Minnesota. Who knew. – Dianna Glenn

Our love affair began back in April when Ava received a message from the equestrian coach at the University of Minnesota-Crookston. I’ll never forget that moment. Reading those words. Equestrian coach, spot on the team, MINNESOTA. My heart sank. Minnesota is so far from Texas. But, enough about that! Let’s explore this beautiful state.

Our first visit was at the end of April. Walking off the plane into 32 degree temps was a little jarring. We flew into the Minneapolis airport. We had a 4 hour drive to Crookston. And from that point on, we realized what a beautiful state this was. The hills and hills of crop filled fields (say that 5x fast). The farm houses. The silos. The barns. Little slivers of snow still tucked into the edge of lakes and ponds. It was literally a breath of fresh air.

A few weeks ago, we visited for the second time. In August. It’s 110 degrees in Texas. It’s 79 in Minnesota where they are experiencing a “heat wave”. It did not disappoint. Everything is so lush and green. All the flowers are in full bloom and it’s gorgeous!

Our first visit was a one day turn around that mainly consisted of visiting the college. (Which by the way is a beautiful campus!). The trip last month was much more. Here is what we did:

Me, Ava, Kate and Troy headed out in a rented SUV on a Wednesday morning. It’s an 18 hour drive from the Dallas area to Crookston, MN. We were supposed to split the drive into two days, but as most road trips would have it, we got into a driving groove. Once we were 4 hours out and our Airbnb could accomodate us arriving early, I powered through.

Our Airbnb. It was a quaint little house in a WONDERFUL neighborhood. I am new to the Airbnb rental world. A few weeks prior I rented one in Tulsa, OK. Great house. Crappy, scary neighborhood. Lesson learned. This Minnesota neighborhood was something you see out of a movie. Tree lined streets. Older homes. Kids playing outside. Neighbors mowing their lawns.

The “Cottage on Cottonwood” is a 3 story 1930’s home. It was cute. It served our family well. The host was very good. She gave us the best recs…keep reading!

We arrived late Wednesday night. Thursday morning we headed to Bernie’s for breakfast. (our host recommended Darcy’s first and Bernies second. I chose Bernies because I knew once Joe arrived, he would love Darcy’s.).

Ok, so Bernies for breakfast. So freaking cute! The style, the decor, the vibe, the atmosphere. It is owed by a chef on the Food Network, Molly Yeh. (so side note…I just read the about section on the website…so cool, so cool…linked below). The food was delish and accommodating. Kate, 11, did not want the fancy chorizo brunch burrito and so her request of a simple bacon, egg, and cheese one was met with a smile. Troy had pancakes, Ava had a breakfast sandwich, and since it was almost 10:30am, I opted for the egg salad sandwich on a croissant. YUM!

I think I need to clarify at this point. Crookston, MN is right on the boarder of Minnesota and North Dakota. There is the cutest big town just 20 minutes west of Crookston, MN called Grand Forks. It has a Target. Our Airbnb was in Grand Forks and we spent lots of time flopping between Grand Forks, ND, East Grand Forks, MN, and Crookston, MN.

After Bernies, we strolled through the Cabella’s across the street. (yes, it’s right there in the middle of this cute little town, not off some major highway, so weird).

For an early lunch we opted for a patio dinner at a family owned pizza joint. It got to be a little too hot (88) and we were sitting in direct sunlight so we moved inside.

Friday morning we hit up Starbucks and moved our girl into her dorm at the University of Minnesota-Crookston (UMC). Joe’s flight landed around lunch so I headed back to Grand Forks to grab him from the airport. (Teenest, tiniest, little airport that you ever did see.) That afternoon UMC had a marvelous family welcome picnic on campus. The weather was perfection, light breeze and in the 70’s. Did I mention that the campus is gorgeous? This particular area is where all outdoor events are held. There is a very large lush green lawn, gazebo (we had live entertainment), and outdoor games. We played cornhole, throw the thing on the poles, a weird volleyball type game…just fun stuff.

And finally Saturday morning we got DARCY’S!, minus Ava, but that’s ok, I am sure she will go at some point. The food was delicious. Joe and I had omlettes and Kate and Troy had kids pancakes, eggs, etc. While the food was great, the atmosphere was the best. The place is TINY. We ended up sitting at the bar top. Next to people we did not know. And we made friends. We talked about being from Texas while sipping our never ending cup of coffee (hello Luke’s…just stop reading now if you don’t get this reference, we can’t be friends, you can’t be here. I love Lorelai…). Ugh, it was perfect. One guy we were talking to worked as a chip distributor and took us out to his truck for a bunch of free chips for our drive home.

After breakfast, we ventured to the farmer’s market. It was precious! Coffee/food trucks, live band, fresh floral bouquets, all the things. Then we hit the trail. Not just any trail…the Greenway. Super cool path, super cool story. We walked and walked, saw deer, and thoroughly enjoyed the cooler weather.

The rest of our time in Minnesota was spent with our college kid. Wow, we have one. Anywho, Target run, Walmart run, unpacking, fixing, putting together. All the dorm things. We got her settled in. Attended Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, grabbed breakfast in Crookston, and took Ava back to her dorm. Saying those goodbyes were super hard!

She is settling in to her new routine. She misses home and home cooking, but is getting to do something so cool and live out a dream. Our plan is to head back to Minnesota in October for family weekend. By plane this time.

All pictures (and links) below from our trip.

Read all about Bernies HERE