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Minnesota Marvels Roadside Attractions in the Land of Lakes Eric Dregni |
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A humorous guide to the offbeat and bizarre attractions along Minnesota's highways. Only in Minnesota can you snap a Polaroid of a fifty-five-foot-tall grinning green man with a size seventy-eight shoe or marvel at the spunk of a Swede who dedicated his life to spinning a gigantic ball of twine. The world's largest hockey stick, as well as the biggest pelican, prairie chicken, turkey, fish, otter, fox, and loon also make Minnesota their home. Where else can you ponder the mysterious "miracle meat" of Spam in a museum dedicated to pork products, or have your head examined by the phrenology machines at the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices? Minnesota Marvels is a tour of the inspired, bizarre, sometimes gruesome, brilliant, scandalous, and funny sites around the state. Look up in wonder at the several Paul Bunyan statues, including the original (Bemidji), the tallest (Akeley), and the largest talking version (Brainerd). Ease on down the road to visit the first home of the heel-tapping native of Grand Rapids, Judy Garland, or walk the "main street" of Sauk Centre immortalized by native son Sinclair Lewis. See the birthplaces of Charles Lindbergh, the Mayo brothers, the Greyhound bus, the snowmobile, and the ice-cream sandwich. Minnesota is also the home of such attractions as the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the world's largest aerial lift bridge in Duluth, and architectural wonders such as Frank Lloyd Wright's modernist gas station in Cloquet and Frank Gehry's arresting Weisman Art Museum. Stunning mansions with histories of ghost sightings, the hangouts and lairs of infamous gangsters, and old-fashioned breweries dot the state. Conveniently organized by town name and illustrated throughout, Minnesota Marvels is the perfect light-hearted guide for entertaining road trips all over the state. “A tour of the inspired, bizarre, brilliant, scandalous and funny sites around the state. Conveniently organized by town name and illustrated throughout, Minnesota Marvels is the perfect light-hearted guide to entertaining road trips all over Minnesota.” —Grand Forks Herald “I’ve heard the middle of the country described as ‘flyover territory,’ and if that’s true it’s good, then, that many of the scattered monuments chronicled by Dregni in his book are big enough to see from Mars. Roll back the moon roof, pump up the jam and buckle up as we swing past many of the ‘world’s largest’ spectacles.” —North County News “Minnesota Marvels is a travel guide with flair, a slightly off-center description of the sites that make this state unique. Nicely organized by town name, Eric Dregni’s travel guide offers a democratic collection of the state’s finest ‘marvels,’ many not found in standard tourist literature.” —The Ripsaw News "Throughout the pages of this tome, author Eric Dregni takes us on a virtual tour of Minnesota's most funky monuments." —The Redwood Gazette “Try out Minnesota Marvels if you’re planning a road trip.” —The New Ulm Journal “The book is perfect for adventurous road-trippers or Americana devotees.” —Utne Eric Dregni is a freelance journalist, translator, and author of several books, including The Ads That Put America on Wheels (1996), Scooter Mania! (1998), and Midwest Marvels (2006). He lives in the Twin Cities. 232 pages | 126 halftones | 5 7/8 x 9 | 2001 |
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$16.95 Paper