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The William’s Company Store
The William’s Company Store is a charming deli, ice cream, and coffee shop as well as a boutique/gift shop. It’s located in Ottertail, MN and is locally owned and run by Marnie and Dan Whitehead. They have some very unique things for sale in their store from kids toys, baby clothes, to local lake themed decor, soaps, kitchen gadgets, and jewelry. And let’s not forget the above mentioned ice cream, coffees/teas, smoothies, wine and beer, and their deli. My personal favorite is an Iced vanilla Chai Tea that Marnie got me hooked on (thanks for that one Marnie). Dan and Marnie moved up here from the the twin cities area…
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Mount Rushmore
The Midwest has far more than just cornfields and cows. South Dakota is home to many wonderful sites to include a grand national monument, Mount Rushmore. Now for those of you that don’t know the significance of Mount Rushmore, here’s a little overview of it’s history: the person who conceived the idea of Mount Rushmore was a historian by the name of Doane Robinson and he came up with this idea to promote tourism in South Dakota. The came up with this idea in 1923 and a year later got a sculptor by the name of Gutzon Borglum on board. the construction started in 1927 and ended in 1941 and…
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DeLeo Bros. Pizzeria
If you’re ever looking for a good place with a good vibe, 8-bit nerdy atmosphere and some darn good pizza then look no further than this delicious hole in the wall! DeLeo Bros Pizzeria is located inside the Southdale Mall in Edina, MN. With pizza the size of your face for only a couple of dollars a slice and the 1980s memorabilia plastered all over I can easily say that this is one of my favorite places to chow down and nerd out at. The pizza is always hot when you get in and can only be described as a pizza that you will not get from a Domino’s, Pizza…
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Butterfly Tagging
One of my favorite summer activities is going to the Fergus Falls Prairie Wetland Management District and Learning Center. The have so many wonderful walking paths you can take to explore all of the beauty the Prairie and the Prairie Wetlands has to offer. My absolute favorite thing to do there is the Butterfly Tagging. Butterfly tagging isn’t entirely what it sounds like. You walk around and look for Monarch Butterfly, catch it in a net, take it to on of the DNR members/Park Rangers and they help you put this special sticker on their wing that has a number on it to identify that butterfly, then you simply release…
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The Headwaters and end of the Mighty Mississippi.
The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, and is the 4th longest in the world. The Headwaters of the Mississippi is located in Itasca, MN and the end if it is 100 miles down stream from New Orleans at the Gulf of Mexico. One of my favorite places to go hiking at is Itasca State park. It has numerous biking and hiking paths to enjoy starting at their different entrances, North, East, West, and South. But if hiking isn’t your favorite pastime and you want to just see the headwaters and swim, go through the North entrance and it is just a short walk. Itasca is…
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Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store
Minnesota’s largest candy store is one “sweet” place you need to put on your places to go list. It was opened in 1978 and is a family owned business. Now what makes this place so neat is a combination of many different things. It is home to candies from all over the world, fun flavors of soda, homemade fudges and pies, jelly, jams, sauces, and all the cool things to see! They have such a cool ceiling in both the silo and the barn, an animatronic band, an old phone booth, and for all my nerds out there a replica Doctor Who T.A.R.D.I.S.! You could spend all day in that…
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Stone Mountain Park, GA Laser Show
I have family that lives down south, mostly in the wonderful peach state we know as Georgia. Now yes, I live in Minnesota, but I was born in Georgia and brought to Minnesota as a small child; my mom was born and raised in Georgia, so most of her family is there. When we go to visit her family we have many fun traditions like going to Fresh Air BBQ, The Varsity, going to the Mall of Georgia, and most of all going to Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain is a giant piece of granite that sticks up out of the ground. It is about 1,686 feet above sea level…
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Milan Italy
Earlier this year I took a trip to see one of my absolute best friend and sister and practically my sister in Italy. We hosted her a few years ago as a foreign exchange student, and as many people who host exchange students understand, they become your family too. You magically gain another child, a sibling, and a whole extended family. I don’t even know where to begin with this trip, so best to start at the beginning right? The flight I took only had one layover, in New York, and was about a total (to include the lay over) 17 hours. The flight was really comfortable surprisingly and had…
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Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
The Minnesota Zoo puts on a wonderful fall event during October. Their Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular hosts over 5,000 beautifully carved pumpkins displaying images through out different time periods, historical events, and things that happened throughout the year. They also play sounds or music from those time periods. I would recommend it to even those of you who may not be a huge fan of Halloween. It may be a bunch of carved pumpkins, but there is noting scary, spooky, creepy, or unnerving about this event! Words cannot describe how fun and surprisingly enchanting this event is! It also is kid friendly and perfect for a family outing. You do have to…
An adventurous life awaits, it all starts with a simple trip.
