By Tammy Galvin

The Hennepin History Museum—one of the Twin Cities’ most unique social history museums—sits quietly in the Whittier neighborhood a mere block away from the much more famous Minneapolis Institute of Art. While Mia attracts visitors with its old and new art from around the world, the Hennepin History Museum’s focus on the locals and their legacy makes it one of the best ways to get at the heart of the Twin Cities.

Founded in 1938 as the Hennepin County Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum is dedicated to bringing the diverse history of Hennepin County—the largest in Minnesota—and its residents to life through exhibitions, library, collections and educational programs.

With archival collections of priceless scholarly value and unique exhibits bundled in a historic mansion setting, the museum is a rare find, having evolved from the Hennepin County Territorial Pioneers Association in 1858 to the County Historical Society in 1938 to today’s award-winning history museum embracing a diverse range of cultures and social histories.

Hung Duong, left, and her family look at her spot in the Hennepin History Museum’s Eat Street at 20 exhibit. She owns the Truong Thanh Market. Photo courtesy of the Hennepin History Museum.

The exhibition and education programs have expanded from an original focus on Hennepin County settlers to include the wide range of people who constitute the county today. As one of Minnesota’s most rapidly growing and diverse counties, Hennepin includes urban, suburban and rural communities, and all of these stories are featured in the exhibits, library and outreach programs at the museum.

Running through Feb. 25, the current exhibit—Eat Street at 20—chronicles the development of the aptly named 17-block stretch of Nicollet Avenue that is home to 50-plus ethnically diverse restaurants. Based on an oral history project by Spotlight Oral History and the Whittier Alliance, the exhibit chronicles the street’s evolution and the men and women involved in building the establishments, along with photos and cooking instruments from the restaurants themselves, providing visitors insight to the different styles and techniques of cooking used around the world.

In addition to the rotating exhibits, visit the museum’s library, known as the “Reading Room.”

There, you can peruse diaries, journals, manuscripts, letters, scrapbooks, atlases, maps, correspondence and various ephemera including menus, contracts, advertisements, deeds and certificates, sheet music, postcards, posters, broadsides, invitations, and calling cards—all of which illustrates life in Hennepin County.

Photographs make up a significant portion of the collections and include the Confer Real Estate photos, detailing views of properties sold by the company from 1915-1940. Other notable photo collections include the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co., detailing riverfront development from 1895-1906; The Kjorlie photos, illustrating Minneapolis and St. Paul during the late 1930s and 1940s; Minnesota Volunteers 1861-1866, from the Whitney Negatives; and the Arthur Adams lantern slide collection of Minnesota images, circa 1920s.

The Reading Room is open Tuesdays through Saturdays during regular museum hours, and an archivist is available to assist researchers Tuesdays through Thursdays. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors/students and free for 6 and under. Please note that visiting the museum at this time does require the use of stairs.

From 1965 to 1988, Camelot Castle was the place to see and be seen. Quail, chicken croquette, Chateaubriand, and its unparalleled duck flamed and carved table-side drew famous visitors and loyal locals alike. Decades later, the beautiful Camelot has long since been transformed into Griffin Gallery and houses an incredible collection of representational art from masters like its owner Bill Mack.

Around town, sculptor Bill Mack is best known as the artist that created larger-than-life bronze statues of legendary Minnesota Twins players Kirby Puckett, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Kent Hrbek at Target Field. But what many people don’t realize is that this same local artisan is indeed the world’s preeminent relief sculptor, whose work graces the homes and galleries of dignitaries, celebrities and art lovers around the globe, including Presidents Clinton, Ford and Reagan; and Elton John, Sylvester Stallone and Prince Albert of Monaco, among many others.

Along with his wife, Deb, Mack runs Griffin Gallery and features traditional and contemporary fine art originals, limited edition prints, etchings, celebrity artifacts, sports memorabilia and more. The gallery primarily showcases Mack’s relief sculptures and paintings of classic Hollywood stars, the latter of which are painted on parts of the original Hollywood sign. Another portion of the gallery features internationally acclaimed artists as well as the best of today’s emerging artists.

Mack is an avid collector of original artwork and Hollywood memorabilia, including the front gates to Marilyn Monroe’s home, costumes such as the one worn by Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz and Clark Gable’s coat from Gone with the Wind.

Tucked into a quiet residential corner of Minneapolis’ Kenwood district, the glass front of Todd Bockley Gallery provides a snapshot of the folk and native art found within. Among the diverse and exceptionally high-caliber artist roster are Jim Proctor, Meryl McMaster, Lauren Roche, Jim Denomie and Native American artists Frank Big Bear, Star Wallowing Bull and Francis Yellow.

Housed on the ground floor of the Northern Warehouse in Lowertown St. Paul, AZ Gallery is an artists’ cooperative, owned and run by its members. Member artwork is always on exhibit in its permanent Member Gallery section, and programming throughout the year features a monthly rotation of guest artists, group shows, invitationals and juried exhibitions. A newly expanded gift shop, Gifts @AZ, houses an eclectic selection of jewelry, pottery, glass, textiles, accessories, cards and gifts made by more local guest artists.

Get your fill of around 20 Minnesotan artists at one spot at Rosalux Gallery—if you can find the inconspicuous space. Only open on weekends, the gallery itself is accessed through an unassuming door at the side of the Van Buren Building in Minneapolis’ Northeast Arts District. Its resident artists are shown worldwide and are true pioneers of vast media.

Groundbreaking sculpture and visual art exhibits, live music, and a variety of events headline Gallery 13. Its blue neon sign and industrial-chic vibe gives it a warehouse-hip status in downtown Minneapolis. Its curators are among the best at encouraging and finding new talents from increasingly diverse backgrounds. Visit frequently—you never know what or who will show up next.

The building that houses the Soap Factory dates back to 1882, but it became a gallery in the 1980s. Over the near century, it has managed to maintain its bygone aura with exposed brick walls and factory-infused metal girders. Work from modern artists—many of whom exemplify a unique intersection of technology and art—is often on display in what the Factory deems a “laboratory for artists’ ideas.”

Every Halloween season part of the gallery transforms into The Haunted Basement, a terrifyingly immersive experience that gets creepier year after year with the help of dedicated actors and artists. Those brave enough to descend the steps test both their will and sanity—but be warned that actors are allowed to touch.

Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Little Six Casino is located in the southern suburb of Prior Lake. Given its proximity to the Twin Cities—less than a 30-minute drive—it attracts countless players all yearlong, offering a smaller scale, more intimate environment than its nearby sibling Mystic Lake and Treasure Island, which is in Welch. But don’t underestimate its size—more than 800 slot machines and several blackjack tables with a variety of limits fit every budget in a clean, relaxed atmosphere. It also has a players club and onsite restaurant.

Set on the campus of the University of Minnesota, the Bell Museum of Natural History explores the history of life in the natural world through dioramas, hands-on activities and exhibits. From the Touch and See Discovery Room to the immersive shows in the 120-seat Exploradome planetarium, the museum allows children and adults alike to experience natural history in an interactive and entertaining manner. Diorama Hall features a variety of three-dimensional, life-like animals in their natural habitat, and special seasonal exhibits present art depicting a variety of species. The Bell Museum is in the process of moving to the University of Minnesota Saint Paul campus.

Soo Visual Arts Center, locally known as SooVAC, resides in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood. Its mission is to display provocative and under-represented art in a care-free, laid-back environment. Most pieces are from local artists, from mixed media to sculptural, incorporating everyday objects or remnants of odds and ends. SooVAC’s one large hall looks directly onto the street with a storefront entrance that welcomes passersby.