Second Star Guide · Minnesota River Valley
New Ulm: living heritage, brick streets, and a river-valley weekend
Walk Minnesota Street, hear the Glockenspiel, give the city's German-American story real context, then choose Schell's brewery gardens, Flandrau's river woods, or a festival weekend with enough time to stay for dinner.
Southern Minnesota · compact and distinct
An overnight adds the part day trips miss
New Ulm began as a German immigrant settlement in 1854. The former 1909–1910 post office now houses the Brown County history museum; Turner Hall dates to 1856, and Hermann Monument was dedicated in 1897. Those sites sit near brick Minnesota Street, while Schell's Brewery, Flandrau State Park, and the hilltop monument require short drives beyond the downtown blocks.
German Heritage Weekend
Follow New Ulm from the Brown County museum and 1856 Turner Hall to the 1897 Hermann Monument, the Glockenspiel, German Park, and Schell's Brewery.
Read the guide →
New Ulm Festivals Guide
Compare multi-venue Oktoberfest weekends, the 21-and-older Bock Fest at Schell's, Bavarian Blast at the fairgrounds, and German Park concerts.
Read the guide →A practical first trip
A one-night route through downtown and the river valley
Saturday morning
Start at the Brown County museum while it is open, then walk to the Glockenspiel and German Park. This keeps the historic core together before retrieving the car.
Saturday midday
Continue along Minnesota Street and choose lunch near downtown before driving farther out. Check in after the museum rather than interrupting its limited Saturday hours.
Saturday afternoon
Choose Schell's 90-minute brewery tour and gardens or Flandrau State Park's Cottonwood River trails. Hermann Monument's interior is currently closed, but the grounds can be viewed outside the fence.
Saturday night and Sunday
Choose Turner Hall's Rathskeller or Kaiserhoff for German dishes, then leave breakfast and a final downtown walk for Sunday morning before departure.
