{"id":17205,"date":"2018-08-12T21:09:06","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T21:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.minnesotaresorts.com\/?page_id=17205"},"modified":"2020-12-20T15:55:24","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T15:55:24","slug":"things-to-do-southern-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/minnesotaresorts.com\/things-to-do-southern-minnesota\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"
As you take a step back in time, you will visit a variety of Amish family farms. Your guide will describe Amish society as you visit each farm a learn about the Amish way of life. You will have the opportunity to get out at each farm and talk to the families, as well as purchase any goods. You will also have the opportunity to go into one Amish home when available. See first hand, the Old Order Amish living in our world without all the technology that’s available to the world. [\/su_column] <\/div>
The Amish around Harmony are \u201cOld Order\u201d Amish<\/span> which means they are very private and have strong Christian convictions that bind their community together, enabling them to resist the ways of modern society. They began to move into the Harmony area in 1974 and have grown to about 150 families. Welcome to Bluffscape Amish Tours of Lanesboro located in the beautiful bluff country of Southeast\u00a0Minnesota! Please click the link to learn more about. This is your chance to experience a unique Christian community life-style as you step back in time while munching on sweet, buttery cashew crunch! <\/div><\/div>\n I LOVE Antiques is located in an 1892 building that was home to the local daily newspaper, theHarmony News<\/em>, from 1896 until the mid-1980s. Many of the buildings charming, old-fashioned details have been left intact, including a rare tin ceiling and original wood floors. An antique cash register serves both as part of the decor and as a way to ring up customer sales. Along with fresh fruits and vegetables, their small store has jams & jellies, honey, sorghum, cheese, frozen apple pies, and Watkins products. In early spring they have bedding plants, hanging flowering baskets, potted plants, and seeds in their greenhouse attached to the store. Then in the fall and holiday season, they havve Christmas trees and poinsettias in the greenhouse. Inside the store, you can buy fresh fruit baskets or fruit boxes.\u00a0 <\/div><\/div> It doesn\u2019t matter why you hit the trails or how you ride, there\u2019s a place for you in southern Minnesota. Whether you take the kids for a spin around the lake or set off on a multi-day tour, these bike trails are worth exploring. is located on a former Burlington Northern railroad grade, and is generally level and wheelchair accessible. The trail is paved for 22 miles between Willmar, Spicer, New London, Hawick, and the Kandiyohi\/Stearns County line, and a five mile stretch from Richmond to Roscoe is also paved. The many lakes make this area a popular tourist destination. The towns along the trail provide access points, rest stops, and other services to trail users. Root River Trail System<\/strong> Welcome to the website of the Root River Trail System, an online guide to Southeast Minnesota\u2019s premier recreational trail system, The Root River and Harmony-Preston Valley Trails. This 60-mile paved trail network meanders along the Root River amid 300-foot bluffs, attracting thousands of outdoor enthusiasts each season. Niagara Cave is one of the most fascinating and unique geological attractions in the United States. In fact, it has been rated one of the top ten caves in the United States by many outdoor activity rating sites! During the one hour, one mile, guided tour visitors will witness an underground stream leading to a waterfall nearly 60 feet high, stalactites both delicate and massive, calcite flowstone, several fossils that have been dated to over 400 million years. <\/div><\/div> This well-kept 160-acre course, that originated in 1938, sits on the Cedar River and is well-known for the inviting beauty of mature trees and a challenging 18-hole, par 71 (men) and par 72 (women) layout.\u00a0<\/span> Open to the public, River Oaks offers open golf, organized leagues for men, women, and couples with gold tees for seniors.\u00a0 Personal and corporate memberships are available – feel free to contact the course management for more information.\u00a0 Electric carts and cart sheds are available for rent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/div><\/div>\n The\u00a0Pickwick Mill was built from 1856 to 1858 by Thomas Grant and Wilson Davis and is one of the oldest water powered gristmills found in southeast Minnesota. The mill was constructed as a sawmill then converted to a flour, grist mill, on the banks of Big Trout Creek located in Pickwick Minnesota. The mill ran 24 hours a day during the Civil War and produced 100 barrels daily for the Union Army. After the war, the mill became a flour-milling center for most of southern Minnesota and portions of Iowa and Wisconsin. [\/su_column] [\/su_row] Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, built Mayowood in 1911.\u00a0 He lived in it until 1939.\u00a0 The estate features gardens and Dr. Mayo\u2019s decorative arts collection. Over 40 rooms are furnished in French, English, Spanish, German and American antiques. Since undertaking ownership, the Olmsted County Historical Society has operated Mayowood Mansion as a historic house museum. The mansion has been maintained as it was when last occupied by Doctor and Mrs. Charles W. Mayo and is used to interpret the lives of this famous medical family. \u00a0 An agricultural interpretive center designed to tell the ongoing story of farming. We became a vision in 1976 when we realized how quickly an historic way of life was disappearing from the landscape. Now we are a rapidly growing reality as we create a living rural experience for people of all ages to see, touch and explore. Located on forty acres of rich Martin County prairie overlooking Fairmont\u2019s beautiful Lake Sisseton, we invite you to discover the many reasons the upper Midwest is called America\u2019s Breadbasket. Providing food and fiber for the world family is an essential and vital industry deserving of recognition and preservation. <\/div><\/div>\n MNHS has an adventure just for you. Just browse the categories below. Mix, match, and visit as many places as you like. Amazing adventures await at all 26 historic sites and museums! Nestled amid the hardwood forests and river bluffs of southeast Minnesota, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center strives to provide inspiring environmental education experiences which connect people of all ages to each other and the natural world. Whether you are a student in our K-12 overnight program, a family hitting the High Ropes Course on a summer day or an adult trying a new outdoor skill, there is learning and discovery to be had! <\/div><\/div> Stunning bluff country, meandering rivers and open prairies give Southern Minnesota a wide variety of natural terrain for mountain bikers to enjoy. Go south and find out what trails are waiting for you. The Commonweal Theatre is located in the historic town of Lanesboro in the heart of southeastern Minnesota’s beautiful bluff country. Nestled in a deep valley on the Root River, Lanesboro offers visitors a wide variety of outdoor activities, first-rate theater, rich artistic experiences, unique shopping, a local winery and fine dining and lodging to fit every taste and budget. Visit Lanesboro and discover the ideal indoor\/outdoor getaway! <\/div><\/div> Deer Creek is a family run facility that takes pride in family values and business ethics.\u00a0 The small details create the big picture. \u00a0The race season runs from April to October. \u00a0Deer Creek is a 60+ acre facility with one of the Midwest\u2019s most state of the art racing complexes.\u00a0 This high banked 3\/8 dirt-clay race track puts on an average of 30 events a year.\u00a0 We are proud to employee 56 employees per event with over 100 part-time employees on call.\u00a0 With 24 VIP Suites, 36 VIP Decks and a total seating capacity of up to 8,000 Deer Creek is set to host some of the biggest events in the country.<\/div><\/div> America’s Byways\u00ae is the umbrella term we use for the collection of 150 distinct and diverse roads<\/strong> designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. America’s Byways include the National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. \u00a0America’s Byways are gateways to adventures where no two experiences are the same. It\u2019s no secret. We love our parks. They\u2019re our weekend getaway, our quiet place, our classroom, our gym and our playground. With so many possibilities, it can be tough to choose. Find your favorite southern Minnesota State Park here. The brewery sat along the banks of the Cottonwood River, where it\u2019s been for over a century. A picturesque, practical location. The river was transportation. It was also refrigeration. The Schells harvested ice from the Cottonwood and hauled it to underground caverns beneath the brewery. The beer aged and fermented there in the spring and early summer. Unless the gnomes got to it first. Throughout the years, the Schell\u2019s family faced adversity. The light beer craze. Disco. Low-carb diets. Their brewing tradition persevered. As the brewery evolved, so did the beer. True in American pioneer spirit, Schell\u2019s challenged traditional German brewing ideals while simultaneously paying homage to its roots. We offer continuous wine tasting whenever the winery is open. The charge is $5 for any five wines from our current selection of a dozen or more wines. We will guide your selection of wines to tasting based on your wine preferences. We take pride in finding the right wine for nearly any taste. I you choose to purchase a bottle of wine we\u2019ll refund your $5. That\u2019s a money back\u00a0guarantee. We offer additional discounts for the purchase of 3, 6, or 12 bottles at a time. <\/div><\/div>\n The southern half of Minnesota offers rolling bluff country in the east and wide-open prairies in the west with regions of old-growth forest in between. A wide variety of state parks, forests and recreational trails offer fine cross country skiing. The Dr. Paul E. Zollman Zoo house’s over 30 species of wild animals native to Minnesota.\u00a0 Many of the zoo creatures have physical injuries that have rendered them non-releasable, while others are surplus zoo animals from other facilities. In some cases, animals are purchased from licensed animal farms with donation funds set aside for such purposes.\u00a0 The zoo is named after Dr. Paul Zollman, DVM, in recognition of his dedication to Olmsted County Parks and for his steadfast belief in compassionate animal care and environmental education. <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Things To Do | Southern Minnesota<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17205","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nBluffscape Amish Tours – Lanesboro<\/h3>\n
I Love Antiques – Harmony<\/h3>\n
\n<\/div><\/div>\nPreston Apple & Berry Farm – Preston<\/h3>\n
\n<\/div><\/div> Minnesota Bike Trails<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>\nThe Glacial Lakes State Trail<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> Niagara Cave – Harmony<\/h3>\n
River Oaks Golf Course – Austin<\/h3>\n
Historic Pickwick Mill – Winona<\/h3>\n
Historic Mayowood Mansion – Rochester<\/h3>\n
History Acres<\/h3>\n
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Minnesota Historical Society<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div>\nEagle Bluff Environmental Center \u2013 Lanesboro<\/h3>\n
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Southern Minnesota Mountain Bike Trails<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a> Commonweal Theater Company – Lanesboro<\/h3>\n
Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley<\/h3>\n
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Minnesota’s Scenic Byways<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a> <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
Minnesota State Parks<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a> August Shell Brewing Co. – New Ulm<\/h3>\n
\nMorgan Creek Vineyards – New Ulm <\/strong>Established in 1993, enjoyed its first vintage season the fall of 1998 and the opening of Minnesota’s only underground winery. The underground earth shelter provides perfect cellar temperature for wine production and aging, and creates an inviting atmosphere for tasting room and gift shop visitors. Specializing in growing and producing German, French, and American style wines, including Minnesota cold-hardy varietals, Morgan Creek Vineyards offers a cycle of seasonal events that celebrate the joy of living and the art of fine winemaking. <\/div><\/div> Garvin Heights Vineyard – Winona<\/h3>\n
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Nordic Skiing<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i> More Info<\/span><\/a> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> Zollman Zoo – Rochester<\/h3>\n