I have spent the better part of my adulthood as the writer in my family. This designation, while a privilege, is not without personal anguish. I have had the unique opportunity to tell others stories, write the congratulatory toasts, departing words, and put to paper heartaches that were not mine alone. If you have followed […]
The Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum is part of the former Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children in Owatonna. The “State School” was created by an act of the Minnesota legislature in 1885 as an effort to provide safe, transitional housing for the state’s orphaned, abandoned and abused children who had […]
Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens are two distinct, adjacent gardens on the banks of the Mississippi River northwest of the intersection of University Drive and Kilian Blvd near SCSU. Both showcasing the most beautiful parts of a Minnesota summer, Munsinger Gardens on the lower east bank of the Mississippi River was originally the H.J. Anderson sawmill during the […]
Hi there, Jessica here! I am headed up to Duluth, Minnesota for the weekend to bucket list and would love to see if there are places you think I need to stop! What are your favorite things to do in Duluth? Tag some of your favorites and tell me what makes that restaurant, park, mural, […]
If you’ve followed along since the beginning of the #mnbucketlist, you already know I have a deep appreciation for cemeteries. They hold an enormous amount of history and personal stories you can’t find anywhere else. Scott County has seven cemeteries in Belle Plaine; Mount Mariah (which I posted about a while back), Oakwood, St Peter […]
When I say that Anoka is ”The Halloween Capital of the World”, its not just because of the fun parades or the inflatable pumpkins. Anoka carries a much more sinister past. Anoka State Hospital, also known as First State Asylum for the Insane, Anoka State Asylum and most recently Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center, Minnesota’s largest […]
Getting back to the #mnbucketlist… If you’ve ever driven down Woodland Avenue in Wayzata, you may have noticed a really huge, black, wrought iron sign that reads, ‘Groveland Cemetery’. Or all of the beautiful tulips growing everywhere. Either way, it’s actually a very lovely necropolis amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy road. There […]
With over 6,000 cemeteries scattered throughout Minnesota, it’s easy to understand why some of them would end up on the #mnbucketlist. I happened upon this one, Mount Moriah Cemetery, while driving down a back road near Jordan. Perched on top of a hill, the beautiful little family plot was backlit by what would end up […]
Rows and rows of fallen soldiers and those they loved adorn the quiet landscape of the next #mnbucketlist stop, one of the most eloquently somber and meticulously maintained places in Minnesota. Fort Snelling National Cemetary in Minneapolis, between the Mall of America and the MSP airport, was established in 1870 to serve as a burial […]
Right here in the land of ice and snow is one of this country’s most stunning cemeteries. Just off of Hennepin Avenue, near Lake Calhoun is the absolutely breathtaking Lakewood Cemetery. Within its 150 acres is a slice of rich Minnesota history. There are quite a few one-of-a-kind art pieces and monuments sprinkled throughout the […]
I know that on the bucket list I include cemeteries and ruins but very rarely do I include churches. I typically don’t bucket list them because I don’t want to sway one way or the other with any kind of church. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I’m Jewish so me going to different churches isn’t […]
Ordinarily, I try to write about the somber and the sweetness of cemeteries and graveyards but this one is a little bit different. St. Hubert in Chanhassen, erected in 1887, is adjacent to the St. Hubert’s Catholic Church. The reason it is dissimilar is because it’s filled with children, many of them unmarked. Being a […]
Since I am a bit of a cemetery fanatic, I can cross Glendale Cemetery in Savage off the #mnbucketlist. It’s really little and completely surrounded by woods and trees. Adorable, if you can really say that about a graveyard… but it’s the kind of place where, although it’s close to the road, it’s quiet and […]
When all is said and done, I want the #mnbucketlist to be all encompassing. All of everything. From the most well-known, to the least. From the amusing, sensational and delicious, to the historical, architectural and dark. That being said, I included and still continue to include cemeteries, graveyards and ruins. The bucket list has always […]
Just before the Glensheen Mansion, you will find the Scandia Cemetery off London Road. A gated empire fenced graveyard that overlooks Lake Superior. You can get into in if you hike Tischer Creek, but beware of the potholes and divots. A large portion of the headstones are broken and battered, reminiscent of the colonial east […]
Crossing off another #cemetery from the bucket list tonight. This time, I stopped at Chanhassen Pioneer Cemetery. This one is on my running trail so its one I see all the time. This one in particular has had quite a bit of resident press about it. A few local articles have been written about adding […]
Off Pioneer Trail in Eden Prairie, just before you get to Miller Park, there is the Eden Prairie Cemetery. It’s right on the side of a really bright and sunny hill where all of the graves are spread out and easy to get to. Because I go to this one often, I do have a […]
I’m not sure how others feel about putting cemeteries and graveyards on their bucket list but I think its important to know all that a place has to offer and that includes its history, morbid or sullen as it is. Please let me know if it makes you uncomfortable or hey, if you like it. […]
