Went to New Ulm for my annual visit for Oktoberfest. We did two tours, the first was the Harkin Store outside town. The sign on the road was misleading, as it said it was open from May to September. I knew full well how it had been advertised in New Ulm previously as part of Oktoberfest. Since it is nearly ten miles outside town I hadn't been there before, as there were many other things I wanted to see and most of those were in town or much closer and easier to find. I didn't care much for the 'tour guide' in the store. She was all too willing to correct us when we had questions. Tour guides usually have really good people skills. But the other employees, like the attendance taker and the gift shop employee, more than made up for the one that we didn't like.
The other tour was the Schell's brewery. We went there right after arriving in town, based on past experiences I knew that the tours sell out quickly. We arrived in the early afternoon, and ended up with the last tour of the day, 5:30. So we did check out some other places during this time. This included finding Riverside Park, with a goose statue in it. This park stood out in my mind as there was an old building in the background. We found out it used to be a school, called Franklin School. There are tours available, but during the summer. Also found the former Chicago and Northwestern railroad depot, but it was hard to do at first. The building was blocked by a freight train, so it was easier to see when driving west. We got pictures from across the tracks. It was also the first time at the Way of the Cross, a religious shrine, near the hospital. There was a grotto and a chapel, though at first I didn't know which one was the grotto. In this case, the grotto was much smaller than I am used to as I had seen them in West Bend, Iowa, and Dickeyville, Wisconsin. This grotto was locked up.
Thankful I made it to the Visitor Center, also the Chamber of Commerce. They had street banners for sale for a dollar, so I bought one. I said I could find the space for it for that cheap. It is purple and has the 'Herman the German' statue on one side, their famous monument. The last stop before the brewery tour was the Glockenspiel, saw somebody performing with a street organ.
After the brewery tour, we went to German Park, and made a wish in the fountain. There is now a memorial to the Sioux Uprising of 1862 there, as the event just had a commemoration of the 150th anniversary in August. Then it was on to Turner Hall for a drink, but I didn't see the couple from Plymouth there like in some of the previous years. I've found out before that they will decide to choose the other weekend, when I email them. The night was capped at the Holiday Inn, where I like the food there, traditional German food. We danced to one song and then drove back to the Twin Cities as the end of the night. We tried to find some of the baseball playoff games on the radio, knowing it would help pass the time during the drive.
The other tour was the Schell's brewery. We went there right after arriving in town, based on past experiences I knew that the tours sell out quickly. We arrived in the early afternoon, and ended up with the last tour of the day, 5:30. So we did check out some other places during this time. This included finding Riverside Park, with a goose statue in it. This park stood out in my mind as there was an old building in the background. We found out it used to be a school, called Franklin School. There are tours available, but during the summer. Also found the former Chicago and Northwestern railroad depot, but it was hard to do at first. The building was blocked by a freight train, so it was easier to see when driving west. We got pictures from across the tracks. It was also the first time at the Way of the Cross, a religious shrine, near the hospital. There was a grotto and a chapel, though at first I didn't know which one was the grotto. In this case, the grotto was much smaller than I am used to as I had seen them in West Bend, Iowa, and Dickeyville, Wisconsin. This grotto was locked up.
Thankful I made it to the Visitor Center, also the Chamber of Commerce. They had street banners for sale for a dollar, so I bought one. I said I could find the space for it for that cheap. It is purple and has the 'Herman the German' statue on one side, their famous monument. The last stop before the brewery tour was the Glockenspiel, saw somebody performing with a street organ.
After the brewery tour, we went to German Park, and made a wish in the fountain. There is now a memorial to the Sioux Uprising of 1862 there, as the event just had a commemoration of the 150th anniversary in August. Then it was on to Turner Hall for a drink, but I didn't see the couple from Plymouth there like in some of the previous years. I've found out before that they will decide to choose the other weekend, when I email them. The night was capped at the Holiday Inn, where I like the food there, traditional German food. We danced to one song and then drove back to the Twin Cities as the end of the night. We tried to find some of the baseball playoff games on the radio, knowing it would help pass the time during the drive.
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