Operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Hastings Bridge carries US-61 across…read morethe Mississippi River. It was completed in 2013 and replaces the "Hastings High Bridge" that had been built in 1951. This new bridge cost $130,000,000 and is the longest free-standing tied-arch bridge in North America, at a length of 545 feet. Four lanes of traffic (two in each direction) plus a 12 food pedestrian and bike path. The bridge has an expected life span of 100 years and there is no toll to cross it. The bridge is not the northernmost Mississippi River vehicle bridge - there are several in Minneapolis and further upstream than that. [Review 20727 overall - 138 in Minnesota - 1709 of 2023.]

This was a sentimental visit for me. I've wanted to see the Little House in the Big Woods for…read moredecades. The site is open access. You park and can go right up to the house, day or night, any time of year. The door uses a rope latch system and there's a sign asking people to keep the door shut. The interior is small, but there's an information wall that's a good excuse to linger and read. The original cabin, of course, was long gone before the books were even published, and this new version was the result of a fundraising campaign in the 1970s.

Wonderful museum and super friendly staff. My mom, grandmother, and I had a wonderful timeread more

My wife and I hit a new pub in St. Paul called the Blue Door before touring this cool old Victorian…read morehouse of one of the first governors of Minnesota. We had some awesome burgers and beer before our free tour the Historical Museum was giving of its properties this weekend. We entered the house feeling full and happy from a couple of Surly Furious pints and signed up for our tour. We entered the house with a great guide dressed in a top hat and suit of the 1800's when Ramsey would have lived in the house. The house was one of the few in old time Minnesota with gas lighting and running water. There was a bathtub and even an indoor water closet. It was interesting that there were chamber pots around the house because women did not like to remove all the bussels and stuff. They showed the bells and talking tubes for the servants to be called upon. They showed the kitchen and offered baked cookies from the oven. The children's' rooms were well adorned and Ramsey had a play room for the children up in the attic along with the servants' rooms. The whole layout was perfect, great character actors as guides and pretend servants. Even though they had a lot of people taking the tour, they kept it well run and you quickly became envious of such a large, cool house. Highly recommended for a crummy day outside when you're looking for something to do. Hey, and it's educational!

I had a bizarre experience here today. I walked into the Gift Shop and hung out looking at stuff…read morefor 20 minutes while people were talking in the back. I wanted to pay admission and walk around the house. Finally, I peeked in the back and some lady said, "are you Dustin?" Huh? When she saw I was just a member of the public she hurriedly hustled me out the door and told me they were closed for staff interviews and did I not see the sign, etc. I did see a small, handwritten sign on a dry erase board, but I was confused about why the gift shop would be wide open, lights on and merchandise unattended if the entire place was closed down. All the sign said was that there were no tours, not that the entire building was closed. I thought it was possible to take a self-guided tour even if staff were "busy." Honestly I haven't been to very many historical sites where self-guided tours are forbidden. Basically, the point of this weird experience is that whatever non-profit is running this place is extremely disorganized and unable to communicate something as basic as being closed to the general public, not to mention the fact it can't even secure its premises. It's pretty irresponsible to leave the front door open and an entire gift shop unattended. I could have walked off with half of their stuff and no one would have been the wiser. On her way to rushing me out the door, the lady acted very annoyed and mumbled something about what they can't do because of budget cuts, even as she was discouraging me from making a purchase from their gift store. To me, this illustrates exactly why non-profits are in dire straights. They want charitable donations from everyone even while turning down opportunities to become more self sufficient. A similar thing happened a week or so ago when I attended an evening lecture on 19th century spiritualism with a friend at the Ramsey House. We arrived late and didn't have the chance to pay for our tickets until it was over. I had to ask three people how and where to pay. No one made any effort to bother us for money, and had I not been extremely proactive, it would have been free for my friend and I, but not for the taxpayers. This is ridiculous, and perfectly illustrates why non-profits do not deserve financial support. This place can't even manage to collect money from people attending an event. It isn't like we slipped in quietly or secretly either. To many organizations, "non-profit" doesn't simply mean they don't make any money, but that they actively throw it away.

A very scenic and historical park that's not too well known. Easy parking and there are heated…read morerestrooms. If you like to read about where you are there are a few interpretation points. Catch some great views of the ol' Mississippi and look for the climb up lookout point. If dad gets bored with the whole thing he could head over to the ah 'gentlemen's' club at the corner of the highway turn.

Great little park to visit, with an interesting history as a combination railroad and car bridge…read more Definitely recommend reading the information points with the history of the bridge. I stopped by on a beautiful, cool morning and the the walk out to the end of the bridge was peaceful and it was calming to spend a few moments out on the bridge looking upstream and downstream. I wish I had my bike with me, because this park connects up with a longer trail that looked like it would be very enjoyable to ride.

This water tower has quite a lot of history if you google it. The park itself isn't much to visit…read moreand surround the tower is pretty run down. I rode my bike up here just to check it out, wasn't worth it.

Come for the amazing view of the city. At nighttime. Daytime. Anytime it's a great view. Now you…read moredon't get to go up in the water tower. (Except I guess one day a year) but it's still a really great view of downtown Minneapolis. The park is also not a bad spot for a picnic.

A hidden historic gem of Minnesota, the Sibley Historic Site houses some of the oldest permanrnt…read morehouses in Minnesota. Three homes show what it was like to live during the fur trading period of Minnesota history. The buildings are made with light-colored limestone and are very unique for the location that they are located in off of the banks of the Minnesota and Mississippi River. Interesting history - from fur offices, to homes, to onion storage, to museums. A neat little side excursion close to the airport, Fort Snelling, or MOA.

If you are into History and especially Minnesota History the Sibley Historical Site is a great…read moreplace to tour. It is a complex of three buildings that take you back to the 1850s: Sibley House; Cold Store; and Faribault House. You begin with the Cold Store which was the hub of the burgeoning fur trade in the 1850s. The Sibley site is across from Historic Fort Snelling, which sits above the confluence of the Mississippi & Minnesota rivers. Back in the early years one could see the fort from the Sibley site along the then St Peter river (now the Minnesota river). Sibley was the first governor of Minnesota. He also had the onerous duty of fighting the Dakotas in the 1862 Sioux uprising aka Little Crow's War.

I'm not sure I believe this place is actually closed as their website seems to still be going…read morestrong. Nevertheless, for a mere $5 admission I was happy to explore the Brown County Historical Society and Museum when in New Ulm last year. There is not much to see in the way of exhibits (the building also houses a research library) but I'm always curious about local history when I visit a new place. Here I learned about the local farms and how the area was settled. There was also a wonderful exhibit on the US-Dakota War, something I was either never taught in history class or something that was brushed over so quickly that I forgot. A special exhibit of illustrations from Wanda Gag (local author and illustrator) was also on display at the time I was there. I also saw postings for many community events held at or sponsored by the Brown County Historical Society. While inside the museum offers a brief but informative history of New Ulm, one of the stars here is the building itself. Originally home to the US Post Office, it is described as a German Renaissance style brick building. Even if the museum and building are closed, it's worth at least stopping by to see this stunning architectural achievement.

We've been coming here for quite a few years and it's the only water that we drink. We use it for…read moreour dog and for ourselves. The best thing to do is to come early in the morning and preferably not on the weekend and there won't be a line. But most of the time when you do come, people are willing to take turns. The water is inspected by the city and there is never been a problem with it being bacteria or anything at all like that.

Even though it's a little drive from where I live, Fredrick-Miller Spring was perfect and the water…read moreis clean and refreshing. Located in Eden Prairie, this spring is set in a very pretty setting and the water flows continuously out of a pipe so it's easy to fill up your bottles. If I had more time, I would have hiked a little since there are some trails and it was a beautiful, chilly day. There's a nice little place to pull up and park near the spring, the day I went, it was fairly busy with about 4-5 people filling bottles and this was right before all of the craziness with coronavirus. My only advice would be to go early, that way you might be able to avoid the rush, if there is one. I recommend the spring not only for the water but it's always good to get out and see some of the marvels of nature.