June 28, 2017
Under the Radar in Minneapolis & Saint Paul
Like many of you, we love visiting “popular” attractions throughout the Twin Cities like walking around the ruins at Mill City Museum, cheering on the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center and shopping the day away at Mall of America.
Beyond those “well-known” or “popular” attractions around the Minneapolis & Saint Paul metro you will also find attractions you may never heard of before… until now. Your free upcoming weekdays and weekends are about to be booked!
“The Quietest Place on Earth”
In 2005 and 2013, Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis was named “The Quietest Place on Earth” by the Guinness Book of World Records. Unfortunately, in 2015, the lab was sadly dethroned by Microsoft Lab, but even though it’s not a reigning world record, it’s still pretty dang quiet!
The anechoic chamber absorbs 99.99% of sound giving the room no echo and is used by manufacturers who test product volume and sound quality. To visit “The Quietest Place on Earth” you must book a tour, but you’re only allowed in for a short period of time because in the absence of outside noise, you become the sound and the silence can become maddening (what a thrill!). Reservations can be made Monday-Friday.
House of Balls
“We all posses the creative impulse and we owe ourselves the balls to express it”, said local sculpture, Allen Christian, about his House of Balls in Minneapolis.
For visitors, the House of Balls offers an unlocked door at any hour and invites them in to explore Christian’s unique sculptures and artwork in his gallery. Inside you will notice a large portion of the sculptures/artwork is made out of bowling balls, leaning to the fun name of the gallery. Before you leave, make sure to push the buttons by the doorway for a series of interesting insights from previous visitors.
Skyrock Farm & Carousel
20 miles west of the Twin Cities you probably wouldn’t be surprised to find rolling hills and stretches of beautiful farmland. What you would be surprised to find is a world renowned collection of antique 1800’s dance and fair organs playing the “happiest music on earth” at Skyrock Farm.
You can tour the Carousel Building where the organs are housed (and a beautiful working carousel), and learn from the owner, Bill Nunn, who knows everything you will want to know about these beautiful instruments. Beyond the organs and carousel you will be invited to watch the Nunn’s horses (Bill has been training horses for 30+ years) do high jumps and you will also get an up close and personal experience with the horses.
Old Muskego Church
The first Norwegian Lutheran church in the United States was built entirely out of oak logs in the area of Muskego, WI in 1844.
In 1904, the church was dismantled and moved to Saint Paul’s Luther Seminary where it was reconstructed and to this day sits as the Old Muskego Church. It can be found tucked away within the pines on the college campus close to a residential area in Saint Paul. Although they don’t have tours inside the church, you can visit the church and walk around the exterior of the building to marvel at its history.
@mows510’s Tiny Doors
Tiny mouse doors began popping up around Minneapolis in 2017 and are as cute as a mouse!
The street artist named Mows (pronounced, mouse) started placing the tiny doors throughout Minneapolis, bringing whimsy to plain buildings, alleyways, etc. You can follow his account on Instragam so you can find his latest creations as well as some from the past (if they haven’t been taken by his fans).
45th Parallel
Exactly half way between the Equator and the North Pole you will find the 45th Parallel in Roseville; a distance of 3,102 each way.
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/45th-Parallel.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=8716edace5c9fc88f4cb7cb2eb904aea 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/45th-Parallel.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=a12866575089c853184ef556cbeef953 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/45th-Parallel.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=a5dfdf68dd9f8ff4ac8bad082483786f 640w)
A monument can be found slightly north of the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Roselawn Avenue in Roseville, marking this unique, imaginary line through the Earth. You can also find another boulder monument in Minneapolis near the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Wirth Parkway indicating the 45th Parallel.
The Salt Cave Minnesota
Salt therapy, also known as halotherapy (who knew!?), has been alleviating symptoms of asthma, allergies, anxiety, etc. for centuries.
The Salt Cave Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, is Minnesota’s first salt cave and offers individual salt therapy sessions for those looking for healing treatments as well as other services such as therapeutic massage, yoga and meditation. You can rent the cave for private therapy sessions, yoga classes, book club groups, business meetings, children’s gatherings and other uses.
“Vision of Peace” Statue
Standing 36 feet tall and weighing in at 60 tons, the largest carved onyx figure in the world, the “Vision of Peace” statue, can be found in the Ramsey County Courthouse in Saint Paul. The statue was inspired by a peace pipe ceremony that the sculptor, Carl Mills attended in Oklahoma and features five Native Americans sitting around a fire smoking their peace pipes.
The Ramsey County Courthouse is a beautiful Art Deco building dating back to 1932. You can tour the courthouse on a guided walking tour (Mondays 12:15pm-1:15pm) which includes the Vision of Peace statue as well as Memorial Hall, Council Chambers, the Mayor’s office, the Law Library, historical courtroom, and much more.
Kirschner Collection
Calling all cooks! Located at the University of Minnesota’s Magrath Library on the Saint Paul campus you will stumble upon the Kirschner Collection; a collection of cookbooks that will blow your mind.
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Kirschner-Collection-Credit-CityPages-Minneapolis.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=dd3002c60d086aa3232e9f45c650e96f 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Kirschner-Collection-Credit-CityPages-Minneapolis.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=a66841d88e4f9ee9d9799afc9179fa98 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Kirschner-Collection-Credit-CityPages-Minneapolis.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=1948a64fcd23b3535e8f92460f6b9255 768w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Kirschner-Collection-Credit-CityPages-Minneapolis.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=3fadf7accbe3462cbd786213b9816b9a 800w)
Doris S. Kirschner, a graduate of the University of Minnesota in 1957, donated her cookbook collection to the university in 1985 which contained 1,500+ cookbooks. Now the collection offers 3,500+ cooking related items including cookbooks, pamphlets, and recipes dating back to 1890. Although the collection cannot be checked out from the library, visitors can look through the collection and scan/photocopy any of the recipes to take a copy home.
Landmark Center Museums
Inside the walls of the stunning Landmark Center you might be surprised to find two unique museums: the American Association of Woodturners Gallery of Wood Art and Gallery-of-Wood-Art.
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Gallery-of-Wood-Art.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=34543bc27284581867bf8367f1ec7265 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Gallery-of-Wood-Art.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=0b41ded9d258bec77f3cba3179a3b00c 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Gallery-of-Wood-Art.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=2a5c30cc4020ece17c886239c85c3fb2 768w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Gallery-of-Wood-Art.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=04bff1d13871d64bd9c07f073c0520d0 960w)
The Gallery of Wood Art is free to visit (donations are welcome) and illustrates how woodturning works through educational exhibits. Some of the vintage and reproduction lathes date back to the Viking era to the late 1700s. See live demonstrations of turning on the 3rd Sunday of each month! Also, they have a contemporary art gallery.
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=5dae2170308692df907fc56151346e89 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=74d3a8921510c191d1dd029d50dc14d0 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=d552a773b3b64c0cb24bc8cb89853638 768w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=c15fd577e7b34467c610d6bfcd3e9e20 1024w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=63bbededd664dfc44091a7e1df2c47c5 1200w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=520b4247d1e96a646db0d19b27cd9ad3 1440w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/The-Schubert-Club.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=8b53c37472dc4fc81bb8b7b1a9afc5c6 1492w)
The Schubert Club Museum offers free admission for visitors who want to experience music-making through the centuries. The museum offers a gallery full of historic keyboards, a collection of correspondence from famous composers, a listening session of music boxes and phonographs dating back to 1900, and many other music related history. You can’t miss their amazing “cyclone” of instruments!
Model Trains & Vintage Trains
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Twin-City-Model-Railroad-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=a3ad919740413a39163d27aeaf8e820c 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Twin-City-Model-Railroad-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=b166b991eb05133b96d012bfbe2d0c8b 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Twin-City-Model-Railroad-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=4d2d6a224548b5ded33e7d98241b3d81 768w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Twin-City-Model-Railroad-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=ae77fe1e7b3ae48f6965121debc24445 910w)
Back in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s, the Twin Cities railways were shared with steam and diesel engines. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to go back in time to see this impressive railroad system but at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum you can see it as a detailed model panorama. Watch as trains race around the track through the Twin Cities!
![](https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Jackson-Street-Roundhouse-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=8ef7482d941db08f4d1803e8e4fc0f72 320w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Jackson-Street-Roundhouse-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=1a810db2d96298f8e05bbb70061dc4b3 540w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Jackson-Street-Roundhouse-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=495e6a321e0d46eeb209b78269fbc726 768w, https://visit-roseville.imgix.net/images/archive/Jackson-Street-Roundhouse-Museum.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=ff59a2f5dc667a40ed945856d1b49199 960w)
James J. Hill built The Jackson Street Roundhouse in 1907 to use as a maintenance facility for steam engines. Today, the roundhouse is home to a family-friendly museum, a train yard full of 50+ historic train cars and vintage buses, and other historic shops. Visitors are invited to explore the train cars in the museum and in the train yard, observe maintenance and restoration on train cars in their shops, and see a genuine operating roundhouse turntable, one of the last of its kind in the country. You can even ride on a train every Saturday and on special occasions.
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