New Ulm

One of the places in the Midwest that look like they could be in Europe is New Ulm in Minnesota. If you can't make it to Germany this year for its famed Oktoberfest celebrations, book a trip to this Minnesota hamlet instead. Named by German settlers from Ulm, New Ulm's annual Oktoberfest rivals ones across the pond. Festivities and live performances are held all over town, with plenty of opportunities to sip local brews from hefty glass steins. Your Deutsche getaway won't be complete without a stop at the 45-foot-tall Glockenspiel downtown or an authentic German meal at Veigel's Kaiserhof.

New Ulm may be best known as the place where the last major conflict of the American Indian Wars of the 1860s began. A group of Dakota Native Americans launched an attack on the town after the federal government reneged on payments for their land and local businesses refused to lend them credit. You can learn more about the war and its ramifications at the Brown County Historical Museum. Housed in a classic post office, the museum covers the history of New Ulm and features household items from Germany, an ice cutter used to cut chunks out of the frozen Minnesota River, and a telephone operator’s switchboard. In addition, you will enjoy a stroll and immerse yourself in the town’s history at the same time by visiting the homes of John Lind, who served as Minnesota’s governor and in the House of Representatives; Wanda Gag, the author and illustrator of Millions of Cats; and the Kiesling House, which dates to the 1860s. As you walk through downtown, you’ll see buildings that resemble storefronts from Germany, with some dating to the late 1800s. The German-Bohemian Immigrant Monument in German Park celebrates the city’s immigrants.

Location: Brown County, Minnesota, United States.

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