Growing up I loved MEA (the fall conference time for the Minnesota Education Association which means no school. for most students and teachers in Minnesota) I loved this break because 9 out of 10 times my birthday would end up on that weekend (It doesn’t this year.)
A long weekend means a little extra time to spend as a family, time to squeeze in an extra play-date or two, or time to continue harvesting the crop if you are one of the many local farm families.
Things to do during MEA
Check out the library
Librarys are most often known for their vast reading selection, but did you know there are other things you can do at the library or other things that you can check out???
Things to do :
- Play a board game or two
- Play Legos
- Surf the net
- READ
- Make copies
- Have a playdate
- Attend a library program ( we LOVE them) Activities at our library start for ages birth- adult, and most of the time they are free 🙂
Check out
- Books
- Books on CD/ Cassette
- Dvd/ movies
- KIndle/ IPAD
- Projectors
- and SO MUCH MORE!!!
Go for a hike or nature walk
I am still pretty new to the SW Minnesota area (transplant from Central MN) but the first three places that come to my mind would be
Dickinson County Nature Center
or even go on a nature scavenger hunt while you are there (or even in your own backyard.)
Check out the parks
Sibley Park
(Located in Mankato MN, but it is well worth the drive). The entire park is farm themed, has a petting zoo, has a large picnic area, has paved walking paths and so much more.
-Local Parks
So many cool parks in Lakefield alone. We love attending the school parks during the school breaks.
Shop Local
There are a wide variety of locally owned stores available to shop at on any given day in SW Minnesota. It could really be a post series itself (hmmm…. maybe it will.)
The Saturday of MEA there is an event called #SassySaturday that I have been pretty excited for. I posted some information on my events calendar, but the Facebook page for the event is also a Fantastic place to check out.
Eat Local
There are many delicious eateries in the SW Minnesota area. My favorite 3 are The Shed Chil n Grille , Bergan Bar & Grill, and Ben Lee .
Local Attractions
Tenacity & the AGCO Intivity Center
The kids and I checked it out a few weeks ago for the first time and it is AWESOME!!! I still am working on this post (little picky) but between the pink tractor and the AWESOME state of the art visitor center it is a trip worth the making. Call ahead if you would like a full tour (we haven’t but it is on out list).
Jackson County Historical Center
Fort Belmont
Check out the Fall festival currently going on at the Children’s museum
I have been wanting to check out this orchard since I found out that Poppe’s Pumpkin Patch would not be open fall 2015. They have so many cool things going on during the fall. They are even open during the day for MEA (10 am- 6pm).
Want to know the best part about this list of fun things to do in the area?? Most of them are going on all fall, even all year round.
Enjoy!
~ Racheal
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