Read Online Romancing the Roads by Gerry Hempel Davis - Free Book Online
Authors: Gerry Hempel Davis
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very enjoyable. Just a stone’s throw from the Anderson House I discovered an Antique Center , Wabasha’s Old Town Shops ,and theOld City Hall.
Old City Hall
257 Main St.
651-565-2585
There is a year-round indoor flea market with a farmer’s market, home-baked goodies, and possibly a treasure or two to find.
National Eagle Center
50 Pembroke Ave. S.
651-565-4989
www.nationaleasglecenter.org
Here you can see Harriett, Angel, and Columbia, three injured eagles that cannot be released back into the wild and have become stars. Some girls have real luck after adversity. The center teaches observation and conservation. The staff visits places with the three feathery girls, who are always main attractions at the center or on the road trips.
Wind, Whisper, West
128 Main St.
651-565-2002
www.windwhisperwest.com
This gallery, now dubbed “the Kimono Capital,” was not open when I was in Wabasha, but I think it bears mentioning. In this little town, you will find the world’s largest collection of Japanese wedding kimonos. No two are the same. Making these kimonos is a fading art. Kimonos can cost from $8,000 to $60,000. If a purchase is not on your agenda, know that a kimono can be rented for three hours for $2,000 to $8,000. Owner Richard Fuller, a retired marine, brought the collection here to his wife’s hometown. These beautiful garments (produced in the 1970s and 1980s) are on sale for a fraction of the original price.
LARK Toys
Lark Lane, 63604 170th Ave., Kellogg
507-767-3387
www.larktoys.com
To be accurate, LARK is in the tiny town of Kellogg, a very short drive from Wabasha. Take scenic Highway 61. Lark is right along the highway. Just turn off onto County Road 18 and make a left on Lark Lane. What fun it is to be in this big toy factory, regardless of your age. LARK Toys will do you good, and you will only smile and want to stay and stay and stay. The enterprise was started in 1983 by two talented teachers who in their spare time made toys and sold them at fairs. Taking friends’ advice, they started their toy factory, and the rest is history. In 2008 they decided to retire and sold the establishment, but all has remained the same. There is truly something for everyone, be it riding the carousel with its hand-carved animals, playing miniature golf, taking a rest at the Café , or indulging in some butter and cream fudge made in the Fudge Tree shop, or seeing and petting the miniature llamas—Francis, Eliot, and Irving. You will never see so many toys under one roof again. Trying to choose what to buy is a yeoman’s task, but what a fun challenge. It is a great place to do some Christmas shopping, whatever time of year it is.
Visit Wabasha; you will be charmed.
FYI: Mall of Americas is just fifty-five miles from Wabasha. I have been told that it’s a shopping mecca.
Red Wing (Population Approximately 15,561)
Red Wing is but a short distance north. I did not have time to visit, but next time.
Historic Red Wing Pottery
1920 Old West Main St.
651-388-3562
www.redwingpottery.com
This third-generation family business began over 140 years ago.
Red Wing Stoneware Company
4909 Moundview Dr.
651-388-4610 or 800-352-4877
www.redwingstoneware.com
This company has maintained its “American-made” status since 1860.
Austin (Population Approximately 25,000)
Everyone knows SPAM, the king of curious and mysterious meats. Well, Austin has devoted an entire museum to it!
SPAM Museum
1 Hormel Pl.
507-437-5100
www.spam.com
Austin is off of I-90 and intersects U.S. Hwy 218. Take Exit 178B for the museum, where you will learn more than you ever thought could be attributed to this unusual but always (for the most part) popular meat concoction. Forty-four thousand cans of SPAM come off the assembly line per hour, and it is cooked in the can! When founder George Hormel decided to retire and take his wife to California, he gave the business to his son Jay, who would become a most (understatement)
Old City Hall
257 Main St.
651-565-2585
There is a year-round indoor flea market with a farmer’s market, home-baked goodies, and possibly a treasure or two to find.
National Eagle Center
50 Pembroke Ave. S.
651-565-4989
www.nationaleasglecenter.org
Here you can see Harriett, Angel, and Columbia, three injured eagles that cannot be released back into the wild and have become stars. Some girls have real luck after adversity. The center teaches observation and conservation. The staff visits places with the three feathery girls, who are always main attractions at the center or on the road trips.
Wind, Whisper, West
128 Main St.
651-565-2002
www.windwhisperwest.com
This gallery, now dubbed “the Kimono Capital,” was not open when I was in Wabasha, but I think it bears mentioning. In this little town, you will find the world’s largest collection of Japanese wedding kimonos. No two are the same. Making these kimonos is a fading art. Kimonos can cost from $8,000 to $60,000. If a purchase is not on your agenda, know that a kimono can be rented for three hours for $2,000 to $8,000. Owner Richard Fuller, a retired marine, brought the collection here to his wife’s hometown. These beautiful garments (produced in the 1970s and 1980s) are on sale for a fraction of the original price.
LARK Toys
Lark Lane, 63604 170th Ave., Kellogg
507-767-3387
www.larktoys.com
To be accurate, LARK is in the tiny town of Kellogg, a very short drive from Wabasha. Take scenic Highway 61. Lark is right along the highway. Just turn off onto County Road 18 and make a left on Lark Lane. What fun it is to be in this big toy factory, regardless of your age. LARK Toys will do you good, and you will only smile and want to stay and stay and stay. The enterprise was started in 1983 by two talented teachers who in their spare time made toys and sold them at fairs. Taking friends’ advice, they started their toy factory, and the rest is history. In 2008 they decided to retire and sold the establishment, but all has remained the same. There is truly something for everyone, be it riding the carousel with its hand-carved animals, playing miniature golf, taking a rest at the Café , or indulging in some butter and cream fudge made in the Fudge Tree shop, or seeing and petting the miniature llamas—Francis, Eliot, and Irving. You will never see so many toys under one roof again. Trying to choose what to buy is a yeoman’s task, but what a fun challenge. It is a great place to do some Christmas shopping, whatever time of year it is.
Visit Wabasha; you will be charmed.
FYI: Mall of Americas is just fifty-five miles from Wabasha. I have been told that it’s a shopping mecca.
Red Wing (Population Approximately 15,561)
Red Wing is but a short distance north. I did not have time to visit, but next time.
Historic Red Wing Pottery
1920 Old West Main St.
651-388-3562
www.redwingpottery.com
This third-generation family business began over 140 years ago.
Red Wing Stoneware Company
4909 Moundview Dr.
651-388-4610 or 800-352-4877
www.redwingstoneware.com
This company has maintained its “American-made” status since 1860.
Austin (Population Approximately 25,000)
Everyone knows SPAM, the king of curious and mysterious meats. Well, Austin has devoted an entire museum to it!
SPAM Museum
1 Hormel Pl.
507-437-5100
www.spam.com
Austin is off of I-90 and intersects U.S. Hwy 218. Take Exit 178B for the museum, where you will learn more than you ever thought could be attributed to this unusual but always (for the most part) popular meat concoction. Forty-four thousand cans of SPAM come off the assembly line per hour, and it is cooked in the can! When founder George Hormel decided to retire and take his wife to California, he gave the business to his son Jay, who would become a most (understatement)
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