Great arcade, cold beer and good food! loving the fries! Cindy does a great job at the bar…read more Looking forward to the golf simulator in October.

We stopped in on a whim today (Sunday) around 12:30 and we got right in for bowling for a group of…read more6. The place is beautiful and the service was excellent! Our group ranged from 5 years old to 35 and we all had a great time! Loved that the bowling showed your selfie picture on the screen and the kids enjoyed the arcade after the bowling. It did fill up for bowling later in the afternoon. Highly recommend this place for a family outting or even would be fun for a date night or group of friends! We didn't get to try the food this trip as we had just had brunch elsewhere, but next time we will! The bartenders were great!

Burr Oak is a very small town tucked between the Minnesota border and the Iowa city of Decorah. We…read morevisited on a quiet Saturday. We paid for our tickets in the gift shop, then crossed the street to the old hotel, where we joined a tour that had just begun. The docent was great, bringing to life the history of the building, Laura's life, and present efforts to restore the property. I've wanted to visit Burr Oak for decades so that I could better understand the portion of Laura's life that she omitted from her fictionalized autobiography. Our tour took a little over an hour. We went throughout the hotel and then outside, where we could also visit the neighboring one-room schoolhouse. We then returned to the gift shop to look around. Visitors should note that the buildings are not readily accessible to handicapped individuals. In particular, the stairs to the attic guest rooms were quite steep and narrow. My very-tall husband had to be very careful when he went up there, too, as the ceiling is low.

Burr Oak, Iowa, is the only location where Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family lived that was not…read moreincluded in the Little House series of books. The volunteer board along with a part-time director, a part-time curator, and part-time summer tour guides have done an amazing job preserving three historic buildings in Burr Oak including the hotel where Laura and her family lived, and worked. The volunteer board has also acquired a fourth historic building, the Mercantile. I can not wait to see their vision for the Mercantile come to fruition. They also maintain a park that adds to the experience. In addition to summer tours, there is also a summer festival at the end of June celebrating life as it was when Laura and her family lived in Burr Oak. It is a fun time to be in Burr Oak.

We visited the International Owl Center for one of their programs a few weeks ago. We paid $18 for…read moretwo people and it was definitely worth it, especially if you love owls and care about conservation. We arrived early and had time to walk around an check out their adorable gift shop. Even if you can't make it to a program, the gift shop alone is worth a stop and the proceeds go to an amazing cause. There were 3 owls present for our program but Ruby was the star of the show and the only one to be brought out for viewing. Our speaker advised that there are typically 5 owls present but they have to be transported to the center daily and if they don't feel like coming, they are not made to. I love that! JR the Eastern Screech Owl was also there but he never really came out so I could get a look at him (although I did hear him once and his little "screech" was nothing like I expected!) and Bea the burrowing owl was also there. She was my absolute favorite with her dainty size and her sweet, although shy, disposition. I never even knew there owls that nest underground before seeing her. We learned a lot about these amazing animals and things we can do to help them and although our program was full of adults and seniors, I think this would be a really great thing to do with children. For instance, through an exhibit about wingspan, we learned that my husband has the wingspan of a Blakiston's Fish Owl and I have the wingspan of a Eurasian Eagle Owl. They have plenty of interesting exhibits about the different sizes and types of owls and we made sure to "Make a pledge to save owls" before leaving. They also sell artwork from the community and are working very hard to raise money for a new facility for these beautiful creatures so I recommend coming to visit if you are able and having a nice time while helping a very good cause.

This is an amazing place. So interesting- informative- family friendly-and educational. The owls…read moreare magical. The staff kind and programs presented are great. Gift shop has a wonderful assortment of owl themed products. Also- the kids art from all around the world is amazing. Please support the owls and this wonderful Owl Center.

Great place to hike, fish hunt and find yourself. Learn about the areas history at the same time.read more

This was a cool little experience that takes you way back to a different era. The people are all…read moredressed in period costume and actually working the land with old tools and they will let the kids push one of the old fashioned lawn mowers you can visit the old barns and stores and learn a tad about history. The ladies were actually baking something from an old recipe and we got a chance to sample it ---the gardens are all done by hand and they use the produce from that to cook with. . It was a great little experience glad I went and worth taking your kids to if you are around the area.

We stopped here as part of our Harvest Host tour this weekend and had a nice stay. Nestled in the…read morehills of Iowa the winery is a very quiet and beautiful place to sit on the patio and enjoy some wine. We were warmly greeted by staff when we got here, got the camper set up and came in for some food and a tasting. They have a nice menu of appetizers, salads, flatbreads and sandwiches. We got the 3 dip combo which was salsa, buffalo chicken and a southwestern bean dip. They were all really good. We both had a wine tasting of 4 wines and ended up getting a bottle of the Lazy Days Itasca. It was a crisp white wine that was refreshing while sitting outside on the patio. The menu does have a considerable amount of sweet wines but does have a few dryer wine. They also have wine slushes on the menu that we tried that were really good.

We've been here a couple times to enjoy a lunch at their grill, sample their wines and take home…read moreseveral bottles of our favorites. So, for the wine "purists" out there, remember, these are not necessarily like nice, earthy pinots, merlots or cabernets that you pour in a big glass and enjoy with dinner. More like light, sweeter pino grigios or rieslings. We drink them mostly like sweet dessert wines (think port) in small glasses after a meal or late in the evening. If you come at them from this perspective, you won't be disappointed as you might be if you went here looking for a conventional table wine. Great location, nice facilities, enjoyable wines and pretty good food. I had the Norwegian sandwich - VERY good. It's out past the Seed Savers, so if you are looking for something to do after visiting them - this may be just the ticket. Highly recommended.

This museum has long been on my bucket list My friend referred to it as Valhalla and for a…read morehandweaver it certainly is. The Norwegian immigrants brought with them a rich textile, painting and woodworking tradition and you can clearly see this in not only the artifacts but also the current folk art school. It's certainly a place to return again and again. Considering how close it is to travel here we will be back.

What a fantastic, unique museum! The place was quite empty as we explored on a Saturday afternoon,…read morewhich is a shame, as it is loaded with treasures and insights. I loved everything about this place. The artwork is amazing, the furniture gorgeous. Everywhere you look, there's information about the Norwegian-American experience, all presented in an accessible, fascinating way.

Ed Krueger was a lifelong resident of Wykoff, the owner of the Jack Sprat Food Store, and a hoarder…read morewith squirreling away abilities Jeff M. can only aspire to. When Ed died in 1989 he left his store to the town with the stipulation that it be turned into a museum. The museum continues to operate today, to the delight of roadtrippers who love all things strange. He saved old TV guides, boxes of candy that are 40 years old, Hollywood pinups, advertisements. He saved his dead cat Sammy in a box. The museum is a time warp, and the people who work there are generous with their time and their stories. Make room in your drive across Minnesota for this one; there is nothing like it anywhere else in the country.

Josh and I went to check out the distillery. We were welcomed with open arms and it was a great…read moreexperience. Andrew, one of the owners and his wife Tara were very hospitable! The candy ape whisky was one of the beat ive ever tasted. We bought some to take home as well as josh bought a bottle of wild oats. Overall a great experience!!!

We stopped to visit while camping in the area and thoroughly enjoyed the experience…read more The spirits were very nice, but needing some age. It is a newer company so they're working on it. The staff at the desk, one of the owner's wife, was kind, welcoming, and also super Covid conscious. Outside south facing seating is available and table inside are socially distanced. They also asked for a contact number per group for contact tracing. Mask are required and the mixed drinks are pre mixed and bottled to reduce exposure. Thank you for a good time!!