Everything Minnesotan

Weird Minnesota Landmarks

1. The World's Largest Ball of Twine. Located in Darwin, a central Minnesota town of about 300, this roadside creation was the work of a farmer named Francis A. Johnson, who spent 39 years winding this 17,400 pound ball of twine. It's now displayed in a roadside gazebo with Plexiglas sides so visitors can get the best possible views of the twine ball.
2. Paul Bunyan Statue. Paul Bunyan is the mythical lumberjack who was so big that he created Minnesota's 10,000 lakes with his footsteps-- with the help of Babe the Blue Ox, of course. The most famous Paul Bunyan statue is in the north-central town of Bemidji, Minnesota. This 18-foot Paul was erected in 1937, and later that year the city built babe the Blue Ox.
3. The Spam Museum. Located in the southern town of Austin, Minnesota-- the home of Hormel, who makes Spam--this museum is the campy homage to that slimy red meat in the square can. Oh, and it's free! Visitors can learn all about the history of Spam, view a collection of old Spam advertisements, and take a Spam trivia challenge.
4. Ed's Museum. This museum is a loving tribute to a total slob. Located on the Southeastern corner of Minnesota in a town called Wykoff, this museum is the collection of all the debris collected over the years of an eccentric store proprietor named Edwin Krueger. Ed never threw anything away, so the museum has quite a collection of early-to-mid 20th century artifacts. Visitors can also visit Sammy, Ed's cat, who died in 1986 and now is stored in a sealed cardboard box.
5. The Kensington Runestone. Alexandria, a hospitable central Minnesota town with dozens of lakes, has a bit of an odd history. A farmer unearthed a huge slab of rock covered in runes in the late 1800s, and after some questionable archaeological analysis, the runestone was declared to be evidence that the Vikings setlled in Minnesota in the 1400s. The debate rages on as to whether the Runestone is evidence of the Vikings or a hoax, but you can visit it at Alexandria's Runestone Museum. Hoax or not, Alexandrians take pride in their runestone, and Alexandria proudly calls itself the "Birthplace of Civilization" and sports a 28-foot tall statue downtown of an imposing Viking named Big Ole.