Big Ole, located in the small town of Alexandria, Minnesota, is the purportedly the World's largest Viking. Ole was built in 1965 as an exhibit for the New York World's Fair. When completed Ole stood 28 feet tall with the words, "Alexandria, Birthplace of America" emblazoned on his shield.
Minnesota: Walnut Grove – Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
From our overnight stay in Worthington, Minnesota it was a short drive to Walnut Grove and our continued quest to visit as many of the Ingalls Wilder sites as possible. The name of Walnut Grove is synonymous with the “Little House On The Prairie” TV series, although the Ingalls only lived there on two occasions for a total of four years. The actual show was not filmed on location in South Dakota, they preferred the warmer climate of California (and who can blame them!)
A short distance from Walnut Grove is the dugout house where they lived in by Plum Creek, but the main place of interest is the museum in down town Walnut Grove, which as a location could be easily missed.
The museum’s collections are housed in a series of interesting buildings, including an 1898 depot, a chapel, an onion-domed house, dugout display, little red schoolhouse, early settler home, and a covered wagon display.
Also on display are memorabilia from visits by the leading stars from the “Little House on the Prairie” TV series. Every year in July there is a pageant including live performances of stories by “Laura” depicting her life and the characters living in Walnut Grove at the time.
Planning your visit to Walnut Grove
| Address: | 330 8th St, Walnut Grove, MN |
| Website: | walnutgrove.org/museum/ |
| Telephone: | T:(507) 859-2358 |
| Entry Fee: | Ages 4 & under…………….Free |
| Hours: | Hours vary throughout the year. Check the website for current opening hours |
Best time to visit Minneapolis St Paul
The best time to visit Minneapolis-St. Paul is from June to August. Daily highs flutter around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and residents and visitors venture outdoors and onto the lakes. Summer marks the peak tourism season and sees festivals and farmers markets in large numbers. Early fall is another pleasant time to visit, especially with the changing leaves and comfortable temps. Winters, on the other hand, are frosty. The temperature rarely rises above freezing. November through April is usually marked by plenty of snowfall – in fact, around 50 inches fall per year (on average), but there’s still plenty to see and do at this time, and hotel and airfare deals are abundant. Minnesota is slow to warm up in spring (residents have been known to suffer through an April blizzard); May is a safer bet than March or April.
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