Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in Minnesota
Looking for weird things to do in Minnesota? The Land of 10,000 Lakes has everything from giant Paul Bunyans to underground mine tours — our kind of adventure playground.
Fun Facts About Minnesota
Minnesota is nicknamed the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but it actually has more than 11,800.
The Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture, on this list, sits in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden alongside the Walker Art Center, one of the top contemporary art museums in the country.
The Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S., is in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Spam, the canned meat with its own museum on this list, has been made in Austin, Minnesota since 1937.
Some of these attractions we’ve visited, others are still on our radar. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our photo page with bonus snark and info. Otherwise, you’ll head to their official site — assuming one exists, since sometimes that’s half the adventure.
Unique Attractions & Weird Things to Do in Minnesota
Weird Roadside & Oddities
Akeley
World’s Largest Paul Bunyan – Massive lumberjack statue you can climb. 112 Broadway Street West
Austin
Buffy the Cow – 15-foot-tall fiberglass dairy cow. 700 12th St SW, Austin, MN 55912
Kehret Roadside Chapel – Tiny chapel inside Mower County Fairgrounds. Best view from 609 12th St SW
Power of Food Sculpture – Giant fork covered by forks at Hormel Foods Headquarters. 1 Hormel Place
Rooster – 10-ft tall fiberglass rooster at Apollo Liquors. 901 W Oakland Ave
Spam Museum – Museum dedicated to the famous canned meat, complete with giant Spam can. 101 3rd Avenue NE
Belgrade
World’s Largest Crow Statue – Massive roadside crow sculpture. 22197 US Hwy 71
Bemidji
Chief Bemidji Statue – Historic Native American statue. 300 Bemidji Ave N
Fireplace of States – Unique fireplace featuring stones from every state, inside Bemidji Tourist Information Center. 300 Bemidji Avenue
Nanobouzou, Bunyan’s Muffler Man Foe Statue – Towering fiberglass figure at Morell’s Chippewa Trading Post. 301 Bemidji Ave
Niiemii – Dancing Indian Statue – Traditional dancing figure sculpture. 300 Bemidji Ave
Paul Bunyan & Babe Statues – The iconic lumberjack and his blue ox companion. 300 Bemidji Ave
Paul Bunyan’s Animal Land – Zoo featuring a large leaping deer statue. 3857 Animal Land Dr SE
Blue Earth
World’s Largest Jolly Green Giant – Towering green vegetable mascot statue. 1134 Giant Dr
Darwin
World’s Largest Ball of Twine (by one man) – Francis Johnson’s massive twine creation. 200-298 N. 1st Street
Eveleth
World’s Largest Free Standing Hockey Stick & Puck – Giant hockey equipment display. 412 Monroe Street
Frazee
World’s Largest Turkey – Enormous fiberglass turkey sculpture. 32911 MN-87
Luverne
Blue Mound Wayside Chapel – Tiny roadside church perfect for quiet reflection. 1445 US-75
Rock County History Center – Home to an impressive collection of 5,500+ nutcrackers. 312 East Main Street
Minneapolis
Giant Bottle Cap – Massive 3D painting on 2D surface near 4 Island Drive. Best views from Hennepin Avenue Bridge
Goldy’s Molecule – Giant molecular structure at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Off Washington Avenue near Molecular and Cellular Biology Building
House of Balls – Unique folk art installation and studio. 1504 7th St South
MoZaic – Giant brick head sculpture. Near 1340-1354 Lagoon Avenue
Prince Mural – Eight-story tribute to the Purple One. 101 N 9th Street
Prince Purple Head Mural – Another artistic tribute to Prince. 2601 Hennepin Avenue
Spoonbridge and Cherry Sculpture – Iconic giant spoon and cherry at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. 726 Vineland Place
Nevis
World’s Largest Tiger Muskie – Giant fiberglass fish sculpture. Bunyan Trails Road
Pelican Rapids
World’s Largest Pelican – Oversized bird sculpture marking the town. 101 1st Avenue
Red Wing
World’s Largest Boot & Museum – Massive boot display at the famous bootmaker’s headquarters. 315 Main Street
Rockville
World’s Largest Fish – Giant roadside fish sculpture. 108 Broadway Street
Rothsay
World’s Largest Prairie Chicken – Impressive bird sculpture on Prairie Chicken Road
Rush City
World’s Largest Walleye – Giant fiberglass fish welcoming visitors. 1550 W 4th Street
St Paul
World’s Largest Snowman – Cheerful oversized snowman display. 2460 Margaret St N, North St Paul, MN 55109
Vergas
World’s Largest Loon – Minnesota’s state bird rendered in giant form. 906 E Frazee Avenue
Factory Tours & Behind-the-Scenes
Brooten
Redhead Creamery & Farm Tours – Working dairy farm offering tours and tastings. 31535 463rd Ave, Brooten, MN 56316
New Ulm
August Schell Brewing Company Tour – Second-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States and oldest in Minnesota. 1860 Schell Road
Roseau
Polaris Experience Center Tour – Factory tour of the famous snowmobile and ATV manufacturer. 205 5th Ave. SW, Suite #2
Shakopee
Amazon Fulfillment Center Tour – Behind-the-scenes look at modern logistics. 2601 4th Avenue East
St Paul
Summit Brewing Tours – Tour one of Minnesota’s beloved craft breweries. 910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul, MN 55102
Parks, Trails & Waterfalls
Soudan
Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park – Historic iron mine offering underground tours. 1379 Stuntz Bay Rd, Soudan, MN 55782
Plan Your Minnesota Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in Minnesota to this list, so check back for more roadside attractions, quirky museums, oversized oddities, and future road trip discoveries.
Where to next? Check out our Missouri roadside attractions guide for more Midwest weird, browse our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right At The Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.