This Century-Old Minnesota Meat Market Still Does Things The Old-Fashioned Way
Some of the knives behind this butcher counter have been slicing meat for decades. Not years. Decades. That alone made me curious.
Read More 7 min read
The Giant Donut Holes At This Minnesota Bakery Are So Big They Almost Defeat The Purpose Of The Hole
The best-selling item at this donut shop is a donut hole, and some folks compare it to a tennis ball. That is not a typo. The smallest thing on most donut menus is the giant here.
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Bakery Built Its Reputation On Cinnamon Rolls Covered In Cream Cheese Frosting
A self-serve bin of cream cheese frosting sits waiting for you at one small bakery. You decide how much goes on your giant cinnamon roll. That's a level of trust I fully respect.
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Bakery Spends 36 Hours Making Its Naturally Leavened Bread
Every loaf at this bakery spends 36 hours getting ready before it ever sees the oven door open. That's a day and a half of patience for one crusty piece of bread.
Read More 7 min read
This Family-Owned Minnesota Restaurant Is a Standout for Authentic Ghanaian and Afro-Caribbean Flavors
Fufu, waakye, and spicy suya skewers are on the menu at a family-owned spot in western Minnesota. That alone made me stop scrolling.
Read More 7 min read
8 Minnesota Restaurants That Make You Want To Plan A Road Trip Around Dinner
One tiny Minnesota town with fewer than 100 residents has a restaurant famous enough to pull drivers off the highway for broasted chicken. I love that. A town smaller than some...
Read More 7 min read
Thousands Of Ancient Symbols Cover This Minnesota Rock Face
Some of the carvings on this rock are up to 9,000 years old, and people kept adding new ones until about 250 years ago. That's thousands of years of artists sharing the same stone...
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Church Has A Surprisingly Strong Connection To The Mississippi River
The stone walls of this church came from the banks of the Mississippi River, quarried just a few blocks away. That limestone has stood since the 1850s. It still holds up a working...
Read More 7 min read
10 Minnesota Towns That Feel Like They’re Frozen in Time (And How to Visit Them)
In one tiny river village, the historic district still has no street signs or house numbers. Visitors find their way using an 1853 plat map and a little old-fashioned patience.
Read More 8 min read
Minnesota’s Most Unexpected Places To Stop When You’re Not Looking For A Typical Tourist Attraction
One man wound a single ball of twine until it weighed 17,400 pounds. That ball still sits in a small Minnesota town, and you can visit it any time of day.
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has a Historic Village Where You Can Walk Through Buildings From a Bygone Era
Twenty-two historic buildings sit on just five acres, and one of them still holds a working blacksmith shop. There's also a jail, a bank, a train depot, and a drugstore pouring...
Read More 7 min read
This Unpretentious Minnesota Restaurant Serves Pizza That’s Absolutely Next Level
The cheese on these pizzas starts as Wisconsin part-skim mozzarella ground into tiny pellets, so it spreads evenly and melts extra gooey. That clever little trick has been part...
Read More 7 min read
9 Beginner-Friendly Minnesota Autumn Trails That Look Like A Scene Straight Out Of A Movie
One loop on this list squeezes eight separate overlooks into less than three miles of trail. That's more scenic stops than some road trips manage in a whole day.
Read More 9 min read
This Minnesota House Turns Its Front Yard Into A Walk-Through Halloween Nightmare
It all started with a dad promising his daughter one single Halloween decoration. Nearly two decades later, that one decoration has grown into a full walk-through haunt spread...
Read More 7 min read
A Tiny Minnesota Bread Shop Grew Into One Of The State’s Most Beloved Italian Bakeries
The potica recipe at this bakery traces back to a woman named Mary Janezich in the early 1900s. That's over a century of walnut bread, rolled and swirled by hand. I find that kind...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Classic Burger Stop That Helped Make The Juicy Lucy Famous
The most famous burger at this corner bar hides its cheese inside the meat, and the menu spells its name without an i. The house motto is "Fear the Cheese!" I find it easy to appreciate...
Read More 7 min read
The Minnesota Bakery Treat That Could Become The Best Part Of Your Morning
The croissants at this bakery are made with sourdough, and some are described as twice the size of an average croissant. That's a lot of buttery layers before most people finish...
Read More 7 min read
This Award-Winning Minnesota Restaurant Puts Vegetables at the Center of the Plate
Salt-and-pepper mushrooms with a scallion dip might be the most talked-about starter at one Minneapolis-area dining room. Fried mushrooms stealing attention from steak? That tells...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Museum That Preserves The Story Of A Real-Life Dorothy
A carriage from The Wizard of Oz sits in a small Minnesota museum, and it once belonged to Abraham Lincoln. That alone made me stop and read twice.
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Vintage Paradise Has More Than 65 Dealers Under One Roof
More than a million items are packed into one three-story building. That number alone made me stop and read it twice. The owners...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota’s Most Unexpected Places To Stop When You’re Not Looking For A Typical Tourist Attraction
A ball of twine in one small Minnesota town weighs 17,400 pounds. That is heavier than a lot of pickup trucks, and it sits in a town of fewer than 400 people.
Read More 7 min read
9 Minnesota Places Where You Can Go Underground
Deep in one Minnesota cave, you can stand near 450-million-year-old fossils and listen to an underground waterfall. That fact alone made me want to grab a flashlight.
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Cheese Shop Lets You Take Home A Taste Of The Midwest’s Dairy Country
Robots milk the cows here, and the cheese they help make has beaten thousands of rivals in national contests. One clothbound cheddar even landed in the top 20 out of 2,249 entries...
Read More 6 min read
12 Minnesota Butcher Shops Where You Can Stock Up For The Grill
Tongs ready, charcoal lit, and a cooler that suddenly feels way too empty for the weekend ahead. A good butcher counter turns grilling into an event.
Read More 9 min read
You Can Tour A Giant Lake Freighter That Once Carried Cargo On The Great Lakes
Six hundred feet of steel, and this time the only cargo you’re hauling is curiosity. Climb aboard and wander through the...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Restaurant Inside A Giant Fish-Shaped Building
A 65-foot muskie with red eyes made from old Coca-Cola signs sits beside a highway, mouth wide open. Back in 1958, people walked through that mouth to order hamburgers and ice...
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota Italian Restaurant Has A Bread And Dipping Oil Tradition Worth Talking About
The bread here is baked fresh every single day by the owner herself. She's also the head chef, and she started out washing dishes at age 16.
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Gas Station Designed By Frank Lloyd Wright, Complete With A Tower
Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect behind Fallingwater, once designed a gas station. Even better, it still pumps fuel today, and an attendant will fill your tank for you.
Read More 6 min read
10 Minnesota Food Shops Where The Products Are Worth The Stop
Somewhere in Minnesota, a candy shop dips potato chips in chocolate, and it calls them a signature treat. I read that once and immediately needed a road trip.
Read More 8 min read
10 Minnesota Restaurants Serving Food You Won’t Find At A Typical Chain
A Minnesota kitchen cooks without wheat flour, dairy, or cane sugar, and it walked away with a James Beard Award. I had to read that twice. Then I wanted to find more places breaking...
Read More 9 min read
This Minnesota Deli Makes It Easy To Bring Home A Taste Of Eastern Europe
A James Beard Foundation award went to a family sausage shop started by two Ukrainian refugees. That shop is still owned by the same family today. I love that kind of staying power.
Read More 6 min read
11 Minnesota Bakeries Known For One Treat People Keep Coming Back For
Ask a regular what they order, and they answer before you finish the question. One treat, every single time, no regrets. Some...
Read More 8 min read
This Minnesota Butcher Shop Sells More Than Meat, Including House-Made Sausages And Unusual Cuts
Hanging links, a case full of cuts most grocery stores wouldn’t dare stock, and a counter where the butcher actually wants to talk about dinner.
Read More 6 min read
12 Minnesota Places To Eat When You Want Something Beyond Burgers And Fries
Burgers and fries are great, but sometimes the stomach wants a plot twist. Dumplings, curries, handmade pasta, and flavors from...
Read More 9 min read
Minnesota’s First Arts-Based Public Benefit Corporation Blends a Vintage Arcade With an Over-the-Top Mini-Golf Course
Pinball bells ring, mini-golf balls roll through a tiny wonderland, and somewhere in the middle, a grown adult is losing to a ten-year-old at an arcade game.
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Bakery Where The Morning Rush Starts With Fresh Taiwanese Pastries
Trays slide out of the oven, the line shuffles forward, and a small crowd quietly agrees that the day has officially started well. Mornings here run on soft, golden buns, flaky...
Read More 6 min read
One Minnesota Town Turned A Former Gas Station Into A Giant Art Destination
Fuel pumps are long gone, but something much more colorful moved in and decided to stay. A former gas station now overflows with creative energy, studios and galleries filling...
Read More 7 min read
A Minnesota Restaurant Just Reopened After A Decade, And The Menu Goes Way Beyond Ordinary Mediterranean Food
Ten years off the map, and somehow nobody forgot where this kitchen used to be. Dishes here go way beyond the usual hummus-and-falafel checklist most Mediterranean spots lean on...
Read More 6 min read
Minnesota Has A Place Where Ancient Rock Tells A Story That Spans Thousands Of Years
Rock doesn't usually come with thousands of years of stories attached, yet this particular stretch of ground somehow holds exactly that. Quarries here have been worked for generations,...
Read More 7 min read
11 Minnesota Places That Make You Wonder Who Came Up With This Idea
Somewhere, a person raised a hand in a meeting and said, “What if we built it anyway?” Everyone said yes, and here we are. Minnesota...
Read More 8 min read
The Minnesota Restaurant That Makes Its Own Smoked Meats
Smoke curls out of the back, and the whole block suddenly smells like a very good decision. Every cut here starts long before...
Read More 6 min read
11 Minnesota’s Most Unusual Buildings That Were Never Supposed To Become Attractions
Somebody once built a grain silo, a water tower, or a roadside shed with zero plans for fame. Then the cameras showed up, and the plot changed completely.
Read More 8 min read
Minnesota Has A Russian Restaurant Where Dinner Comes With A Side Of Old-World Charm
Dumplings, rich stews, and a dining room that feels like a grandmother's parlor from another century. Dinner here starts a long way from the usual. Old-world charm fills the room,...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A Mini-Golf Course Where The Obstacles Are Giant Sculptures
Regular mini-golf obstacles are windmills and loop-de-loops, this course decided giant sculptures made way more sense. Massive stone and metal figures tower over nearly every hole...
Read More 7 min read
A Minnesota Lodge Looks Like It Belongs In A 1920s Art Deco Movie
Walk inside, and suddenly it feels like a 1920s film set just started rolling cameras. Bold geometric patterns cover the walls...
Read More 7 min read
Minnesota Has A New Restaurant Serving Hong Kong-Style Breakfast And Milk-Tea French Toast
Milk-tea French toast sounds like a fever dream until it actually lands on the table and makes complete sense. Hong Kong-style breakfast dishes fill the menu here, flavors bold...
Read More 6 min read
A 26-Foot Talking Statue Greets You by Name at This 180-Acre Minnesota Amusement Park
A twenty-six foot statue just said your name, and no, nobody warned you that was happening today. A towering animatronic figure greets visitors personally here, somehow knowing...
Read More 7 min read
11 Minnesota Small Towns Hiding The Kind Of Attractions Worth Driving For
Small population signs rarely hint at much worth stopping for, these towns quietly disagree with that assumption entirely. A...
Read More 8 min read
Minnesota Has A Restaurant Hidden In Plain Sight That People Actually Drive Miles To Find
Hidden in plain sight sounds like a contradiction until you actually try finding this place yourself the first time. Nothing about the exterior gives away what's waiting inside,...
Read More 7 min read
11 Minnesota Restaurants Serving Global Flavors In Unexpected Places
Strip mall parking lot outside, full-blown culinary passport stamp waiting inside. Nobody warns you beforehand. A handful of restaurants scattered through unassuming neighborhoods...
Read More 8 min read
This Minnesota Restaurant Serves Mexican Food With Meat Shaved Straight From a Trompo
That spinning tower of meat isn't just for show. It's basically dinner, doing donuts right in front of you. Layers stack tall on the trompo here, shaved off in thin, crispy-edged...
Read More 6 min read
You Can’t Leave This Minnesota Bakery Without Trying the Award-Winning Patticake
Leaving without trying it isn't really an option once you see other customers walking out holding one like a trophy. The Patticake...
Read More 7 min read
Former NBA Star Is Building a Fried Chicken Empire in Minnesota
A former NBA player traded the hardwood for the fryer, and the crispy, spicy results are turning heads. Picture a dinner line stretching out the door, everyone waiting on tenders...
Read More 7 min read
The Donuts at This Tiny Minnesota Bakery Are the Most Unforgettable Thing You’ll Ever Taste
Unforgettable is a big claim for a donut. One bite here, and that claim suddenly feels like an understatement. Dough gets made...
Read More 7 min read
This Minnesota College Has a Christmas Music Tradition That Dates Back to 1912
Nineteen-twelve called, and apparently its Christmas playlist is still the best one around. Voices fill the concert hall here every December, a tradition that's survived over a...
Read More 7 min read
This Restaurant Serves a Taste of Scandinavia in the Middle of Minnesota
Somewhere between the sauerkraut and the sausage, Scandinavia apparently relocated straight into the middle of the Midwest. Recipes...
Read More 6 min read
This Minnesota Historic Site Was Once the Largest Fur-Trade Depot in the Region
Furs moved through here by the thousands, and this site handled more trade than anywhere else in the entire region once upon a time. Reconstructed buildings stand here, giving...
Read More 7 min read
More Than 10,000 Children Passed Through This Little-Known Minnesota Institution
Ten thousand children walked through these doors over the decades this institution operated, each one carrying a story most visitors never learn about anywhere else.
Read More 7 min read
12 Minnesota Restaurants That Could Easily Be The Reason For The Road Trip
Gas tank full, GPS set, and somehow the destination is entirely about dinner. No complaints here. A handful of spots scattered around the state genuinely justify hours behind the...
Read More 8 min read
