Minnesota - West Central Lakes Region Attractions

The Swift County Historical Museum near Benson features pioneer life and regional history displays that include an early schoolroom and log cabin as well as American Indian, pioneer and other early artifacts.

Cold Spring (pop. 3,000) was devastated by grasshopper plagues seven times but the worst was 1876-1877. Governor Pillsbury proclaimed a Day of Prayer on April 26, 1877 and the original Assumption Chapel was built as a tribute from the townspeople when they were saved through prayer. The original chapel was destroyed by tornado in 1894 and the current one rebuilt in 1952.

Hill Museum is home to the Saint John's Bible as well as an archive of over 100,000 medieval manuscripts. The two main categories for manuscripts are Western that predate 1550 and derive mainly from Austria and Germany. The Eastern Christian Manuscripts feature Armenian, Syriac, and Christian Arabic manuscripts.

The Grant County Historical Museum in Elbow Lake allows visitors to take a self-guided tour that begins with prehistoric times and a view of fossilized mammoth bones. Displays depict pioneer life from household to agricultural, to transportation. A restored and furnished log cabin, c 1865, and a rural school house are on the museum grounds.

The Otter Tail County Historical Society Museum in Fergus Falls re-creates life in an early 1860s Midwestern town through displays including a printer's shop, dentist's office and general store.

Gopher Campfire is a wildlife refuge that harbors geese, ducks, deer and antelope.

GAR Hall was erected in Litchfield in 1885 by Civil War veterans to honor those who fought in the Union Army. The hall is furnished with original period pieces and contains Civil War research materials. Next to the hall is the county museum, which contains American Indian artifacts, an 1868 log cabin and other historical displays.

The Paynesville Historical Museum features exhibits such as woodworking, Indian artifacts, children's toys, a blacksmith shop, Appelgren center, and a religious center. A pioneer house, built during the 1880s, houses medical and dental exhibits.

The Big Kahuna Fun Park in Spicer features Mini-golf, go-karts, bumper boats and a PowerWheels course.

The Monastery in St Joseph is home to a community of 400 Benedictine women. The 1914 Romanesque chapel was renovated in 1983 and houses a Noack organ, a gathering place and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

The Schwanke Museum in Willmar (pop. 18,000) houses a collection of tractors, dating from 1916. More than 80 automobiles as well as trucks, gas engines, gas pumps and signs are on display.