A Week in Deep Valley

On this page are some suggestions for what Betsy-Tacy fans might do in Mankato for a full week, in addition to everything on the Day and Weekend in Mankato lists. Take advantage of all the time you have to explore the very outer limits of Maud’s Deep Valley and enjoy some cultural offerings in Mankato.

We’d love this to be a living list, so please let us know if you have additional suggestions. And if you post photos of your visit on social media, remember this hashtag:

#VisitDeepValley

Day Trips


See the scenery that Maud would have seen! These Betsy-Tacy sites are just a short drive from Mankato:

  • Madison Lake (Betsy’s beloved “Murmuring Lake”) and Point Pleasant (400 Sheppard Circle, Madison Lake) – enjoy a nice lunch at The Landing on Madison. 

  • Rapidan Dam (the dam at Orono in Carney’s House Party, where Larry didn’t propose). The tiny Rapidan Dam Cafe & Store is built next to the river dam and surrounded by trees and is locally famous for its homemade pie!  

  • Minneopa State Park (what Maud called “Two Falls Park” in Carney's House Party) – you can drive through the park to catch a view of a herd of 40+ bison, and there are numerous hiking trails.   

  • Butternut, Minn. (Maud’s model for Butternut Center), 20 miles west of Mankato

A little farther afield, you can see a number of Betsy sites in Minneapolis: 

  • Bow Street apartment, 2400 Aldrich Ave S

  • Canoe Place, 1109 West 25th Street

  • Marietta and Earl Buell (“Jimmy and Marbeth Cliff,” Violent Study Club), 4941 Lyndale Ave S

  • Lillian and Harry Wakefield (“Brad, Eleanor, and Sally Day Hawthorne"), 4648 Dupont Ave S

  • Mueller Park, where a plaque marks the site of the Ray (Hart) family home (909!) 

  • Thomas and Stella Hart’s graves in Lakewood Cemetery 

Note: Clarence and Roma Saulpaugh (“Mr. and Mrs. Poppy”) are also buried in Lakewood Cemetery (Section 2, Lot 452). Several members of Tacy’s family (parents Patrick and Rose Kenney, brother George, and sister Rosemary) are buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, 4403 Chicago Ave South, Minneapolis.

Related Minneapolis sites not mentioned in the books:

  • Maud and Delos’s apartment, 2900 James Ave S

  • Hart family’s first residence (before purchasing “909,” which is no longer standing), 2741 Fremont Ave S 

  • Marion and Bill Everett (“Carney and Sam"), 2949 Portland Avenue and 306 East Minnehaha Parkway

  • Marion Everett (“Carney”) in later life, 309 West 49th Street

  • Tess and Charlie Holden (“Katie and Leo”), 4052 Harriet Ave S

  • Kathleen Hart (“Julia”) residences, 2600 Colfax Ave S (with first husband Eugene Bibb), and 2530 Dupont Ave S (with second husband Frohman Foster)

  • Helen Hart Fowler and Frank Fowler (“Margaret and Clay Dawson"), 2447 Colfax Ave S and 3532 Fremont Ave S

While in Minneapolis, you might also want to visit:

The town of St. Peter (Deep Valley High’s rival “St. John”) has a fun Scandinavian vibe. Wander through the lovely arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College, and browse the cute little Minnesota shops on Main Street. You can channel your inner Tacy with a meal at Patrick’s on Third, an Irish pub – and if it’s Tuesday, muster your wits for pub trivia! 


If Carney is your special favorite, a drive out to Waseca is in order. (Sam's house on Murmuring Lake in Carney’s House Party was actually on Clear Lake in Waseca.) You can see Carney and Sam’s gravesites in Woodville Cemetery and then visit the Historical Society to check out their Everett House display. Stop at Barney's Drive-In for refreshments! 

         Note: “Irma” (Florence Mildred Oleson Cahill) is also buried in Waseca, at Calvary Cemetery. 

Cemeteries

If you like visiting old cemeteries, other beloved characters can be found here:

  • Calvary Cemetery, 200 Goodyear Ave, Mankato: “Baby Bee" (Ruth Kenney). Note: There is no stone to mark her grave.

  • Minneopa Cemetery, Co. Road 117, South Bend Township: “Pin” (Charles Ernest Jones)

  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Monks Avenue, Mankato: “Phil Brandish” inspiration (Clayton Burmeister)

  • Pilgram’s Rest Cemetery, 3800 County Road 5, Mankato: “Mamie Dodd” (Mamie Skuse Gerlach Ott)

Other Literary Pilgrimages


Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in literature, wrote the novel Main Street while residing at 315 Broad Street, Mankato. Published in 1920, Main Street reflected on Lewis’s early life in the village of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. 


Wanda Gág wrote the classic children’s book Millions of Cats, among other popular titles. Visit her house in New Ulm, about 40 minutes west of Mankato, which is open for weekend tours. Channel your inner Tib in this charming town with distinct German roots. Shop at Domeier’s and the Guten Tag Haus, and tour Schell’s Brewery – try to go on a weekend when they’re having a festival! 

 
There are many Laura Ingalls Wilder sites; the nearest to Mankato is Walnut Grove. Though if you’re a devoted Little House fan, the LIW house in Pepin, Wisconsin, is only two and a half hours away!  

Dining in Mankato

We suggested River Rock Coffee & Tea as a fine place to grab sandwiches for a later picnic, but here are some other great places to pick up road-trip food:

Some additional Hilltop restaurants you might try:

For other Mankato dining suggestions, click here. 

Cultural Events and Other Activities

For other ideas, check out Greater Mankato Arts & Culture or the Visit Mankato events page to see if there's anything happening during your visit that strikes your fancy! 
 
We hope you enjoyed your week! 

#VisitDeepValley