A treasure out of the past. Architecturally fascinating, rich with history, and full of fun exhibits for children and adults. Walk the lovely garden, learn about electromagnetism, or catch the delightful Frankenstein show. The Bakken Museum also frequently puts on fun themed events, electromagnetism for the kids, wine tasting for adults, that sort of thing. You cant go wrong.

Jim at the desk was awesome and gave a warm welcome. The museum was electrically stimulating. Good luck finding all the Lego characters fun challenge if your up for it :)

An excellent museum for kids. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.

The Bakken Museum is an absolute gem of a museum. The building it is in is fascinating. The rooms have a beautiful charm to them. The Frankenstein play and room is outstanding. The place is perfect for children to explore and adults to be entertained. It is off the beaten path but certainly worth a stop.

Had a great time and got to buy some collectibles. The exibits were amazing but I wish I got to see more. Unfortunately things werent working and due to covid other experiences were closed pff. But the electric part was SUPER FUN!!!!

My daughters love this place. It’s a fun museum for adults and kids alike.Enjoy exploring a remodeled mansion with a rich history while learning about the breakthrough technologies that gave rise to modern electricity.They have some very creative hands-on exhibits that will “charge” your day. And another exhibit of Frankenstein that shows how the story and the monster came to life.And you can’t beat the location right next to the lake. It’s worth a visit in winter or summer. And if you’re a veteran, they are a Blue Star Museum, which gives you and your family discounted or free access.

Amazing museum celebrating the medical device history of Minnesota and Earl Bakken! Interactive, scientific, educational, and fun--this place is so fun to explore right on the banks of Lake Calhoun. Exceptional staff--so friendly and excellent programs to supply accesses to all--we really appreciate this neighborhood gem. Looking forward to the summer camps!

Beautiful, historic home renovated into a science museum.

As a family, we had so much fun here! I wish we would’ve had more time! The kids enjoyed the crafts and especially trying the prosthetics. There is a lot to see and do. If we lived closer, we would definitely visit again! The staff were all very kind and helpful.

Museum aimed at elementary and middle school children. Very limited but hands-on exhibits. Can be enjoyable for the audience it serves.

We had heard that it was a small, unique museum, so our family intended to stay for an hour. We stayed for almost three! My husband & I loved the architecture and interactive atmosphere; our children (5 to 18 years) all found curiosities to explore. Finally, the staff was incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable.

Beautiful house. A bit disappointing on the history of Earl Bakken. You need to read about him onlne otherwise the visit appeals to only children. He was an amazing person which didnt really come out on our visit.

I recommend so much! Beautiful area, great experience and much more! Fun for adults & kids!

This place was wonderful. A great place for children and families. They also have adult nights. There were fun and interactive exhibits. It was clean and well lit. So much to see and learn. I recommend the Bakken Museum and will visit again.

The building was beautiful! There was a ton of stuff closed so the total museum took only 35 minutes to walk through. Felt like I missed something because there was not much there. I sadly feel like it was a waste of money and I am curious about the other exhibits but unsure about spending the money to return. Enjoyed the walk to get there!

I absolutely loved this place! There were interesting facts about science, electricity, books and more! This place is perfect for kids because there is tons of interactive activities such as electricity shocks, Frankenstein film (with jump scare) and more amazing things. The design is very intricate and directed toward kids AND adults. The only thing I would say is it gets a little dull, but my family and I spent a good hour and thirty minutes here. Great place for family activities!

This is a great museum to visit during Covid because it’s open!! And it’s only $5 You just have to purchase your tickets ahead of time and show up for your timed entry.I’ve never been here before Covid but it seemed like all the regular exhibits were open besides the part that’s under construction. Despite the construction, there’s enough to do here for about 1-2 hours. It’s not a huge museum, but it’s kind of nice because you can see it all in one visit and not be overwhelmed.I thoroughly enjoyed the Frankenstein exhibit - it was very well done albeit a little scary for children. My husband and I spent most of our time there. The medicinal gardens are also a little oasis amidst the busyness of Lake Calhoun/Bde Maka Ska.During our visit, we felt we saw everything there was to see so we probably wouldn’t go back, except perhaps to see the new exhibits once they’re complete. The staff was very friendly and I felt the safety measures they’re taking for Covid were thorough.Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed just getting out! Go out and support this local museum and enjoy an inexpensive date!

The location of this museum is exquisite: A beautiful mansion locate near Bde Maka Ska lake, surrounded by manicured garden dedicated to medicinal plants (if you go in summer). The exhibits inside are dedicated to electromagnetism with some replicas of first devices developed in the late 18th century. The fun part is you can interact with almost everything. It is fun for all ages but particularly recommended for kids.

Wonderfully interactive and historically beautiful all at the same time. Rarely can you find a place that appeals to a wide range of ages all together. We had a lot of fun competing in a game of who can calm themselves the most, yes they can tell electronically. I loved roaming the halls and seeing the delicate wood cavings while my kids worked on making paper projects on the first floor.

This place is super cool is located at Lake Calhoun/ Lake of the Isles area in Minneapolis this museum is basically learning electricity and conduction energy. Super fun we went up to Benjamin Franklins electric party... I suggest you check it out it was a shocking blast of a Time

Bakken was very interesting, and entertaining. Many hands on learning experiences. Beautiful medicinal garden with a nice water fountain filled with fish.Enjoyed by all

The Bakken is a great museum to visit. The electrical experiments are fun, the mansion is beautiful, and the Mary Shelly Frankenstein presentation is a unknown gem of Minnesota.

What an amazing place!I had my wedding ceremony and reception at The Bakken. It was the perfect place for our intimate 30 guest wedding.Our hosts Chris and Angela were very helpful and caring, they made sure every detail of the day was exactly how I imagined it. Even when last minute we had to move inside due to snow!This building is stunning and the people in it are amazing. I highly suggest the Bakken for hosting an event.

This is pretty unique place to visit

Great museum for people interested in electricity. Wonderful place to take younger children for interactive experience.

How in the world did it take me so long to discover the Bakken Museum? Not only was the architecture lovely, the displays were fascinating. I loved learning about early electrical engineering, especially for medical use. My favorite time was taken in the small library nook to enjoy the Ben Franklin collection. Absolutely the best.

We love this museum and the hands on exhibits for all ages to enjoy and learn about science!

Wonderfully electricity and magnetics museum set in an amazing blend of medieval and other architecture with wonderful outdoor space. Tesla coils, generators, theramins, and an amazing collection of writing from many of the great scientific contributors like Benjamin Franklin.

My kids and I had a great time, lots of interactive activities for them to participate in while learning about history at the same time..Definitely worth the money..Only thing I would make better is the volume for the Frankenstein program, it was hard to hear with others in the room directly outside, especially because the door is kept propped open

My kids really enjoyed this place. The staff are helpful and interact with the kids, making sure everything is working. They provided a map of the exhibits to make sure things arent missed. I wasnt sure what to expect, but its definitely worth it. Id describe it as a science museum dedicated to electricity.

Incredible architecture in the mansion. Great interactive exhibits for kids. Friendly and helpful staff.

This was a fun museum! We spent the better part of an afternoon here. The Ben Franklin stuff upstairs is really cool!

This place is overwhelmingly cool, with something for everyone to enjoy. I, a literature nerd, was able to bounce around the Mary Shelley exhibit, while my companions looked at medical technology and the beautiful grounds. Just make sure you check out Ben Franklins Electricity Party- any resulting shocks are worth it.

Great little Museum tucked away near Uptown. Fun to go during one of their tasting events and pair a Museum visit with a cocktail or two!

I was so impressed all information I got at the Bakken Museum that I started to learn at home about electricity. Wow! I have never been expected this interest . I am humanitarian. Thanks so much!

The Bakken Museum is super cool! I went with a twelve year old, so I was not sure how engaging their exhibits would be, but almost everything on display could be interacted with or had some tactile element, and they never seemed to get bored. I really enjoyed the Mind Ball game, and the upstairs half of the museum was very interesting to look at. The location of the museum is also pretty sweet. I had never been to the area before, but it is surrounded by a lake and many biking and walking paths as well.

Great place to bring kids!!! Plus its interesting/ fun for the parents too . Close to lake Bde Maka Ska (aka Lake Calhoun). If you have a child who is melting down at the lake...head over to the Bakken and the kids can shock each other or raise their hair. The top floor has a Frankenstein exhibit which has plenty of places to sit!Pro tip to Hennepin County residents: with your library @hclib card you can get into many museums, including the Bakken, Mill City, and Russian art museum, etc!!! Contact your local library for details...#MN

I was at Bakken museum. Fist: awesome experience for everybody, there are the foundation of discovery around electricty and very nice interactive experiments, for people of all age. I discovered about Bakken and his story in Minnesota and the impact he had on medicine. cool experience. really worth spending time over the museum.

Interesting displays. Remodeling. Nice for parties with historic rooms.

The house is almost more impressive than the museum. It is fun for the kids but has limited installations.Nice little history of electricity in Minnesota.

Great place to bring kids or a date

THEY HAVE A THEREMINAnd full garden of medicinal plants (minus cannabis). This is a very fun museum to visit.

Very good info and really cool exhibits. Had a lot of fun as soon as we entered the front door.

Beautiful house, Great place for families. At the tihe short tour reconstruction...will be complete by summer.

A wonderful part of medical history right in “our own back yard.” It’s interesting to see the roots of cardiac pacemakers, especially for someone working with today’s devices. We’ve certainly come along way since the first “shoe polish can” was implanted.

One of the best museum experiences Ive ever had! Staff is amazing and everyone can learn something no matter what their age is You have to check it out!

Such a fun place for kids and adults

Very interesting museum. Good activity for kids and still engaging for adults.

My son has been wanting to go back since his school field trip over a year ago. He is in middle school and enjoyed the exhibits, again. The gentleman volunteering in the electric room made a fun experience even better. The house itself has intriguing features as you explore the grounds.

This was started by one of the founders of Medtronic. It does not take much time to go through the place especially in the winter when the garden is closed (half hour to an hour). It is more for kids but enough activities for adults. There is a lot of reading on the first floor.There was a lot about electronic device and some interactive devices that were neat including guiding a ball with your alpha waves. There is an exhibit about Frankenstein which is thought provoking but probably boring to the kids. There is an activity section where children and adults can build things with paper. You may miss it but there is on the wall to the top floor a wall exhibit about plants and medicines (which is what the garden is about). There is a larger activity that changes. The one for the month I went there was on statistics, not something I was interested in. The top floor were rooms left as they were when it had occupants with a library on Benjamin Franklin and some of his experiments..

This place was amazing. So many many trails to walk on and the trails were super clean.

Better than the childrens museum by far!

Daughter needed extra credit, great experience, well run, friendly staff.

Off the charts wonderful. Hands on exhibits and unique old world building

Tiny,lovely and educational

The Bakken Museum has exhibits on inventors from Minnesota who helped create medical devices to save lives. Also has exhibits on electricity and has interactive exhibits for kids and adults. It was both educational and fun. I particularly liked the Frankenstein exhibit.

Awesome museum! It was way fancier than I had been expecting. A bit smaller, but we went on one of their evening event nights and they had some awesome extra presenters set up. Loved their Frankenstein exhibit.

Neat museum on the lake! It was great to learn about the history of electricity and play with the different experiments. The doctor Frankenstein exhibit was spectacular, I would love to go back and learn more. Great for elementary students and and everyone else.I also loved the connection to Minnesota technology and the 3M scientist, a great place to visit for STEM field trips. Make sure to support your local museums, buy a t shirt and keep these wonderful places operational.

I did a kinship of rivers project here. Friendly and helpful

Lots to do, some very fun activities. This is an amazing family friendly museum. They have a garden in the warmer months also.

My 9 and 10 year olds and I spent over 2 hours reading, watching, tinkering, exploring, learning, and creating. It was great!

A beautiful place built as a copy of European medieval building. Beautiful gardens, and interesting scientific facts. We went there in the evening for an event of wine, beer and cheese pairing.

Absolutely a hidden gem we have here in Minnesota. Beautiful home that was converted into a museum

I had a wonderful time with my 6 year old daughter. I suggest giving guided tours because I felt I didnt know what to do or what to learn with most exhibitions, and with a kid you dont have a lot of time to read the explanations.

Great little spot to take the kids. Bonnie at the front desk was super friendly and helpful and Mr. Awesome the volunteer did all kinds of demonstrations with electricity that the kids loved, he was great!

We just got married at the Bakken and it could not have been more perfect. Everyone was so accommodating and lovely to work with!

I never knew about this place until I was looking up where my Field Museum membership (a large and popular museum in Chicago) could get me. Its tucked away in Twin Cities suburb but it really is a superb place. Whether you are looking to take your children there for an educational experience or visiting as an adult, there are things for everyone. I personally found the segments that they have focusing on electricity to be the most interesting. A good place to check out, and especially look into it if you have a museum membership in the Midwest, its probably going to be free if you do.

Awesome place for families

Cool little space. Fun for kids and adults. I was looking forward to seeing the three gardens. One is blocked off so you cant go in. One is just a space with a few pots and one is an actual cute little garden. The staff was rude so that was a bit off putting. The film was good and so are the interactive bits.

Good museum for spend time with kids also. When outside I s rain and col.️️

Pretty cool place with lots of fun educational activities for kids. What a treasure to have around the Cities.

Beautiful place. Awesome information about the inventions and inventors of Minnesota...

The just keeps getting better, good place to take your grandchildren.

Wonderful events for kids.Staff very helpful and kid friendly

What a great place in a fabulous mansion near lake Calhoun. Small, but filled with tons of cool, hands-on exhibits highlighting probably the most important discovery of humankind, how to harness the power of electricity.

Cool events, geared towards kids! Apparently the 2nd floor is great — we missed that with all the fun things things on the first floor.

It was awesome, and my kids liked it too.

Amazing place to bring kids and adults!

You can play a theramin, see frankensteins lab and play with electricity. Yes please! Great little gem to spend a few hours in a cool old mansion.

The staff was very patient and helpful. There were activities that engaged, taught, and entertained in an inviting way.

Great museum for kids, not too large, lots of hands on activities

Really engaging. Well thought out hands on exhibits that help convey principles of physics and electricity. The staff was alert and helpful. Will fo there soon again with my kids.

This is a review of the staff since my husband and I didn’t go into the museum just parked close enough to use the trails around the lake and our car got broken into, and since we were visiting from out of town, our luggage stolen (this did not happen on their grounds we just thought to ask if they had security cameras). One of their workers, Chris, got cardboard and tape and patched up our window himself so we could make the 4 hour drive home. He vacuumed the inside of the car and my kid’s car seats, even offered us drinks! Everybody we ran into there was super nice and just small town, hard-working, good people, ready to lend a hand, wanting nothing in return! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

This is one of my favorite place.Awesome museum!Love the artwork and history of the house.

Dont forget it is NOT OPEN ON MONDAYS!!A really neat setting for the presentation of the physics of electricity, inventions and many other interesting facts and displays you are sure to enjoy! The mansion, in which the museum is contained, is very old and gorgeous! Even younger children e.g. pre-school age) will have fun in what may look like a medieval castle to a young person. Settled in the beautiful neighborhood of Linden Hills, the museum doesnt have to be your only stop. You can always go to the AWESOME book shop and nice little cafés of this quaint and very posh neighborhood! A really fun day out for the family!! Just remember when following directions to the museum you are looking for a driveway in a residential area.

The Bakken Museum is a wonderful, whimsical stop for kids and adults. Its cool to have such a specific museum in the area thats educational and fun. Plenty of interactive exhibits and a weird, gorgeous building in a great area. Check out the nearby lakes afterward!

A wonderful hidden gem! Staff were fantastic, the building itself is beautiful. We will definitely be visiting again (when its nice out) so we can experience the garden

A bit macabre mixed with kids activities, a little wear and tear showing. Good way to spend an hour or 2, architecture and grounds are nice.

Needs a refreshing of exhibits.

Love the history of Mr Tesler

Great capsule of the history and mythology surrounding e-stim of the body.

This small museum focused on the history of electricity is excellent. There are many interactive exhibits that make learning about electricity fun for the whole family. The museum was once an old historical home so you get to explore a fantastic old mansion the same time you learn about electricity.

A must see!!!! Definitely worth the stop especially if you have kids. Hands on electricity exhibits are fascinating for kids of all ages. Wire a city from generator to the home.

A very good learning experience people there are very knowledgeable a lot of very unique items about electricity and the life of doctor Bakken

The Bakken Muesum is a great place to explore the sciences and learn to innovate in a very hands-on way. Or a great place to just sit and enjoy in their gorgeous outdoor spaces by Lake Calhoun.

Cool museum with lots of interesting and hands-on activities!

Amazing place and always gives you something to do!

Love the artwork and history of the house. A hidden jewel in the cities.

Such a cool science museum. Too bad I arrived at closing, so I was not able to take a proper tour. Pleasant and informative staff.

I highly recommend checking out the Bakken Museum. I took my wife and 2 kids there recently and it was a great visit. They do a great job and teaching about electricity through providing hands on experiments that any age can enjoy. The staff was very friendly and took a lot of time with our kids to help show and teach them about the exhibits in the museum.