Military History in Minnesota DAY 1 Enjoy breakfast at your Bloomington hotel and then road out to experience the rich Minnesota military history throughout the state. Begin your tour in Bloomington, next to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, at the Fort Snelling Military Museum. Dedicated to the remembrance of veterans of all wars and the preservation of the military equipment they used, visitors will be able to see tanks, aircraft, guns, personnel carriers and trucks. Situated on a patch of Army Reserve land, the museum, started in 1997, is run by about 100 civilian volunteers and financed largely by donations. It's one of the few armored warfare museums in the world dedicated not only to preserving historic military vehicles, but also to putting them in working order. See schedules at www.fsmm.org . Stay in the MSP Airport area and visit the Minnesota Air Guard Museum. Located on the Air Guard base at the North‐East corner of Minneapolis‐St. Paul International Airport, visitors will be able to see two special exhibits – the A‐12 Blackbird spy‐plane and the 1920 Curtiss Oriole built from scratch to replicate the first Air Guard airplane. Tours are available any day of the week. Up to 48 hours advance notice may be required by military security. We will need names and ages of all participants, and driver's license numbers for all adults. See all details at www.mnangmuseum.org . The History Centre contains something for everyone who has even a passing interest in commercial aviation and, specifically, the 13 airlines that comprise the Northwest Airlines family. A handsome collection of airplane models dates from Northwest's beginning in 1926. Many other unique and interesting artifacts, historical documents and pictures are on display. Admission is FREE and additional details can be found at www.nwahistory.org. After you return back to your hotel, head to the Mall of America at your leisure. Enjoy tax free shopping at over 520 stores in the largest shopping and entertainment complex in the United States. Use a coupon from the Bloomington CVB to eat dinner at one of the 50 restaurants inside the Mall.
DAY 1
EnjoybreakfastatyourBloomingtonhotelandthenroadouttoexperiencetherichMinnesotamilitaryhistorythroughoutthestate.BeginyourtourinBloomington,nexttotheMinneapolis/St.PaulInternationalAirport,attheFortSnellingMilitaryMuseum.Dedicatedtotheremembranceof
veterans of allwars and the preservation of themilitary equipment
theyused, visitorswillbe able to see tanks, aircraft,
guns,personnel carriers andtrucks. Situated on a patch of Army
Reserve land, themuseum, started
in1997,isrunbyabout100civilianvolunteersandfinancedlargelybydonations.It'soneofthefewarmoredwarfaremuseumsintheworlddedicatednotonlyto
preserving historic military vehicles, but also to putting them in
workingorder.Seeschedulesatwww.fsmm.org.
Stay intheMSPAirportareaandvisittheMinnesotaAirGuardMuseum.
Locatedon theAirGuardbase at theNorthEast corner of MinneapolisSt.
Paul
InternationalAirport,visitorswillbeabletoseetwospecialexhibitstheA12Blackbirdspyplaneandthe1920CurtissOriolebuiltfromscratchtoreplicatethefirstAirGuardairplane.Toursareavailableanydayoftheweek.Upto48hoursadvancenoticemayberequiredbymilitarysecurity.Wewillneednamesandagesofallparticipants,anddriver'slicense
numbers for all adults. See all details atwww.mnangmuseum.org.
TheHistoryCentrecontainssomethingforeveryonewhohasevenapassinginterestincommercialaviationand,specifically,the13airlinesthatcomprisethe
Northwest Airlines family.A handsome collection of airplane
modelsdates from Northwest's beginning in 1926.Many other unique
andinteresting artifacts, historical documents and pictures are on
display.Admission is FREE and additional details can be found
atwww.nwahistory.org.After you returnback to yourhotel,head to
theMallofAmerica at yourleisure. Enjoy tax
freeshoppingatover520stores in the largestshoppingand entertainment
complex in theUnited States. Use a coupon from
theBloomingtonCVBtoeatdinneratoneofthe50restaurantsinsidetheMall.
DAY 2Beginyourday inSaintPaul,grababitetoeat,andtakeatour around
Historic Fort Snelling. Once the
farthestoutpostoftheU.S.inthehomelandoftheDakotaIndians,visitorscan
takea touraround these1820s restored fortincludingbarracks, store
andhospital. OnceDred Scott's18361838 livingquarters,youwill
seehimaspartof
thedailyprogramsontheCivilWar,WWIIandDakotahistoryfrom history
performers and see frontier skillsdemonstrations from soldiers,
blacksmiths and cooks.There are daily cannon firing, military
drills and periodcrafts and games. See times and costs
atwww.fortsnelling.org.Tours are also available at the Fort
Snelling National
Cemetery(http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftsnelling.asp) and the
Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel(http://www.fortsnellingmcf.org).
Take a drive North to Little Falls to Camp Ripley Minnesota
MilitaryMuseum.NowhereinMinnesotaaretheexperiencesofmilitarymenandwomen
sovividly capturedand interpretedasat theMinnesotaMilitaryMuseum.
The museum aims to enhance public understanding of howarmed
conflicts and military institutions have shaped our state
andnational experience. The museum also functions as a major
repositoryinMinnesota for historical artifacts and records. Indoor
and
outdoorexhibitsdepictthestoriesandcontributionsofMinnesotanswhoservedin
allbranchesofserviceoron thehome front, in timeofpeaceandwar,
fromourearly frontieryears to
thepresent.Permanentandoutdoorexhibitsareavailabletosee.Fordirectionsandmoreinformation,logontohttp://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/camp_ripley/museum.To
book this itinerary, visit our website at bloomingtonmn.org or
contact Matt Meunier or the Sales Department at 1-866-435-7425 or
[email protected].
