Exploring the Quirky Corners of Southeastern Minnesota!

Sometimes the best vacations are the ones you don’t plan. My wife, Roxie, and I took advantage of my slow time at work for just such a trip. While we had a general idea of where we wanted to go, we had no detailed itinerary—just an open road and a sense of adventure. We started out at the Spam Museum in Austin, then went and visited our dear friend Anna in Pine Island. She grilled brats for us and we had a nice lunch at her house. Pastor Eric and girls were at Bible Camp.

We’ve spent our marriage exploring all over Minnesota, from memorable family trips to Duluth and the North Shore when our kids were young, to a recent getaway to Itasca State Park. This year, we decided to turn our focus to the southeastern part of the state, with a goal of visiting strange and quirky places.
Our road trip was a scavenger hunt for the unique. We mapped out a visit to the Spam Museum in Austin and the only covered bridge in Minnesota, located near Zumbrota. We also found a beautiful waterfall near Jordan, and while we were there, a stop at the World’s Largest Candy Store was a must. And wow, was it a sight to behold!

The majority of our time was spent in Red Wing, a city nestled on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. We had never been to Red Wing before, and we spent three days immersing ourselves in its amazing history.
I had originally booked us a two-night stay at the historic St. James Hotel, but Roxie found several YouTube videos about how haunted the hotel is. Needless to say, I was told to cancel the reservation. But that didn’t stop us from having a nice dinner there and walking around, hoping to spot a ghost or two!

We had some amazing food in Red Wing, too. A while back, I heard on KFAN that Chris Hawkey said the best pizza he ever had was at Liberty’s Restaurant. I ordered it, and he was absolutely right—it was amazing, and even Roxie agreed. We also stopped at Hanisch Bakery, which has been voted the best bakery in Minnesota five years in a row. I love following them on TikTok, I knew it would be a treat to visit in person and it was!

One evening, we sat by the river and watched a father and son fishing with a large net, something I had never seen before. They would cast the net into the river and pull out their catch. Another highlight was a stop at the Red Wing Boot Store, where we saw the largest boot in the world!

Beyond Red Wing, we drove to Kellogg to visit Lark Toys. This place is a museum for almost every toy ever made! The huge building was a blast to explore, and I loved seeing all the toys from my own childhood. Inside, they have a magnificent handmade carousel that gives rides every half hour. We even played mini-golf there, and I finally beat Roxie by three strokes!

We drove to Wabasha, which boasts Slippery’s Tavern and Ristorante, it was the bar used in the movie Grumpy Old Men. Great atmosphere, we sat and watched boats come into Slipperys from the Mississippi. We had a great meal there and took lots of pictures. The inside of Slipperys is decorated with pictures of Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon and Ann Margret. I’m glad we stopped.

And remember that stop at the World’s Largest Candy Store? We were completely shocked to run into my sister Susie and her family there! It was a fun surprise and made the trip even more memorable.

We did so many other things on this trip. The motels were very nice, and Roxie said we didn’t have a single bad meal. It was a relaxing vacation and a much-needed break for both of us. I’m ready for the high school sports season to begin!!