Runestone Museum

About this activity

For over 50 years the Runestone Museum and been inspiring curiosity about local heritage and history, so why not head to this Minnesota museum and see why so many families love to visit?

Located in downtown Alexandria, the Runestone Museum began life in 1958 with only the famous and controversial Kensington Runestone on display.

Today, the museum is home to not only that iconic piece of history, but so many other fascinating and mysterious artifacts, all found in Minnesota and all relating to Middle-Age Nordic explorers.

Amazing!

The 40-piece collection features the Climax fire steel, which is one of the only Middle-Age Nordic fire steels on display in North America.

Kids always love the Children's Discovery Room, where active play was designed with education in mind, and kids can play games, use those imaginations as they dress up, and even learn the Rune alphabet!

Can you just imagine all those years ago, being a homesteader and loading good onto your wagon?

You can learn all about the region's rich Scandinavian heritage in the exhibit of the same name, which showcases the rich emigrant history, and even is home to a 40ft replica Viking trading ship, housed in Fort Alexandria and part of the open air portion of the museum.

Fort Alexandria (open from April to October) represents a Civil War era fort, and includes 9 historic buildings, all originally built between 1860 and 1910, offering kids a chance to see what fort life was like for those first European Settlers!

There's an exhibit on the First Peoples in the region, as well as local wildlife and natural history, so whether you are interested in heritage, natural science or history, the Runestone Museum makes for a fascinating day out in Minnesota!