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Visit New Ulm!
We have two tours available at the New Ulm Visitor Center:
1.) We can provide you with a “Walking Tour” brochure concentrating on downtown architecture, Dakota Conflict sites and elaborate homes form the late 1800 - early 1900s. Depending on your interest and time available, it can take 1 - 2 hours.
You may purchase a CD for $5 at the Visitor Center that will let you direct your own tour from the comfort of your car. It is a comprehensive tour, taking you all around our interesting town!
2.) You may use our exciting, new iPods for a walking tour of significant historic sites in our downtown. These consist of several 3 - 4 minute stories with pictures and narration in a “mini-movie” format. (There is no charge, but a credit card imprint will be taken to ensure the iPod’s return.) A downloadable version is also available on our web-site. Group Tours
New Ulm is known for its hospitality, and our Convention and Visitors Bureau staff can help you with your tour plans. Review your options here, or you may call Terry for detailed information and materials at 888-463-9856. Please see the following for more details on tours:
General City Tour
Optional Add-ons
Hub and Spoke Itinerary Ideas
General City Tour - $75 per Group - Includes:
Costumed, Step-on Guide
We literally roll out a red carpet to welcome your group
“Welcome Reception” consisting of coffee, lemonade and mini-apple strudel
Large restrooms
Mini-concert by the Concord Singers at the Glockenspiel (restrictions apply)
Some site tours have separate fees
Tour can be customized for your interests and time allowance
The normal tour is two hours long, including driving by and explaining:
Author, Wanda Gag’s Home
Brown County Museum
Brown County Veterans’ Memorial
Dakota Conflict of 1862 Sites
Defenders’ Monument
Downtown Architecture and History
German-Bohemian Monument
Glockenspiel
Governor John Lind’s Home
Heritage Tree
Hermann Monument
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Martin Luther College
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
Schell’s Brewery and Gardens
Steamboat Landing
Turner Hall
Waraju Distillery
Way of the Cross Sample City Tour Itinerary
The example shown below can help give you an idea of what a day-trip may look like, but know that it is only one way to construct the day. Our Tour Coordinator would love to discuss the many options open to you. Call 1-888-463-9856.
9:45am Arrive at the Visitor Center for a “Welcome Reception”
and restroom visit.
10:00am Begin your guided City Tour with a Step-on Guide.
12:00pm See and hear the Glockenspiel performance, end the tour.
12:30pm Lunch time - eat at a prearranged location or on your own.
1:30pm Finish eating, stroll downtown, visiting the “Specialty Shops.”
2:15pm Meet your coach at the Visitor Center for your choice of Site Tours
at two museums or two historic homes.
3:15pm Tour the Harkin Store, Schell’s Brewery or Morgan Creek
Vineyard
4:30pm Leave for home Multi-day, festival-oriented or “Hub and Spoke” tour options can build on this example, too!
Optional Site Tours
We encourage you to work with Terry to book your tours. He is very knowledgeable about how to time your visits to these locations. It’s like “pressing the easy button!” Schell’s Brewery and Museum Tour Minimum 20 People 1.5 hours $3 each
America’s second-oldest family-owned brewery tour includes tasting (beer and soft drinks) and a visit to their newly-remodeled tap room and museum. The gardens, with wandering peacock, are gorgeous and set off the 1870’s mansion in the background. A large gift shop carries a wide array of goodies. Schell’s Brewery has been a New Ulm and Minnesota tradition since 1860! www.schellsbrewery.com
Morgan Creek Vineyard 1 hour $5 each
Established in 1993, Morgan Creek is Minnesota’s only underground winery. They specialize in growing and producing German, French and American-style wines. Fridays in summer feature the “Wine Down for the Weekend” program of light jazz and piano, where you can enjoy wine and pizza from their wood-fired pizza oven. Check out the various events happening here during the year. www.morgancreekvineyards.com
Governor John Lind Home .5 - 1 hour $2 each
John Lind was Minnesota’s 14th Governor in 1899, and his grand home reflects his status and role in New Ulm’s social life. In addition to the grand home tour, there is a section devoted to Lind’s achievements. “Victorian Lunches and Teas” are available for groups, and there are seasonal decorations around Christmas. www.lindhouse.org
Wand Gag Home .5 - 1 hour $2 each
Wanda Gag was a children’s author and artist whose most famous book, “Millions of Cats,” is still in print from 1927! She was nationally famous in her time, and her home features many pieces of her work. Her father, artist Anton Gag, is present through his decorative hand-stenciling, his art studio and other design elements in this unique home. It is seasonally decorated around Christmas. www.newulmweb.com/citylights/gag.html
Brown County Museum .75 - 1 hour $3 each
This is one of the most unique buildings in Minnesota, done in a northern European Renaissance-style with a stepped roof and gable lines. Highlights include the “Ulm Room” with many artifacts donated from our “mother city” of Ulm, Germany. The “Dakota Conflict of 1862” exhibit on the top floor explains the suffering caused in and around New Ulm during this time. Seasonal decorations like the “Menzel Village” are highlights around Christmas! www.browncountyhistorymnusa.org
Harkin General Store 1 hour $3 each
This store is the only remnant of the town of West Newton from 1870. It is located 8 miles upriver from New Ulm, along the banks of the Minnesota River, surrounded by mature oak and cottonwood trees. When it closed its doors in 1901, the owners lived next door and prevented vandalism. They kept the windows and roof intact, thus assuring the preservation of much of the original stock. With costumed guides and an obvious sense of history, this place is a treasure to enjoy! www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hs
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame .5 - 1 hour $3 each
It was begun in the mid-1980s to preserve artifacts associated with New Ulm’s old-time music heritage, but has greatly expanded to include instruments, recordings, promotional materials, costumes and pictures of all kinds of Minnesota musicians. Artists range from “Whoopee John” Wilfahrt to Bob Dylan and Prince, and from marching bands to ballroom acts and many more! November’s Induction Ceremony and performances would be a special treat for musically-inclined groups. www.mnmusichalloffame.org “Hub and Spoke” Itinerary Ideas
The ideas shown below are of particular use for groups looking to create overnight stays and for repeat groups looking for an itinerary “twist.” Use these ideas to create a one-of-a-kind tour that will set you apart from the competition! Terry will handle all of the bookings for you.
Hanska 1 - 3 hours
You can come for the annual Syttende Mai (“17 of May” = Norwegian Independence Day) celebration or plan to spend some time touring the 1870’s pioneer cabin, the stabbur (a traditional wooden, Norwegian storage barn), and learning of the Norwegian immigration and settlement. This little Norwegian town will delight you! Hanska is 12 miles south of New Ulm.
Sleepy Eye 1 - 3 hours
Named for an Indian chief with drooping eyes, you should see the fantastic St. Mary’s Church with its gorgeous wood carvings and soaring, gold-leafed decorations. Also, see the charming Schoenstatt Shrine - a recreation of a German chapel, the statue to Chief Sleepy Eyes and the Depot Museum with its telegraph demonstration. They also have a statue of the Charlie Brown “Linus” character who was modeled after Sleepy Eye native, Linus Mathiowetz. You should also try and take an interesting tour of a stained glass shop that is very “colorful.” Sleepy Eye is 15 miles west of New Ulm.
Rich-Nes Alpaca Farm 1 – 1 1/2 hours
Your people will love these charming cousins of the llama, who have the softest fur in the world. You go to the barn and feed them, learn of their habits and visit the gift shop with numerous items made of their fur. This tour is always a highlight! The farm is located in Morgan, about 25 miles west of New Ulm.
Fieldstone Vineyards 1 - 2 hours
Located on a “Century Farm” with the operations and Visitor Center housed in a large, old, tiled barn, Fieldstone opened in 2003 and has already become an award-winning vintner. The interesting tour can include tasting, a box lunch meal and a gift shop. It is located about 35 miles west of New Ulm, beyond Morgan.
Gilfillan Estate 1 - 3 hours
In the late 1800s Mr. Gilfillan installed the water works in St. Paul and retired to rural Minnesota where he built his then-modern farm operation on 10,000 acres! Tours can focus on the mansion and family business office, the farm operation and/or a museum with all sorts of interesting artifacts of life 100+ years ago. Arrangements can be made for meals (with delicious home-made ice cream) to be eaten on site! An ag-oriented tour may wish to include the large “Farm Fest” show in early August. It is located about 40 miles west of New Ulm, near Redwood Falls. Redwood Falls 1 - 2 hours
Redwood is home to Ramsey Park with an accessible waterfall and a small, charming zoo. A history tour of the town can include the Inventors Congress Museum, the Lower Sioux Agency (the administration site of the Dakota/Sioux reservation) and a meal stop. Jackpot Junction Casino is located just outside of town and can serve as a meal and entertainment stop. It is located 45 miles northwest of New Ulm.
The Sod Houses 1 hour
Two full-size sod houses represent life on the tree-less prairie for the immigrants of the mid-1800’s. Learn how the rugged families lived, and connect to the “Little House on the Prairie” concept. This is a fascinating history lesson, unavailable anywhere else in the region. It is located 35 miles west of New Ulm. |
