Science Museum of Minnesota

About

Science Museum of Minnesota is a science museum on Kellogg Boulevard in downtown Saint Paul, along the Mississippi River. The building holds several permanent galleries, including Dinosaurs & Fossils, the Experiment Gallery, Math Moves!, Sportsology, Discovery Hall, an Egyptian mummy exhibit, We Move and We Stay, RACE: Are We So Different?, the Mississippi River Gallery, and the Human Body Gallery.

General admission covers every gallery plus one screening in the Omnitheater, a large-format dome theater that runs giant-screen documentaries and hosts the annual Omnifest film festival. In summer, Our Backyard opens as an outdoor exhibit space with hands-on earth science activities. Two restaurants and an Explore Store gift shop operate inside the building. A family working through even a few galleries and a show can expect to spend most of a half day here; seeing everything takes longer.

As of 2026, the museum is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with member early access starting at 9 a.m. Adult admission is $34.95, youth ages 4 to 17 is $24.95, and children under 4 get in free. A Great Tix income-based rate of $3 is also available for visitors who qualify.

The museum sits a few blocks from the Green Line light rail and near several downtown Saint Paul bus routes, with an attached parking ramp that has a dedicated accessible section. It works as a stop on its own or as part of a longer day spent along the Saint Paul riverfront, since the building itself borders the Mississippi.

Accessibility

Science Museum of Minnesota is wheelchair accessible. The museum's parking ramp has 16 designated accessible spaces and accommodates vehicles up to 8 feet tall; drop-offs under 15 minutes are free. The main entrance on Kellogg Boulevard has automatic doors and no interior or exterior steps, about 100 feet from the street to the doors. Groups can also arrange drop-off at the Education entrance by contacting the museum ahead of time.

Elevators reach every level of the building and hold their doors open for 11 seconds, with an audible signal when the floor changes. In the Omnitheater, 12 aisle seats are set aside for wheelchair users, including two wider seats with movable armrests, and staff can bring out armless chairs on request.

Accessible restrooms are available on every level, and each exhibit floor has a restroom with a changing station for infants or children. All-gender and family restrooms are on Level 4, along with an adult changing facility available on request.

Free wheelchairs are available to borrow at the lobby desk, and personal care attendants get in free with a paying visitor. Sensory kits with headphones, fidgets, gloves, and sunglasses are available at exhibit entrances, and quiet seating areas are on Level 4 near the Race exhibit and on Level 3 behind the Experiment Gallery. Sensory Friendly Sundays run the first Sunday of each month, with a lights-up, sound-down 10 a.m. Omnitheater show. Sign language interpreters can be arranged with one week's notice, and many exhibits carry open or closed captioning; audio description plays with most, not all, Omnitheater films.

Service animals are welcome if they are harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless a visitor's disability makes that impossible. The museum is a few blocks from the Green Line light rail and several bus routes. Call 651-221-9444 or email [email protected] ahead of a visit to confirm ASL scheduling or ask about a specific gallery, since the museum does not publish details on path surfaces, door widths, or tactile signage.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Minnesota

• Great River Water Park (St. Paul)
• Como Park Zoo & Conservatory (St. Paul)
• Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis)
• Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley)
• Mall of America (Bloomington)
• Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis)

Photo credits

• Science Museum of Minnesota's brick and glass building at dusk with its rooftop sign and a paved plaza in front.: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Street level entrance of the Science Museum of Minnesota with glass doors and a paved sidewalk leading in.: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• The Science Museum of Minnesota building seen across the Mississippi River with a riverside park path.: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)