Spring Apple Blossom drives in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Apple orchards bloom across the hills above the Kickapoo River Valley in Gays Mills, Wisconsin.

Head south on the Great River Road

Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Craving a Minnesota or Wisconsin road trip to celebrate the welcome end to winter? Let spring blossoms inspire your route. 

Some of Minnesota's most stunning views can be found along the 17-mile Apple Blossom Scenic Drive each spring. This byway, tucked above the Mississippi River Valley in southeast Minnesota, celebrates the apples which have thrived along these bluffs for more than 150 years.

Bluffs, like the hillsides along the Minnesota River or St. Croix River, shelter orchards from cold temperatures that sink into the valleys. The bluffs' rich limestone soil also nourishes the fruit and gives the area’s 30-some apple varieties a distinct taste.

Meander by farms, orchards

Catch the drive at County Road 3 a few miles south of Winona. This is one of the most striking stretches of the Great River Road. Look for a maze of islands to the east, along with deep ravines and lush, wooded ridges rising from both sides of the Mississippi.

From the picnic area and overlooks at Great River Bluffs State Park, you can even seen Wisconsin’s Black River delta on the opposite shore. The park’s hiking trails thread through the hardwood forest, thick with maples, basswood, oak and hickory. They flame into full glory by late September and early October. If you want to camp here, reserve these spots early.

Historic farms sprawl across Gays Mills' Orchard Ridge.

Most of Minnesota's Apple Blossom Scenic Drive hugs the ridges above Mississippi River, curving through horse and hobby farms and passing historic red barns. As the byway meanders southeast, it nears the orchards. They’re showered with delicate white blossoms in early May and thick with apples by late summer. 

Take a drive to Gays Mills

Because many of these bluff-top farms and orchards (given the proximity to La Crosse and great views) have become homesites, I actually prefer to head into Wisconsin and drive about 45 minutes south of La Crosse, Wis., along the Great River Road, where you may spot eagles and migrating waterfowl and an Amish buggy or two. 

At Wisconsin State Highway 171, head about 12 miles east to the tiny town of Gays Mills. It welcomes visitors with a burst of showy white blossoms then wows them on the east side as the highway climbs the high ridge above the Kickapoo River Valley where orchards have grown award-winning apples since 1905.

 

An elegant dinner at LaCrosse's The Waterfront Restaurant.

While orchards aren’t open in the spring, wooden signs promise fresh-picked fruits and sweets from apple pizza to pies—a perfect reason for a return trip in the fall.

Loop back to La Crosse

If you head back to La Crosse via Viroqua on Highway 61, the approximately 100-mile loop drive meanders through steep coulees and past brooks squiggling through lush meadows. Viroqua's also an ideal lunch stop with the Driftless Cafe. It serves tasty seasonally inspired meals with local ingredients, such as roasted root vegetables and trout. 

For an elegant finish to the day, enjoy the riverfront views, drinks and date-night meals at The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern. If the weather's balmy, you can sit on the patio to catch warm spring breezes drifting along the Mississippi River.

Lupine growing along Lake Superior.

Take more scenic spring blossom drives:

Here are my favorite picks for scenic spring blossom drives in Minnesota and Wisconsin:

Bayfield, Wisconsin
You can't beat the gorgeous Lake Superior setting, artsy shops, great cuisine and views of the Apostle Islands. The month-long Bayfield in Bloom festival includes blooming orchards plus 54,000 daffodils. Our favorite Bayfield flower? June-blooming lupine which fills the ditches with an explosion of purple and tinges of pink.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, Minn.
A great option if you don't have time to travel far from the Twin Cities and want to research planting your own apple or fruit trees. Call the Bloom Line at 612-625-9791 to find out what's blooming.

Door County, Wisconsin.
Another lovely Great Lakes setting and the chance to meander by both cherry and apple orchards. Door County's six-week Festival of Blossoms runs through early June and includes several package deals. It's a great time to visit before summer crowds hit.

--Photos and text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Duluth, Minn: Top Things to Do for Holiday Fun

Bentleyville lights up Duluth's Bayfront Park. Photo by Lisa MeClintick

Duluth, Minnesota, with the magical backdrop of Lake Superior, has always been a favorite summer and fall getaway for Twin Cities residents and others across the state.

If you need another enticement to head north, here are the top things to do for the holidays in Duluth. It’s a winning weekend getaway with its own Christmas train, a superb Christmas light show with Bentleyville, excellent shopping and the always scenic allure of Lake Superior. Here's a run-down of Duluth's best holiday events:

1.    Stroll through Bentleyville Tour of Lights.

“Five…four…three…two…ONE!”

With a visual whoosh, Bentleyville Tour of Lights lights up as a waiting crowd cheers. Three million lights in a carnival of colors transform damp foggy December evening at Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park into a festive wonderland.

Duluth Christmas lights with Up North themes

Volunteers pass out cups of cocoa and cookies, and crowds amble forward through tunnels of lights to gaze at the 12-story tree that looms above Bentleyville. It occasionally flashed in patterns, pulsing to holiday music that ranges from acoustic guitar carols to Jimmy Durante’s “Frosty the Snowman.”

The Bentleyville light displays outgrew founder Nathan Bentley’s Esko home and debuted in Duluth in 2009. It takes more than 900 volunteers almost two months to set up decorations that fill nine semi-trailers.

Displays range from dinosaurs and erupting volcanoes to the Nativity scene and Noah’s Ark. There’s a distinctive Northern flair, as well, with Santa on snowmobile, ore tankers and tall ships, a dogsled team that seems to surge forward, fish and frogs that appear to jump from lakes and a moose and an elf that portage a canoe.

Nice surprise--halfway through Bentleyville you can roast marshmallows while wrapped in the warmth and wood smoke from several bonfires.

Duluth's shipping celebrated at Bentleyville.

Bentleyville opens the week of Thanksgiving and runs nightly through Dec. 26. It takes about 45 minutes to see the displays, but you’ll need at least an hour if you have kids under 10 who want to visit Santa. The first 15,000 kids receive free knit Bentleyville hats. Admission is free (including cookies, cocoa, popcorn and marshmallows), but monetary donations are welcome, as well as food or unwrapped toys. Nearby parking is $5.

2. Ride the holiday train

Duluth's 2012's Polar Express pulled into Fitger's.

A conductor yells “All Aboard!” and kids (sometimes in pajamas) scramble to climb into the illuminated train cars of North Shore Scenic Railroad. The event has been known as the Polar Express in the past few years, but includes a new story as the Christmas City Express in 2013. The journey begins with boarding at the landing below Fitger’s where you can hear Lake Superior’s waves. The train then rumbles to Duluth’s 1892 Depot. Inside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, a Lionel model train set whirs to action and a full-size steam engine chugs to life, spewing smoke and blowing its whistle as kids gather for an interactive reading of the book, “The Christmas City Express.”

Each child gets to visit with Santa before heading back to cookies and cocoa at Fitger’s ($16/person; 1-800-423-1273; www.northshorescenicrailroad.com).

North Shore Scenic Railroad also runs trains from Fitger’s to Bentleyville several times a night for $6/person.

3. Kick off season with a parade

Duluth’s holiday events kick off with a Christmas City of the North Parade the Friday before Thanksgiving. The illuminated parade with about 70 units begins around 6:20 p.m. and heads up Lake Avenue.

A.G. Thomson House, Duluth.

4. Duluth mansions dress up for the holidays

December may be the best time to admire Duluth’s many mansions, a legacy of boom years when it claimed more millionaires per capita than anyplace in the United States. If you’re traveling without kids, you can stay in one of seven historic homes operating as Duluth's bed and breakfasts.

Each has its own charm and characteristics, but among our favorites are the Firelight Inn for its fireplace and spacious porch; A. G.Thomson House for its overall charm and hospitality and Olcott House for its unique music room. Solglimt offers another spectacular option with modern, artsy décor and fantastic location along the lake just past the Aerial Lift Bridge on Park Point Drive.

Firelight Inn B&B in Duluth.

5. Glensheen holiday tours

Glensheen Historic Estate, Duluth’s most famous mansion, opens for holiday tours through Jan. 5 with volunteers in period costumes and a self-guided tour that recreates a guest’s holiday visit to Glensheen in 1912. There’s a photo area also set up for families who want a memorable portrait and good excuse to wear fancy Christmas dresses.

6. Savor scenic slopes

Overlooking the city and the lake, Spirit Mountain offers 22 downhill ski runs and claims the Midwest’s largest terrain park. The resort also grooms 22 km of Nordic ski trails and tubing runs and operates the Timber Twister alpine coaster and double-seat Timber Flyer zipline year-round. Just be aware of the windchill.

Bentleyville

7. Hit the Edgewater Waterpark

Edgewater Resort and Waterparkprovides free bus shuttles to Bentleyville, and you also can board the Bentleyville train here. All rooms include passes to the tiki-themed activity pool, lazy river and slides, and you can pay extra for lakeside suites with balconies.

 8. Shop at Fitger’s and Canal Park

The easiest place to stay if you’re riding the train is Fitger’s Inn, a converted brewery above the tracks and overlooking the lake. The Fitger’s complex includes a few levels of boutique shopping, including a toy and book store, outdoorsy gear stores and women’s fashions. You’ll find more shops and a handful of impressive galleries at Canal Park, as well.

9. Learn about shipping

Ore tanker, Duluth, MN

If the lake hasn’t iced up—and chances are it won’t by early December—you can watch for iron ore tankers heading east from the Duluth Harbor. Let kids get behind the wheel in a pilothouse and explore the rich legacy of shipping at the free U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Maritime Museum.

10. Check out the new children’s museum

Check out the new location for the Duluth Children’s Museum, which moved from its location at the historic Depot to Clyde Park in 2012. It’s an up-and-coming area of the city with funky converted warehouses and lots of space for colorful, hands-on learning.

For more information and details, check out Visit Duluth.

St. Cloud-based Lisa Meyers McClintick wrote the guidebook “Day Trips from the Twin Cities” and “Minnesota Lake Vacations” mobile travel app.

Ultimate Egypt field trip: King Tut's Treasures

Psusennes at the Minnesota Science Museum

Photos & text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

With Egypt in the news this past month and kids talking about it at school, it's perfect timing for spring break field trips to "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharoahs" at the Minnesota Science Museum.

Put more simply, it's King Tut and more than 100 treasures from Egypt's ancient sites. Adults love the gold, glamour and amazing craftsmanship. Kids are more drawn to the "Ewwww" factor of mummies. (It's rather comforting that the one on display is a replica.)

Research Egypt first
It helped to prep our daughters for the exhibit that opened Feb. 18 by checking out a variety of library books. The DK Eyewitness guides to Egypt and mummies were stand-outs thanks to many visuals and quirky stories. Some photos--such as one of a mummified cat or mummified shrunken heads--are way up there on the ick factor. You don't necessary want to look, but you can't help it.
 

In search of the mummy, mummy, mummy

A game from Tut's tomb

The exhibit's impressive enough to inspire those hushed moments of awe. Unfortunately, I doubt I was the only mom whose kids' nagging mantra of "Mummy, mummy, mummy!" were like being at a playground and hearing "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" until you're ready to crack your skull on the jungle gym.

If you're visiting with younger kids (my girls are 7), design a scavenger hunt or quiz to get them more engaged and paying attention, rather than hurrying through to see the mummy. If you do this, keep the notebook or paper small and use a pencil. No pens are allowed around the priceless artifacts.

You also can check the museum web site for archaeology and King Tut classes and crafts designed for kids ages 6-8 and 9-12.

DIY King Tut scavenger hunt 

Here are some of the most memorable items to look for:

• Intricate hieroglyphics show up on many statues and carvings. Have kids seek something specific such as bird symbols.

• Egypt's version of toilet seat. Really.

• A sarcophagus for royal cats. It puts a new twist on the term "cat box."
• The king's chair. Smaller than you'd think.
• King Tut's intricately inlaid coffinette that held his mummified stomach.
• A necklace with golden falcon heads. It's one of several gorgeous jewelry pieces.
• Golden head of a leopard.
• Golden finger and toe covers used on the mummy and golden sandals.
• Golden sandals etched like woven reeds.
• King Tut's game box. Tell the kids it was his Nintendo.

Another Minnesota big-ticket exhibit
The Minnesota Science Museum continues to reel in major exhibitions, which have recently included "A Day in Pompeii," "Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition," and "The Dead Sea Scrolls."

Tutankhamun, though, is its largest to date with 16,000 square feet of exhibit space. You'll need at least an hour to get through the maze of rooms that lead visitors into a simulated tomb. If you can visit without kids in tow, you'll want 90 minutes or more to ogle the details and listen to the full audio tour.

If it feels like walking through the pages of National Geographic, it's no wonder. The National Geographic Society is a key player in putting together this exhibit with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The Science Museum is the only Midwest site that will have King Tut's treasures. They'll be on display through Sept. 5.

Advance tickets--which come with an assigned entrance time--are recommended. If you want to see the IMAX film, "Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs," do that first so you aren't rushed through exhibit.

Tickets start at $16 for kids (without the film). If you like to go to the museum than once a year, the $95 household membership includes regular admission and the Omnitheater show (usually $14.50 to $17 for both), discounts on parking, and special rates for traveling exhibits such as King Tut. Kids' Tut tickets are as low as $9 in March with a membership. Membership gets families into 200 additional museums across the country.

Weekday King Tut rates are cheaper, but check the site first to make sure special events at the Xcel Center don't jack up parking fees.

King Tut audio tours ($6-$7) include narration by Harrison Ford. He's a good fit. It's impossible to keep out visions of fearless explorers excavating treasures and risking the mummy's curse--another creepy, intriguing tale to get kids hooked on King Tut and ancient Egypt.

A cat sarcophagus.

 More King Tut trivia

• The so-called boy king was about 9 years old when he was crowned. That's also when he married his half-sister.
• He died at about 19 years old, according to modern CT scans. Modern technology also squelches rumors of murder, pointing instead to an infection from a fracture on his left leg.
• He had two stillborn daughters who were mummified and buried in his tomb.
• His father Akhenaten spearheaded a religious revolution to worship one god rather than many.