Day Trip Destinations

By Nell Musolf

Shakopee is more than just a theme park and a race track. At just an hour away, the area’s history is worth your time.

Think Shakopee is just

rollercoasters and racehorses? Think again

Photos by Jenn Singer

When it is January and the days are short and dark and cold, a long day trip over icy roads might not be at the top of anyone’s list of fun things to do. So why not make it a shorter day trip to somewhere convenient, like Shakopee?

Approximately an hour’s drive from Mankato, Shakopee is situated on a south bank bend of the Minnesota River. The land Shakopee was built on has a long history going back to prehistoric burial mounds located in the town’s historic district. Once the home of Chief Shakopee of the Mdewakanton Dakota, the land was ceded in 1851. That same year, Thomas A. Holmes started a trading post in the region. A few years later Shakopee Village was platted in 1854. The village eventually became a medium-sized city (current population approximately 40,000) and a bedroom community for commuters to the Twin Cities.

While Shakopee is known primarily as the home of Valleyfair amusement park and the Canterbury Park racetrack, there are a multitude of other attractions in the area.

Downtown Shakopee has eclectic shopping options including Ramble On Records, 222 First Avenue, where old-school vinyl albums are both bought and sold along with posters and other music memorabilia. Nearby First Avenue Boutique, 999 Main Street, sells original items created by local artists including jewelry, clothing and artwork. Bill’s Toggery, 138 Lewis Street South, is in its third generation selling traditional men’s clothing.

A shopping trip to Shakopee wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the Shakopee Trading Post and Gallery, 723 West First Avenue, where visitors will find Native American arts and crafts, made by artists from

America and Canada in the same traditional manner as they have been created for several hundred years.

If it’s not too cold and you’re in the mood for a walk, visit The Landing, 2187 Highway E. The Landing is located in Minnesota Heritage Park where historical buildings take visitors back in time to see what life was like for early settlers in the area and follow a timeline from preterritorial times up through the late 1880’s.

If you’re looking for more outdoor activities, Shakopee has over 60 miles of trails including the Mazomani Trail, the Louisville Swamp Trail, and the Wilkie Trail. Ice skaters can spend some time at the Shakopee Ice Arena, 1225 Fuller Street South, where a day pass is five dollars.

Antique enthusiasts might enjoy visit Re-Claim Studios, 190 Market Street South, where refinished antiques are sold and guests can also work on their own projects in the store’s space if they choose to. Thrifters will want to check out Local Imports, 712 Canterbury Road, and Goodwill, 4450 Twelfth Avenue East, to find other people’s treasures.

Of course Valleyfair is closed for the season, but Canterbury Park is open year-round and 24/7 for folks who enjoy betting on horses, card games and gambling in general.

When hunger hits, Shakopee has plenty of restaurants to satisfy every appetite. O’Brien’s Public House, 338 First Avenue East, has been a local favorite for over 20 years. Bravis Modern Street Food, 105 Lewis Street, features Mexican food including a Pizzadilla that feeds up to four people and several different kinds of street tacos. Wampach’s has been serving the locals since the 1950’s and has retained its small-town diner feeling throughout the years. Finally, how could you not want to visit a place called Mr. Pig Stuff? The restaurant, 1561 First Avenue East, is known for its enormous sandwiches made out of all things barbecue. Dine in or order carryout to bring home with you after your day trip has wound down.

The Louisville Swamp area has a walking trail that puts you in the thick of Shakopee’s natural beauty.

The Landing in Shakopee offers visitors a history lesson about its early settlers.

510 Long Street, Ste. 104 Mankato, MN 507.345.4040

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You deserve to be happy, so … Pamper Yourself By Robb Murray

Listen, we get it. We so totally get it. The last two years have been a beast.

COVID and its delta and omicron variants … The continued polarization and viciousness of our political climate … An overhearing planet causing wacky weather anomalies … The Minnesota Vikings …

1Walk the dog — Most people consider walking the dog something they need to do for their dog. But it can also be something for you, too. Consider it an adventure. Change up your route. Let Rover be your guide. Plus, have you ever had a conversation with your dog while on a walk? Dogs are great conversationalists.

2Get a massage — There are many reputable massage therapists in town, and a good rub down might be just what you need to recharge your batteries. Whether you want Shiatsu, Thai, hot rock or anything else, you can find it most likely within 15 minutes of your home. And you deserve it.

It’s enough to make you want to pull out your hair. And no one would blame you if you did. But wait. Before you commit follicular homicide, take a step back, reset, collect yourself and just listen. Maybe — just maybe — instead of this being the time to pull your hair, maybe it’s instead the time to: • Slow down. • Pamper yourself. • Remind yourself that it’s OK to take a little “me time” once in a while.

Why? Because you’re worth it. We know it, and deep down inside we know you know it, too. We also know it’s burden enough just allowing yourself to get into the headspace of doing something for yourself. So we’ve put together 32 ways you can turn January into JanuarME. (Yeah, that didn’t come out exactly like we’d hoped, but you get the picture.)

So, get ready to start a checklist, folks. 5These ideas are killer. Trails, trails, trails — This area’s got more trails Work that body than you can shake a water bottle at. Whether you like to walk, run or ride, the Mankato area has stepped up its game substantially in the last 15 years when it comes to trails. 6Bird watching —Let’s not kid ourselves; we’re not exactly the bird-watching capital of the country (not even the state). But there’s a lot to see if you train your eyes to the sky. Eagles, peregrine falcons and occasional sightings of rare birds such as Mississippi kites. Grab your googoo goggles (binoculars) and get out there.

7Snowshoeing — When in Rome, right? Look, you can shake your fist and curse the sky when the snow flies, or you can get off your butt and figure out a way to enjoy it. Snowshoes aren’t prohibitively expensive, but if you’d rather try them out before you buy, a number of places, including Bent River Outfitters, rent them. Explore the wilderness!

3Bison — You’ve probably at some point driven through the Minneopa State Park bison area. But have you ever parked your car and walked along the fence? Do it. When people complain the bison are too far away, you can usually get a great glimpse of them from the walking path, which is safely behind a fence, so you’ll not have to worry about getting trampled.

4Take a yoga class — Admit it; you’ve been wanting to try yoga for years. But you’ve got all these excuses: “It’s too expensive!” “I’m not sure it’s for me!” and, if you’re a dude, “I don’t want to be the only dude in the class.” Hogwash. Grow up, sign up for the class you want to take and finally experience the magic of this ancient form of exercise and relaxation. 8Mount Kato — Speaking of winter activities, have you tried Mount Kato? Why not? People from states with actual mountains get a chuckle out of our little ski hill, but you can’t deny the fun thousands of kids have had there.

9Kasota Zoo — You think I’m kidding. I’m not. Go to Kasota, ask the first pedestrian you see to point you in the direction of the Kasota Zoo. You’ll be glad you did.

I try to carve out a couple of hours a week to unplug and just be by myself. It sounds weird but I consider a good long walk on the Red Jacket Trail with my tunes playing in my ear as pampering myself. (Because there are usually a million other things I should be doing.) But taking that time is good for my mental and physical health. — Lisa Cownie

10Once Read Bookstore, Pulp Comics, Fillin’ Station — These three businesses have carved out a triangle of hipness in downtown Mankato. Grab a “Moby Dick” or “Old Man and the Sea” at Once Read, then the latest graphic novel at Pulp, then devour them over a coffee, black — no cream, no sugar, just black — because that’s what J.D. Salinger would have done, we’re guessing.

11The good old library — We love independent bookstores, but let’s not forget the OG book supplier: the library. And in this community, we’ve got two great ones. What’s that? You haven’t had a library card in decades? It’s time to change that, turn over a new literary leaf and reacquaint yourself with the wonders of public libraries.

12Write a love letter to yourself — You’ve been hard on yourself lately, haven’t you? Just remember this: No one will love you until you love you. Didn’t mean to turn this into a therapy session, but just write the dang letter. You deserve to be happy with who you are.

13Take a nap —I’m not kidding. Naps are vastly underrated. And you probably haven’t had a good nap since before your kids were born, after which you told yourself you weren’t a good parent if you weren’t spending every waking moment trying to make their lives better. Well, I’m here to tell you, you need a nap. We’ll wake you up in an hour. 14Call in sick — We are hereby granting you permission to call in sick. And when your boss says, “OK, I hope you feel better soon,” you may feel bad for two minutes. After that, take that day and do nothing but pamper yourself with comfort food, extra shots of espresso and long drives around town singing along to your favorite songs.

15Stargaze — We know it’s cold, but you should definitely try this. Check out the weather, wait for a clear night, then drive a few miles out into the country. Get out of your car, lie down in a snowbank and just … stare. While you’re at it, execute that same strategy for a sunrise. You’ll feel small in all the best ways, and your problems will feel that way, too.

16Write a letter to a friend and mail it — This has become a society that operates in digital text chunks shorter than a greeting card. Get out a pen and a sheet of paper and start a letter to a friend. You’ll be amazed how much it will mean to them. (This seems like it’s for them, but it’s really for you.)

17Try a new hobby — Nothing fires up the creative juices quite like discovering a new hobby. Try creating pottery at the Makerspace, buy a 1,000-piece puzzle, take up knitting, channel Bob Ross and become a painter of happy trees.

18Turn your phone off — You can do this. I promise it’ll be OK. Start with an hour, and when you see the world continued to function without you monitoring Twitter and checking your work email, maybe try for two hours. Then six. Then 12. Watch the stress melt away when you’re no longer constantly wondering how many likes your last Instagram post received.

19Organize your stuff — Hear me out on this one. You’ve no doubt got a drawer full of Tupperware and random plastic tubs. There are also lids, but there’s really no way of telling where the lids go, or even if they go with any of the tubs. So listen, chief: Pull it all out. Arrange it in a logical manner. Become the boss of that drawer. Own it. Then repeat the process at your work-from-home work space.

While I do like cuddling up in my chair with a warm cup of tea and spending time with my kids watching a movie, cold exposure (ice water dips) brings me to a state of letting go and being in the present the most. It is hard to explain. Once you get into fresh, crisp icy water you have no choice but to let go, breathe, and fully embrace the magic of being in the moment, fully present, and raw! — Vusa Bentley

Mental wellness

Random feel good stuff

I think I do it all the time without even thinking of it. I have my bathrobe. I get up early in the morning and put it on. I wander downstairs to make coffee before anyone is up. I go into my studio and smell the paint, walk around in the quiet, reflect on my work for the day. I can feel the soft flannel and it gives me contentment while I sip my coffee. — Brian Frink

20Journal — Go buy yourself a leatherbound journal and start writing the story of who you want to be.

21New outfit — The guys in The Fabulous Thunderbirds once said of their guitarist, Jimmy Vaughan, something along the lines of “Get Jimmy in a new suit and nobody can touch him.” Why? Because everyone feels better when they look better.

22Record store day — Block off an afternoon and wear your best browsing shoes. You deserve a day of sifting through the stacks of records at your favorite record store. Whether you choose to do it in Mankato at Tune Town or in the Twin Cities at Cheapo Records, your soul will thank you for the reminders of how cool you used to be.

23Go shopping … for YOU — If you’ve got kids, you probably forgot what it feels like to enter a retail establishment with the thought of treating yourself to something. You’ve spent the last few decades putting someone else first. Well, honey, it’s your turn. Spend that money. And don’t make excuses. It’s not an “early birthday present.” You don’t need to donate plasma to make up for it.

24Art — Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve no doubt noticed we’ve got a plethora of great local artists in this town. Their work is worth your time and money, and you’re worth having quality local art on your wall. 25Movie night with friends … or alone — Pop that corn, pour that soda and settle in for a Harry Potter marathon with a few close buds. Or … alone. Remember this Ellyn Burstyn quote: “What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.”

26Puddle jumping — Remember when your kids discovered how much fun it is to jump with both feet into the center of a puddle, and you watched in amazement, and then lamented how you wished it was OK for adults to jump with reckless abandon into the center of a puddle? Well, guess what?

You can. And you should. We’ll see a 40-degree day this month, and some of that snow will melt, creating perfect puddles of potential joy. You know what to do.

27Day trip — Each month this magazine features a great destination for a day trip. And day trips are a great way to have an adventure without using vacation time or taking out a loan. Head over to Red Wing, down to Dubuque — anywhere, really. Just go, already! We’ll let your dog out.

28Learn to say ‘No!’ — This might be the single best “pamper yourself” tip on this list, and you know I’m right.

29Pizza — Look, we know the new year is upon us and many of you have made resolutions to drop a few pounds. But don’t lose sight of the fact that we here in Mankato have been blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to pizza. You owe it to yourself to partake. Slices await.

30Wine — There’s nothing quite like enjoying a nice glass of locally made wine. From Chankaska to Morgan Creek to Javens to Indian Island, there’s more than enough wine to quaff.

31Make tamales — If you’ve never tried, do yourself a favor and sit down with your family and make traditional tamales. Fascination process. Delicious result.

32Try a meal delivery kit — Meal delivery kits used to be the province of well-heeled suburban families with three-car garages and lake homes. But not anymore. Kits such as Hello Fresh are actually quite affordable. They let you explore your culinary side and keep suppertime interesting. MM

I’m a pretty simple guy, so it’s binge watching something on a streaming platform and enjoying a Pagliai’s Pizza … A “Maverick,” of course!! — Dwayne Megaw

Tastes

Minnesota State University Professor Thad Shunkwiler says that, as a society, we can find the power within us to not only get through difficult times but be better prepared for whatever else life throws our way.

Resilience methods can help cope with COVID

By Michael Lagerquist | File photo

Thad Shunkwiler’s education and profession as a teacher and therapist have helped prepare him to survive and thrive in the challenges that have come with the pandemic. But like the rest of us, he still had to endure the disruption and sadness that COVID19 has caused.

For him, this has included the birth of twins to him and his wife, Lisa Chesley. It became a time when they had to rely on each other while keeping family and friends at arm’s length for their kids’ safety.

And it included hunkering down in their North Mankato home while he instructed virtual classes at Minnesota State University, training students who, ironically, will be called upon to help deal with people who have struggled with the same circumstances we are all enduring.

Still, Shunkwiler retains confidence that as a society we can find the power within us to not only get through this difficult time but be better prepared for whatever else life throws our way. After all, he says, pointing to world wars and the events of 9/11, we’ve come back from tragedy before.

But we need to learn from what we have endured and to realize we have the power to come out of it stronger. Truly, it’s recognizing there is light at the end of the tunnel of COVID.

“This has been, I’ll say, the most challenging two years of my life,” Shunkwiler admits.

While preparing to welcome twins, Everett and Sullivan, primary health concerns were those that come with multiple births. As their delivery approached, however, hospitals were talking about making masks mandatory. That mandate was implemented days after the twins arrived.

While there were uncertainties concerning how the virus would affect them, the family started taking control of their situation.

“It was a huge source of stress for our family not knowing what this virus was, what this COVID was, and whether or not it would impact children or young people,” he says, including now fourth grader Owen among those concerns. “We made the decision very early on – even before we left the hospital – that once we got home, we were sealing in. We were bunkering in.”

He and Lisa became sole caregivers for their twins. At the same time, he was adjusting his teaching methods to guide his students through the last six or eight weeks of the semester virtually. A big part of teaching therapists, he says, is modeling behaviors in class. That component would be lost.

He considers it a blessing to be able to be with his newborns during this important time, though another part of him suffered.

“I’m very professionally driven and I wasn’t able to have that, so my identity went through a bit of a crisis.”

Resilience makes you stronger

“Resilience” has become a buzzword during this COVID time, he says, but it’s something he has been promoting for years. Resilience is the ability to not only get through traumatic experiences but to come out the other side a stronger person.

One of the first steps for building resilience is taking control of those aspects of your life that you can control, modify and grow with. The decision to isolate their newborns was a step toward taking control.

“While certain factors might make some individuals more resilient than others, resilience isn’t necessarily a personality trait that only some people possess,” Shunkwiler says. In many ways, it’s something that can be taught … but has not been.

Another part of resilience is acknowledging those things you cannot control and minimizing those impacts.

“People are not able to persevere through some of these challenges, and I think that’s a collective failure on us, that we have not taught those strategies. We have not grounded our children in that, saying, ‘Hey, things are going to get tough and this is what we do when we need to persevere and push through those tough situations,’” he says.

When people can’t come together to endure, they turn to other, often destructive, coping mechanisms. Drug overdoses are at a record level this year and mental illness cases are rising. Liquor stores were deemed essential businesses and stayed open, providing a legal – though somewhat controversial – coping mechanism for those who needed it.

“Because the problem is really about how people aren’t connected to one another, and when they aren’t connected to one another, they’re going to connect to something,” he says. Making healthy connections must be a part of the recovery plan.

Ten pounds of cure

“I think we do something in our culture, whether that be Minnesotan culture, like we don’t want people to know that we’re not OK. Just try going down the hallway and ask how somebody’s doing,” he says.

“They’re going to say they’re fine, they’re good, they’re hanging in there. You catch people off-guard if you say, ‘Wow! This week has been really challenging. And I’m doing everything I can just to get to tomorrow.’

“If I’m being honest, that was my reality for several months where I was doing anything I could (with two newborns) just to get to the next day. If it was hard for me — somebody who has spent my entire professional career helping other people do that — I can only imagine how much more difficult it was for people who didn’t have that knowledge base of, ‘This is temporary. We’re going to push through this.’”

It can be a difficult situation, first, to recognize and, second, to understand that a bad situation is temporary, he says. As a society, we’ve come to expect instant gratification and to refuse to admit if we are struggling. But statistics that have come out of the pandemic are encouraging.

Studies show that during the first months of lockdown and isolation of families in their homes, marriage satisfaction actually increased, Shunkwiler says. It duplicates, in a microcosm, what humanity does best when confronting a shared bad experience: People come together to endure the shared experience.

“I think it’s because people had to talk to one another,” he says of the marriage satisfaction data. “I think people had to start turning inward because there was no external connection. So people started reimagining family dinner, reimagining the conversation. They came together and said, ‘We as a family have to push through this.’”

He doesn’t know how long that will last, he admits, “But the initial piece is, ‘Hey, families turned inward and they really found a way to work together through that stress.’” And it could be the start of rebuilding resilience that will echo through generations to come.

“I’m an old Ben Franklin guy,” Shunkwiler says. “An ounce of prevention is worth, I would consider, 10 pounds of cure. … My big thing now is ensuring that our young people are building those resilience skills because we have a generation of young people who are really lacking those skills.”

nnnn

While Shunkwiler is a huge advocate for prevention, he realizes that serious chemical and mental health issues still occur. If you are reading this and are concerned for yourself or a loved one, know that you’re not alone.

The Mankato area has several resources that are here to help. If facing issues related to mental health, call the Mankato area crisis center at 877-399-3040 or if issues are related to substance abuse, call Beyond Brink at 507-779-7091. MM