Herman the German Sits alone atop the hill…read moreWith New Ulm below There aren't a ton of tourist attractions in New Ulm. It is a German town about an hour from the Twin Cities. I hear the Octoberfest is a good time, but probably not as crazy as the one in La Crosse. On Sundays, it seems like most of the town is shut down. Herman, however, says to hell with the blue laws and is open to the public. $2.75 gets you past the gate to all there is to offer (which is not much so the price is about right). The first floor of the monument documents the history of the legendary Germanic warrior who defeated the Romans, the building of the monument in New Ulm and how he was almost moved to the Twin Cities. It is quite aways up some winding staircases to the top. Not for the acrophopic or claustrophobic. Spent maybe a couple minutes at the top enjoying the view, before I was off like the Griswolds at the Grand Canyon.

This building doubles as the visitor center and chamber of commerce. You should make this spot your…read morefirst stop in New Ulm to pick up lots of useful brochures, and to get friendly advice from those who work here.

From the owner: Willkommen! Our full-service Visitor Center invites you to begin your visit in our welcoming home…read more We feature ample restrooms, table and chairs to sit a while, coffee and cookies to refresh you, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff to get you started. Pick up a walking tour brochure, Visitor Guide, and more! Whether you're just passing through or staying a little while, visit with the friendly folks at the Visitor Center. We have information about events, and can help with lodging, dining, and attraction questions.

Beautiful historical building with grey photo opportunities and a few small but exquisite museums…read moreinside! I walked into this center while attending a conference in the Saint Paul hotel across the street. I was so pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the inside is, how nice the two museums (a musical instrument museum, with amazingly beautiful old pianos, and a woodwork museum with a great collection of carved wood items) are, and how friendly and helpful the staff/volunteers were inside the center. And all of that is free to the visitors! What a wonderful opportunity to see the region's history and culture , and meet some friendly locals! I can't recommend this place enough!

Gorgeous historical building with a variety of exhibits and restored courtrooms. The woodwork…read morethroughout the building was all hand-carved, as was the stonework. A wonderful space in which to wander!

If you are as old as me, you will remember the commercial, "Ho, Ho, Ho...Green Giant!" That…read morecommercial worked on me as a kid, I used to beg my mom to buy Green Giant Vegetables. To assure my consumption, my mother always showed me the Green Giant label when she was cooking. It opened my world to vegetables! Today, I actually collect Green Giant ads and other paraphernalia as part of my pop icon collection. You will see some of my ads in the photos and also some photos of my visit to the Land of Giants several years ago.

Stopping in Blue Earth feels like wandering into an old time tv commercial with a sense of humor…read more The Jolly Green Giant stands tall and watchful, a quirky landmark that manages to be both kitschy and oddly comforting. What makes the park especially memorable is its musical instrument park--a pocket of creativity where kids and adults alike can strike giant chimes, tap on outdoor drums, and strum oversized metal harps. It's playful enough to bring out anyone's inner child, yet beautiful in a way that makes you want to linger. And yes, travelers rejoice: there are clean, well-kept bathrooms nearby, the kind you'd actually recommend to fellow road-trippers. That, combined with the friendliness of the place, makes Green Earth not just a stopover but a small adventure--quirky enough to be fun, wholesome enough to restore a little faith in community.

Very fun in a nice small park downtown. We are Peanuts fans and enjoyed the display. If you bring a…read morepicnic lunch you could enjoy it in the park.

Gotta check these out in you're in the area. I want to say the Peanuts creator was from the area so…read morethey're here as a tribute to him.

I AM a fan of this place, but let's start with some honesty. It is small. And not really near…read moreanything. You won't stay long. Ok, do we understand each other? Good. Now...I happen to have two girls who are HUGE fans of the Little House on the Prairie books, and I love all things MN Historical Society (we're members, so we didn't pay to enter the Harkin Store) so for my little group who was already somewhat in the area, this was a great pit stop. The volunteers are lovely and knowledgable and the gift shop is fabulous. Do you happen to know who sews the homemade bonnets that are sold for $10? Get that grandma an Etsy shop! (although tell her to keep sending a few to Harkin for the girls who make the journey)

Drive by. This historical marker is NOT worth the $6/person for the less-than-fifteen minutes you…read morewill be there. All that there is to see is the store, and it is only stocked with 40% original goods. The rest have been carted in for effect. There were three historical society reps there. Kudos to them for spending their days there and for dressing the part, but they were not in character at all. The lady in the store was knowledgeable but crabby. When my husband and I walked along side the house to see if there was more to the complex, she followed us suspiciously. Needless to say, the nine mile drive from New Ulm was pretty but not worth it. Save your $ and go to Forestville!

Such a fun place to visit if you are driving through or are spending the day in Northfield! The…read moreguide did such a great job explaining the story and was so knowledgeable!

It's not the biggest museum ever, but for the low cost of admission, it was worth walking around to…read morelearn about the biggest thing in history to have happened in the area. I would say Northfield is known for the defeat of the Jesse James gang and the museum gives great history to learn more about the event. Since it wasn't terribly busy the day we went, we were able to really look at and read everything. It was kind of neat that you could walk through the actual bank that was attempted to be robbed. There is also a rotating display, which happened to be about a local man who got to go around the world in an Airstream for a year. If you have 5 bucks and an hour to spend, it was well worth the time and money.