Seeing New Sights: Minnehaha Falls

I count myself very, VERY lucky that I grew up with a parent who worked for the airlines. Because of that, I have been to many wonderful locations all around the world! However, when I think about some of the great sites here in Minnesota, I realize that I haven't seen some of the big ones. Not that I'm complaining because I have seen so many great things in my life!

One of those sites is the Minnehaha Falls. A few weekends ago, I actually had some time off and the weather was beautiful so I wanted to get out and explore something! We were going to go to Interstate State Park, but didn't want to drive that far (I know...it's not THAT far, but we wanted to stay just a bit closer to home). My brother-in-law then told my husband that they had just gone to see the Minnehaha Falls and enjoyed it. So that's where we decided to go!

We got there earlier in the morning and found a parking spot. Neither my husband or I had ever been to the falls, so we didn't know where to park or where the falls were! So we asked someone and told us that it was a couple of miles to our north! Well instead of getting into the car and driving to a closer parking spot, we decided to walk. It was nice to see all the fall colors and to enjoy the beautiful weather, but our legs were sore by the end of the trip!



Along our way, we were able to see one of the first few locks in the lock and dam system on the Mississippi. This one is Lock and Dam No. 1, or the Ford Dam (there's some pretty interesting information on Wikipedia if you're interested).



We also passed by the entrance to the Minnesota Veterans Home. They have a beautiful entrance with a bridge over the Mississippi River!

We finally got to the entrance to the falls!



You then take a staircase down to the river which zigzags down to the bottom of the falls. This picture



is the first sight of the falls we got. You then get to a little bridge which gives you another great sight of the falls like this one:



We then walked up the other side of the falls which brings you to another portion of the park that has a restaurant (we didn't try it this time, but it sounds great!) and a wide open public space (where lots of kids were playing in the leaves!). We decided to check that out some other time and walked over to a bridge at the very top of the falls. It lead to even more interesting view of the falls like this



We were running out of time on the meter so we headed back to our car. On the way, we found the John H. Stevens house. It was closed when we were there, so we didn't get a chance to explore it.



I hope to go back during the winter. I've seen some amazing pictures of the falls during the winter and would love to get some shots of the falls partly frozen (if possible!). So bring on the cold/snow! Also, make sure to check out my Minnehaha Falls set on my Flickr page for a few more shots I took while at the falls.

Fall Means: Sever's Corn Maze!

I was thinking about how much I do really love Fall, but then I got to thinking, I just really love all the seasons! Every season has something that I absolutely love! When Fall comes around, I love the cooler weather that we start to get here in Minnesota! No more 90 degree days with 70 degree dewpoints! We can turn off the air conditioner and open the windows! I also love the changing of the leaves and all the fresh apples!

Another thing I love about Fall is a relatively new tradition for my sister and me: the Sever's Corn Maze!





My sister and I first went to the corn maze in 2006 and had a great time! I think we meant to go again the year after that, but time and/or other situations got in the way. The one day, my sister brought up the idea of going again! I had such a fun time the last time I was there, so I was very excited to go again!

There's a new theme to the corn maze every year and this year the theme was the Minnesota Vikings!





There's a lot of stuff to see and do at the Sever's Corn Maze. Not only is there the corn maze itself, but they have a smaller maze made of hay bales. They also have a pet zoo, a good amount of food, and a pit filled with corn kernels! It feels so good to walk on the corn kernels and to lay down in it! There are also a bunch of other activities listed on their website.

When you're ready for the maze, you pick up a pencil and a map. There are signs posted through the maze and if you locate certain signs, you can be entered into a drawing for some prizes.





It was a lot harder this year than my sister and I remember! But we finally got the hang of things and did pretty well. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time left, so we didn't get through the whole maze.





I had an absolute blast with my sister at the corn maze and highly recommend it! There were a lot of families with young children so it is a fun time for all ages! One group that we seemed to keep running into had the cutest kids! They would get so excited when they found the signs they were looking for! I guess I never really realized how good of an activity it is for kids especially. I think it's a fun way for them to learn not only the alphabet, but directions and decision making. The maze is located in Shakopee, MN and is open every Saturday and Sunday through October 31st (make sure to check out their website for directions and a $1 off admission discount). If you go, I hope you have as much fun as my sister and I did!





..and Skol Vikings!