A visit to the “most explosive museum in the world” seemed like a good precursor to July 4 fireworks. The Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis taught us about the history of flour mills in the city, and the terrible explosion in 1878 that sent debris flying across the Mississippi River. The best exhibit was the Flour Tower, a converted freight elevator that opened onto reenactments of factory life as we moved up and down eight floors.
Before going to the Red, White, and Boom festival, we went on a self-guided architecture tour of the Guthrie Theater, the new Vikings football stadium, a cool bridge over the Mississippi, and a building by Frank Gehry.
A walk across the Stone Arch Bridge gave us a great view of Saint Anthony Falls, and later on, of the fireworks. We sat next to a nice family and chatted with the dad, who gave us some good tips for our trip out west.
