Learn the storied past of the Twin Cities during your stay. Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding metro is an area inundated with historical facts and wonders, from the influence of infamous gangsters like John Dillinger and Ma Barker to the area’s roots in flour milling.

It’s easy to drive past the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul without even noticing the building’s entrance. Set in a rocky outcrop overlooking the Mississippi River, this was a popular hangout for 1930’s bad boys and ladies like John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson and Ma Baker. Learn about the locale’s scandalous history in a two-hour tour. Oh, and did we mention the building is rumored to be haunted?

In Minneapolis, visit the Mill City Museum and learn all about the milling industry in the early days of the city’s establishment. The museum was originally a flourmill—the world’s largest at the time, in fact. Groups will enjoy fairly inexpensive admission fees and a comprehensive look at the development of Minneapolis.

History comes to life at Historic Fort Snelling. This Minnesota Historical Society site features a self-guided tour in which you can learn about the history of the area from before the Civil War through World War II. Built in the early 1820s, Fort Snelling was constructed on a bluff overlooking the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers by the U.S. government in order to protect its economic interests on the major waterways.