For Joseph’s family’s annual get-together, they met up in Minnesota and invited me along! I have never been to that state, and honestly didn’t know what to expect. But since we were meeting up with his family members that are local to the state, I knew we were in good hands. Despite being bitten quite horribly by spiders and mosquitoes (my fault, I didn’t use insect repellent! O___O”), the boyfriend and I had such a fun trip exploring Minnesota with new friends.
If you’ve never been to Minnesota, here’s a few reasons why you should put this state on your list!
10,000 LAKES
Actually, it’s more than 11,000 lakes. I was only able to visit two or three. The interesting thing is, between the two lakes that I’ve visited, both are vacation / residential lakes and both had such different cultures to them. One was much more quiet and serene with people doing calm activities like paddle-boating, while the other was more rambunctious with activities like jet skis and tubing. The possibilities are endless when you’re given 11k lakes to explore.
CORN COUNTRY
Out in the countryside, I found myself in miles upon miles of beautifully manicured corn fields. Just like in the movies! We had the chance to go to an actual corn farm because Joseph’s relative owns one, and he was kind enough to show us around and let us play among the corn. Let me tell you, those corn fields are DENSE! I literally took two steps and couldn’t see behind me. The leaves were also kind of prickly, making it more difficult to maneuver. Now I understand how people can get lost in a corn field.
START OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
The longest river in the U.S. and the fourth longest river in the world, and it all starts at a State Park in Minnesota. Joseph and I would absolutely love to take a river cruise on the Mississippi River one day, but we were shown the way to Lake Itasca, where the river begins, and were able to actually walk across the river! Such a neat thing to be able to say we did.
The Mall of America.
The largest mall in America is located in the city of Minneapolis, and very close to the airport! It hosts over 520 stores, as well as an indoor amusement park! We toured the mall on our last day Minnesota, only an hour before the stores closed for the day, so we only went to a handful of stores. Such a bummer since the state is tax free on goods! What?!
LOVELY HOSPITALITY
Minnesota is known for their warm hospitality. During our five day trip, I met and got to know quite a few Minnesotians and they were all SO nice, inviting and attentive! I absolutely enjoyed my time with them.
BEAUTIFUL CLOUDS
You know those clouds you see on desktop wallpapers. Well, that’s what Minnesota clouds looked all. the. time. It was ridiculously beautiful. Such blue skies against such nicely formed white clouds. Ahhhh. Coming back to Los Angeles and seeing the drab sky + clouds makes me wish we were in Minnesota.