If you’re one of the many Lundgrens or Nelsons or Nordbergs living in these parts, some of your ancestors’ belongings might very well be on display here. This traveling Smithsonian exhibit showcasing Old Norse culture and heritage makes its final stop in St. Paul. Encompassing more than 300 artifacts, it’s so large that the Science Museum literally had to knock down walls to make room for it. Artifacts on display include some beautifully crafted Viking jewelry and weapons, including the 1,000-year-old, silver-inlaid Mammen Axe, and some historic Icelandic manuscripts so valuable that their Parliament had to OK their inclusion in the exhibit. In a kid-friendly Viking Village, the littlest Olafs and Sigrids can clamber around a model ship, dress up in the latest in 11th-century fashion, and even find out what Viking bathrooms looked like, which might be more information than we needed to know. The exhibit will also work to show that the Vikings were more than just barbarian raiders, but accomplished artisans and sailors of truly astounding skill who beat Columbus to the New World by half a millennium. (We can think of some other Vikings who could use some image rehabilitation too, but that’s another story.) Science Museum of Minnesota, (651) 221-9444, www.smm.org
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