Happy 150th birthday Bell Museum!
October 6, 2022
The Bell Museum is Minnesota’s first official natural history museum, established by the legislature in 1872 and held in trust by the U of M. Throughout 2022, the Bell has been celebrating its rich and varied 150-year history, marking this landmark anniversary with a variety of dynamic exhibitions that ignite curiosity and wonder, explore our connections to nature and the universe, and create a better future for our evolving world.
Located on the U of M Twin Cities campus in St. Paul, the Bell features the following and much more:
- Spectacular specimens: Over 1.2 million scientific specimens, representing every county in Minnesota and locales around the globe.
- Dazzling dioramas: World-renowned wildlife dioramas transport you to natural habitats throughout our state.
- Astronomical science: Visitors can journey through space and time in the 120-seat planetarium, surrounded by a first-to-the-world, 16-meter seamless dome.
At the 2022 Minnesota State Fair, visitors to the CFANS exhibit had the opportunity to hop atop a drone (using virtual reality glasses) and “fly” through the Bell. We invite you to explore the 92,000-square-foot museum in person or via the video that you can watch here.
