, interactive, and the building is beautiful. If you're looking to learn about the history of Minnesota, its wildlife, and our solar system, then this will be your jam. They have a creepy crawly section filled with living snakes, tarantulas, and giant cockroaches. I honestly did get a tad creeped out, but their intention is for you to face your fear and get up close with these gross--ehem--wonderful creatures. The mammoth is a sight to behold and while you're at it, catch a show in the planetarium. The Bell is rich with information and stunning exhibits. Parking is $5 and the lot is rather small, however, if it's full you will be directed to other parking options and a shuttle will drop you off at the museum and get you back.

The old Bell Museum was cool. The new one is absolutely breathtaking -- stunning, really. If you think you will be visiting more than once, I'd highly recommend getting a membership. You get discounted passes to the planetarium and such, and you are supporting a good cause. It's like $75. Totally worth it. First the building itself is beautiful. It's modern but also rustic if you can manage that in one building. The architecture is amazing to look at. I loved the mirrored curved wall on the stairwell, the exterior of the building and the very carefully placed window that allows you to see the woolly mammoth from outside. Second, I don't know who was in charge of moving all of the beautiful dioramas and figures from the old location, but that person just wins at life. I was blown away by how beautifully arranged and displayed all of the old exhibits were. Even though I know it's the same materials that were moved, the care and expertise shown makes all of the scenes just really come to life in a way that they could not in the old location. Every single little detail is perfect. Some of the larger scenes are so interesting that you could literally stand there and look at them for hours to take in the details. Third, it's just cool. There are so many interesting things to look at, things to learn, lots of things for the kids to touch (there's an entire please-touch room), etc. And on top of that, there's the planetarium, which is state-of-the-art and super impressive. You have to pay extra to get a planetarium ticket, and I would recommend buying online since shows can sell out. But really fantastic, especially if you are a person who likes space and exploration. Just beautiful.

Decided to finally check this place out on a snowy afternoon. Opened in July 2018, it features a state of the art planetarium as well as the more traditional natural history museum. Its a blend of space science and natural history. The building is beautiful and airy and everything you'd expect in a modern museum. Its a great blend of the historic (1940's era dioramas brought to life in clever new ways) and modern (search for life in the solar system). There are hand's on items to explore and a few cringe worthy critters in the Explore Lab like cockroaches, snakes and tarantulas. We spent around 3 hours including attending a show. But the centerpiece of the building - and literally in the center - is the planetarium with seating for maybe a hundred. While we had no trouble buying tickets on site, we were visiting on a slow weekday. There were several different "shows" throughout the day. We went to the 1:30 show centered around space exploration in which the audience votes on where to explore (Mars vs Saturn) and how best to get there. It's geared to inquisitive school groups and does a good job of illustrating some of the science behind these types of adventures. IT lasted about an hour. We also enjoyed the special "wicked plants" exhibit highlighting the toxic nature of ordinary plants-fascinating and creepy. I was really impressed with this museum and would definitely bring out of town guests of any age for a visit in the future.

This was my first visit to the Bell Museum of natural history. The building is beautiful and the inside is airy, open and aesthetic. We took a stroll through the creation of the universe into the beginning of Minnesota. I was particularly impressed by the short video found behind the Mammoth which features the beautiful photographs and video by a Minnesotan photographer. The pictures/videos were phenomenal. We also got to take a look at the sun through some outdoor telescopes (this little patio area was a nice place to sit too). We didn't visit the planetarium because we didn't want to pay more at the time, but I kept hearing how great it was. If I come again, I'll see a show for sure. This would, no doubt, be a great place to come with kids on a field trip.

My son and I visited this museum for free for a yelp event. I'm not much of a space fanatic so I just skimmed this area. The dioramas were super cool and 3 Dimensional. I didn't do the planetarium as I didn't want to wait another hour. This museum is educational and seems like a perfect place for a school field trip.

I haven't went to a museum in quite some time so I was excited to visit Bell Museum one hot summer day. I went for an after hours Apollo event. They have a parking lot next to the museum that was $5. I went a bit early so there was plenty of parking but if it is peak hours it may fill up quick. There is a rock garden outside and also plenty of flowers around the parking lot and in the garden area. Walking in, the front desk is on the left next to the curiosity shop. Definitely check this out! There are a lot of neat items for purchase. Check the drawers and you'll find the beautiful crystal display! The gal running the counter was very professional and polite. She was the one who pointed out the drawer to me as well as a few other interesting drawers. I had to hold it together or I would have bought 3 of the crystals for sure. They also have a decent selection for food and drink items as well. There are wraps, sandwiches, an espresso machine, and a few sweets. There is a relaxing lounge next to the shop as well to sit down for a bit. There was an Apollo talk in The Nucleus room I believe they call it. They hooked up the TV in the lounge to project the live feed of the talk so I was able to watch in a comfy spot that was away from the crowd. On the main floor they have a coat room, interactive space with neat activities, micrometeorite exhibit, and a neat space with a few animals. They also have a ton of other bugs and animals on display with an earth exhibit. Don't forget to check out the rooftop as they have two telescopes you can see the sun in as well as some seating if you want to take a rest. Great spot to view the pond and rock garden from above too. The staff were very nice and helpful. The first floor by the entrance seems a bit empty with the large open space but there is a decent amount to see throughout and I could see if it is busy this would be a nice place to gather with a group. I would like to go back and check out a planetarium show as I've heard they are pretty great. If you have kids there are a few things to keep them entertained and busy too.

I was very impressed with the Bell Museum, This was my first visit to a natural history museum and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately the planetarium was closed because of a technical problem, but there is still more than enough to keep you entertained. There are too many interesting things to list, but my favorite exhibit was the wildlife dioramas., The murals behind them are beautiful and many of them depict a very specific Minnesota location. You can see wolves in a spot in a park that you may remember visiting, The tundra swan diorama in particular was interesting because the landscape behind them is a rendering of the area now occupied by the Mall of America, The woolly mammoth display is literally the elephant in the room. It's massive! The Bell Museum has something for almost everyone. It's a great place to take kids. It made me feel like a kid again.

They have something here for everyone, but the real star of the show is the exhibits about Minnesota animals, including some taxidermy specimens and some life-sized replicas of prehistoric animals like the wooly mammoth. They are always having cool events for kids and adults so you should check that out before your visit! Also, when I lived nearby, their gift shop was a prime place for me to get gifts for nerdy friends.

Yesterday evening, my friend lil yang and I had the opportunity to walk through the Bell Museum, thanks to the awesome Yelp Elite Event put on by Kara. The "After Hours" event took place from 5-8:30, but you were able to arrive when it was most convenient for you. I have never been here, and I remembered when it was built so this was something I was looking forward to exploring. There may be a 'private lot', but that doesn't mean the parking is free. The lady inside told us that it was a flat rate fee of $5. Wasn't expecting that, and not the most thrilled about it. However, when we left, and scanned our ticket to pay, our total was $2. We figured it was because of the amount of time we were there. When we arrived, we realized we had read the email wrong, because the planetarium wasn't included in the yelp event, it did give us a chance to look over the prices if we wanted to go. $8 for Adults, $7 for Seniors(65+), either $6 for Youth(3-21), and $4 U of M Students. That was to just go to the Planetarium. The cost for the Museum would have been another charge. I remember seeing if you wanted to do both it was $17 for Adults. Here is the website for more details.... https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/admissions/ We walked around the upstairs first, and it was a lot bigger than what we were expecting. We were upstairs for about an hour and a half and we breezed through the exhibits. We read what interested us, and skimmed what didn't. Did you know that there are over 20,000 different species of Bees, and 400 in Minnesota Alone?! How crazy is that?! Some of the interactive things were a little confusing, some were entertaining, and all were educational whether we understood them or not. The status of the Mammoth was so huge, but it was really cool to look at, and the Big Beaver. It is crazy to think that a beaver that large was common so many years ago. Same goes for the large Beetles we saw, and the huge Bat they had showing. Lil yang pointed out how clean the enclosures were, it made our eyes feel weird looking at them. It felt like there wasn't glass window on the front of the exhibit, till you hit your head looking at all of the different animals inside the case. Lol There was a Speaker that was going to be talking about the Apollo Landing, which we opted out of going too, because we weren't all that interested, but it was cool that even before it started there was a message over the intercom for people who were, so they wouldn't miss it, and staff around the museum told people in case they didn't hear the announcement. Downstairs there were multiple areas for different educational activities for kids. One room was called the 'Touch and See Lab'. I was not a fan of that room because there were live snakes in it, and well I'm not a fan. There were other animals, but I was not feeling it. There were many kids in there, and I could tell they enjoyed it though. Overall, I would love to go back, to see the planetarium possibly, but I don't know if I'd go back again unless I went with someone who really wanted to experience the museum. This was a fun event, and I'm glad I got to experience it with a friend. I would recommend this place for all to check out, it was very informative and educational. Thank you again Kara and the Yelp Staff for offering this as an event for Elites to check it out!

My son and I got to attend a free event to experience the new museum. We were both pretty excited to go. He really enjoyed the movie all about Minnesota wilderness, from plants and trees to the animals of MN. We were pretty bummed that we missed the planetarium showing. There could have been better, communication. A ticket for a time had to be picked up at the front desk. We didn't realize that so when we showed up for (the last showing of the evening) we were told it was sold out;(. All in all it was a good experience for my 10 year old.

Bell Museum is OPEN! I went during opening weekend and would recommend this museum to anyone that loves science. Kids would love it since they got hands on experiences. You can pet a snake and see old fossils. Great for adults as well! The Bell Museum has a wide variety of exhibits. You can learn about the Minnesota landscape and the dioramas. There's a planetarium! I enjoyed the No Limits show. The seating area is super cool and you feel immerse in space. Fun place! The building is super modern and everything is brand new. The glass protecting the dioramas are so new, you can barely notice it. Also, the mammoth exhibit is really cool. It gives you a perspective on how large these animals were!

I have been dying to go here and finally had the chance to check it out, I didn't really know what to expect. We got to see reptiles and there is even an opportunity to pet them all unfortunately when we arrived (evening) all of the snakes were on break, the kids thought it was awesome there was so much to look at and interact with. The staff were friendly and VERY informative. We learned a lot during our visit. My kids had such a blast exploring and learning new things. The grounds outside are beautiful to explore as well.

Nerd alert! If you like science and nature, you will probably love this new museum on the St. Paul campus. We came on a busy weekend day, so we had to use the remote parking lot (behind Spire Credit Union) and take the shuttle. It's not really that far and we could have walked but decided to try the shuttle for the fun of it. The staff were friendly/knowledgeable and the museum clean. It's full of light and air, unlike the Bell Museums previous home on the Minneapolis campus. Come explore at the Bell Museum!

What a beautiful museum. I came here because I heard about the Moon/Apollo exhibit. Being newly built, it's very clean and well maintained. The staff are kind and friendly, also very helpful. There's fun activities for kids to do. There's also the planetarium if you want to check that out. Highly recommend for kids.

Went to the bell Museum with a group of 4h The staff doing the tours are very informative and made sure to answer every question we had. But it is a smaller museum and I wouldn't recommend it for children under 8 because it is a little more complicated and not so hands on. But I sure enjoyed my time!

Wow!! As much character and history the old Bell has, its hard not to be amazed at this beautiful new location. It's very nice and still has the wonderful taxidermy dioramas. I didn't get a chance to visit the planetarium, but I am so excited to have one in the metro again!

A wonderful way to spend the afternoon! We got the chance to check out Bell Museum through yelp and had such a lovely time! I love how most of the exhibits are hands on and allow you to interact with what you are learning. The building itself is gorgeous, and the people here are so nice and down to Earth! We got to see some cool reptiles and bugs. The cockroaches creeped me out, but the snakes and scorpion were so neat! We got to look through telescopes, see a giant mammoth, we especially had fun learning from their guest speaker Becka Rahm who showed us a bit about creating fabrics and threads from raw materials. We made some cool bracelets with wool! I cannot wait to come back and spend more time here playing with everything. My two year old had a blast touching everything. If you have a free afternoon, definitely stop at the Bell museum!

Talk about a hidden gem! How did I just find out about the Bell Museum?? I'll take that back, I have heard of the museum, but never was really drawn to it, it seemed small and not worth my visit. HOW WRONG I WAS! This place is a wonderful (although small) natural history museum. Regardless of size, there is plenty to see and do for at least a couple hours. The detail and craft that goes into their dioramas rival those of the Chicago Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian. No kidding, it was like looking out a window and getting extremely up close and personal to animals you can find in Minnesota. They also have a great touch and play area for kids and adults to explore the natural world. Not all the animals are stuffed, they are some live lizards, insects, fish, and snakes too. Parking can be found on the street (not too many spots close by, but within walking distance) or parking garage. The only downside this place has is that it is a little bit hard to find unless you know the U of M campus well. It is situated on campus and covered by ivy and tall bushes, so keep yer eyes open for it as you drive past the Armory on Church Street.

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.

A great place to take curious children and to learn about North American wildlife and geology. The great old building is just too dated for a modern museum and people tend to not like the level changes, (hold Grandma's arm) and circuitous pathways and sometimes dimmed lighting. The area has been used for meetings and tours and public gatherings with wines and hor d' oeuvres. There are some excellent displays of species in their natural setting and some interesting dioramas of the ice age and geologic history.

A really beautiful building with two main floors. There is a smallish observation deck. I enjoyed the Natural history dioramas! My 10 year old loves the giant wooly mammoth ...pretty impressive. There's also a touch and see lab (great for kids). Probably the main draw is the planetarium (unfortunately didn't get a chance to do). The parking lot is small and you do have to pay. There's a Curiosity shop for souvenirs and snacks. Would go back to check out the planetarium.

A very nice museum- planetarium is fun! I would start upstairs and go down! You do have to pay for parking FYI!

If you go to this museum, you should buy combo ticket which is for both exhibits and planetarium for $17/adult. It's very educational and fun for children for sure!! There's no restaurant in museum, but there's a lounge space so you can bring snacks/small meal to eat. Also, there are many staff on each exhibits, so if you have any questions you can ask them anytime!!

This was the first time I have been to the Bell Museum and it was all thanks to Yelp for letting my wife, me, and two guests to come for free. I am really glad that we got the opportunity to come because the four of us had a lot of fun while we were there! Here are some of the highlights. Exhibits: The Bell Museum has a lot to offer inside its doors and some of the those include a touch & see room, space experiences, and a lot of animal facts and displays. There is also an observatory but we didn't have time to visit but we hear it is a great experience. Let me break down the rooms a little bit. The touch & see room has a lot of animal bones, animal furs, live animals, and displayed stuffed animals. You can touch almost everything in the room besides the alive animals. It was pretty cool to pick up bones and feel what real animal furs feel like. We didn't spend too much time in this room because it was busy on our visit. The animal exhibit upstairs was my favorite part. They have a lot of stuffed animals on display including wolves, exotic birds, a moose, fish, crustaceans, bugs, and many more. They are all in display cases but are all displayed very well. There is also a huge life sized mammoth as well that was very cool to see. Last is the space section and we thought it was pretty cool but we didn't spend too much time there. There are some games you can play and some videos to watch which is cool but we liked looking at the real animals more. One thing that was really cool is that we got to look at the real sun through telescopes on different lenses that won't hurt your eyes. They had a lot of great things to show us! Staff: Every staff member we encountered was great! We had people just walk up to us and explain exhibits or displays to us and even offer to take photos of us. We had a great guy explain a space shuttle launch to us and give us some planet posters as well. The staff were a great plus to our experience at the Bell Museum. Overall this was a great experience for the four of us. We had fun playing games and looking at all the exhibits. The staff is great and they do have some great things on display. The only downside is that parking is not great and it is a far drive out. Besides that we will go back to the observatory and to check out the gift shop more.

Came during their Apollo Anniversary, they had a great exhibit going on in the area where you can feel and look at different items, they had moon rocks that you could take a look at through the microscope. Everybody that was there during the Apollo exhibit was very well knowledgable. Any volunteer or worked we had interaction with was amazing. It's a great museum, on the smaller end of course, couldn't spend a whole day here I don't think, even if you read every sign. Loved the telescopes by the solar system exhibit where you would match the dots on the telescope and clarify your view to see the small picture they had hidden somewhere. Worth checking out, especially now since they have the Apollo stuff, but the usually natural history stuff such as the giant mammoth is always awesome too!

CLOSED. The Bell is closed and will be reopening in 2018 in a totally different location, so it's an odd choice to start off my 2017 reviews perhaps, but it's not like The Bell is closed FOREVER. Just...18 months or so. Anyhow, Bell, I'll miss you. I'll miss you being the perfect place to entertain 5-6 adults and one toddler. Older kids can have fun here too, and there are even special adult only events, but do you know a toddler? Especially a toddler from out of town visiting grandparents and a few other aunts and uncels? Especially when some of those adults can reminisce about their UMN days? There was never a better place to go. Thanks Bell.

Awesome for a rainy day. Lots of info. Walking around was nice. The grounds outside are worth exploring.

When you're so used to the overpriced Chicago museums, it's nice to find a museum that is small but quality, and the admission price isn't crazy. $17 per person for the museum and the planetarium show ($12 if you want to skip the planetarium show) and $5 to park in their lot. All the employees in the museum are University of Minnesota students (and I think the museum is funded through the university) and their name badges will tell you what their major is and what year they're in. Overall, a fun place to see. Kids would really like the touch and see room!

The new space and renovated dioramas are wonderful. We spent 2 hours there and plan to go back. Next visit we will bring our granddaughter because it's a great space for kids. The exhibits work for all ages and level of interest and understanding . As has been discussed in local news all the models of animals look so much brighter now that they have been restored. Each diorama has a touch screen with names and information on what you are viewing. They should have more than one of these per diorama because many people want to use them and only one group can use them at a time. The surrounding grounds are rustic and lovely . There is a small plaza with sculptures of wildlife as well. I like that the commercial areas ( food and small gift store) are not overdone or the center of attention . We did not visit the planetarium.

The University of Minnesota's Bell Museum is a fun and family-friendly natural history museum focusing on the creation of the universe and some Minnesota-specific ecology. The first half of the museum's main exhibition (on the upper floor) discusses the creation of the universe, the Earth, and life on Earth. The museum is, as to be expected, quite naturalistic / Darwinian in its what it asserts as truth. It has fun exhibitions showing our solar system, how different elements are formed via nuclear fusion inside the stars, and then the theory of how those elements gave rise to the first life on earth. The museum then fast forwards for a few billion years to focus specifically on life in ancient Minnesota (think wooly mammoths and the ice age). Learn about how ancient climate change turned Minnesota into the ecologically diverse state it is today, replete with different biomes and types of wildlife. After exploring this main exhibition on the upper floor, there are some additional side-attractions on the lower floor. A few rooms talk about climate - what it is, which different types we have in the US and in the world, and how living creatures are affected by it and adapt to it. Then, a separate few rooms on the opposite side of the floor feature fun "touch-able" attractions (e.g., animal pelts and skeletons, plus other interactive games) for kids and kids-at-heart. I didn't visit the giant planetarium in the center of the museum, since that costs extra. But they feature a film about every 90 minutes, so if that sounds fun to you, pick up tickets in advance or when you first arrive. Overall, the Bell Museum is a small-but-mighty community museum great for children, scholars, and anyone who's just generally curious and loves to learn! Check it out.

The taxidermy dioramas are lovely. So realistic. Be advised that the planetarium presentation is a 30 minute cartoon with a 15 minute constellations presentation and only focusing on 6 constellations based on the time of year. They covered summer constellations yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed the constellations more than the cartoon. I prepped my class on all the constellations and was disappointed that the presentation was only 15 minutes. They should let you know that! My students and I were hoping to see more constellations.

If you're looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, considering stopping by the Bell Museum of Natural History for their free admission day. We visited the museum on the recommendation of a former student who used to spend his lunch hour eating a sandwich on one of the museum benches, staring at the exhibits. That was a long time ago and I don't think food is allowed any longer...so don't get any ideas. Wow, we were impressed. The time and effort that has been poured into each exhibit just about blew us away. Each one depicts an animal or plant native to Minnesota in its natural habitat in a mixture of both diorama and painting. This was helpful for me because being from Texas, I needed to learn what kind of weird animals are up here. One of my favorites was the completely wooden carving of two cranes. Just didn't appear to be made of wood at all...so well done. Come stop by sometime...you won't regret it!

How did I miss you, Bell Museum? Despite spending a total of six years at the U of MN (4 undergrad, 2 grad) I never wandered in. I don't have much excuse for this since I wandered by the museum plenty of times, just not on Sunday. Pro tip, the museum is free on Sunday although I did put some money in the donation box. The Bell Museum has a number of dioramas, interactive displays and a soil exhibit. Each of the dioramas can be admired on it's own as a piece of art and have an explanation about the scene portrayed including the animals and terrain. When I said piece of art I am not joking, many of the backgrounds for the dioramas are beautifully painted and could be reproduced as prints and hung on the wall of your house. The Bell is a great place to stop by for kids and adults.

This place was HORRIBLE. The best part was walking up the stairs, that was also the most entertaining. The planetarium an exploration of boredom and the seats didnt go back far enough. The staff wasnt enjoyable and pretty rude over all. None of them made the experience enjoyable in the slightest. Honestly it feels more like a claustrophobic hospital than an enjoyable museum. Overall the whole museum was extremely disappointing and everyone agrees they would have rather been at work, than at this museum.

The Church St building is closed permanently, but the Bell Museum + Planetarium will reopen in July 2018 at its brand new building at 2088 Larpenteur Ave W in Falcon Heights, on the St Paul campus of the University of Mn. When it opens, it will contain lots of new exhibits on the natural history of Minnesota, as well as many of the classic wildlife dioramas moved from the old building, and a brand new Touch and See Lab. Finally, there will be a 120 seat permanent, state-of-the-art PLANETARIUM instead of the tiny inflatable one they have been using for years. There will also be an entire section of astronomy exhibits. Check out their web site at bellmuseum.umn.edu for more.

First, this is a beautiful building with all materials carefully selected by the architect to be Minnesota native materials--it's pretty spectacular. The staff here are great very knowledgeable and helpful. The exhibits are a great blend of old and new. Excellent place for families. I was pretty bummed that they charge 5.00 for parking as I felt that was steep in an area where parking is generally free? Only reason for 4 stars. The planetarium is neat and I am not sure there is really a bad seat in the theater. If you leave during the show--you are not getting back in. All and all it was a great day. The Woolly mammoth is also a great photo opportunity.

This place is a little hard to find but it's fun getting lost around here since all the buildings are so cool. The museum is very reasonably priced think it was around $5 and they do have a free day on Sundays I think. It wasn't very busy so you could browse at your own pace. I liked the area where they show you how the exhibits are created...a glimpse be hind the scenes if you may. The basement was the best with the green materials exhibit. They showed how houses used to be made and then contrasted the materials to more energy efficient ones. Fascinating stuff. The green house was on display when I went and it's tour was included in the ticket price. It was the icing on the learning cake!

I enjoyed this museum. It's a smaller museum in the U of M campus, but it is still interesting to visit. I think they have a great layout of local animals to view. The touch and feel area was really cool to check out skins, bones, and other items. It's nice because you can check it all out in an afternoon and not feel like you missed so many displays.

Even though I went to the U of M, I didn't know the Bell Museum was there. I wish I hadn't missed it. Its a really classic space with natural history dioramas from the early 20th century. Because of the age and the static nature of the dioramas kids might not be as engaged here as they would be in a newer museum. But because they have a touch and learn area upstairs and they have exhibit space downstairs there is plenty to do for young ones. Throughout the museum they show how we have learned more about nature since the exhibits were created, and they have a room where they show you how they made the exhibits in the past. They are working really hard to make this classic museum compete with newer ones and I think its working. Adults will like the nostalgia, and the beautiful architecture.

Good but creepy lol. It had the feeling of an old building walking through the door, but after paying (what I thought was kind of a high price ($8), was directed to go down a floor and walk around. Me and two friends soon found ourselves in a coldly lit, eerily quiet room with hundreds of dead animals. They were positioned appropriately, and told a story, but after the first few hundred, we went up a floor and there were a few hundred more. It didn't feel dangerous, it didn't smell, it was just a constant question of how this animal died and came to be in this place. The birds, the beavers, the moose. That poor moose. Hunting is disturbing. The story they told, not worth it. I don't know why I would take anyone here. They didn't do anything wrong, though, so I can't rate it below a 3. But it's only for a certain type of person.

The new Bell is amazing. Clean, updated and sharp. The kids love the planetarium shows and hands on learning. The touch room is a favorite.

I visited the Bell Museum of Natural History recently and I wasn't sure what to expect. The building itself was constructed in the 1930's ( I believe) and still has that old feel to it with great sculptured pillars and unique lighting on the wall. The exhibits are great and they have a lot of hands on things..you can try on a "bear" coat to see what it would be like to be a black bear and have many other things. You can also rent out the museum for a private event and it's a great space! I highly recommend checking it out if you are looking for something to do in the Twin Cities!