Traveling Minnesota with Twins plus 1: Harkin Store, New Ulm, Heritage Acres

One of the wonderful things about the 4th of July is the chance to get little extra time with family. This year we took in 3 great sites in south central Minnesota this year.

Harkin Store: On July 3rd we headed up to the Harkin Store. The store first opened in the 1870's as settlers moved up the Minnesota River Valley to settle. The store and the surrounding Minnesota River town of West Newton were left behind as the railroads and settlement moved up to the prairie above the river. The store closed and much of the contents are still there. The Harkin family turned it into a museum and the Minnesota State Historical Society/Nicollet County Historical Societies have taken over the operation of the store as a museum together.

When we entered the store we met a man dressed as the proprietor of a 19th century country store. The girls thought the store was great right down to the authentic hats they got to wear during the tour and the bonnet and night cap they got in the gift shop next door. They came with shopping lists in hand to see what they could or couldn't by at the store that they might have wanted to take home.

New Ulm: I can't hide my love for sauer kraut, braised ribs, and dumplings when I get to New Ulm. My daughters say that the food I pick at the Kaiserhoff stinks; but hey it's dad's chance to eat comfort food. The girls enjoyed seeing Herman Heights and the show at the Glockenspiel. They also liked the trip to Target to use the gift cards from Grandpa Bruce.

Heritage Acres:
Our longest exploration of the Holiday weekend was at Heritage Acres on the west side of Lake Sisseton. Established in the 1970's as an agricultural interpretive center it was an exciting place for twin 6 year-olds and their parents. The baby slept through most of the trip in her stroller as we wondered from building to building. The rest of us were able to explore while there was blue-grass music to listen to in the "Mall of 1900." We would have enjoyed having more time up on the hill to see even more and plan to go again the next time Heritage Acres is open.

Heritage acres is a neat collection of historic buildings brought together to retell the story of rural America in a hands on way. All the parts of a old farmstead: from the house to the chicken coup, the barn to the corn-crib have been moved on site, only the barn was originally on the site. An old railway depot, a country church, a one room-school (outfitted with books and a real teacher who taught in a one room school herself), a log cabin and a collection of stores (the Mall of 1900) built in a modern machine shed are all on site.

Topping off our fourth of July weekend were church, fireworks, and rhubarb pound cake; all in all a great way to celebrate the over through of colonial rule by the English.