In the area:
The rolling, rural landscape just to the west and north of the Twin Cities area holds dozens of lakes, trimmed by wooded shores. Several resorts and campgrounds serve this popular fishing and family vacation area. The cities and towns here hold numerous interesting museums and art galleries. Many of the towns are linked by bike trails that explore this pastoral countryside.
Willmar is a city of fun finds. The Buffalo Fish gallery features work by regional artists. Two Willmar men have opened their own museums to exhibit their private collections. The Mikkelson Collection displays restored Falls Flyers boats, and the Schwanke Museum features tractors and cars. At the Kandiyohi County Historical Museum complex, there are a steam locomotive and the restored 1893 Sperry farmhouse.
The Glacial Ridge Trail, a designated scenic byway, heads north from here and winds among the lakes and hills between Willmar and Alexandria. The next town along the byway is Spicer, on the shore of beautiful Green Lake. For big time golf, there's the 27-hole Little Crow Country Club between Spicer and New London. Summer dinner cruises on the Spicer Castle Belle explore Green Lake. At New London, the award-winning Little Crow Water Ski Team performs each Friday evening in the summer on the Crow River at Neer Park. Glacial Ridge Winery lies between New London and Spicer.
Nearby is Sibley State Park, with wooded hills, restored prairie, and several lakes; the Mount Tom overlook is a highlight. Cyclists enjoy the 12-mile paved Glacial Lakes Bike Trail, which links New London, Spicer and Willmar, with a spur to Paynesville.
The countryside between here and St. Cloud is mainly farmland, dotted with many good fishing lakes. Several family resorts and campgrounds near Richmond and Paynesville cater to those who come to fish for the wide variety of species in these waters, or simply relax on the beach.
To the east of Willmar is Litchfield, on the shore of Lake Ripley. In 1885, Union veterans of the Civil War built the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, a fortress-like structure that is now a museum of Civil War relics. In nearby Darwin, the world's largest ball of twine made by one man is on display in a city park.
Hutchinson has a picturesque Main Street and several antique and specialty shops. Just north of town, the Coyote Clay Gallery has a great array of hand-crafted items. The McLeod County Heritage Center displays include a collection of Indian arrowheads and spears and numerous works of well-known wildlife artist Les Kouba.
St. Cloud (pop. 64,000) is the largest city in the state northwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and the commercial hub of central Minnesota. St. Cloud offers quite a variety of shopping and other activities in and around the city. Downtown streets are lined with shops, coffeehouses and restaurants. Pioneer Place on Fifth and the Paramount Theatre, both in renovated historic buildings downtown, offer plays, concerts and other types of performances by local and regional arts groups. The Mississippi River flows through the heart of the city. Just across the river from downtown are the lovely Munsinger and Clemens Gardens. With a wide variety of flower beds, a pine grove and a large fountain, these expansive gardens along the riverbank are colorful from spring through fall.
The St. Cloud area is known as "Granite Country." Quarries and stone cutting figured prominently in this area's history; granite from the area has been used in buildings across the country. The Cold Spring Granite Company has operated quarries near St. Cloud for over 100 years. The Stearns History Museum has a replica of a 1930s granite quarry and tells the story of this industry. For a brief period, cars were also manufactured in St. Cloud, and the museum features a 1919 Pan automobile. A few miles west of town is Quarry Park, fashioned from 30 old quarries. Most have filled with water and are now rock-trimmed ponds used for swimming, scuba diving, and trout fishing.
Nearby Collegeville is home to St. John's University. Renowned architect Marcel Breuer designed the striking, contemporary St. John's Abbey Church, and the university has the world's largest collection of microfilmed, medieval manuscripts. The university partners with the College of St. Benedict in nearby St. Joseph. The Benedicta Arts Center on this campus offers plays, concerts and dance performances.
The Lake Wobegon Bike Trail travels the countryside between St. Joseph and Sauk Centre, with an additional spur from Albany north to Holdingford. The quaint towns along the trail are part of the rural community that inspired humorist Garrison Keillor's tales about the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. At its west end, the trail link to the Central Lakes Bike Trail.
Sauk Centre, northwest along I-94, was the hometown of author Sinclair Lewis, who won the first Nobel Prize for literature in 1930. His boyhood home is open for tours and the Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center provides an in-depth look at his life and his works. His novel Main Street, based on Sauk Centre, drew national attention for its portrayal of small town life. The Palmer House hotel (1901) where Lewis worked as a night clerk has been renovated and is still in operation.
Southeast of St. Cloud is Elk River, at the northwest edge of the Twin Cities area. The Oliver Kelley Farm here portrays the rural heritage of Minnesota. Kelley founded the country's first national farmers' organization. This state historic site is still a working farm with horse-drawn plows, where costumed guides demonstrate 1850s farming methods and family life. Between Elk River and St. Cloud is the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, a good spot for bird watching. And in Monticello, hundreds of magnificent trumpeter swans spend the winter on the Mississippi River where warm water released from a power plant keeps the water ice-free.