New Ulm: Great place to visit

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Jaunt down to New Ulm, Minn. this summer. You won’t be disappointed. There’s a ton of stuff to do. Just check the city’s web site, http://www.newulm.com. A quick scroll was enough to convince me we should head there over Memorial Day weekend.

I’m a sucker for anyplace with a winery, a brewery and links to famous authors. New Ulm has all of that — and more.

We packed up the toddler and the truck, and took off a few hours later. I didn’t plan ahead but we didn’t really need to. Well, mostly it wasn’t necessary. When we looked at the weather forecast and saw that there was a good chance of thunderstorms every day I called Flandrau State Park to see if they had a cabin free. I knew it wasn’t likely, but thought I’d try. Of course, I wasn’t the only one who wanted a roof over my head and the possibility of heat on a rainy May weekend. They were all booked.

The closer we got to New Ulm, the worse the sky looked. About 1/2 hour out, the skies opened up and it started to pour. We definitely needed an alternative to camping at the only state park in Minnesota with a sand-bottomed pool. I called the Holiday in New Ulm and made our reservations for a night. Man I love having a rewards card with free hotel stays.

HOLIDAY INN

First things first. We checked in and took a dip in the pool. The decor in this Holiday Inn matches the Bavarian feel of the town. The rooms are average, with your standard bed, desk, TV, blow dryer, and luggage rack. No mini fridge or microwave. Bummer. We opted for a second-level poolside room. Never again. That evening and early the next morning, the noise coming from the pool was deafening. If I do decide to subject myself to a poolside room in the future, like when Josey is old enough to swim by herself and I want to keep a half-eye on her while I read a book, I’ll do the main level so that I’m close enough to get to her fast if she needs help.

The pool was average, but the whirlpool was huge. It fit 20 people. We had the place to ourselves on a Friday night before supper. My husband and I get bored of swimming faster than our toddler, so before too long we were ready to see what kinds of culinary delights New Ulm could offer up.

Holiday Inn Hotel New Ulm
2101 S. Broadway
New Ulm, MN 56073
[phone]

OTTO’S

The heritage of the town is German. It was settled by German immigrants four years before Minnesota became a state, and the German influence is still strong. I made the executive decision that we try someplace German. Turns out our hotel boasts a great in-house German restaurant and bar. Otto’s feierhaus and bierstube was coincidentally featured in the Travel Section of the Star Tribune the same weekend we were in New Ulm. It’s the place to eat, folks.

The menu at Otto’s Supper Club features wienerschnitzel, hasenpheffer, jagerschnitzel, sausage platter and kessler ripchen. Expect mouth-watering sausage and tangy cabbage. I want more of that purple cabbage. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more American, try the Prime Rib or the baby back ribs (they’ve recently been voted the “best ribs in southern Minnesota”). My husband loved the prime rib. At 8 ounces, the frau’s cut ($15.99) was enough for him that evening. His meal came with a popover (he had to ask me what that was), choice of potato and a vegetable. The side dishes for my Sausage Platter ($15.99) were much more fun: spaetzle, red cabbage and sauerkraut. If you’ve got a group (and that includes a family of five), consider the Schlemmer Platter and get a taste of everything German. The large platter, at $49.99, serves three to five.

When we walked down, the hostess tried to talk us out of going into the Supper Club area. I supposed that dressed in our camping clothes and toddler in hand, we looked like the sort who should be in the bar. But things went great from there. Our two-year-old still sits where she’s supposed to during dinner; there was no running around the Supper Club chasing her down.

Our waitress Kelly was fantastic. My husband greatly enjoys giving waitresses a hard time. She took it and came back for more. She answered all our questions and made our dining experience more enjoyable than it would have been without her.

I definitely recommend that all vistors to New Ulm head over to Otto’s for an authentic German meal.

Otto's Feierhaus & Bierstube
2101 South Broadway
New Ulm, MN 56073
[phone]
ottosnewulm.com
Breakfast Hours: Monday to Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., Sunday brunch 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Dinner Hours: Monday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Photos

Holiday room
The rooms at the Holiday are pretty basic. Not even a fridge or microwave.

Fun pool
The pool is pretty big and there's a HUGE whirlpool.

Six-foot pool
No diving -- but jumping is just fine.

Holiday Inn
This is the front of the hotel in New Ulm.

Holiday Inn
The Holiday in New Ulm builds on the town's Bavarian heritage and is designed like something you'd see in Germany.

Our anniversary
We travel somewhere for each anniversary. This year it was New Ulm, a trip close enough to take the toddler.

Prime Rib at Otto's
Yummy. This was the Frau size as my husband wasn't starving. He loved the meal, and would recommend the place to anyone. He was surprised Google only rated it four stars.

Sausage Plate at Otto's
I recommend going German and ordering the sausage plate at Otto's. It was delicious. Plenty of sausages, sauerkraut and red cabbage. Yum.