St. Bonifacius, MN; Hutchinson, MN; Wilmar, MN; and New London, MN

Final Destination: New London, MN

So here’s the deal with this trip… we did all of this in one day… but you could really make this into an overnight trip or just several day trips.  Our final destination was Goat Ridge Brewing in New London, MN because we had a Groupon.  On our way there, we made many stops… Ted said, “We won't be able to go to all of these places,” but I was determined to visit as many as possible… and we really wanted to visit several of the parks… so we made sure to visit a few of those.  What would an adventure for city folk be without a little nature?

Anyway, purchasing a Groupon for an establishment in another city is an excellent way to start an adventure!  So, try it!

St. Bonifacius, MN:

If you are into coffee shops… check out Mocha Monkey in St. Bonifacius. Don't miss it, because this neat little coffee shop is in a strip mall.  The people are friendly, the grilled cheese stuffed pretzel is worth the stop and the mocha drinks are amazing.   An entire wall of the coffee shop is dedicated to the menu (a charming chalkboard menu!) and the surrounding wall space is covered with old window frames, making for an interesting view.  As you would imagine, the decorating theme is monkeys, but the art is charming. They even have cute little monkey stickers to cover the hole in the lid of the coffee cup!

Just driving through town we found the library and a massive missile!  St. Bonifacius Library is worth a quick stop as the staff will tell you a little about the history of not only the library, but also the town.  For instance, the library used to be a bank!

St. Bonifacius used to be a missile artillery base.  Just in case you didn't know… St. Bonifacius was set to protect the Twin Cities with a missile base during the cold war.  A Nike Hercules Missile stands tall at one of the village parks (photo op!).

Cathy Mackenthun’s Meats & Deli is a great place to not only pick up your jerky, sausage, meat, etc.; it is also a sit down deli.  The staff are friendly and eager to help.  The summer sausage samples make it easier (or harder because they are all so tasty) to choose which ones to take home!

Hutchinson, MN:

Crow Wing Winery-a bonus stop (it wasn’t even on our planned route!).  If you are looking for an outside spot to play yard games and have a glass of wine, this is the place for you.  Toss some bags or play a giant game of Jenga.  Sit on the patio and listen to live music on Sunday afternoons, or sit at the bar inside.

Sample flights of wine and and relax with a bite to eat as they serve food at their Bistro.  This is a “Farm Winery” so they are able to sell wine on Sunday.  One thing that really stood out was that they use ingredients grown on the farm in their food and wine as much as possible.  They grow hardneck garlic, grapes, and keep bees (yay!).

We purchased a bottle of Cherry Creek (which tastes like a cherry Tootsie Roll, yum!) and a cooking wine called HOT SPOT Smoked Pepper Wine.  It was a toss up between the garlic and the smoked pepper cooking wine… but the bartender served the smoked pepper in the Bloody Mary, so we had to try that first!  Next time we will probably get the garlic cooking wine as it was tasty too!

Hutchinson has an extensive park and trail system.  Take a walk through Veterans Memorial Park to visit the memorials and continue along the South Fork Crow River to the Fireman’s Park, then cross the street to the lovely little Girl Scout Park.  You can also cross the bridge to get on the Luce Line Trail.

Willmar, MN:

If you prefer beer, stop downtown Willmar at Foxhole Brewhouse for a pint (or tasting flight).  High top (and some low-top) tables, view of the brewing equipment, and L-shaped bar, what more could you want?  Oh, yeah, the beer… with at least eleven beers on tap (right now), you will find several to like.  I happened to like the Belgian Triple.  The General Manager, Lyn Fuchs was bartending, which was great, because we felt like we received special treatment even though it was just our first time.  The staff and patrons were so friendly that we stayed longer than planned to visit with our new friends!

New London, MN:

Make a stop at Goat Ridge Brewing Co. to enjoy yourself by the creek.  Yummy beer… many offerings.  Friendly brewer.  If you are looking for non-alcoholic drinks, they offer root beer, ginger beer, and cold press coffee as well.  I really enjoyed the spring seasonal, Maibock :)  

Before (or after) visiting Goat Ridge Brewing, take a peek at a few of the shops in town by walking up the short trail by the dam and learn about the history of New London.  The current site of the dam used to be a waterfall turned flour mill, turned fish hatchery.

Sibley State Park was lovely in the evening.  The way the sun hit the trees and lake (all greens and golds) was magical... so beautiful!  Take a hike up to Mt. Tom or walk around Lake Andrew and bird watch.  Visitors can also swim, boat, or fish on the lake.   

Deep Freeze Ice Cream is a unique little ice cream shop located on County Road 9, just off of County Road 23. Grab a picnic table or sit on the retaining wall to enjoy your ice cream.  If you like Dairy Queen Blizzards, then you will probably like the Crunch Cream cones. The toppings are blended right into the soft serve ice cream!  It's super tasty!

Grand Rapids, MN

Wilderness and Wizard of Oz

For this trip, our purpose was to celebrate my birthday, and what better way to celebrate (if you love musicals as much as I do), than to go to the Wizard of Oz Festival in Grand Rapids, MN?  If you are lucky, you’ll get to sing and dance with characters from the Wizard of Oz.  The Scarecrow taught us the steps, and we (along with the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion) sang “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” So fun!!!

The route we took was US 35 North to Moose Lake, then MN 73 to MN 2 to Grand Rapids.  On the way home, we took US 169 S to MN 210 E, then MN 27 S (which turns into MN 65).  

Rush City, MN

First stop: Rush City.  You will know you are getting close to Rush City when you see the “Don’t Drool and Drive!” billboard for the Rush City Bakery on the side of Interstate 35.  Before you head to the bakery, “catch” a photo op by the largest walleye next to the gas station!  When you get to the bakery, make sure to tell the staff that it’s your first time and they will give you a free apple fritter (delish!).  On top of all of the normal bakery offerings: cakes, cupcakes, cookies, donuts, breads, and rolls; they also offer gluten free breads and treats.  If the staff are busy at the moment order your special occasion cake at the Cake Kiosk.

Moose Lake, MN

There are several routes to Grand Rapids, but why not stop and take your picture with the largest moose?  Moose Lake Brewery sits right next to Moose Lake; next time we will make sure to get there after 12PM!  We drove through the city around 10:30AM, so we were a little early as the brewery opens at noon!  We took a little walk by the lake as the weather was lovely.

Grand Rapids, MN

After arriving in Grand Rapids, we popped over to the Judy Garland Museum as it was right next door to our hotel.  The Wizard of Oz festival was in full swing, with a candy truck out front, booths for the kids, carriage rides, and Wizard of Oz characters milling about.  The Judy Garland museum is informative and interesting.  Learn about Frances Ethel Gumm (later Judy Garland) and how she began performing at the age of two and moved to California with her family when she was four.  Tour their house and learn more about the time period, where the Gumm sisters practiced, and Judy’s career.  The cost of admission ($9.00) includes the Judy Garland Museum, the 1892 House (where Judy spent the first few years of her life), and the Children’s Discovery Museum.
  

Since you are there anyway (and it’s included), take a peak in the children’s museum.  An entire gallery in the Children’s Discovery Museum is dedicated to dollmaker Faith Wick’s fairytale collection of dolls, Fairyland.  Take the scavenger hunt and admire the craftsmanship of the dolls, while you reminisce about your childhood with the nursery rhymes and fairytales (so fun!).  Another fun activity is the full wall United States Presidents matching game in which you match the president's name to the his picture (it’s never to early to start learning US history!).

Most of the shops downtown close at 5PM, but we were able to check out a cute little shop called Lake Lover Vintage and a local antique store, Pluemer’s Furniture (they had many beautiful and interesting of women’s hats in addition to most of the items you would normally see at an antique store!).  Then we stopped at Three Bears Candy shop!!!  The shop is right next to the town information booth, so get a treat and ideas at the same time!  They serve ice cream, chocolates, old fashioned candy, gummy candies, and fudge.  The handmade chocolates are delicious!  Besides tasting a chocolate orange and fudge, we tried the ice cream and found a gummy snake (it’s super long!) and a chocolate troll on a stick!  Oh, and don’t forget to take your picture by the little red house!

Take a walk by the Mississippi River right off Pokegama Way and SE 1st St., or walk on the other side of the river off of NE 2nd St. by the Grand Rapids Library.  Believe it or not, there are several large solar sunflower sculptures (part of the Riverfront Alternative Energy Center Project) in the library parking lot (so cool!).  A side note about Grand Rapids… after the logging died off, the Blandin Paper Mill opened at the grand rapids for which the town was named.  Next time we visit Grand Rapids (if we can make it on a weekday) we will head to the Blandin Paper Co for a free tour (during the summer months).  

For dinner, The Pickled Loon hit the spot… and was the best spot to sit on the deck and watch the sunset over Pokegama Lake.  Be brave and try the Pickletini!  It was delicious!

Went to the hotel next-door (the Sawmill Inn) and hung out with the locals at the bar… they even serve ice cream drinks like a Pink Squirrel and Grasshopper… which were quite tasty!

On our way home the next day, we stopped at Schoolcraft State Park, a lovely little state park a pretty (and pretty short) drive east of Grand Rapids.  We drove a little out of the way, but it was worth it!  The park is small, so you could probably walk all of the trails in a couple of hours.  We walked about half of the trails and spent a short while by the Mississippi, taking in the beautiful, peaceful views.  The park has a campground, picnic area, and boat launch in addition to trails with information about the wetland habitat as well as the history of the area and park.

McGregor, MN 

We made a stop at the Schoolhouse Cafe (because it looked so cool on-line).  The cinnamon and caramel rolls are ginormous.  Make sure to get there before four as they close early.  Before or after eating or drinking at the cafe, shop at the little stores (Grandpa’s Up North Cabin and Garden Shed and Grandma Millie’s Antique Shop) or have tea at the Country House in the Tea Room (there’s also an ice cream room!).

Mora, MN

If you are looking for some Swedish culture, stop in Mora, MN.  Again stores close early, so get there before five (even the gas station store closes at six).  There are several little parks and we stopped at one, next to the thirty nine foot tall Dala Heritage Society Bell Tower, to have a lovely picnic (in the rain).  Make sure to see the Mora Dala Horse (and take your picture!) at the county fairgrounds.  Walk around the city commons area and check out the twenty foot tall Mora Klocka, erected to honor the relationship with sister city, Mora, Sweden.

To Duluth and Back

If you are lucky enough to have time for a slightly longer road trip… say an overnight or weekend trip here are some places to check out on your way up to the Duluth area and back along I-35.

Hinkley, MN: 

On your way to Duluth, please, please stop at Tobie’s (just off I-35) in Hinkley… it’s a one stop shop for gas, food, restrooms, and a bakery (the most important part is the bakery, of course).  We can’t speak for everything in the bakery case, but definitely try the cinnamon and caramel rolls (so tasty).

Duluth, MN: 

There are many unique places in Duluth, but these are just a few (right in Canal Park) we tried out this trip.

   

If you like smoked fish, meats, and cheese stop at the Northern Waters Smokehaus deli in Canal Park.  Order a la carte, or grab a sandwich to eat there or to go.  As with all worthwhile eating establishments, bring your patience as there will probably be a line, but it is totally worth it!

If you like beer, definitely stop by one of the newest breweries in Canal Park, Hoops Brewing, opening soon.  Hefeweizen, Dunkel wise, Pale Wheat, and Amber ales are some of the first brews (worth a taste!) on tap.  The space is modern, with purse hooks and outlets at the bar; comfortable, with backs on the chairs (yay!); and reminiscent of days past with exposed brick, two by two wood pillars, and original hardwood floors.

Another drinking establishment nearby worth checking out is the Vikre Distillery.  An old manufacturing building with exposed brick, beams, and hardwood floors.  Grab a cocktail or tasting flight, and if you happen to be there around at 5… learn more by taking a free tour.

Superior, WI: 
 

 OMG… if you are looking for a dive bar with an inexpensive, tasty burger, make a stop at Anchor Bar.  Be prepared to order as they might pass you by if you aren’t ready (don't worry, they are friendly, just efficient).  Oh, and listen to the server… he’ll tell you what to order (and he’ll be right)… definitely go with the french fries!  Just reading the menu is entertaining as it is a mix of sarcasm and humor.  The tiny bar is also a nautical museum of sorts, with a life preserver from the Edmund Fitzgerald and much more.

   

Pine City, MN: 
 

On your way back to the Twin Cities, stop at the Rock Creek Motorstop (also just off I-35) for gas, dumpling soup, restrooms (singles, so you might have to wait in line), and a photo op with the chicken!  A way better stop than the Mobil station down the road.  The dumpling soup is just what you need on a cold day, or if you have a cold.  Daily specials are cheap and make room for dessert as there is pie (my fav)!  If you don’t have time to sit down and eat, grab the dumpling soup to go.  Come back for the Rodeo in the fall (that’s our plan) to see children riding the sheep, or wild cow milking!