[2] A group of businessmen led by Charles W. Ames established the museum in 1906 with the aim to promote intellectual and scientific growth in St. Paul.

Due to the museum's continued growth, it moved to the St. Paul-Ramsey Arts and Sciences Center at 30 East Tenth Street in 1964.

[6] In the early 2000s, the museum hosted several exhibits, including BODY WORLDS; Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs; Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination; Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship; and The Science Behind Pixar.

[7] Offerings change frequently, but several exhibits are always on display: The Mississippi riverfront facility has a convertible dome IMAX theater.

The museum is a leading producer of giant screen films, including: The theater was briefly closed in early 2014 to repair a leaky roof.

Items include dinosaurs and other fossils, preserved animals and plants, and cultural artifacts from extinct and extant civilizations.

The museum has a consistent track record of serving students and teachers in all 87 Minnesota counties each year through field trips, classroom residencies, and large-group assemblies on topics from water to engineering.

[13] Summer camps serve hundreds of students each year, addressing science, technology, nature, and art themes.