The Two "S" Places to visit in Minnesota

 We discovered that two of the popular places to visit both start with S.  Schell's and Schmidt's.  You think they might be German?! 😄   One has great beer (if you are a beer drinker) and the other smoked sausages and meats.  

We arrived in New Ulm on Saturday afternoon.  The next day we were at Schell's Brewery, enjoying the cool weather with no humidity!  Amazing for August in Minnesota. The brewery has been in New Ulm since 1860 and is the second oldest family owned brewery in the U.S.  During Prohibition they had to be innovative since they couldn't sell beer.  One way was selling chocolate candy made by Hershey.  They also sold most of the walnut trees on their property because walnut wood was at a premium at that time.  Like they say "Where there is a will there is a way".

That day they even had live music, so there were quite a few people enjoying their drink of choice while listening to the guy sing and play his guitar before we took the tour.

The grounds are amazing, with a large Victorian house that was built by the family and inhabited for many decades.  It no longer is occupied.

I still have no idea of what Clara, Verl and Don were talking about when I took this photo!

Below is a  view of the back of the house with the unique water fountain built like a gazebo.

Let's just say that Don and Verl REALLY enjoyed the beer tasting after the tour!  Verl got Clara's samples and Don got mine!  They were quite talkative and a bit high by the time we left and headed to Carl's Corner for dinner.

 

We stopped by Schmidt's Meat Market in Nicolett after our first bike ride in Mankato.  The smell of smoked sausage immediately hits your nostrils when you step into the front door.  Oh my!

I've never, ever seen so many different sausages: regular, garlic, Minnesota style, Wisconsin style, etc.  Since I no longer have my small camera, I had Don take these photos.  It was better than being a kid at a candy store.  There was also so many types and varieties of jerky, smoked meats and cheeses.  It was hard to decide what to buy.  We did end up with one sausage, a garden cheese, bratwurst and some beef patties.  Bet your bottom dollar that we are stopping by there on our way to Wisconsin for more of this good stuff.