Celebrate Fourth of July at MNHS Historic Sites and Museums

The Minnesota Historical Society is set to commemorate Independence Day next week. Several sites will mark the holiday with visitor favorites like Farmer's Fourth of July at Oliver Kelley Farm and the annual Independence Day Celebration at Historic Fort Snelling. Plus, head to Historic Forestville on Saturday, July 6, to enjoy a day of vintage baseball, pie-eating contests, games, music and more.

The holiday weekend is also a great opportunity to visit the Minnesota History Center exhibit "Open House: If These Walls Could Talk," which closes Sunday, July 21. First opened in 2006, this exhibit traces the stories of a diverse group of families-German, Italian, African-American, Hmong-who occupied the same St. Paul house over different eras.

A new exhibit, "Our Home: Native Minnesota," exploring Native American history will open in the "Open House" space on Dec. 7, 2019.

See the full weekend of events on our online calendar.

Media are welcome to visit any MNHS sites and museums on July 4 or the following weekend and interact with guests. Please introduce yourself to site staff upon arrival.

The following MNHS historic sites and museums are open to visitors on Thursday, July 4:

• Birch Coulee Battlefield, dawn-dusk

• Charles Lindbergh House and Museum, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Folsom House, 1-5 p.m.

• Forest History Center, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Historic Forestville, Noon-4 p.m.

• Historic Fort Snelling, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• James J. Hill House, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

• Jeffers Petroglyphs, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Lac qui Parle Mission, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Marine Mill, dawn-dusk

• Mill City Museum, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Minnehaha Depot, 1-5 p.m.

• Minnesota History Center, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Minnesota State Capitol, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Oliver Kelley Farm, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Snake River Fur Post, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

• Split Rock Lighthouse, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Traverse des Sioux, dawn-dusk