8 Most Eccentric Towns In Minnesota

Minnesota is a great place to relax along the shores of one of its 10,000 lakes or hike through its breathtaking countryside. If you’re looking for some of the more offbeat spots, Minnesota has a myriad of small communities that take a walk on the weird side. From giant pelicans in Pelican Rapids to the SPAM museum in Austin, these are places you’ll always remember. Whether you’re looking for a unique photo op with Paul Bunyan, or a candy store the size of a shopping mall, Minnesota has places that are offbeat in all the best ways.

Blue Earth

Ironically, the most famous landmark in Blue Earth isn’t blue, it’s green! Up until the mid-1990s, Blue Earth was home to the Minnesota Valley Canning Company. They created the Jolly Green Giant mascot to market their sweet peas, and later became the mascot of the entire brand. In the 1970s, the town crafted its iconic Jolly Green Giant Statue off I-90 to attract tourists to the area. It stands 55 feet tall and weighs over 8,000 pounds! While the canning company has since moved from Blue Earth, the statue and a small museum still attract visitors from all over the state!

Visitors often come for the Jolly Green Giant and stay for the beautiful sites in Blue Earth. There are lovely nature trails that trace the Blue Earth River, like the Unity Trail, or secluded, heavily shaded parks like Steinberg Nature Park. After a long day of exploring the natural beauty of Blue Earth, a great place to unwind is at the Lost Saint Brewing Company. It has a rotating collection of house-brewed beers, live music, and a cozy outdoor patio.

Dawson

Welcome to Gnometown USA in the open prairies of western Minnesota. When a notable person passes away in Dawson, the community celebrates them by adding a gnome in their memory at Gnome Field. Walking in the park is not only a whimsical experience, but it’s a way to pay tribute to the residents of Dawson who selflessly served the community. Every summer, Dawson holds the annual Riverfest that celebrates the town with a parade, food vendors, flea markets, and the unveiling of the new gnomes in the park.

Visiting Gnome Field is an amazing place to explore, but there’s more to see while visiting this charming little hamlet. For a great meal, the Rusty Duck Bar and Grill is a local favorite. It boasts a casual, laid-back vibe known for its tasty burgers and fun cocktails. If you’re in the mood for something that celebrates the scenery of Dawson, the Lac qui Parle County Park is a lovely retreat set upon the shores of the Lac qui Parle River. It's a great place to go for a hike and take in the secluded scenery of the Great Plains.

Jordan

A 30-minute drive southwest of Minneapolis is the delightful community of Jordan. It’s a quaint little escape, marked by sidewalks accented by lampposts and darling places to stop in for a bite to eat, like the Pickled Pig Pub. It’s a place where you can tour the downtown district, and then relax along the water’s edge at Lagoon Park for a lazy afternoon. With a strong German heritage, the best time to visit Jordan is during the annual Heimatfest, where the town celebrates with food trucks, fireworks, parades, and live music every Labor Day weekend.

What makes Jordan unique isn’t its German-themed parades or its cozy downtown parks. For visitors with a deep love of candy, Jordan is like one of the sweetest escapes in Minnesota. It’s home to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store! The iconic yellow barn used to be an apple orchard, but swapped traditional apples for candy apples (and an assortment of other sweet treats!) in the early 2000s. The store offers visitors a staggering 27,000 square feet of space dedicated to all things candy, and it’s the perfect escape for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Vining

The small village of Vining is one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it places. Located off the Otter Trail Scenic Byway, the journey to Vining is almost as fun as the destination! One of the most unique and a little quirky aspects of Vining is the Nyberg Sculpture Park. Tucked away in rural Minnesota, you can expect the unexpected, like sculptures of aliens, a giant foot, watermelons, and elephants scattered throughout the countryside. It’s one of the most peculiar attractions in Minnesota!

After touring the park, you can stop by the Purple Palace for a quick bite to eat! When traveling through Vining, you can’t miss the large purple building right off Front Street! It’s a beloved local diner with mouth-watering burgers and cold brews, and is a great place to get to know the locals. If you want to explore the beautiful countryside of Vining, Glendalough State Park is a must-visit. It has lovely lakeside hiking trails, sandy beaches, and some of the most stunning and isolated views of Minnesota.

Bemidji

Along the shores of Lake Bemidji in northern Minnesota is the whimsical community of Bemidji. It’s known for its beautiful lakeside views and lush parks, but what makes it stand out from the pack is the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Statues. The statues, which sit inside the amazing Paul Bunyan Park, were built in the late 1930s to celebrate Bemidji’s logging heritage. The statues stand over 18 feet tall, and snapping a photo with them is a rite of passage when visiting Bemidji! After your photo op, you can take a stroll by the water or walk to the end of the Paul Bunyan Fishing Pier.

The park and its iconic statue may be Bemidji’s claim to fame, but there’s still plenty to see in central Bemidji. It has charming little breweries, like Bemidji Brewing, where you can enjoy a cold brew or sit on its shaded outdoor patio. You can also head to the Headwaters Science Center, which is a locally beloved place where visitors can check out 70 interactive exhibits, including displays of reptiles and birds.

Lanesboro

If you are a profound lover of the arts, Lanesboro is a fun and funky artist’s paradise that uses the beautiful scenery of the Driftless Region in southeastern Minnesota as inspiration. The most famous attraction in Lanesboro is the Poetry Parking Lot. At first glance, it looks like your average parking lot overlooking the stunning scenery of the Root River, but it’s a wonderful place where visitors can read haikus by local residents, and where you can feel inspired by the beautiful scenery around you. The parking lot is centrally located in Lanesboro, and visitors can walk to popular attractions, like Pedal Pushers Cafe, or the waterfalls at Mill Pond Overlook.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, Inspiration Point Rest Stop offers some of the most sweeping views of the Driftless Region in Minnesota. The rest stop is seldom traveled, where you can sit in solitude to admire the breathtaking scenery, or maybe set up an easel to paint for an afternoon. For artists looking for a place to catch their breath, Laneboro is a breath of fresh air.

Pelican Rapids

West-central Minnesota is where you’ll find the isolated community of Pelican Rapids, known for its larger-than-life pelicans! In the heart of town is a Giant Pelican Sculpture affectionately referred to as Pelican Pete. The giant statue was built in the late 1950s and stands over 15 feet tall, and is considered the world’s largest pelican statue. If you want to visit Pete, you’ll need to head to the local park of Peteyville, where he lives as the mascot of the community. The park is the heart of Pelican Rapids, accented by bridges, calm water views, and is brightly decorated in lights during the holiday season.

The perfect afternoon in Pelican Rapids consists of ordering a cup of coffee from Brew Haven Coffee, visiting Pete, and then setting off to enjoy the scenery of Pelican Rapids. The best spot in the area is Maplewood State Park, locally loved for its pristine water views, shaded hiking trails, and rolling meadows that bloom with wild flowers in the summer and spring.

Austin

For a road trip that you won’t soon forget, Austin will not disappoint! It is where you’ll find the slightly unhinged SPAM Museum that celebrates all things SPAM. When you think of SPAM, you likely think of Hawaii, but Austin is actually home to Hormel Foods, the creators of SPAM (which, fun fact, is just a portmanteau of "Spiced ham"). The museum offers free samples, SPAM-inspired games, and historical exhibits. Down the street from the museum is the Hormel Historic Home, the former home of George A. and Lillian Hormel, the founders of Hormel Foods.

If you’re still hungry for more SPAM after visiting the museum, local restaurants also include the canned meat on their menus. Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que is one of the most popular diners in Austin, and they’re particularly proud of their SPAM fries! After getting your fill of their signature spiced ham, there’s nothing better than working off all that canned meat than an idyllic walk through Horace Austin Park.

Explore The Eccentric Side Of Minnesota

Minnesota may have notoriously cold and snowy winters, but its tight-knit communities are warm and inviting. These eccentric towns never take themselves too seriously and know how to have a little fun. They’re places you’d never stumble upon by accident, often tucked away in hidden corners of the state, far off the highway. Whether it’s offbeat sculptures in the heart of the Driftless Region at Nyberg Sculpture Park or enormous candy stores inside a bright yellow barn, Minnesota is a place where weird adventures await.