REVIEW #4700!…read more Sweetcorn Days is my home town's big summer festival and arguably the annual highlight of Estherville's social calendar. It's sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and runs from Thursday - Sunday during the first weekend in August. Event highlights include the Opening Ceremonies (Presentation of the Flames/Burning of the Cobs), the Remember the Fallen Display, Classic Cars, the Run for the Cobb Foot Race, Free Sweet Corn, and of course the big Saturday Morning Parade. And that's just the tip of the iceberg event-wise. I was in the Parade as Sweetcorn Days is a great weekend for various High School Reunion classes to get together. For the Class of 1974 (Yes I'm Old), that included our own Parade float, followed up dinner later that day at the Softtail Saloon in Superior, and lots of good conversation with a room full of friends. I had a great time and I was particularly happy to show off my home town to Gayle and my Son. Both in turn, learned a little bit more about where I'm from and how we stand together. One name for that is Midget Pride.

Love this place! We go every year. The fall festival is great. Pet the goats, jump in the bouncy…read morecastles, play in the kids corner, pick your pumpkin, hay ride, slide, story teller, maze, scare crow making and so much more to do with the family! Before you leave you have to get an Apple Cider Slush! Yum!

From the owner: Center Creek Orchard invites you and your family to come and experience the Fall Festival. Our…read moregoal is to provide you with apples that are freshly picked and a day full of fun in a family atmosphere. Festival activities include hayrides, storytelling, corn pile, scarecrow building, castle bouncer, giant maze, apple sling, barrel ride, crawling tunnels, super slide, and haunted forest. Pick your own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and select apples from over a dozen Minnesota varieties.

Gayle and I are big fans of the NW Iowa art scene. Whether it be Hank Hall (formally of Art on 16th…read morein Spirit Lake), Dan Ruff, Perry Polson, or Jesse Bogenrief (just down the street), the artistic creativity is impressive and at very reasonable prices. Arts on Grand is a spacious shop and gallery that features some of the above artists and more. They're also part of the annual Artisan Road Trip that allows one to travel the Iowa back roads in search of artistic treasure. Gayle and I wander in when we're in town each summer, and usually come out with a work of art that's both stunning and something we don't have any room at home to display. But we usually figure that out later.

Amazing treasure for the creative spirit!!!!…read more I love, love, love this place. They staff is passionate about their work and it shows. The gift shop/gallery is a beautiful reflection of local artisians and I couldn't resist buying some gifts while there. Do yourself a favor and stop in to find out more about their classes, the gallery shows and the gift shop. It will feed your artistic soul.

A nice small town fair. It doesn't even come close the Clay County Fair (in nearby Spencer), but…read morethat's OK. The local food stands, the nearby roller rink and the farm animals and limited exhibits all add up to a comfortable stroll and social occassion.

This little gem in southern Minnesota has become a favorite stop for us. We come here and stay as…read morepart of the Harvest Host program and absolutely love it. When you turn into the winery you come down the lane with grapevines on either side and at the end you get a nice view of Round Lake. After parking our camper we go check in and are always greeted so warmly by all of the staff they are genuinely happy that you are there. They have a full menu with something for everyone. Appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, steaks and seafood. We started with the Black and Blue Wontons as an appetizer. Crispy fried wontons with pieces of steak with blue cheese crumbles and a garlic sauce. I ordered the Prime Rib sandwich with sweet potato fries this time and it was delicious. The fries were nice and crispy which was great. I feel like it's always a crap shoot with sweet potato fries! We had their New York cheesecake for dessert which never disappoints. We also did a wine tasting of two whites and two reds. All of the wine is good but our favorite is the Sangiovese. It's become our go to when we come. We always buy a bottle to take with us. We can't wait to come back!

I've been to Round Lake Winery a few times and my most recent visit was the best yet! The first…read moretime I visited was back when they first opened and didn't offer food. Now they offer a full menu and their pizzas are wonderful! Our group was seated outside, which was nice aside from the flies. We ordered Ahi Tuna Wontons, a couple of pizzas, and the bison tenderloin. Unfortunately, they didn't have the ingredients for the black and blue pizza which we were so excited to try, so that was a bummer. We also ordered a couple bottles of wine to share and it was a wonderful pairing with our food. The waitress was very nice and apologized for the pizza and flies. When we're back in town I'm excited to go back so we're able to try the black and blue pizza! I hope they have the ingredients for it this time.

Having spent quite a lot of time cruising along narrow two lane country highways, enjoying the…read morebucolic fields of green crops, counting "Red Barn, White House" and "Red House, White Barn" and "White Barn, White House" to myself... I have to say that I found such travels much improved when I got to Hamilton and Sac County Iowa - I was not prepared for the gorgeous artwork applied to the barns in conspicuous locations, highly visible from the road. You see - I love quilts. I like making them but I find other people always do it so much better than I - and I was sorely disappointed to realize that I missed out on shopping in "quilt country' because it was a SUNDAY and all the quilt shops advertised on big billboards were CLOSED! Foiled! I also like big old barns. They are cool. Barn Quilts - combines both of these interesting things to enhance the scenery on my drive through Iowa. Most Barn Quilts are about 8' x 8' - and easily visible from the road, with signs indicating the name of the quilt block pattern near the end of the driveway. I saw so many gorgeous works of art on barns here and stupidly failed to photograph every single one of them! Fortunately - the Barn Quilts of Sac County website has a fantastic catalog of all the murals - and it's very easy to access by location or to just do a slide show. There's even an excellent Google map and a downloadable PDF for ease of use for the casual day tripper. Great way to spend a summer afternoon - this was my favorite part of the Midwest "flyover" states - and I might even consider going back to see more barn quilts sometime!