Sites Along the Byway: Mankato to Belle Plaine

Riverfront Park

This park along the Minnesota River offers beautiful views.

Sibley Park

This park along the Minnesota River is rich in history, and offers a storybook farm zoo and playground, and many natural areas.

Reconciliation Park

On the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history, the park was dedicated on September 19, 1997, as a collaboration of the Bdewakaŋtuŋwaŋ Dakota and Mankato communities in a spirit of reconciliation.

Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area

Located in south central Minnesota, this is one of the largest wetland complexes in North America. Spanning across 10,000 acres, the relatively undisturbed marsh wonderland is a great location to experience the beauty and diversity of the once existing prairie wetlands

Minneopa State Park and Minneopa Falls

A major waterfall in southwestern Minnesota tumbles through Minneopa State Park. An old stone mill and traces of Glacial River Warren can be found in the midst of the park’s native prairie that is filled with wildlife. The park offers camping, picnicking, and hiking in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.

Minnemishinona Falls

This county park is a scenic overlook, 42’ waterfalls located on the Judson Bottom Road.

Mankato Historic Districts

Mankato is home to two historic districts and 204 total properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

R.D. Hubbard House Museum

Built in 1871, this historic house museum stands as one of the finest examples of French Second Empire Style architecture in Minnesota.

Betsy-Tacy House Museums

Betsy's House is restored as a museum to look just as it did when author, Maud (Betsy), lived there from 1892-1906. Tacy's House is an interpretive center and gift shop.

Blue Earth County History Center and Museum

Explore exhibits featuring people, places, and events that shaped Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

Winter Warrior and Memorial Marker

A bronze historic marker and limestone sculpture of a Dakota Warrior stands here in honor of the warriors.

CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour

Explore these outdoor sculptures displayed year-round in the City Centers of Mankato and North Mankato, Minnesota.

Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota

This is Southern Minnesota’s most immersive and hands-on museum for kids.

Carnegie Art Center, Mankato

This renaissance revival-style architecture Carnegie Library now houses a gallery of local artists' work.

Fort LeHillier Marker and Landing

A marker that commemorates the fort built by French explorer Pierre Charles Le Sueur in 1700.

Akota Wokiksuye Makoce (Land of Memories) Park, Mahkato Wacipi (Pow Wow)

This park offers camping, hiking, river access, fishing, and an annual Wacipi (Pow Wow).

Kasota Prairie Scientific & Natural Area and Kasota Prairie Conservation Area

Located on a rock terrace 70 feet above the Minnesota River Valley, the Kasota Prairie, meaning “cleared-off plac”, is named for its view. Tread lightly, as there are no walking paths here, but the walking is rated relatively easy and bird watching is good.

Rasmussen Woods and Elk's Nature Center

St. Peter Historic District

Explore this historic district, which remains a dynamic walkable downtown full of unique shops, art center, and great eateries.

Linnaeus Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus Arboretum

Visitors can enjoy 130 acres of prairie, woodlands, wetlands, gardens, Interpretive Center, and a variety of unique features.

E. St. Julien Cox House

Home to one of the earliest settlers of St. Peter, Eugene Cox, the house was built in 1871, and is one of the few fully restored Italianate homes in Minnesota.

Treaty Site History Center and Nicollet County Museum, Traverse des Sioux Historic Site

On this site, the Dakota signed a treaty with the U.S. government, along with another treaty signed a few weeks later, that transferred to the government 24 million acres of Dakota land. The History Center features an exhibit on the 1851 Traverse des Sioux Treaty, displays on local history topics.

St. Peter Regional Treatment Center Museum

The museum displays the history of Minnesota’s first and oldest state hospital.

Ottawa Bluffs Preserve

This is a Nature Conservancy site with tallgrass prairie, wildflowers and oak savanna.

Ottawa Village Historic District

Step back in time in this quaint village.

W.W. Mayo House

A small, Gothic-style house that was once home to the founders of the Mayo Clinic and Green Giant Company.

Henderson Historic District

Main Street in Henderson is a nationally registered historic district comprised of 13 vintage buildings all made from local red brick.

Ney Nature Center

This is a Nature Center on acres of native prairie and woodlands along the bluffs of the Minnesota River.

Sibley County Historical Museum

This is a museum housed in an 1884 brick mansion.

Joseph R. Brown Heritage Society and Minnesota River Center

Explore this interactive displays and exhibits tell the stories of the Minnesota River, the history of a 33-county area, the life and works of Joseph R. Brown.

Belle Plaine Historic Buildings

With rich history dating back to 1854, the Belle Plaine and Minnesota Valley State Recreational Area greets you as you enter one of the gateways to the Minnesota River Valley National Byway.