Southern Minnesota (Faribault, Ramsey, New Ulm: house, school, casino)

[tvdxer]

I'm going on a county hunting road trip through southern MN, especially the southwestern quarter. I still have Meeker, McLeod, Renville, Redwood, Murray, Brown, Waseca, Martin, and Faribault counties to visit, and I intend on driving through all of them when my car is fixed or I get a new car. What is there to see in (any of) these counties? Any interesting museums, natural features, towns, etc.?

[Radical_Car]

Ramsay park is in Redwood Falls
Jackpot Junction Casino outside of Redwood Falls
How far southwest are you going? are you going as far as Luverne?
Golfgal has lived in Marshall for like 14 years if I remember right, so she should know much, much, much more then I do.
Olivia is the corn capital or something like that and they have a Corn watertower, Lol
I visit my grandma about once a month who currently lives in Wabasso and has formerly lived in Lucan. I am not a rural person so I find southwestern Minnesota incredibly boring, but if you love small towns and such then you'll love it. My mom also grew up on a farm somewhere in Redwood County and went to school in Wabasso.
A lot of the small towns in places like Yellow Medicine and Redwood County have old buildings and sometimes interesting things to look at when you drive through, so if your into that you'll have a great time.
I also found this list here which has a list of things to see and do in Southwestern Minnesota.
From the Archives: Things to Do in Southwest Minnesota | Travels with Children by minnemom

[tvdxer]

Nice link.

I realize that Southwestern Minnesota isn't chock-full of tourist attractions - and that's why I made this post. Seeing that page, I now think I am going to stop at the Jeffers Petroglyphs.

[Minnesota Spring]

I have lived in SW Minnesota for many moons.
Nicollet County- Fort Ridgeley (sp)
Redwood County- Walnut Grove, MN (Laura Ingalls museum)- Redwood Falls (Ramsey Park, Jackpot)
Murray County has Lake Shetek - Currie (End o line) There is a bike trail connecting the two.
Cottonwood County- Jeffers Petroglifs (sp?)
Lyon County- Camden Park by Lynd
Head out to Pipestone and visit their State Park and National Monument and while out there, swing down to Rock County to Blue Mounds State Park.
Visit "Herman the German" in New Ulm
Granite Falls- Casino, Park, Scenic River Valley.
Corn corn and more corn! Marshall, Worthington and New Ulm are considered the "major cities" out here, they got them there super wal-marts! LOL.

[Kebinminn]

I lived in Martin county for years and don't have much for you. One thing, not an attraction but for a good burger stop at the Channel Inn in Fairmont. It's a nice, little restaurant by the lakes.

[jmgg]

At Walnut Grove is one of the 2 homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. They also lived by DeSmet, SD so both communiities claim her and I believe both put on some sort of pageant.

It's not in southwest Minnesota, but directly across the border from Jackson, and that's the Iowa Great Lakes. Gorgeous blue water lakes with all the touristy amenities.

Most of southwest Minnesota unfortunetly is pretty boring.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by jmgg

At Walnut Grove is one of the 2 homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. They also lived by DeSmet, SD so both communiities claim her and I believe both put on some sort of pageant.

It's not in southwest Minnesota, but directly across the border from Jackson, and that's the Iowa Great Lakes. Gorgeous blue water lakes with all the touristy amenities.

Most of southwest Minnesota unfortunetly is pretty boring.

Actually a drop into Iowa right around the "Great Lakes" area was part of my original plan.

[marsha galinsky]

Probably too late to warn you tvdxer, but you have stumbled into the most boring corner of the U.S. I hear good things about wild turkey hunts this time of year around Plum Creek in the Walnut Grove area, though. Got a tasty smoked Thanksgiving bird last year from a neighbor's trip! Hope it was fun for that part, anyway. Other than that, you got corn, angry Lutherans, and more corn.

[stockwiz]

visit palisades state park in SD if you can swing it, and devil's gulch. Not that much to see in SW MN.. pipestone national monument perhaps.. stop by the chinese place in town there at 11AM it has some good food. There's a state park SW of marshall MN and it's kind of pretty (by SW MN standards) in that area. Mostly you'll find farmland in one mile sections, and not too much in the way of attractions.