The museum provides in-house exhibits, history-themed programming, and social events throughout the year.

The permanent collection showcases objects, artifacts, and documents that tell the story of Hennepin County from its earliest days to the present.

These programs provide opportunities for the community to learn more about local history and engage with the museum's collections.

The library has reference materials such as city directories, photos of houses and buildings, maps, atlases, genealogical resources, city history files, business histories, and many other reference materials.

Such examinations of local companies are common in the magazine; the Winter 2012 issue explored Northwest Airlines in the 1930s.