Mankato, Minnesota
Nestled in the Minnesota River Valley just 75 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, Mankato offers experiences you would expect from a major metropolitan area and the charm of a close-knit community. For instance, the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour features 34 rotating sculptures from artists around the world in a wide range of media such as cast iron and molded plastic. And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings training camp at Minnesota State University in Mankato.
On Center Street Hill, the childhood home of Maud Hart Lovelace pays tribute to her beloved Betsy-Tacy children’s fiction series. Lovelace wrote 13 Betsy-Tacy books from 1940 to 1955, all set in Mankato at the start of the 20th century. Besides guided house tours, a self-guided tour covers numerous Betsy-Tacy sites.
Greater Mankato has more than 60 parks and 50 miles of paved trails for walking, biking or skating. Minneopa State Park’s trail showcases the waterfalls of Minneopa Creek. Sibley Park is a Mankato favorite. Not only is the park beautifully landscaped, but it also offers recreational fishing on the river and hiking on the Minnesota River Trail. Starting this fall, bison will once again roam the prairie at 350-acre Minneopa State Park, near Mankato.
“People comment on our trail system in and around town because the trails connect with each other,” said Paige Schuette, visitor engagement manager for Visit Mankato. “We’re nestled in the river valley, so they go past cornfields and river bluffs and then right into downtown.”
Petoskey, Michigan
Consistently voted one of the best small towns in America, Petoskey sits on Little Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. Bay Front Park is always a popular spot for watching boats, picnicking and million-dollar sunsets. Downtown’s Gaslight District, with locally owned boutiques and restaurants with al fresco dining, begs to be explored.
Crooked Tree Arts Center houses three galleries that display national and regional art that changes biannually. The center’s outdoor Bidwell Plaza hosts live music and theater, and indoor theater entertains groups in cooler months. Also popular are the center’s art and dance classes.
The Bear River flows through town and offers one of the few whitewater parks in the lower Michigan peninsula. Visitors can rent kayaks to traverse the quarter-mile stretch of the river. A one-mile paved walkway alongside the river offers a calmer option for taking in the scenery.
“Adults of all ages who have some kayaking experience will enjoy our whitewater trail,” said Diane Dakins, assistant director for the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau. “It has a 70-foot gradual drop, and people come here specifically for the trail.”
Cycle enthusiasts can ride the 23-mile Little Traverse Wheelway, which starts in Charlevoix and winds through Petoskey before ending at Harbor Springs. The trail hugs the bay and passes through the resort area of Bay Harbor and the Victorian-era enclave of Bay View, one of the nation’s few remaining Chautauquas.
Marceline, Missouri
Missouri claims its share of well-known Americans, Walt Disney among them. Disney lived in tiny Marceline, along Highway 36, which bisects the state from St. Joseph to Hannibal, for five years. He sold his first artwork here and rode the train that his uncle engineered as it chugged through town. Marceline became the inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street USA.
The town’s restored 1913 Santa Fe railway station houses the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. Walt’s youngest sister, Ruth, donated thousands of artifacts. Next year, the museum’s 15th anniversary will kick off with temporary galleries displaying items that haven’t been seen in years.
“Our mission is to keep the story of Walt Disney and the railroad, which he loved, alive,” said Inez Johnson, director of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and a friend of the Disney family. “Walt always came by train when he visited us because that was his passion.”
At the Walt Disney Municipal Park, visitors can see the original track for Midget Autopia, an electronic car ride donated by Walt and Roy Disney. The museum owns two of the 10 cars; one is in pristine condition. According to Peter Whitehead, creative director, it’s the only ride that left the Disney theme parks and was operational outside the park. It was the first generation of today’s Autopia ride.
At the Disney family farm, visitors can stand under the “son” of Walt’s Dreaming Tree, a cottonwood located in the same place as the original. Groups can also explore a replica of the barn where Walt named the animals and put on plays that later inspired many of his Disney characters.
