I had not been to Canterbury in 10 years. We won tickets and were able to rent a clubhouse table on…read morethe glass. It was so fun to have a higher level view of the whole track, with a mini TV to see up close. We were able to order food and drinks to the table, which was good. I had never bet on horses before but the teller was very kind and helpful when I told her it was my first time. We also played blackjack in the casino which was so fun, the dealers made it a great experience for it being my first time as well. When we went to watch down by the track, we randomly got selected to participate in a wheelbarrow race and ended up winning concert tickets for Canterbury park. That was a major plus!! I love that you can watch the horses walk the circle before they race.

It's been years since we last watched/played the horses. Our son invited us and while a lot is the…read moresame, important parts have changed, namely the betting. The food is standard stadium fare. If you're seated in the enclosed grandstand you'll enjoy table service, full bar, and convenient bet placing! Save your winning tickets the cashier is on the level below the table service area, but you can place the bets in a variety of areas!

I love music festivals. I love them even more when you have perfect weather like we had on…read moreSaturday. Thanks Mother Nature. So, I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 simply because there was a lack of signage/information regarding where to park and where to enter Canterbury as well as food/drinks and wristbands. We ended up wandering a bit, but eventually found our way. So quick tips for newbies to save you some time and frustration next year: 1. Park anywhere you can find a spot, VIP parking is separate and gated off 2. Enter the main gate 3. Get your 21+ wristband immediately to your left when you enter 4. Drinks and food are inside, food trucks are just outside, and even more food/drink on the festival grounds 5. Drinks and food outside of the main building are ticketed, and yes you will have to buy more tickets than you need or have extra tickets leftover after you get what you want 6. Check out all the food/drink vendors before you make a decision on how many tickets to buy 7. Check out the non-food/drink vendors, some pretty cool stuff 8. VIP has some pretty sweet digs, I recommend getting it if you can spend the extra money 9. Bring cash 10. Backpacks and towels/blankets to sit on are allowed in the venue Even if you don't know the acts it is quite easy to be sucked into the fun everyone else is having, so if you are wavering, just go! Perhaps you will have some fun nature happenings like we did...the amazing pink/orange sunset during Dr. Dog and the flock of geese the flew directly overhead the sage just as they ended a song (and the crowd erupted into cheers, it was so hilarious and wonderful). The people watching is wonderful, young and old alike having a great time together. Everyone is there for the same reason, a love of music and fun, and it was awesome to watch the small children dance it out along with their parents (and everyone else). Shout out to Blue Goose Photo Booth, a cool photo booth with props that is in an old van. So. Awesome. They were offering free photos (4 on a strip) for everyone at the festival. It even printed two copies. The booth with the cigar box guitars was pretty rad, too. If I had more disposable income I would've purchased one to hang on the wall (because I can't play guitar). Side note - If anyone can remember the name of the vendor with the "Hooray" MN shirts, please let me know, I want to get one. So, all-in-all, a great festival that I would totally go back to year after year.

For the record, I am a HUGE Trampled by Turtles fan. Trampled is my favorite band. I go to pretty…read moremuch any show I can get to and travel routinely just to see them play. So obviously, a Trampled by Turtles-organized festival less than an hour from home is a no-brainer for me. So, while it may be tough for me to be completely objective, I shall try my best. This was year two for Festival Palomino, and I've attended both years, so I guess I have an educated opinion at this point. Here's what I liked: -The music. Duh. Not only did my favorite fellas headline, closing the night with bagpipes on the stage, but the lineup of other acts kept the action moving and introduced me to some new music, which is always a good thing. -The side-by-side stage setup. Last year, there were two stages, but they were situated opposite each other. The dual stages allowed for music to continue throughout the day without much break between sets for breaking down and setting up of gear. But last year, you had to do a kind of sprint to the opposite stage for the next act. This time around, the side-by-side setup allowed you to either migrate more leisurely or just pick a prime spot further back with a view of both stages and stay put. -The branding. Maybe it's the communications professional in me, but I thought the branding was much better this year. The Palomino banners on top of the stages and of course the Palomino sign were good visual cues that this is going to become a big branded event over the next few iterations. Plus dammit, I love the Palomino owl and think it should be on more stuff. -The inclusion of more merchants. Was delighted to see the Duluth Pack folks this year and hope to see this area of the festival grow. -The people: Not only great people watching but also just a general relaxed and positive vibe all day despite being packed on a field with 9,000 of your closest friends. -The festival T-shirt. Props to whoever designed it! -The VIP bathroom. Gift from heaven. To the girl who clearly dropped an entire pack of smokes in the toilet: Damn, that sucks, dude. Here's what I didn't like: -The food. There was more food than last year. That was good. It was more logically centralized on the field than last year. That was good too. Several of my friends and my husband and I all ate from the Mexican stand. The food did not taste good and we ALL got ill after the show. Like a few of my friends left in the middle of the Trampled set because they weren't going to make it through. We're pretty sure it was the burritos. Food safety, people! Taco mix should not be served cold, like ever. -The ticket system for food and beverage. I'm not sure why but both years now, you've had to purchase tickets in sets of 10 for $1 apiece and then use those to buy drinks and food. Seems like an extra step and extra work to get beer and food. Also, I hate that you can't buy anything other than 10 tickets at a time. You always end up with extra tickets you paid for but didn't use, or you wind up wanting one more beer but not willing to pay for a new set of $10 tickets. Why can't the stands just take cash??? -The prices. I have to say... $7 for a 12 oz beer seemed a bit much. And I know there was a deal with Summit, but the beer options were underwhelming both years. -Speaking of... This is a really cash-intensive festival. My husband and I were only there for half the day and dropped a good amount of money on just food and drink. If you are coming for the full day, come packing some real cash. Things to know: -Yeah, it's at a racetrack so the layout can be kind of confusing. When you park, come in the entrance and then immediately turn to the left to get wristbanded. Then you walk right through the building and out to the racetrack. -Wear comfortable shoes suitable for tromping around in a field. Ladies, I'd leave cute heels and wedges at home. Maybe flipflops or sandals but more practically? Sneakers or hikers wouldn't be out of place. -There are also options inside the casino for food and drink. We discovered that the draft beers in the casino were bigger and better-priced. Also a good place for refuge if it rains, as we learned in year one. -The VIP tickets were $140. If you have the cash, it would be a nice perk. There are exclusive beer stands = no waiting. The bathrooms, as mentioned above. You get drink tickets and some other swag and access to the VIP area, which was pretty cool. If you can afford it, splurge. So here's where I get all biased again... I think this was an incredibly adventurous project and one that only a few bands could have pulled off this well in just two years. I was encouraged that this year there were many improvements made and good thoughtful changes. I am confident this event will continue to grow and improve each year. Looking forward to year three and maintaining my perfect attendance record!

Great place for family adventure! All around family place to see and visit self pick apples!read more

Time to update my review from a few years ago - I've been to Applewood Orchard a few times this…read moreseason and my almost 2 year old loves it. It seems like every year they are improving and adding to the experience! The free tractor rides, PYO apples, mini tractor area ($2 honor system), play systems, and mini apple cider doughnuts are all part of the experience that we enjoy. Note: it's dusty out here, so plan to go to the car wash afterwards!

The Landing is a historic and unique, outdoor living history museum that preserves and interprets…read more19th century life in the Minnesota River Valley. Wooded trails stretch along nearly one and a half miles of scenic river valley, which really brings alive the charm and challenges of life in the 1800's. Walking through this village, a person will firsthand witness the early days of the fur trade era. Back in a time when people traveled by footpath and canoes to the bustling village with its shops, homes, church, town hall and railroad depot. Some days there are costumed interpreters who are prepared to spin a tale, demonstrate their craft and explain the daily life of men, women and children. Many days, however, the park is unstaffed so it is primarily a self-guided tour, with occasional informational signs that describe a building's or area's historical significance. No cost of entry or parking, which is great!

The dogs and I have visited the park a number of times and always enjoy our strolls through the…read moregrounds. Lots of parking, many flat trails for easy walking, beautiful spots for photo opportunities, interesting building and history, nice bathrooms hidden in a building that matches the barns. Definitely will be going back.

I had seen the lawn signs for this haunted house and checked the website beforehand. The cost is $5…read moreand funds raised go to the troops. I did message another yelper who recommended it. Thanks Anne! The minimum age recommended is 7 and up. I messaged some friends who had no other sport activities and arrived here after 8:00 p.m. The other moms declined to go in so I follow five 11 year old boys. They tell you not to touch the actors and they won't touch you. The special effects and actors were scarey and funny at the same time. The kids were a little scared but not really. It took about 20 minutes so go through and I'm laughing the whole time as it's kinda cheesy. It got darker towards the end and you had to open doors to get out. Afterwards there is concession food, a table to sign holiday cards to the troops, and a guy doing magic card tricks who takes cash donations as hugs don't pay the rent to his landlord. The kids also posed for pictures with Cuddles, the grim reaper on stilts. An enjoyable evening.

Was a lot of fun. I went with two friends that I could hide behind. It was a lot of jump out and…read morescare stuff. Not a lot of gore. There was also a little food stand at the end. Pop, hot dog and chips. My friends and I enjoyed . We will make it a Halloween tradition .

Went here to attend a surprise birthday party. They have an event room in the back you can rent…read moreout. Has a stage area, tables for food, a bar with a bartender and tables all around the room. You can bring your own decorations. The party organizers did order 2 food options for the party (more so lite bites). They were things i don't eat so I asked the bartender about ordering other food and was able to order from the full menu and it was served to me at the party. I got wings which advertised having a special house dry rub, buffalo sauce on the side and a side of fries. The wings weren't the greatest flavor wise. Kind of bland with the dry rub. the fries weren't fine. They had a holiday/December specials menu and I got a few of the Cherry pie cocktails. It was good! Our bartender did a great job all around. She kept the tables clean/cleared off as well as served everyone as needed Parking was fine as they had parking on both sides of the building as well as doors to get in.

Dear Apple Valley American Legion,…read more On behalf of our residents and staff, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for the wonderful experience we had during our lunch outing today. My name is Brooke, and I am the Life Enrichment Director. Today, I brought a group of 27 seniors to enjoy lunch at your restaurant, and I cannot say enough about how impressed we were. Our waitress was the only server working the entire restaurant, yet you never would have known it. She remained calm, organized, and friendly throughout our visit. She treated every one of our residents with genuine kindness, made sure everyone had what they needed, and provided exceptional service from beginning to end. What could have been a very stressful and overwhelming situation turned into a relaxed, enjoyable, and memorable outing because of her professionalism and positive attitude. Our residents have not stopped talking about what a wonderful time they had. In fact, they have already started asking if we can make lunch at the Apple Valley American Legion a monthly outing! That speaks volumes about the welcoming atmosphere and outstanding service we experienced. Please pass along our sincere appreciation to our waitress and everyone involved in making our visit so special. Thank you for your hospitality and for creating such a positive experience for our residents. We look forward to visiting again soon. With gratitude, Brooke Life Enrichment Director

The volunteers make this a great visit for both young and old. The holiday season is the best!read more

If history and pioneer life is up your alley, you will love this place. The town is a fully…read moreoperational little city that is runned by volunteers and historical reenactors. Many of the buildings have been gathered from small Minnesota townships that are now defunct. There is a drugstore, ice cream shop, post office, bank, train station and many more buildings. Each is interactive and have live performers and historians talking about each buildings use and history. Holidays are especially fun with themed events. Another cool thing is that you can volunteer and be a performer if you like. All ages are welcomed.

This was a surprisingly interesting museum. Honestly, I wasn't too excited, walking into this…read moresmall stripmall-esque location to see a museum devoted to pottery. However, it was rather informative about the city of Red Wing, the former pottery factory, and shelves and shelves of different forms of the Red Wing wares. They had vintage displays to give you a nostalgic feel for their hay day, and the gift shop even had some pieces for sale. I'm not sure how small children may feel about it, but for adults with an appreciate for art, history, and/or pottery I would definitely recommend this museum. Make sure to read the fact cards - they may be small, but they provide a lot of interesting information.

Outstanding! A free museum with interesting things to see and learn. I was unaware of the pottery…read morehistory of the area before my visit. The exhibits show the history of the industry and a surprising variety of products. Bowling fans will appreciate the custom made bowling pin light fixtures for a local bowling alley. The gift shop has many interesting items.