Minnesota Museum of American Art

Address 350 Robert Street North, Saint Paul

The Minnesota Museum of American Art — known locally as "The M" — focuses on American art across all periods, with particular strength in works connected to the Upper Midwest. The collection ranges from 19th-century landscape painting to contemporary work, and the museum has a strong commitment to local and indigenous artists. Admission is free.

The building is itself worth visiting: the historic Pioneer-Endicott complex has been immaculately restored, and the upper floors offer views across downtown St. Paul. The museum is in Lowertown, the revived warehouse district, making it easy to combine with a walk through the neighbourhood and the nearby Mears Park farmers' market.

things to do museum
A story
The museum is housed in the Historic Pioneer-Endicott Building, a pair of 1889 commercial skyscrapers connected by a sky bridge — the buildings were among the first steel-frame structures in Minnesota and are now a designated landmark. The restoration of the building for the museum's 2019 reopening uncovered a spectacular original lobby with terrazzo floors and ornate ironwork that had been hidden under decades of commercial renovations.