Did You Stay Tuned?

This is the continuation of My Favorite Things to see and do in lovely Walker, Minnesota. And yes, I am stealing the name from Oprah. Well actually, the Sound of Music…but I digress. Also in my Favorite Things, I will not be handing out thousands of glorious gifts to my adoring fans. The gifts come by way of suggestions and my adoring fans come by way of you…? Time will tell! Onward we go!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a recommendation for those who prefer wine over beer, of which I often fall into this category. There is a winery! It’s not exactly in the town of Walker, but it is very close. It is about a 20 minute drive, and the scenery on your drive could not be more lovely. The Forest Edge Winery is set in the country and is quite charming! My husband and I also decided to visit this location on our 5th Year Anniversary, we accomplished a lot on this day. Anyway, our anniversary is unfortunately in November which means most places outdoors are now indoors or closed. It wasn’t closed yet for the season so we did get to hop inside and sample some wines! To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations but only out of sure ignorance. The gentleman who hosted us was very pleasant and accommodating and made us feel at home. A home with a lot of wine, which was great! We sampled many varieties of the fruit wines they produce, my favorites being the White Cranberry, the Raspberry Cranberry, and the Black Current. I honestly have never tasted a fruit wine that was so delicious and crisp you could tell exactly what you were drinking. We both really loved their wine and ended up with 3 bottles of our own.

I was a little disappointed that we could not tour the winery, but I know how it goes with an anniversary in November. So we will go again next summer and bring our out of town friends with, too! In the meantime, we can buy their wines at local liquor stores (you can too, check it out!) and order a glass at our favorite restaurant, The Village Square. I will talk about them later…..

Check out their website: www.forestedgewinery.com

Walker, Minnesota is a bustling town full of interesting and new things to discover. After living here for two years, I still have yet to see all Walker has to offer me. However, I have come up with a list of adventures that I feel should not be missed. First on my list is The Leech Lake Brewing Company, new to our small town, but a fantastic addition. My husband and I decided to take a tour of the Brewery on our 5th Year Anniversary this past November. We expected it to be fun, because we’re fun people…! The experience went above our expectations however. The owners of the brewery knew what they were doing. Their customer service and appreciation for their guests was beautiful, we all felt so welcome to be there! The specialty beers they brew are beyond what you would think is available in Northern Minnesota, but there it was, and it was fantastic. My husband, who is somewhat of a Beer Snob, was almost wetting his pants that we had discovered this gem in our town.

After taking the brief but highly informative tour, we were offered samples of the different beers they brew and making it feel like a real party, there were pretzels. They even brew an IPA (India Pale Ale) which highly impressed my husband. They sell growlers that you can get refilled with any of the selections, good for us locals! And they have their beers available in some of the local restaurants as well, very exciting. Overall, we had a fantastic time, met some wonderful people and walked out with a growler of our own…now adorning our kitchen counter. So if you are in the area visiting for the weekend or live here year round, stop on by the Leech Lake Brewery, you will not be disappointed! Unless you prefer wine. In which case, I have a suggestion for that as well. Stay tuned!

Check out their website for more info: www.leechlakebrewing.com.