Bell Museum of Natural History

http://www.bellmuseum.org
10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-624-7083

Hours:
Tues–Fri 9am–5pm; Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm

The University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History exhibits will inspire you to discover the beauty and wonder of the natural world with our renowned diorama halls displaying all of Minnesota’s habitats under one roof—from the big woods to the Great Lakes to the prairies. The Touch and See Room is a special place to get up close to nature, pet a turtle, rattle some bones or try on a pair of antlers.

Exclusive Museum Adventure Pass Offer

$5 off one new membership on day of visit

Passes are limited to general exhibit admission only. Passes may not be applied towards educational and group tours. Special exhibitions and other attractions may not be covered, and other restrictions may apply.

Please visit http://www.bellmuseum.org for specific exhibition information.

Learn more about it at your metro public library

All Ages

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota: A Guide to Over 500 Birding Locations In Minnesota
Kim R. Eckert, Williams Publications, 2002
Chased By the Light
Jim Brandenburg, NorthWord Press, 1998
Grass Roots: The Universe of Home
Paul Gruchow, Milkweed Editions, 1995
Minnesota: A History of the Land
University of Minnesota & KTCA, 2005
Minnesota's Natural Heritage
John Tester, University of Minnesota Press, 1997
The Shape Of Things: The Art Of Francis Lee Jaques
Patricia Condon Johnston, LiveOak Press, 1994
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder
Richard Louv, Algonquin, 2005
The Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Michael Pollan, Penguin, 2006
Naturalist
Edward O. Wilson, Island Press/Shearwater Books, 1994
Diversity of Life
Edward O. Wilson, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature
Janine M. Benyus: William Morrow, 1997
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson, Broadway Books, 2003 (also audio book)
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson, Houghton Mifflin, 2002 (40th anniversary edition)
The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History
Stephen Jay Gould, WW Norton, 1985
Canoe Country and Snowshoe Country
Florence Page Jaques (Bell Museum diorama artist), University of Minnesota Press, 1999
Listening Point
Sigrud Olson, Alfred Knopf, 1958 (illustrated by Frances Lee Jaques)
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions
David Quammen, Touchstone, 1996
Voices for the Land: Minnesotans Write About the Places They Love
Brian Peterson, Minnesota Historical Society, 2002
Urban Nature: Poems About Wildlife in the City
Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Milkweed Editions, 2000
Looking for the Summer
Jim Brandenburg, North Word Press, 2003
Nature Journaling
Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth, Storey Books, 1998 (2000 edition published as Keeping a Nature Journal)
Frances Lee Jaques: Artist Naturalist
Don T. Luce, University of Minnesota Press, 1982
Woodworking for Wildlife: Homes for Birds and Mammals
Carroll L. Henderson, Nongame Wildlife Program, Section of Wildlife, Dept. of Natural Resources, c1992
A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold, Oxford University Press, 1948
Sharing Nature with Children
Joseph Cornell, DAWN Publications, 1998
Last Chance to See
Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine, Harmony Books, 1991
Beneath the Surface: A Natural History of a Fisherman's Lake
Bruce M. Carlson, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007
Spineless Wonders: Strange Tales from the Invertebrate World
Richard Conniff, Henry Holt and Co., 1996
The Forest for the Trees: How Humans Shaped the North Woods
Jeff Forester, Minnesota Historical Society Press, c2004
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession
Mark Obmascik, Free Press, 2004
Wild Minnesota: A Celebration of Our State's Natural Beauty
Shawn Perich, Voyageur Press, 2005
Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of our own Back Yards
Sara Bonnett Stein, Houghton Mifflin, 1993

Kids

Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird Watching, Shore Walking with Jim Arnosky
Jim Arnosky, Harper Collins, 2002
Tracks in the Wild
Betsy Bowen, Little, Brown, 1993
Nature in the Neighborhood
Gordon Morrison, Houghton Mifflin, 2004
Old Turtle
Douglas Wood, Pfeifer-Hamilton, 1992
The Mitten
Jan Brett, G.P. Putnams Sons, 1989
Stellaluna
Janell Cannon, Harcourt Brace; Company, 1993
Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle, Penguin Young Readers Group, 1986
On the Day You Were Born
Debra Frasier, Harcourt Brace; Company, 1991
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, Simon & Schuster, 1997
Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book
Betsy Bowen, Little, Brown, and Company, 1995
Stories From Where We Live: The Great North American Prairie and Stories From Where We Live: The Great Lakes
Sara St. Antoine, Milkweed Editions, 2004 and 2005
The complete backyard nature activity book: Fun projects for kids to learn about the wonders of wildlife and nature
Robin Michal Koontz, Learning Triangle Press, 1998
Backyard Detective: Critters up Close
Nic Bishop, Scholastic Press, 2002
Forest Explorer: A Life-Size Field Guide
Nic Bishop, Scholastic Press, 2004
There's an Opossum in my Backyard
Gary Bogue, Heyday Books, 2007
A Walk in the Deciduous Forest
Rebecca L. Johnson, Carolrhoda Books, 2001
A Walk in the Prairie
Rebecca L. Johnson, Carolrhoda Books, 2001
The Disappearing Forests
edited by Janice Parker, Smart Apple Media, 2003
The Prairie: An Enduring Spirit
Charles Rotter, Creative Education, c2002
Wildfires
Seymour Simon, Morrow Junior Books, 1996

Tell Us About Your Adventure

If you visited Bell Museum of Natural History, we'd love to hear about your experience.

Tell Us About Your Adventure!

Jan 29 When I went to the Bell museum of Natural History
I saw a lot of cool animals and some animals I didn't even know existed my favorite room was the touch & see room allthough I think the turtles need more space.
May 8 Very fun for children. We all loved the hands on learning while making noise. What child doesnt liked being told go ahead and touch.
Mar 8 I took my kids to the Bell Museum awhile back. I had seen it on the Museum Pass board about the same time my sister mentioned going. I got the passes and took my two kids. We had such a great time especially with the hands on exhibit. We are on a tight budget so it was nice to be able to go for free. This is such a great program. We are looking forward to going to some more museums this summer. Thank you for doing this.
Dec 3 The kids' touch and see room on the top floor is one of the most fun one's in the area, in my opinion.
Dec 2 My kids range in age from 7-11 and all loved the Bell Museum. The first thing we did was to look at all the animals displayed in their habitats. Then there is a room where you can make your own miniature diarama. They especially loved the hands-on room with live turtles, snakes and bugs. There also were animal hides and bones for them to feel. Our whole family really enjoyed the Museum.

Upcoming Events

Summer Reading Programming 2008
Look What’s Cooking at Your Library

Animal Gourmands
Come and discover the most bizarre table manners and choice of tasty morsels wild animals eat. Some animals are strictly vegetarians; while others only eat meat, and some eat both. We will find out what they are by looking at their teeth. Through play we will discover how all the animals are connected to each other and we will also find out what happens to the web when some animals become extinct. We will end our stay listening to a great book and following it with a great craft to take home.

45 min-1 hour program
Led by Educator at Bell Museum of Natural History
Limited to 50 people
$150.00 fee
Within 50 miles of Bell Museum, 10 Church St. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455
Outside of 50 mi radius is an additional charge of .55/ mi
For more information about this program please contact Katie Sather, Family Programs Coordinator, 612-624-7083.


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