13 Off-The-Grid Minnesota Towns To Visit In 2025
Minnesota, uff da. For sure, you betcha it's got snow, ice, and way below zero temperatures, but it also has museums dedicated to canned meat, canned corn, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jesse James, plus Dorothy and her little dog too. Put some Bob Dylan, Prince, and Lizzo on your playlist, channel your inner pioneer, and wind your way through the northernmost state in the contiguous United States. Discover the off-the-grid towns where weather meets whimsy. Minnesota, the birthplace of the Mississippi River and home to ten thousand lakes, is where you’ll find the uniquely unexpected. Don’t forget to try a ‘hotdish.’ Skol.
Anoka
A short twenty miles north of Minneapolis, you'll find Anoka, the self-proclaimed ‘Halloween Capital of the World.’ This 103-year-old festival, held in October, is a community-based Halloween celebration that raises money for local student scholarships and elementary schools. Events include a Grand Parade, a House Decorating Contest, and a Gray Ghost run.
But it’s not just spooky fall fun in this town. Every summer weekend features a classic car show. Also held in the summer is the Anoka Social District, which allows people to ‘sip and stroll.’ You can purchase and drink beer, wine, or a cocktail from a licensed business and walk through a defined public area of the city.
Be sure to check out 'Music In The Park.' Held Sundays from mid-June to September, it showcases a diverse collection of local musicians performing at various city parks.
Anoka. It's not just scary, it's fun.
Hopkins
Mainstreet, Hopkins, Minnesota, where you expect to see Richie Cunningham walking into a vinyl record store and Fonzi roaring past on his bike. Hopkins is where ‘scooping the loop’ is still a Saturday night thing. On the Register of Historic Places, Hopkins’ downtown area is where nostalgia meets the 21st century. Ten miles west of Minneapolis, it captures the small-town ambiance of Happy Days and American Graffiti.
Locally known as the Raspberry Capital of the World, spending a day wandering down Main Street is good for your soul. There are plenty of places to eat, drink, and soak in the way we were. Mainstreet is a haven for antique collectors and has quickly become the center for antiques in the Twin Cities.
The Hopkins Historical Society and Activity Center are in an impressive building on a hill at the corner of 14th Ave North and 1st St. North. In the 1800s, it earned the nickname "Harmony Hill" because a judge settled disputes at his home atop the hill. A former elementary and Jr. High school, the front retaining wall was the place for teens to hang out and watch cars cruise by.
Sauk Centre
Sauk Centre may ‘literally’ be the quintessential American small town. That’s if you’re familiar with native son and Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis’s notable novel “Main Street,” which was written about Sauk Center and paints a biting social commentary of small-town life in the early 1900s.
It’s easy to imagine the town in the time of Lewis. You can book a tour or even an overnight stay in The Palmer House, nationally known for its paranormal activity and featured under the name of 'Minnemashi' in Lewis’s novel.
Schedule a visit to the Sauk Center Historical Society and peek into the history of Sauk Center’s pioneer past from the raw frontier beginnings of 'Main Street' to the present. Don't miss The Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center, Lewis’s boyhood home, which is available for tours.
The murals of Sauk Centre are a uniquely remarkable way the town has displayed its history and culture. As you meander through the town, the murals of artist Roger Reinardy bring the city to life.
Walnut Grove
Load up your covered wagon and head to Walnut Grove on the banks of Plum Creek, once the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Immerse yourself in how Ma, Pa, Laura, and her sisters lived by attending the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant held each July.
The Wheels Across The Prairie Museum features transportation from prairie schooners to steam engines to Studebaker’s.
The Currie End-of-the-Line Museum is a working turn-of-the-century railroad yard complete with an operable 1901 turntable, a depot, and several buildings housing displays of early railroad and pioneer items. A moving model-train display and rides on a miniature train will delight children. At the same time, an exhibit of Hobo Art, showcasing the unique ways these wanderers communicated, will interest those fascinated by early American prairie history.
Minnesota’s Native American culture is honored by the important archaeological site of the Jeffers Petroglyphs and the Lower Sioux Agency & Historic Site, which tells the story of the Dakota people.
Grand Rapids
“Follow the Yellow Brick Road” to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, home of Frances Gumm, known throughout the world as Judy Garland.
The Judy Garland Museum is home to an eclectic "Wizard of Oz" collection, including the original carriage featured in the movie and a Dorothy Gale test dress worn by Judy Garland. There's no place like Judy’s 1920s birthplace home, which has been restored and is part of the museum complex. The Museum hosts a collection of many personal items belonging to this beloved entertainer.
Judy’s birthday is celebrated every June with the Judy Garland Festival. Merrymaking at the multi-day event varies from year to year, with past years featuring tribute performances, Q&A with Judy Garland experts, and appearances by her family members.
The Children's Discovery Museum, located on the museum campus, is a learning-through-play and open-exploration space filled with fun, educational, hands-on activities that kids love.
Located in the heart of Grand Rapids is The Old Central School, which now hosts a variety of businesses and visitor information. Go inside for a self-guided tour. Make sure to head up to the 3rd floor to view local art and talk with the artists in residence. On the National Register of Historic Places, this old school is the lively core of Grand Rapids.
Fergus Falls
You ‘otter’ go to Fergus Falls, home of the world’s largest otter, Otto. This 40-foot-long metal and cement otter started life as a high school art project. Today, Otto reigns over Grotto Lake from his perch in Adams Park, making it the perfect spot for a picnic and play area.
Fergus Falls is home to the Otter County Historical Society, featuring dioramas, period rooms, and hands-on activities. In the agricultural wing, you’ll hear the actual sounds of horse-drawn plowing. The steam engine and barnyard animals are so lifelike you’ll feel like you’re on a 1890s farm, smelling bread baking in a wood-burning stove or watching a crew harvesting wheat with a McCormick reaper.
The activity area features a three-level Otter Romp climber that helps small children discover their "inner otter" every time they navigate over, under, around, and through the climber's Central Dam and waterfall slide. After the kids enjoy the miniature downtown, featuring an interactive bus, grocery store, and more, let them get messy by creating art and engaging in STEM activities in the museum 'Maker Shop.'
Nearby, in Phelps Park, is the Historic Phelps Mill. On the National Register of Historic Places, this uniquely preserved flour mill was built in the early 20th century. It's like taking a step back in time for visitors and tourists who come to this remote part of West Central Minnesota. And they ‘otter’ know.
Blue Earth
Feeling jolly? Grab your little sprouts and drive through some of the richest farmland in the world to Blue Earth, and the true life Valley of the Jolly,( ho, ho, ho) Green Giant. Since 1979, the 55.5-foot-tall giant has stood sentinel over the former home of Green Giant canning.
Some might say it’s corny, but the Green Giant museum boasts the most extensive collection of Jolly Green Giant memorabilia in the world. Learn about the history of the canning factory in Blue Earth, complete with machinery and plant artifacts.
At the Blue Earth County Fair Grounds, you can enjoy a tour, arranged by appointment, to restored buildings on History Lane, including the Woodland School, until 1949 it was a working one-room schoolhouse, and the Guckeen Post Office, where rural residents would ride up on their horses to collect their mail. In addition, the fairgrounds have an extensive collection of farming implements, barbed wire, and a gas station housed in the Antique Machinery Shed.
There’s a campground available so you can peacefully sleep in the valley of the Jolly Green Giant.
Vining
If you build it, they will come. That could be the town slogan for the tiny village of Vining, just east of Fergus Falls.
Ken Nyberg has spent over 30 years creating more than two dozen giant, whimsical sculptures that have transformed this blip on the map into a tourist destination. You see an elephant made entirely out of lawn mower blades, a pair of giant pliers, and a homage to his daughter, astronaut Karen Nyberg, the 50th woman to go into space and the only astronaut to grow up in this town of under 100 people. Nyberg's sculptures can be seen in the roadside park on Front Street and scattered around the town.
If you schedule your visit for the third Saturday in August, you can be a part of Watermelon Day. Feast on all the watermelon you can eat, enjoy a vintage car show, parade, and live music.
Drive 11 miles southwest of Vining to the Silver Sage Guest Ranch. Stay a day or a week, and enjoy a private lake for swimming, fishing, and well-trained horses for riding. Bring your clubs and experience one or more of the seven golf courses and two mini golf courses in the area.
Vergas
See the World's largest loon, something you didn't know was missing from your life. The loon statue overlooks Long Lake. Standing twenty feet tall, the sculpture was built in the 1960s and rules proudly over Looney Daze, a four-day festival celebrated in Vergas each August. Enjoy live music, a street fair, a wiener dog race, and more. Residents show off their skills in the loon calling contest and talent show, where you're sure to hear some looney tunes.
In Vergas, you‘ll find clean blue lakes and many resorts and bed & breakfasts. The Vergas area lives by the adage, “We are small enough to know you, but big enough to serve you!”
Check out the privately owned Trowbridge Creek Zoo on Hwy 17. It’s a petting zoo with camel rides and many exotic animals, some of which you can safely feed. Relax in a small playground and picnic area. The Trowbridge Creek Zoo meets animal welfare guidelines.
Darwin
Put Weird Al on your playlist, pack up your pickled weiners and diet chocolate soda, and head out to find the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. Other towns may lay claim to the world’s biggest ball of twine, but Weird Al Yankovic did not write a song about them. He wrote it about Darwin, Minnesota, home of a ball of baler twine measuring 12 feet in diameter and weighing 17,400 pounds. Francis A. Johnson began rolling the twine in March 1950 and wrapped it for four hours daily for 29 years. It’s currently housed in an enclosed gazebo across from the town park on Main Street to prevent the public from touching it.
It was the long-standing record holder of the "biggest ball of twine" in the Guinness Book of World Records, holding the title from its completion in 1979 until 1994.
The Twine Ball Museum, located on 1st Street and Weird Alley, the latter named for Weird Al, is a free-to-visit museum with a gift shop. It also has information on the history of Darwin.
Twine Ball Day is celebrated on the second Saturday in August. The town comes together to hold a parade, sand volleyball tournament, tractor pulls, and more, all in honor of the world's biggest (maybe) ball of twine. It’s what America is all about.
St. Peter
Maybe it’s the Swedish coffee or the cardamon buns that have made St Peter home to five past Minnesota governors. Here you’ll find the internationally renowned Gustavus Adolphus College and its arboretum, a living sanctuary of plants and animals for education, recreation, reflection, and stewardship. Explore the abundant gardens, natural spaces, and miles of walking trails.
Once in the running to be the capital of Minnesota, St Peter’s historic relevance is evident in its beautifully preserved downtown area. Take a stroll past buildings that tell the story of this early American settlement’s rich Swedish history.
Discover the fascinating past of Nicollet County and Minnesota’s territorial expansion at the Treaty Site History Center. Uncover the incredible stories of the Dakota people, explorers, traders, and settlers who played a pivotal role in shaping this area. Gain insight into the profound impact of the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, a crucial event in Minnesota’s history that, despite its tragic nature, paved the way for settlers and westward expansion.
St. Peter also boasts several places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Church of the Holy Communion, a Gothic Revival-style building built in 1869. Still an active parish, the bell from the original wooden church built in 1855 on this site has rung on the death of every American president since Abraham Lincoln.
Madelia
Madelia, Minnesota, The Pride of the Prairie, is a history buff’s bonanza. In 1876, locals in nearby Northfield fought back to defend their bank and life savings from Jesse James and the notorious James-Younger gang. The pursuit of the gang went on for weeks and covered 400 miles. The Youngers were eventually captured at Madelia, Minnesota, in yet another gun battle, in which gang member Charlie Pitts was killed. The Watonwan County Historical Society displays original guns and other items the Younger brothers surrendered to the citizens who captured them. Each year, the town of Madelia celebrates the capture of the infamous brothers by recreating the shootout on the site where it all took place.
The Watonwan County Historical Center, located in Madelia, features a cabin and a covered wagon dating back to 1857, along with artifacts, books, papers, and photographs that chronicle the history of early pioneers in the area.
Additional history of the area is preserved by historical markers at Fort Cox, Fort Slocum, Fort Hill, and the Ashippum Post Office. Fort Cox was constructed in 1862 during the Sioux Indian uprising.
Lanesboro
Art, nature, history, theater, Lanesboro has it all in one pretty package. The central hub is an artful outdoor gathering space, dubbed Parkway Place and located across from the gallery on Parkway Avenue. This space features picnic tables, lush planters, and one of the many murals that dot the community, murals as vibrant as the community that inspired them.
Theater buffs will appreciate the professional artists of the Commonweal Theater. This award-winning theater brings to life soulful stories told with honesty and creativity. Check the summer weekend dates of the Lanesboro Area Art Trail (LAAT). During LAAT, area artists open their studios to the public.
The visitor center offers a map for a self-guided tour of historic Lanesboro landmarks, all of which are walkable from downtown. Be sure to see the inventive window replacements on the Pedal Pusher's building. These community-produced glass mosaics represent the many aspects of Lanesboro. The restored Coffee Street walking bridge, originally a railway bridge, is the safest way for pedestrians to get over the river. Continue over the bridge, through Gateway Park, to the Poetry Parking Lot at the Bass Pond, where 'park here' signage is replaced by regional poetry.
For unique insight, take a Bluffscape Amish Tour and experience the timeless lifestyle of the Old Order Amish. You’ll meet exceptional people who live by traditional values of family, faith, and community. Bluffscape Amish Tours will bring you where life slows down to the pace of the horse and buggy.
Minnesota, the North Star State, the Gopher State, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes are all descriptions of the 32nd state, considered the Gateway to the West. It's home to the Mall of America, the Juicy Lucy, tater tot hotdish, and is known throughout the country for being Minnesota Nice. It's where they say pop, instead of soda and celebrate the beginning of fishing season.
