Last updated: September 30, 2022
Thing to Do
Earn a Junior Ranger Badge

The activities and information included in our program apply to anyone with an interest in the park. This includes areas of interest such as historic communities, the rise of the milling industry in Minneapolis, river recreation opportunities, geology, and much more! Becoming a Junior Ranger for our park means learning more about the history, resources, and communities within the 72 mile stretch of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Junior Rangers help our park rangers by learning about the park and sharing what they’ve learned with others, exploring the park, and by helping to protect its resources. You can pick up a free Junior Ranger Booklet at our visitor center, which is located in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota. There are several general Junior Ranger Booklets available upon request, relating to activities within our park, such as fishing, underwater exploration, and even paleontology! Upon completion of any of the booklets, please visit the Mississippi River Visitor Center to receive your booklet-specific badge! You can also work on digital versions of Junior Ranger books like Let’s Go Fishing!, Underwater Explorer, Historic Preservation, and Paleontology.
Too busy exploring the park to come back to the Visitor Center? No problem! You can mail your book to the park. You can also contact us via email if you would like to send a scanned copy OR photos of your hard work. Once the form is submitted, a ranger will reply via email, and then you can attach a file.
The Mississippi River Visitor Center is located in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. Parking is available at the Museum's parking garage on Chestnut Street and MetroTransit has bus stops on many different routes converging in downtown St. Paul within a few blocks of the Visitor Center.
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Walk-up address: 120 Kellogg Blvd West, St. Paul, MN 55102
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Parking address: 198 N Chestnut St, St Paul, MN 55102
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m