The Memorial Minas Gerais Vale opened in 2010 in another of the restored neoclassical palaces on Praça da Liberdade. The museum is essentially a multimedia portrait of the state — its writers, musicians, religious traditions, food, sport, and political life — told across two floors of installations that mix film, sound, objects, and interactive panels.
The level of design is unusually high, and the museum is among the most engaging cultural spaces in the country for visitors with limited Portuguese (many displays are subtitled or visual). Allow two to three hours.