CHISHOLM — Signage above the summer entrance to the Minnesota Discovery Center promises "museum, research center, mini golf, trolley." That's just for starters. "We are also a great place to come and enjoy live music," said Char Conger.
"We are also connected in the film industry. We partner with Zeitgeist in Duluth." There's a bike shop, gift shop, trailhead, fossil science, theater and Civilian Conservation Corps History Center.
On top of that, the center provides full on-site catering for event rentals. "Oh, yeah!" Conger added. "I forgot about weddings.
" It might be easier for Conger to list the things her job as Minnesota Discovery Center executive director does not entail. One word that would surely make that list: boredom. ADVERTISEMENT "We really have a beautiful campus where you can walk around, out on Redhead, for hours and never see the same thing twice," said Conger during an interview at the center earlier this month.
"That's been my favorite part, just really exploring the property and getting to know everybody here." Conger was referring to the Redhead Mountain Bike Park, a 25-mile trail system reclaimed from open-pit iron ore mines. Access opened in 2020, with the Minnesota Discovery Center serving as trailhead, and saw about 30,000 visitors last year.
"Redhead has really changed what the demographic is" visiting the center, Conger said as she walked across the grounds. "We're seeing a lot of people from across the state." Conger, who grew up in Brainerd and.
