Minneapolis/st. paul scandanavian tour

Minneapolis/St. Paul
Scandanavian Tour
NEW
TOUR
3 DAYS • Tour 12976
September 30 - October 2, 2015
Tour Highlights…
Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gift Shop
American Swedish Institute:
Turnblad Mansion/Nelson Cultural Center
Swedish Circle Tour:
Local Guide
Chisago City/Lindstrom, MN
Historic Swedish Church
Nya Duvemala & Glader Cemetery
Taylors Falls Boat Cruise
Old Log Theater Production
Scandinavian Heritage Tour:
Ole & Lena Uff Dah! Tour
Wabasha Caves Tour
6 Meals
Day 1, Wednesday
Traveling
northwest
across
Wisconsin’s fall landscapes we arrive
by mid-afternoon in Minneapolis, MN,
at Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gift
Shop. Celebrating Scandinavian culture for over 90 years, this unique store
features special imports, gifts, needlework, artwork plus much more. Located
within a short distance is the American
Swedish Institute/Turnblad Mansion.
Enjoy a facilitator-led exploration of the
exquisite 33-room Turnblad Mansion
from top to bottom including detailed
wood carvings, sculpted ceilings and 11
hand-crafted Swedish tile stoves (kakelugnar). Learn about the fascinating
Turnblad family, the architecture of their
castle, the history of ASI and life in early
Minneapolis. In addition we tour the
Nelson Cultural Center followed by a
leisurely dinner held in the institute’s
Paulson Hall with an emphasis on New
Nordic cuisine and local ingredients.
Overnight accommodations for two
nights are in Minnetonka, MN. D
Day 2, Thursday
Valkommen to “Kichi-Saga” Chisago
Lakes Community in Chisago City,
MN, where our local guide boards our
motor coach. It is the starting point for
our tour of the Swedish Circle, the
name given to 8 towns in this area featuring several Swedish sites and attractions. Today’s schedule includes
Lindstrom, MN, founded in 1894 and
featuring many sites relevant to the
Swedish people along with some
unique shops to browse through. A tour
of a historic Swedish Church, founded in May of 1854 by Swedes from
Hassela, Sweden, located in Center
City, MN, follows. A light lunch served
at Center City’s new restaurant
Swenson’s Lake House gives us a
break to sit down and rest before continuing on to the Nya Duvemala, also
known as the Karl Oskar House, and
visited by the Queen of Sweden in
1996.
En route to Taylors Falls, MN, we
drive by the historic Glader Cemetery
where the earliest Swedish settlers are
buried. One of the first settlements of
this area in 1838, Taylors Falls was a
major gateway for Swedish immigrants. Highlighting our visit is a cruise
aboard the Taylors Falls Queen paddleboat along the St. Croix River
Valley during which we learn early
history of the area from commentary
as we view what the immigrants saw
when they arrived.
Returning to our hotel, there’s time
to freshen up and relax before our
evening out at the Old Log Theater in
Excelsior, MN. Dinner is served prior
to this evening’s live theatrical production (to be announced). B, L, D
Nationwide Travelers • 1103 South Lynndale Drive • Appleton, WI 54914 • 920-734-5620 • 800-236-5511
Day 3, Friday
Arriving in St. Paul, MN, we pick up
a local guide for this morning’s Ole &
Lena
Uff
Dah!/Scandinavian
Heritage tour to discover how and
why immigrants from Norway, Sweden,
Denmark and Finland came as pioneers to St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Learn about sites such as the
Mindekirken Church, the Swedish
Institute and the famous statue of Leif
Erickson, in the company of a costumed character guide from St. Paul’s
Scandinavian past. An unusual location for our included lunch will be at
The Wabasha Street Caves followed
by a guided tour of these sandstone
caves, manmade and mined out in the
1800s. Explore the original mined
caves and see the finished caves
(once a popular nightclub called the
Castle Royal) as you hear legends of
gangster massacres and ghostly lore
in the most unique banquet facility
from Chicago to San Francisco.
Traveling home we are amazed at all
the wonderful things we learned about
the Swedish people during this threeday adventure. B, L
Tour Cost Per Person:
$510 Double • $480 Triple • $455 Quad • $605 Single
NOTE: Fond du Lac is the southernmost pickup point due to routing.
Nationwide Travelers • 1103 South Lynndale Drive • Appleton, WI 54914 • 920-734-5620 • 800-236-5511