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Icons on Display at Heartland Museums

Strataca

Hutchinson, Kansas

Land developer Ben Blanchard was drilling for oil southwest of Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1887 when he discovered a different kind of treasure: salt.

A portion of the original salt discovery site was opened to the public in 2007, and today, Strataca, formerly the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, has access to a mined-out area of about 300,000 square feet. When visiting, groups of 30 at a time ride the hoist 650 feet down the shaft to the mine. The walls of the Permian Room showcase the strata layers formed by the Permian Sea, and the Mining Gallery features historic and modern mining practices.

The Salt Mine Express is a 15-minute narrated train ride through an area of the mine that has been left untouched since the 1950s, and the Dark Ride is a 30-minute guided tram tour. 

www.underkansas.org

The Henry Ford

Dearborn, Michigan

Automobile magnate and inventor Henry Ford had been collecting “relics” for over a decade before he opened the 300-acre Henry Ford museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, to the public in 1933. He built two separate facilities: the indoor Edison Institute and Greenfield Village, an outdoor living-history campus, to show how items are made and used in daily life.

The staggering collection of 26 million artifacts includes the prototype Dymaxion house, the bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested and the 1961 Lincoln Continental in which President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

During the Ford Rogue Factory Tour, groups can watch from an elevated walkway as Dearborn plant workers assemble F-150 truck bodies. They can also visit the Legacy Gallery to see historic vehicles made at the factory, including Thunderbirds and Mustangs.

www.thehenryford.org

Mill City Museum

Minneapolis

The Mill City Museum is built within the ruins of the 1880 Washburn A Mill on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

After the mill was nearly destroyed by fire in 1991, community organizations used the ruins as the foundation for a new mill museum, which opened in 2003.

An eight-story glass facade serves as a backdrop to a large courtyard surrounded by original aged brick walls. Inside, exhibits take visitors through the city’s milling history as they explore a baking lab, learn about harvesting wheat and see authentic 19th-century milling machines. A ninth-floor observation deck provides views of St. Anthony Falls and the river that powered the mill.

Groups can take guided walking tours, watch the film “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat” and take in the Flour Tower experience, a multimedia show in an eight-story elevator ride.

www.millcitymuseum.org

City Museum

St. Louis

City Museum is a St. Louis staple that’s a favorite among visitors and locals alike. It can be described as a warehouse of adventure that stores the crazy creations of founder and artist Bob Cassilly.

The museum is in a former shoe factory, and everything inside is made from salvaged, found or reclaimed items and building materials scavenged from St. Louis. It’s easy to spot in downtown because you’ll see a Ferris wheel and a yellow school bus hanging off the side of the building.

Part art museum, part playhouse, part Tim Burton-esque workshop, the City Museum features a three-story slide, rope swings and crawlspaces in the floors. The museum also features re-created Missouri caves, a display of the world’s largest pair of underwear and a circus that performs every day. Groups of 15 or more qualify for discounted rates.

www.citymuseum.org