Ellsworth, WI: The Cheese Curd Capitol of the World. Who knew?

Blue Earth, MN: Home to the 60-foot tall Jolly Green Giant.

Kevin and Freja standing high up between the big green guy’s tights.

LeMars, IA: The Ice Cream Capitol of the World. Home to Blue Bunny Ice Cream’s manufacturing plants, where they make Bomb Pops, SpongeBob ice cream bars, and lots and lots of square half gallon cartons.

LeMars, IA

LeMars, IA

Mall of America: Located in Bloomington, MN. MoA is 400 or so stores, about 60 restaurants, a movie theater, an aquarium, an amusement park (“Camp Snoopy”), and lots and lots of parking spaces. Basically, it boils down to “if you’ve seen one mall, you’ve seen them all”. But to visit once just to say that you did? It’s worth it. Most of the photos are from Camp Snoopy, because photographing a Macys or Bloomingdales is just plain.

Mall of America

Mall of America

Mall of America

Mall of America

Mason City, IA: Hometown of Meredith Willson, the Music Man behind the play and movie of the same name. His boyhood home is here, along with a museum and performing arts center.

Mason City, IA

Mason City, IA

Mason City, IA

Red Wing, MN: Home to Red Wing shoes – ask Grandpa; he probably owns a pair or two. It’s Red Wing Shoes’ 100th anniversary, so they had 100 statues of boots around town on the street corners, each one decorated differently. I only took pictures of four; I figured that was enough to get the gist.

Red Wing, MN

Red Wing, MN

Red Wing, MN

Red Wing, MN

Rochester, MN: Home town of the infamous Mayo Clinic, but we didn’t make it over there. Instead we did find the World’s Largest Ear of Corn, which was at a Libby’s canning facility.

Shakopee, MN: Valleyfair theme park. Your standard roller-coaster and water ride park. Good for a day of fun in the hot humid Midwest.

Shakopee, MN

Shakopee, MN

Shakopee, MN

Shakopee, MN

Shakopee, MN

Shakopee, MN