History buffs will find their plates full on a visit to New Ulm.
Day One:
- Begin with a walking tour of historic downtown buildings. Pick up a map at the Visitors Center, 1 N Minnesota St. Learn about the history of each building as you walk by.
- 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.
- 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.
- Eat lunch at the Rathskeller 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 Rathskeller are murals painted by an Italian artist in 1873. They were uncovered and restored in 1999.
- 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.
- 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.
- Spend the night in one of New Ulm’s restored Bed and Breakfasts, each an architectural gem.