Minnesota Marvels: Roadside Attractions in the Land of Lakes

by Eric Dregni

Only in Minnesota can you snap a Polaroid of a fifty-five-foot-tall grinning green man with a size seventy-eight shoe or marvel at the spunk of a Swede who dedicated his life to spinning a gigantic ball of twine. The world’s largest hockey stick, as well as the biggest pelican, prairie chicken, turkey, fish, otter, fox, and loon also make Minnesota their home. Where else can you ponder the mysterious "miracle meat" of Spam in a museum dedicated to pork products or have your head examined by the phrenology machines at the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices? 

Minnesota Marvels is a tour of the inspired, bizarre, brilliant, scandalous, and funny sites around the state. Look up in wonder at the several Paul Bunyan statues, including the original (Bemidji), the tallest (Akeley), and the largest talking version (Brainerd). Ease on down the road to visit the first home of the heel-tapping native of Grand Rapids, Judy Garland, or walk the "main street" of Sauk Centre immortalized by native son Sinclair Lewis. See the birthplaces of Charles Lindbergh, the Mayo brothers, the Greyhound bus, the snowmobile, and the ice-cream sandwich. 

Minnesota is also the home of such attractions as the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the world’s largest aerial lift bridge in Duluth, and architectural wonders such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s modernist gas station in Cloquet and Frank Gehry’s arresting Weisman Art Museum. Stunning mansions with histories of ghost sightings, the hangouts and lairs of infamous gangsters, and old-fashioned breweries dot the state.

Conveniently organized by town name and illustrated throughout, Minnesota Marvels is the perfect light-hearted guide for entertaining road trips all over the state. 

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Eric Dregni has written nine books including Midwest Marvels, The Scooter Bible, Ads that Put America on Wheels, and Grazie a Dio non Sono Bolognese. As a 2004 Fulbright Fellow to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Eric researched Scandinavian culture and roots for a forthcoming book. His time is divided between Italy, Norway, and Minneapolis where he is the curator for El Dorado Conquistador Museum and guitarist for the mock-rock trio Vinnie & the Stardüsters.

Reviews

[John Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this kind of book goes, I guess it’s ok, but there really was notihng about it that impressed me all that much. I think it would have benefited a great deal by including more places, more pictures and, in some cases at least, better descriptions or stories. Also, a problem with these types of books is that if your don’t get around to reading them as soon as they come out is that some of these “road-side attractions” no longer exist. Nonetheless, I’ll still keep this book handy for when we travel around the state.

[Yvonne]

Really enjoyed the short informative chapters and the voice of the narrator. Every state could use a book like this!

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It will take a certain kind of traveller or character (local or otherwise) to fully appreciate this book. Most of what I wrote in my review of Minnesota Curiosities can apply here. Rather than rehash the details of that review (also posted on this site), I will simply point out the main differences of approach in the two works.

"Marvels" is a bit more grounded in its approach while Curiosities unveils some of the more obscure, quirky oddities. Even while dealing with some of the stranger attractions, Marvels always manages to keep you focused on what makes Minnesota an important state. It gives more depth to the places it covers than Curiosities, and stays mostly on the beaten path to the markers that tell the state's history. I found the two to be highly complementary and equally interesting as far as detail. You can breeze through the curiosities and then spend some time on the marvels, from which I appreciated stories such as Fort Snelling as Minnesota's first tourist destination, the Swedish and Finnish connections, and the origin of the Greyhound Bus service.

I have already started to map out my plan and check list for trying to work my way through the curious marvels. It remains strange and surprising to me that for all the time I have spent in this neighboring state (which I love), I have still seen very little. I suppose that is why books like this need to be written, to get me off the interstate and in to the character that makes the place what it is.

[Jeff Bloomquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been way better. Cool title