River front at Mill City Museum
 
River front at Mill City Museum Bre McGee

Without flour milling, there would be no Minneapolis. Learn the story behind the Twin Cities’ grainy past with two tours from the Minnesota Historical Society (345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul).

Tours of the Washburn A Mill, now the Mill City Museum, (704 S. 2nd St., Mpls.) and the Pillsbury A Mill (now artist lofts), include background on the explosion that rocked the industry.

In St. Paul, the society is running tours at the J.J. Hill House](http://www.mnhs.org/hillhouse), where visitors can learn about the history of the builder of the Great Northern Railway and his family's involvement with Twin Cities history.