Written By: Cynthia Fogard
How would you like to go on a mystery road trip, where the itinerary is all planned for you, and each stop is a surprise?
I got to do that very thing when I went on a Guess Where Trip—one of their new offerings in my home state of Minnesota.
I’m usually the one who plans things, so it was refreshing to hand over the reins and be surprised at every stop.
Guess Where Trips are one-day road trips that inspire you to try, see and do something new. I’ve always loved the thrill of hitting the road, so I was excited to go on their Creatures and Quirks trip. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.)
How Does It Work?
When you order a road trip, they send you a package in the mail. (You can also do everything online and download pdfs. For me, getting a package was lots more fun! And it’s beautifully put together.)
The package has “Before You Go” info and four separate, sealed envelopes for each of your surprise stops. How fun is that? It was a little thrill opening each one and finding out where we were going to go next.
You don’t have to worry about any unpleasant surprises. Before You Go info includes:
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When to go: the best days of week and times of year to go on your
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Any entry fees, often with free alternatives
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Accessibility
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Whether or not the trip is pet friendly
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Drive times
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Things to bring
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Accommodation suggestions if you’d like to stay overnight
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There’s even a Guess Where Trips playlist for driving music!
Basically, they’ve thought of everything, so you don’t have to.
Each stop envelope has a booklet with an overview, detailed recommendations, maps, travel tips, and fun facts. I’ll tell you more about those when I share some of my trip.
Guess Where Trips' website has travel updates—check it before you go to see if there are any itinerary changes.
Getting On the Road
I started out from my Minneapolis home with my partner. We visited a fun suggested stop along the highway. This was a place I’d always wanted to stop but never had time. It involved candy, more candy, lots of soda pop, and insanely elaborate decor. It also smelled incredibly delicious, as they offer a number of freshly baked treats.
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
Coffee Break!
We drove on from there to the town closest to stop one. Our first stop booklet had a couple suggestions for coffee shops there. We needed some caffeine and a snack so I chose one—there were full paragraph descriptions of each, and a photo, so I had a good amount of information to make my choice.
We absolutely loved the coffee shop, our baked goods, and the surrounding neighborhood. I want to come back sometime and explore more.
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
Our First Stop: Beautifully Quirky
Our first stop really delivered on the quirks. It was so unusual and something I probably would never have found on my own. I love both art installations and iconic landmarks, so this stop was one of my favorites.
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
Our Second Stop: Trails and Tails
Our second stop featured beautiful scenery and awesome creatures.
I’d never been to this park but always wanted to—see the theme here?
Taking a Guess Where Trip gave me a day dedicated to exploring places in Minnesota I hadn’t made the time to visit on my own.
We were able to do both of the options on this stop, and we were so glad we did!
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
Our Third Stop: Brews or Views
We chose brews, of course, but that option also involved beautiful sights. This historical stop was so much fun for both of us. Especially since the history involved drinking beer! It also involved a gorgeous historic home and garden, a number of historic buildings, a small museum, and lots of fun photo ops.
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
Our Fourth Stop: A Very German Ending
The quirks continued with our fourth and last stop. A classic car show happened to be going on all throughout the historic downtown. We strolled down main street enjoying the historic storefronts and the dozens of classic cars on display.
Photo credit: Cynthia Fogard
We chose one of the restaurant suggestions and had a memorable German dinner. All the recommendations for places to eat on the trip were excellent. That was such a time saver—I usually read a bunch of reviews for several different restaurants, and it’s hard to know what’s really going to be good. Having such well-vetted suggestions was invaluable.
Should You Go on a Guess Where Trip?
I share road trips on my travel website, Adventuring Woman, so Guess Where Trips instantly appealed to me. An on-the-road adventure was the perfect fit.
As a travel writer and frequent road-tripper, I know a good itinerary. My Guess Where Trip delivered in spades. These trips are such great ways to explore your local area—you’re sure to find places you never knew about, like I did. And it’s affordable. These are day trips close to your home base, though you can plan to spend the night if you want to explore longer.
I’m usually the itinerary planner, which is no small task. This time I got to show up and just drive. That’s the gift you give to yourself, a friend, or a family member when you get or gift one of these trips. I highly recommend you try one!
Order Creatures and Quirks today to try it for yourself!
