minnesota {points south}

We explored Minnesota as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Southern Minnesota was all about marine art, the birthplace of waterskiing, and the world’s largest 16-foot-tall work boot. It was about SPAM, the Jolly Green Giant, horizontal landscapes of endless farmland, Blue Mounds, Pipestone quarries and the Indian pipes made from them, Sioux quartzite, and invisible petroglyphs. It was a land of German towns, waterfalls, and the Mississippi River. It was also about reconciliation in Mankato and a bank robbery by the notorious James-Younger gang in Northfield.

In Minneapolis, we strolled through sculpture gardens, across old stone bridges, and under signs for Gold Medal Flour and Pillsbury’s Best Flour. We cruised through the University of Minnesota, bicycled around lakes in Minneapolis, and sang to musical murals. We browsed the Minnesota History Museum and learned about iron ore, lumber, the collapse of Interstate 35 in 2007, Minnesota blizzards & tornadoes, and Sinclair Lewis. We paid our respects to George Floyd, Prince and Bob Dylan, peeked into the On Being studio, and met Charlie Brown and the gang in St. Paul.

Here are my top ten favorites of southern Minnesota (The Twin Cities & south):

10) George Floyd Square in Minneapolis
9)  Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona
8) Pipestone National Monument
7) The charming town of Northfield and the Northfield Historical Society Museum
6) The SPAM Museum in Austin
5) Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
4) Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne
3) Bikeride around Minneapolis lakes
2) Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul
1) Murals of Minneapolis (especially Prince, Bob Dylan & the Music Wall)

Here’s the map of our route in 2021. I’ll cover the northern part of Minnesota in another video.

Thank you for watching! 🙂