Day trip to Minnesota Marine Art Museum; This Saturday

[Jonathan Gapen]

As sailors, it's not just about the boats, is it? We love water—to be on it, near it, in it. So, did you know that there's an art museum dedicated to exploring its role in our lives? It's the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.

For fun, I asked the llama3.2 AI model to describe the museum. It very confidently gave me the street address in Two Harbors, hours, admission fee, and described the building's beautiful views of Lake Superior.

And it's all completely wrong. The MMAM is located on the bank of the Mississippi River in Winona, MN. It's still a long hike for a day trip, but not quite so far as Superior's north shore. A group of Hoofer sailors made the trip once before, and verified this information, as well as that it's really a legit art museum, a hidden gem in a small town in the Midwest. (I saw a Van Gogh painting from inches away.)

I'm planning to make a trip there for the museum's Seasonal Saturdays event on February 8th. The admission price will be $1, and they will have themed tours, music, games, and crafts. I'm planning to head out around 8:30AM, to get to Winona for an early lunch around 11AM, then visit the museum.

Afterwards, as last time, I plan to head across the river to Fountain City to have dinner at the Irish-style tavern, the Monarch Public House. It's Wisconsin's oldest continuously-operating tavern—the backbar and furniture date from 1894—and one of the best. The Shepherd's Pie and a draft Guinness were pretty darn good.

Minnesota Marine Art Museum

I have a vehicle with two more seats available. Get in touch if you want to come, or if you can bring your car, if more folks want to go.

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Jonathan Gapen