DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS: SmAll cOmmuNiTieS
By Diana Rojo-Garcia
‘Oh, those small communities’ Minnesota has an abundance of quaint small towns that are worth your time
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mall towns are the unsung heroes of American travel. They can be easily overlooked, but these charming slices of Americana have a lot to offer. Unique restaurants, museums, state parks, walking trails — the list goes on. And Minnesota has plenty of small towns to venture out to this spring and make a day of it.
Little Falls, population 8,343
Hometown to aviator Charles Lindbergh, Little Falls has a lot to offer in its quaint town. There’s a lot of history that was made in Little Falls, and with that, many places to visit. Things to do: n Charles Lindbergh House and Museum
The museum will be back up and running after its completion of construction later this month (April 30). The museum gives its visitors a comprehensive look at the life of Charles Lindbergh. There are model planes, interactive exhibits and a full-scale replica of the Spirit of St. Louis cockpit. According to its website, visitors can envision themselves “performing a tricky takeoff in New York, surviving an ice storm over the ocean and landing safely in Paris.” The museum also shows original footage from the aviator’s famous flight daily, and all day, in its 50-seat theater. For those interested, take a tour in Lindbergh’s childhood home. The tour guides the visitors through his home, including original items from the home. (More info at mnhs. org/lindbergh) n Minnesota Fishing Museum The museum is open year-round 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The museum holds more than 10,000 fishing-related artifacts. But the museum insists that it’s not “just a collection of old fishing items.” “Rather, a collection of historical possessions that belonged to individuals from across Minnesota who were (and are) a part of history
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of freshwater fishing in our state,” according to its website. Some items include ice fishing houses, boats and tackle, some of which date to the early 1900s. Tickets to visit the museum are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students and $15 for families. More info: mnfishingmuseum.com Also check out: Pine Grove Zoo, Linden Hill Historic Estate, Charles A. Lindbergh State Park. Highest rated places for grub: Little Fiesta, Mexican cuisine; West Side Cafe, comfort food; A.T. The Black & White, American cuisine. Fun fact: Actor Jessica Lange, known for her roles in “King Kong,” “Tootsie,” and the “American Horror Story” series, lived in Little Falls with her family until the late 1950s. Plan your trip: littlefallsmn.com
Grand Marais, population 1,359
Grand Marais, French for “Great Marsh,” has always been a bustling area. In the 1700s it had been a popular fur-trading station. Today the town is a gateway to the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Grand Marais also prides itself on its arts and music culture during the summer. The Grand Marais Art Colony is the oldest artists’ colony in Minnesota. It is also the home of the Devil’s Kettle, a geological oddity in which Brule River splits, sending half its flow tumbling 50 feet over a cliff, and other half into what appears to be a hole in the rocks. (Spoiler alert: Scientists solved the mystery a few years back. The water returns to the river a short distance downstream.)
