9 under-the-radar museums to visit in Minnesota

Get thee to a museum — stat!

May is Minnesota Museums Month, and Wednesday marks the 39th annual International Museum Day.

There's no shortage of places to visit in Minnesota — the state is home to more than 500 historic sites, art museums, zoos, gardens and science centers. That list includes sites dedicated to the celebration of Spam, the Greyhound bus company and even a giant twine ball.

In honor of the quirky and lesser-known, here are nine under-the-radar museums to visit in Minnesota.

American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum

Red Wing

Red Wing has a rich heritage of pottery, shoes — and ski jumping?

In 1883, Norwegian brothers Mikkel and Torjus Hemmestvedt brought the sport to the bluff town, and from then on, it was a really big deal.

The city hosted national competitions in 1928 and 1936, drawing crowds of 25,000, the Star Tribune reported.

The American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, housed at St. James Hotel in Red Wing, opened in 2014. Hours vary but museumgoers can also check out a key at the front desk to view the exhibits.

Gene Nicolelli Bus Origin Center

Hibbing

Formerly known as the Greyhound Bus Museum. But what does Hibbing have to do with Greyhound? Everything.

In 1914, two Swedish immigrants named Andrew "Bus Andy" Anderson and Carl Eric Wickman began shuttling miners between Hibbing and Alice in a 7-seater Hupmobile. They charged 15 cents.

Today, Greyhound's bus network serves virtually every major city in North America.

The museum, which opens for the season May 27, was renamed in 2014 for Nicolelli, the man who founded the museum.

Guests can view historical buses, uniforms, a model of the Hupmobile and more.

Le Sueur Museum

Le Sueur

Founded as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903, the Green Giant Company is one of Minnesota's most well-known business success stories. Its mascot, the Jolly Green Giant — and his jingle ("Ho, ho, ho") — is known worldwide. General Mills sold the business in 2015.

Learn more about the history of the Green Giant Company at the Le Sueur Museum. While there, take in exhibits on agriculture in the valley or visit a display of an "old-time" drug store.

The museum is open by appointment Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Email or call the Le Sueur County Historical Society at 507-267-4091 to request an appointment or tour.

Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum

Owatonna

Between 1886 and 1945, more than 10,000 children who had been orphaned, abandoned or abused called the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children home. Sixteen cottages on the grounds housed up to 500 kids at any time.

Today, the campus in Owatonna is home to the Orphanage Museum, founded to "remember the children" who lived there.

In addition to the primary museum building, guests can tour Cottage 11 (which housed 30 to 35 boys between the ages of 6 and 13), and the Children's Cemetery (198 "State Schoolers," as they were known, were buried there).

Paul Bunyan Museum

Akeley

Several cities claim to be the birthplace of American folklore's largest lumberjack, including the Minnesota towns of Bemidji and Akeley.

Akeley celebrates the woodsman with its annual Paul Bunyan Days. Festival-goers can watch a woodcarving exhibition, participate in the Paul's Boot Decorating Contest or snap a selfie with the towering Bunyan statue in town.

Right behind the statue is the Akeley Paul Bunyan Historical Museum. It opened in 1984 and includes a collection of pictures and artifacts depicting early Akeley history, when the largest sawmill in the state was located there.

The museum is open daily from noon until 4 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Red Wing Shoes Museum

Red Wing

Red Wing Shoes celebrated its centennial in 2005 by constructing the World's Largest Boot, a giant replica of the company's iconic 877 work boot.

It's 20 feet long, 16 feet high, 7 feet wide and features a lace that's 104 feet long. More than 60 volunteers helped build it.

See the boot at the company's flagship store in Red Wing during store hours.

Spam Museum

Austin

Spam fans, rejoice! A new 14,000-square-foot Spam Museum opened in April in Austin, Minn., replacing the original museum at Hormel Foods headquarters.

Visitors can learn about the importance of Spam during World War II (more than 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped abroad to feed troops during the war); its popularity around the world (apparently, in parts of Southeast Asia, Spam is given as a luxury gift); and see a set of bluegrass instruments made from Spam cans.

Hours vary depending on the season.

Steamboat Minnehaha

Excelsior

Between 1906 and 1926, streetcar boats shuttled passengers around Lake Minnetonka in the west metro. Ridership on the seven boats peaked at about 220,000 in 1921.

But the rise of the automobile meant the end of steamboat service. In 1926, three of the streetcar boats, including the Minnehaha, were sunk.

For more than 50 years, she lay at the bottom of Lake Minnetonka. After a professional diver located the boats in 1979, they were salvaged the following summer and eventually restored. On May 25, 1996, the Minnehaha returned to passenger service. Its 2016 season runs May 28 through Oct. 2.

Today, it is maintained and operated by the Museum of Lake Minnetonka.

Twine Ball Museum

Darwin

Darwin is home to the largest twine ball in the world made by one man, Francis A. Johnson. Just how large? It's 13 feet in diameter, 40 feet in circumference and weighs 17,400 pounds. It's so famous it was even the subject of a song by Weird Al Yankovic.

Today, the twine ball is on display in an enclosed gazebo.

While there, stop by the museum next door to learn about the twine ball's history and that of the town.