If you haven’t heard yet, the Flints recently had a weekend of family fun in Mankato, Minnesota! And, yes, we had a blast! It’s a great community full of events, activities, and culture that make it a perfect destination for a weekend getaway or longer! In fact, we had so much fun, I had to break up my features into two different posts! So, without further adieu, here is part 1 of our Family Fun Weekend in Mankato!
Wagon Wheel Cafe
We started our weekend with lunch at the Wagon Wheel Cafe in downtown Mankato. This classic, locally owned cafe is perfect for grabbing breakfast or lunch! We loved seeing the old fashioned cafe decor along with picking from the extensive breakfast and lunch menu.
For breakfast, you can select from biscuits & gravy to the Hog Pile (breakfast potatoes covered with bacon bits, country gravy, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese) and everything in between. Lunch options are a wide variety of burgers and sandwiches and more! In our party, we had macaroni & cheese (he had just had his wisdom teeth pulled), a cheeseburger with tater tots, the dilly grilled cheese (cheese, dill pickles, bacon) with tots, and a club sandwich with sweet potato fries! The tots were a hit, the grilled cheese got a great report, and my club was DELICIOUS! The service was great and the atmosphere fun!
Rib Fest
In the evening, we headed to the Mankato Rib Fest! This music and barbeque fest is attended by thousands each year! Event goers can enjoy musical entertainers like John Michael Montgomery, Brett Michaels, Sugar Ray, Tonic, and more! Plus, enjoy award winning barbeque from over 7 vendors plus drinks, snacks and more!
We checked out ribs from Cowboys Barbeque & Rib Company (out of Fort Worth, Texas) as well as ribs and pulled pork from Lightning BBQ out of Austin, Texas! It was delicious and fun to get the opportunity to try lots of different bbq!
After enjoying our bbq, we walked around the venue enjoying people watching, listening to the bands playing, and stopped by several different booths! The boys even came home with a few trinkets from radio stations, etc!
Part 1 Conclusion
We love visiting mom and pop places, as well as experiencing new experiences and spending time together! The Wagon Wheel Cafe & Mankato Rib Fest help us have a weekend of family fun! Have you visited Mankato? What was your favorite part?
That sandwich and sweet potato fries look fantastic. I remember going to Rib Fest when it was in Fargo and Sugar Ray was also a headliner. We had so much fun listening to him from our balcony.
They were so good and one of the highlights of the trip for me!!!