Surviving Family Travel: Day Trip to Gammelgarten in Scandia, MN
Last Fall, I decided to start doing more "fun" things with the kids ... whether or not they wanted to do said fun things.
Our traveling adventures need to start small. It has been challenging to get out of the house with the ticking time bomb that is my daughter's ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder).
Gammelgarten ("old farm" in Swedish) in Scandia, MN is an authentic representation of the people who - in large part - developed the culture that is known as "Minnesotan". Hard-working, gritty, friendly, welcoming, level-headed are often words used to describe Minnesotans and you can see why when visiting this old heritage farm. Wandering around is free, so is climbing on the neat Swedish horses and looking into windows of the out-buildings.
Make sure you check off our list of Must-Dos and Must-Haves here.
Things to do at Gammelgarten:
1) Check their website to coordinate your visit. Super important if you want to take a peek inside of the neat buildings. Peeking only allowed during official tours.
2) Annie's Swedish Coffee Party - Held on the second Saturdays during September, October, November, & December. Pastries, people. $15.
3) Free Bluegrass & Lemonade - is enjoyed on the fourth Sunday of the month from 2-4pm during June through September. This is what we went to but honestly, it's for a different crowd than our family. I thought the kids would like to sit and listen to bluegrass and drink lemonade (LEMONADE, guys!) but they preferred to listen while poking around the gift shop and begging for things.
4) Kirsten from the American Doll series was based on this exact location! If your kids are into this series, it'll be almost as exciting as Disney World. They have clothing and accessories for purchase in the gift shop, you can "walk where she walked" and see how Kirsten is "Just like US".
5) Neat old farm buildings - If you are in the middle of the Little House series and want to see what an "old-timey" house looked like ... maybe ala Little House In The Big Woods sort-of, this is a good place to go if you can't actually make it to Pepin, Wisconsin.
(This was her smile for the day)
6) Great place for family portraits in the fall. As a photographer, I can vouch for the lighting, the old barn wood, etc. #Perfection if you can get your photographer to go there. There's a huge playground. So tell the kids they can have at it if they just "get their finger out of their noses and look like pleasant human beings for 5 minutes."
More stuff:
I love these horses!
BONUS: Totally doing this!
Immigrant for a Day
"On Sunday, May 27, 2018, from 1-4pm, come experience a FREE day as an immigrant making a new life on a small farm in the town of Scandia in the late 1800’s. You may be hauling water, packing your trunk for America, making butter, doing laundry and playing games at “recess” in the new school yard. Come dressed in period costume to add to your experience."
- Straight from their website. Looks amazing. And it is free. Count us in!
20880 Olinda Trail Scandia, Minnesota 651-433-5053