micah dawson author at My Family Travels
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This 170-Year-Old Minnesota Restaurant Has Hosted Two U.S. Presidents

A hundred and seventy years is a long time to keep serving dinner, let alone impress two different presidents along the way. History...

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10 Minnesota Meat Markets Where Folks Stock Their Freezers Cheaper Than Any Chain Store

Grocery store prices these days feel like a small crime. A handful of local butchers apparently agree, and they're doing something about it.

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This Minnesota Steakhouse Serves More Than 15,000 Steaks a Month Inside a Giant Barn

Fifteen thousand steaks a month means the grill never gets a real break, and it all happens under one enormous roof. Picture...

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Minnesota Has A Farm Bakery With More Than 20 Kinds Of Pies

Counting past twenty pie flavors usually means something went wrong at a bakery. Here, it just means business as usual. Fruit...

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Minnesota Has a German Deli That’s So Authentic You’ll Think You’re in Europe

Authentic gets thrown around loosely most of the time, yet this Minnesota deli backs the word up completely from the moment you step inside.

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This Minnesota Salvage Shop Is Packed With Architectural Antiques And Vintage Treasures

Doorknobs and stained glass don't usually pile up quite this deep outside a warehouse built specifically for hoarding salvaged history.

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This Tiny Minnesota Airport Is Becoming A Haven For Low-Cost Flights

Small airports rarely make headlines for good reasons. This Minnesota airport's building a following anyway, mostly by keeping ticket prices refreshingly low.

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11 Hobby Stores In Minnesota Where You Could Easily Lose An Entire Afternoon

Time moves strangely inside these stores, minutes stretching into hours before anyone actually notices how long they've been browsing.

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This Minnesota Train Turns A 3-Hour Ride Into A Fine Dining Journey Through The Countryside

Three hours on a train doesn't usually come with white tablecloths and a full dining service. Here, it does, scenery included as a bonus nobody complains about.

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This Minnesota Bagel Shop Boils Its Bagels From Scratch And Cures Its Own Salmon

A proper bagel starts in boiling water, not a proofer set to mimic the real thing. This shop skips every shortcut that lets most bagels pass as authentic without actually earning...

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This Hidden Minnesota Speakeasy Serves Upscale Italian Cuisine in a Prohibition-Era Underground Lounge

Finding the entrance here takes a little detective work, nothing obvious marking what's actually waiting just below street level.

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12 Minnesota Restaurants To Try When You’re Tired Of Chain Restaurants

Chain menus start blending together after a while, same predictable dishes just wearing different logos depending on which parking lot you pulled into.

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This Might Be The Best Brisket We’ve Found While Exploring Minnesota Backroads

Some backroad detours lead nowhere interesting. This one led straight to a plate of brisket good enough to justify the whole drive.

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This High-Tech Minnesota University Is One of the Best Value Colleges in the State

Tuition rarely stretches this far without cutting corners somewhere along the way. One school manages to sidestep that tradeoff entirely.

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This Spooky Minnesota Restaurant Turns A Simple Meal Into A Ghost-Lover’s Night Out

Dinner rarely comes with a reputation for hauntings attached, yet this Minnesota restaurant leans fully into that history rather than hiding it.

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We Ranked 10 Of The Top Steakhouses In Minnesota And Here’s Who Made The Cut

Ranking steakhouses always invites disagreement, yet narrowing down an entire state to just ten still forces some genuinely hard choices along the way.

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Summer Ends But This Minnesota Farmers Market Keeps Going All Year Long

Cold weather usually empties out farmers markets fast, tables gone until spring returns. This one never bothers closing at all. Vendors...

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This Minnesota Buffet Is So Incredible, Folks Plan Road Trips Just To Eat Here

We've all had that one meal that made us seriously consider moving closer. This Minnesota buffet inspires that kind of devotion on a whole different level. People literally plan...

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Step Inside This Oregon Italian Market And It Feels Like Europe

Green-and-white checkered walls, the smell of slow-cooked tomatoes and fresh pasta dough, and something buttery you cannot quite place but immediately want more of.

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A Food Court And Indoor-Outdoor Pools Live At This Massive Day Spa In Minnesota

Day spas rarely come with a food court attached, let alone pools stretching both indoors and outdoors under one massive roof. Guests move easily between everything here. A quick...

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This Enormous Minnesota Country Store Is So Big You Could Lose An Entire Afternoon Inside

Losing track of time doesn't usually happen at a grocery store. This one manages it easily, swallowing entire afternoons without anyone noticing the clock.

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11 Minnesota Towns Losing Residents to the Rising Cost of Suburban Life

Suburban life used to promise stability. In parts of Minnesota, that promise is quietly falling apart as costs climb faster than paychecks can keep up.

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This Mennonite Bulk Food and Variety Market in Minnesota Has a Bakery Worth the Fall Morning Drive

Bulk bins line the shelves here, nothing pre-packaged or overpriced the way most regular grocery stores handle basics like flour and grains.

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This 150-Year-Old Minnesota Factory Still Uses Machines From 1904 to Make Its Iconic Blankets

Machines built in 1904 still run daily here, more than a century after they first started turning wool into blankets. Nothing...

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This Minnesota Ice Cream Shop Was Named a Neighborhood Favorite Two Years in a Row

Two years in a row is no accident. A small ice cream shop in Cannon Falls just proved that with back-to-back neighborhood favorite wins.

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11 Minnesota Restaurants Where The Building Is Part Of The Story

Some restaurants exist purely as a place to eat. Others carry history in their walls, turning dinner into something that feels connected to whatever happened there before the tables...

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This Minnesota Discount Grocery Store Has Become A Go-To Spot For Thrifty Families

Grocery bills keep climbing everywhere, yet one discount store quietly resists that trend entirely. Shelves here stock real...

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This Hidden Minnesota Farm Restaurant Serves Dinners Straight From the Field Out Front

Dinner ingredients rarely travel this short a distance, sometimes just steps between the field and the kitchen door. Vegetables...

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This Mennonite Country Store In Minnesota Is Packed With Bulk Foods And Homemade Goods

Nobody expects a grocery run to take an hour, yet that's exactly what happens once someone wanders into this store by accident. Bulk...

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The Once-Quiet Minnesota Lake Town That Fall Crowds Have Completely Taken Over In The Last Few Years

Quiet used to describe this lake town accurately. That word barely applies anymore once fall arrives and crowds show up in numbers nobody predicted a few years back.

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12 Wildlife Conservation Programs In Minnesota Where You Can Volunteer Or Learn

Watching wildlife from a distance only satisfies curiosity for so long. A handful of programs across Minnesota let people get involved directly instead, hands actually doing something...

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This Minnesota Equestrian Store Is A Massive Wonderland For Riders And Horse Enthusiasts

Horse enthusiasts rarely find a store that covers literally everything they might need under one roof. This one comes close, filling aisle after aisle with gear for every level...

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This Small Minnesota Town Is Quietly Known For Its Cozy Bakeries And Road Trip Appeal

Road trips rarely detour for a town this small, yet this one keeps earning exactly that kind of attention anyway. Bakeries...

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Pack Your Bike And Head To This Flat, Paved Minnesota Trail Perfect For All Ages

Flat terrain rarely disappoints anyone, whether they're pushing a stroller or pedaling ahead impatiently. This Minnesota trail keeps every generation happy without slowing anyone...

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This Minnesota Café Serves Rotating New American Dishes With a View

Menus that never sit still keep regulars guessing in the best possible way. This Minnesota café built its entire reputation on exactly that unpredictability.

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Everything at This Minnesota Cafe Is Completely Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Reading a menu without scanning for hidden allergens feels rare enough to be memorable on its own. At this Minnesota cafe, that relief comes standard with every single dish.

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This Minnesota Farm Turns Into A Huge Fall Festival Every September

Corn stalks and pumpkin patches don't usually pull crowds quite like this every single September. Something about this Minnesota farm turns an ordinary harvest season into a full...

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This Portuguese Restaurant Is Known For Having The Best Rodizio In Minnesota

That moment when you're full but another skewer of meat arrives and you just can't say no: that's the experience at this Minnesota restaurant. The rodizio here is legendary, and...

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This Minnesota Resort Is a Craft Beverage Wonderland With Gardens and Epic Soaking Pools

This Minnesota resort has been a destination for relaxation for decades. But its beverage scene has become a major draw in its own right, turning it into a true wonderland for...

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This Minnesota Restaurant With Senior Discounts Is Worth Knowing About

Stretching a fixed income further sounds harder every year, yet this Minnesota cafe still makes it a little easier for older diners walking through the door.

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This Historic Minnesota Park Has Biking and Walking Paths Through Ruins of a Global Industrial Powerhouse

Ruins usually sit behind fences, admired from a distance and nothing more. This Minnesota park does the opposite, letting visitors walk and bike directly through what remains of...

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We Found The Perfect Little Oregon Beach Bar For Laid Back Waterfront Views (Just Bring Cash)

There's a certain kind of freedom in a place that doesn't take cards. No swiping, no tapping, just cash and a cold drink with a view that makes you forget your phone exists. This...

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Minnesota Has a Restaurant Hidden Inside a Former Theater

Old theater seats don't usually come with a dinner menu attached. Here, though, the whole building still carries that performance energy, just redirected toward food instead of...

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The Minnesota Beach with Caribbean-Blue Water You Have to See With Your Own Eyes

Photos of this water get mistaken constantly for somewhere tropical. Caribbean blue, clear enough to see straight down for feet, nothing like the murky lakes most people expect...

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This Minnesota Amish Bulk Foods Store Is Filled With Country-Store Treasures

Shelves here look nothing like a regular grocery store. Bulk bins replace individual packaging, and everything feels like it was chosen for usefulness rather than flashy branding...

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This Minnesota Roadside Ice Cream Spot Serves A Peach Scoop Locals Say Is Worth Pulling Over For

No drive-through, no big signage visible from the highway, just a small building that barely announces itself. Yet somehow enough people know exactly when to hit the brakes.

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This Minnesota Steakhouse Is The Last Of Its Kind Serving Its 50-Item All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

Fifty items sounds impossible for a buffet these days. Most places cut back years ago, trimming choices down to save money. This steakhouse never got that memo, and diners are...

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This Minnesota Restaurant Looks Like A Tiny Local Joint But People Drive Miles For The Food

Nothing about the building suggests anything special. Small parking lot, simple sign, the kind of place you'd assume serves basic diner food and nothing more. Then you taste what...

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This Minnesota Italian Restaurant Takes Chicken Parm To A Seriously Delicious Level

Ask anyone who grew up eating chicken parm and they'll tell you most versions taste the same. Breaded, sauced, cheesy, fine. Then one bite at this Minnesota spot flips that whole...

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The Locals Guard This Minnesota Restaurant Like a State Secret

Some restaurants chase attention. This one seems almost determined to avoid it. I first heard about it through a quiet recommendation,...

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This Oregon Park Has a 200 Foot Fishing Pier and a Beach Most Tourists Drive Right Past

Most people speed right past the unassuming turnoff, completely unaware of what's just ahead. This Oregon state park sits quietly on the water, offering a 200-foot fishing pier...

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A Vegan Butcher Shop in Minnesota Sells ‘Meat’ Without Any Meat

You've heard of a butcher shop. Now imagine one with sausages, steaks, and ribs - except none of it ever came from an animal. That's the delicious oxymoron waiting at this Minnesota...

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This Northern Minnesota Restaurant Is Ranked Among The Nation’s Best Yet Most Visitors Still Miss It

You know those rare restaurants that are so good they're worth going out of your way for? This northern Minnesota spot is exactly that. It's been recognized nationally, yet most...

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This Italian Eatery May Be The Hardest Reservation To Score In Minnesota

We all have that one restaurant we keep meaning to try, only to find the reservation calendar perpetually full. This Minnesota Italian spot has become that elusive booking for...

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11 Hole-In-The-Wall Minnesota Restaurants Locals Secretly Wish You’d Never Find

You know those places that feel like they exist in a parallel universe? Minnesota has a few of them. Tucked away in unassuming corners and old buildings, they're cherished by locals...

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This Free Minnesota Museum Is One of The Nation’s Oldest Geology Museum And Has An Egyptian Mummy

You know the best things in life are free - and that's certainly true here. Hiding in plain sight in Minnesota is one of the oldest and most intriguing museums you can visit without...

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One Of Minnesota’s Most Stunning Dining Decks Serves Homemade Pasta By The Water

There's something about eating pasta by the water that makes everything taste better. This Minnesota restaurant serves homemade pasta on one of the most stunning decks in the state,...

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This Minnesota Park Is Filled With Giant Sculptures Made From Junk

You know that moment when you look at something and think, "Wait, is that made from old car parts?" This Minnesota park delivers that feeling over and over again. Scattered across...

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There’s a Beach in Oregon Where the Sand Actually Sings

You know that sound when you walk on fresh snow, that satisfying crunch under your feet? Now imagine that, but on a beach, with the whole shoreline humming beneath you. That's...

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Minnesota’s Most Unusual Places That Kids Will Actually Love

You know that look kids get when they stumble onto something wonderfully strange - eyes wide, mouths open, questions flying? These Minnesota spots deliver exactly that reaction,...

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