State Capitol Art Treasures Hunt

Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul MN

Dates: Nov. 21, 2009, Nov. 22, 2009, Nov. 28, 2009, Nov. 29, 2009, Dec. 5, 2009, Dec. 6, 2009, Dec. 12, 2009, Dec. 13, 2009, Dec. 19, 2009, Dec. 20, 2009, Dec. 26, 2009, Dec. 27, 2009, Jan. 2, 2010, Jan. 3, 2010, Feb. 6, 2010, Feb. 7, 2010, Feb. 13, 2010, Feb. 14, 2010, Feb. 20, 2010, Feb. 21, 2010, Feb. 27, 2010, Feb. 28, 2010, March 6, 2010, March 7, 2010, March 13, 2010, March 14, 2010, March 20, 2010, March 21, 2010, March 27, 2010, March 28, 2010, April 3, 2010, April 4, 2010, April 10, 2010, April 11, 2010, April 17, 2010, April 18, 2010, April 24, 2010, April 25, 2010, May 1, 2010, May 2, 2010, May 8, 2010, May 9, 2010, May 15, 2010, May 16, 2010, May 22, 2010, May 23, 2010, May 29, 2010, May 30, 2010, June 5, 2010, June 6, 2010, June 12, 2010, June 13, 2010, June 19, 2010, June 20, 2010, June 26, 2010, June 27, 2010

Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday

Fee: $2 per booklet.

Go on a self-guided scavenger hunt to discover 12 beautiful and important decorations in the State Capitol building. Each self-guided booklet includes a set of 12 gold stars that are placed next to the corresponding photographs when the item is discovered. At the end of the hunt, visitors are awarded a gold state seal, get Capitol architect Cass Gilbert's signature and become Junior Art Historians. The booklet is available at the Capitol's Information Desk.

Gaslight Tours

James J. Hill House, St. Paul MN

Dates: Jan. 22, 2010, Jan. 23, 2010, Jan. 29, 2010, Jan. 30, 2010

Time: Tours leave at 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m.

Fee: $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; $2 discount for MHS members. $1 off with 2009 St. Paul Winter Carnival button. MELSA passes not accepted for this special program.

Reservations: recommended, call 651-297-2555

Experience the elegance of the Hill House during these special evening tours focusing on winter entertainments. Guides in period clothing will escort visitors through four floors of the home, while visitors can test their etiquette knowledge in the dining room, learn about period children’s activities in the schoolroom and enjoy popular songs of the Gilded Age performed by soprano Beverly Ferriere in the art gallery. Also included are a Winter Carnival display, the current art exhibit, and silver and clothing displays.

Art Treasures Hunt in the Capitol

Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul MN

Dates: Jan. 23, 2010, Jan. 24, 2010, Jan. 25, 2010, Jan. 26, 2010, Jan. 27, 2010, Jan. 28, 2010, Jan. 29, 2010, Jan. 30, 2010, Jan. 31, 2010

Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Weekdays; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Sunday

Fee: $2 brochure fee.

In the spirit of the Winter Carnival, visitors of all ages can go on a scavenger hunt to discover 12 beautiful and important decorations in the State Capitol building. Each self-guided booklet includes a set of 12 gold stars that are placed next to the corresponding photographs when the item is discovered. At the end of the hunt, visitors are awarded a gold state seal, get Capitol architect Cass Gilbert's signature and become Junior Art Historians. The booklet is available at the Capitol's Information Desk.

Winter on the Hill

James J. Hill House, St. Paul MN

Dates: Jan. 23, 2010, Jan. 24, 2010, Jan. 30, 2010, Jan. 31, 2010

Time: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sundays

Fee: $8 adults, $6 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17, free for MHS members. $1 discount with a Winter Carnival button.

Reservations: recommended, call 651-297-2555

Celebrate Minnesota's outdoor and indoor activities during St. Paul's Winter Carnival at the turn of the 20th century. See a display of Winter Carnival memorabilia, Great Northern Railway Winter Carnival uniforms, snowshoes and a luxurious wolverine carriage blanket. House tours will be offered throughout the day and visitors can help put together old-fashioned jigsaw puzzles and play other indoor games.

Winter Carnival Weekend Puppet Show and History HiJinx Craft Activity

Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN

Dates: Jan. 23, 2010, Jan. 24, 2010, Jan. 30, 2010, Jan. 31, 2010

Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Fee: $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Meet Minnesota legends King Boreas and Vulcanus Rex, performed by Z Puppets Rosenschnoz' Shari Aronson and Christopher Griffith, for a comic overview of their royal origins through puppets and storytelling in "Beyond Boreas! A Puppet Show of Frozen Follies and Mythical Meltdowns" at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Families and children also can make a shimmering icicle crown and royal sceptor at a History HiJinx craft activity throughout the afternoon.

Capitol Art and Artists Tour

Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul MN

Dates: Jan. 30, 2010

Time: 7 to 9 p.m.

Fee: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and college students, $5 for children 6-17; $2 discount for MHS members and Winter Carnival button wearers.

Reservations: required, call 651-296-2881

During this guided tour, visitors will examine grand murals, powerful sculptures, exquisite decorations and the restored Rathskeller Cafe and view works by artists Kenyon Cox, Edwin Blashfield, John La Farge, Elmer Garnsey and others. They'll also hear stories about the artists, learn about the muralist movement in America (1890s-1910), which used allegory and symbolism in public building artwork, and see how the art, architecture and overall decorative plan harmonize to make the Capitol one of the premier public buildings in the United States.

Weather Permitting

Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN

Hours:

Museum and Stores:

Tuesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (free admission 5 to 8 p.m.); Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Closed Mondays except Monday holidays year round (open Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day).

Library:

Tuesday noon to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

Closed Monday, Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends, and major holidays including the day after Thanksgiving.

Fee: $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.

Minnesotans do more than talk about the weather. They learn to cope with extreme temperatures, watch for signs of storms and generally enjoy the outdoors, whether boating on a summer's day, skiing down a hill or snowmobiling along trails through the forests. No matter the weather, it's always a nice day at the History Center when you visit the "Weather Permitting" exhibit. For more information visit http://www.mnhs.org/weather.