Itineraries

A few suggestions to help you plan your visit…

If you only have one day:

  1. Start downtown with breakfast at one of our cafe’s or coffee shops and spend a little time chatting with the locals.
  2. Stop by the Convention and Visitors Bureau to pick up an iPod preloaded with audio and video podcasts about New Ulm’s historic downtown. As you walk from shop to shop, pause to learn about what happened a century or more ago, right where you’re standing. (Pick up a few souvenirs while you’re at it!)
  3. Head to the Rathskellar at Turner Hall for lunch and a cold beverage, and to admire the recently uncovered and restored murals of Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
  4. Work off your meal with a climb to the top of Hermann Monument, where you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the river valley.
  5. Snag a ticket for a tour of the August Schell Brewery. The nearly one-hour tour includes a walk through the old brew house, a video of today’s brewing operations and plenty of time to sample beers in the Schells’ tap room. Afterward, wander through the carefully tended gardens, say hello to the deer and peacocks or visit the gift shop.
  6. Treat yourself to an authentic German dinner at one of our downtown restaurants, and enjoy the nightlife along Minnesota Street.

 

If you have a whole weekend:

Start with the one-day suggested itinerary above.


On day two:

  1. Start the next day with a bike ride on the five-mile recreational trail, taking in the river or stopping in nearby parks. Or, head to Flandrau State Park for a hike or a dip in the sand-bottomed pool.
  2. Grab takeout from one of our restaurants and enjoy a picnic by the fountain in German Park.
  3. Catch an afternoon performance at the Glockenspiel, one of the few freestanding carillons of its size in the world.
  4. Play a round of golf at the New Ulm Country Club. If you’re feeling less ambitious, make it mini-golf at the Putting Green.
  5. Ready to put your feet up and call it a day? Head to the Grand Kabaret downtown to take in some spirited entertainment that could range from a jazz combo, a solo guitarist, vocal duos and even poetry readings. Refresh your body with som light food and enjoy tasty wine selections.

Click here to download a PDF version of our itineraries

 

Ladies Weekend:

You and the girls want to get away? We’ve got you covered.


Day One:

  1. Start your day at Cornerstone Coffee, located in an 1865 building that is one of the last of the original business buildings still standing in New Ulm.
  2. Get ready to shop, shop, shop. New Ulm is filled with stores you won’t find anywhere else. Be sure to venture outside downtown to Domeier’s German store, a cozy shop stocked with items straight from the old country. And don’t forget Weeds & Reeds on the other side of downtown,  where a 1926 gas station is now filled with vintage and eclectic gifts.
  3. Have lunch beside the fireplace at Lola’s Larkspur Market, where you’ll find soups and sandwiches, salads, and more, in addition to a full wine list.
  4. If you’re up for more shopping, New Ulm will keep you occupied. Or, head to one of our salons for a relaxing manicure and pedicure.
  5. Make the short trip out to the Morgan Creek Vineyard to sample varietals from Minnesota’s only underground winery.

 

Day Two:

  1. Take a walk along the Cottonwood River in Flandrau State Park, or ride your bikes on New Ulm’s five miles of recreational trails.
  2. Tour the stately Lind House, the restored one-time home of Minnesota’s 14th governor.
  3. At the childhood home of children’s author Wanda Gag, admire lithographs and paintings by Wanda Gag and other members of her family.
  4. Have lunch at the famous Veigel’s Kaiserhoff, known for its braised ribs and German specialties.
  5. Take a tour of the August Schell brewery and gardens, where you’ll sample awardwinning beers in some of the city’s most beautiful surroundings.

 

Family Getaway

Load the family in the car; you’re ready to go.

Day One:

  1. Take the kids to Riverside Park. Let them climb all over the “pirate ships playground” and meet Gertie the Goose, the statue that is an unofficial mascot of the area known as Goosetown. Or bring the fishing poles and drop a line in the water, right where riverboats docked a century and a half ago.
  2. Head to the skate park for some exciting jumps, or ride your bikes along the former railroad bed that is now a paved, five-mile regional trail.
  3. Grab a quick lunch at any of New Ulm’s casual restaurants, saving room for some fudge from Hope & Faith Flowers Gifts Sweets.
  4. At the August Schell brewery, the kids can enjoy 1919 Root Beer while adults sample craft beers following an approximate one-hour tour. On the grounds surrounding the brewery, come face-to feather with peacocks or see if the kids can spot the little gnomes “hiding” throughout the gardens.
  5. Try your skills at the Putting Green miniature golf course before a swim in the hotel pool.

 

Day Two:

  1. Climb to the top of Hermann Monument to take in the sights from high atop the town. The park surrounding the monument also has playground equipment and picnic shelters.
  2. Hike through Flandrau State Park, or take in one of the naturalist-led programs. During warm months, hit the beach at Flandrau’s sandbottomed pool.
  3. Have an authentic German lunch at one of New Ulm’s restaurants. (Don’t worry, your picky eaters always have the kids’ menu.)
  4. Watch the 12 figurines from New Ulm’s history “perform” from their perch inside the 45-foot tall Glockenspiel.
  5. Head a few miles outside town to the Harkin Store, a general store that served the once thriving riverside town of West Newton in the late 1800s. Costumed guides welcome visitors each Sunday throughout the summer, leading activities for families and teaching about life during the 19th Century.

 

History Buff Weekend

History buffs will find their plates full on a visit to New Ulm.

Day One:

  1. Begin with the iPod tour of historic downtown buildings. The iPods, available at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, are preloaded with more than a dozen audio and video podcasts about significant events in the city’s history. A corresponding map will guide your way.
  2. Walk or drive a few blocks to 3rd South and German streets, to see the giant oak tree that served as the reference point for the town plat more than 150 years ago and still stands today.
  3. A few blocks away, find the whimsical Heritage Tree, a replica of those that decorate German communities. Each item on the tree (“planted” for New Ulm’s 150th anniversary) represents a prominent figure in the city’s history.
  4. Eat lunch at the Rathskellar inside the historic Turner Hall. The Turners were among the first settlers of New Ulm, building their original structure on this same site. On the walls of the Rathskellar are murals painted by an Italian artist in 1873. They were uncovered and restored in 1999.
  5. Head to the Brown County Historical Museum, housed in the former New Ulm Post Office. The building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside, check out exhibits on the Dakota Conflict and the county’s farming heritage.
  6. Learn how America’s second-oldest family-owned brewery survived the Dakota War, Prohibition and much more during a tour of the August Schell Brewery.
  7. Spend the night in one of New Ulm’s restored Bed and Breakfasts, each an architectural gem.

 

Day Two:

  1. Take a tour of New Ulm’s monuments, including the Defenders and German-Bohemian monuments, and the old steamboat landing in Riverside Park, where riverboats brought settlers and supplies.
  2. Visit the John Lind House, an 1887 Queen-Anne-style home that belonged to Minnesota’s 14th governor, the first Swedish-born American to be elected to Congress.
  3. Head to the Wanda Gag House, where the famous children’s book author spent her childhood, an 1894 house designed and constructed by her artist father, Anton Gag.
  4. Grab lunch in our historic downtown.
  5. Admire the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, with its numerous paintings of saints and religious scenes, some dating back more than a century. The cornerstone for the Cathedral was laid in 1890, the steeple in 1893 and the interior completed in 1903.
  6. Have coffee at the Cornerstone, an 1865 building with an exterior virtually unchanged since the Civil War era, and ask Lori about the famous “Christmas Murder” that befell one of the men who built the structure.
  7. Drive out of town to the Harkin Store, the only remaining structure from the 19th-century river town of West Newton, before continuing to Fort Ridgley, a key training ground for Civil War soldiers that also played a critical role in the Dakota Conflict. The site is located about 15 miles from New Ulm, near the town of Fairfax.