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Sydney
AU
Edited Date/Time
7/3/2013 10:18am
Guys im traveling state side to attend the Millville national and am looking for some tips from locals or those that have been before.
We are arriving in Minneapolis on the Tuesday before and staying there till Friday when we will head down to Rochester for the weekend.
Anyone have any suggestions on things to do when in the area?
Places to go? Eat? Drink?
We are arriving in Minneapolis on the Tuesday before and staying there till Friday when we will head down to Rochester for the weekend.
Anyone have any suggestions on things to do when in the area?
Places to go? Eat? Drink?
Keep in mind that the Pro National is working on Eastern Standard time for TV so the first practice is Saturday morning at 8AM and the first 450 race is at noon.
Friday is amateur day so if you came down then you could see some of those races if you are into that sort of thing. Some people don't care about amatuer races tho.
The track has very good visibility, the only downside is that if you want to watch the pros do the Millville Whoops (which I highly recommend), you can't see the rest of the track. I usually watch the whoops in practice then watch the races where I can see most of the track.
My brothers, nephews (who live an hour or so from there, I am from Georgia) and I go on Wednesday because am practice is on Thursday and of course the am races on Friday. Best thing to do is bring your gear, somehow rent a bike and do the am stuff! Probably be pretty hard from Australia tho
Let me know if you need any more info.
We might head to the track on the way down to Rochester on the friday to see some AM stuff and suss out the track and facilities to get a plan of attack for the Saturday.
It will be my 30th Millville National.
If G-Force from Canada attends, I think it is his 31st!
The Shop
My Bro and his Missus are heading over for Unadilla... Any locals got some good tips for that one?
+1. And have a designated driver if you are going to drink. They have zero tolerance...guarenteed trip to jail.
Rochester is 30 to 35 minutes from the track. If staying there plan accordingly. The roads in and out of Millville are 2 lane and narrow, hilly roads. Which on race day will make traffic an issue, I have always camped at the track
Lake City is actually closer but not by much, maybe 20 minutes, but it is a much smaller city. This is on the Mississippi river and is where water skiing was invented. Nice quiet community.
Zumbro Falls is a very small town about 7 or so miles from the track. They have 1 gas station for supplies and fuel. There is also a bar there that will sell you alcohol like a convenience store. You have to pass through this town when driving from Rochester to the track.
Things to do: Mall of America is an hour and a half away. "Humungous" indoor mall, amusement park and aquarium. Definitely worth the travel if you have the time.
Valley Fair is another amusement park in Shakopee, MN (1 hour 45 minutes away) and they also have a waterpark.
Note: TV does this track no justice, when you get there, you will think you are at a totally different facility. The only thing that is the same is the whoop section.
Again, IMO, by far the best national. I drive 12 hours to get there and gladly pass tracks that are 6 hours from my house (i.e Redbud). However, if you are coming over to the US to party, then you need to reschedule and go to Redbud instead. Nothing like celebrating the Red White and Blue (which Australia's flag is the same colors). I am sure the loyal Redbud (ians) will make you an honorary citizen for the weekend.
as far as what to do before , definetly hit mall of America it will be like nothing you have ever seen before , its right across the street/highway from the MSP airport , prob do that first depending where u are staying and how tired you are ,
Another thing about minnesota is the fishing ! if you like to fish there are lakes in every direction , and some of the best fishing in The World , u practically catch a fish every cast here !!
a lot of lakes have boat rental , for the day , and you can get fishing poles at wallmart for $20 or so
Also a lot of people shop for clothes at the mall here because minnesota has no taxes on clothes.
Get your Minneapolis stop out of the way immediately and head directly to the track. You definitely want to be there all day Friday. All the Pro rigs are pulling in and getting setup...amateur racing is going on all day...just a great day to wander the whole facility and pick out some spots for viewing the pros on Saturday.
In regards to Rochester:....It is farther away than it seems, and there just really isn't much to do. If you were to stay in Rochester...Saturday night would be the night. The race teams stay in Rochester and quite a few of them at one location(perhaps somebody knows which one). The racing would be done, and the teams would be enjoying themselves in the restaurant /lounge and it would be a good time to meet some riders in a casual mode, if that is interesting to you.
We stay over on the Mississippi at Lake City(Lake Peppin area). There are some good places to eat right on(or by) the water from Lake City to Wabasha that are very casual, fun, and reasonably priced. It is only 10-11 miles from the track, and they widened/paved county road 4 all the way a couple years ago.
Here are those directions: http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NDQuMzgyNTc5fi05Mi4yNTUyMzYmbHZsPTEwJnN0e…
Here is a link to a restaurant on Lake Pepin(north part of lake City) that I could eat at every night. Great views, indoor/outdoor patios, and excellent food and beverages.. http://www.skylineonpepin.com/directions.html
We stay a motel across the street and can walk to dinner.
Lodging in the area. http://www.lakecitymn.org/lodging/motel-condominium.html
Hoping Jimmy might be ready to go for Millville. He did well in qualifying last year.
Great that you are making the trip over. For a nice place to drink/eat, there is a sports bar called Joe Senser's. If you want a certain type of food, just bring along a laptop and do a search. The Minneapolis/St Paul area will have any food you want.
If you want to gamble, I'm sure there are a few casinos, but the only one I know the real location of is in Red Wing, MN, which isn't too far from the track. If you want a scenic drive along the Mississippi River, drive down Highway 61.
If you like American Baseball, the Minnesota Twins have a ball park not far from the Mall of America.
Basically, there are a million things to do. You just have to figure out what types of things you want to do and go from there.
I live about a 2.5 hour drive South East of the track. If you need anything or have questions, just ask!
I got spend some time with Kris, his wife, his son, and his Dad last year at Millville. What a great family.
Gregg said he started riding yesterday to get ready for amateur day.
Definitely need to have a cold one at the beer pavilion.
FYI- It may be a possibility that Cooper will be getting Cooperland going again. The current land owner isn't really doing anything with the property.
Anyway, everyone else covered pretty much anything I would have said regarding attractions etc... However, we typically go to a place called "Apple River" in Somerset Wisconsin. Its about 45 minutes from Minneapolis, maybe less. You get your buddies together, float on inner tubes down a river for about 3 hours, and drink beer... lots of fun, especially if its busy. We go the Friday before the race.
Check out Bob's Cycle as well... Great moto shopping!
Enjoy!
Heaps of quality info here.
This is not out first national. Freestone and GH in 07 and Budds in 09.
We are staying right near Mall Of. America for the first few days and will definately be heading there.
As long as there Is a Chipotle close buy ill be set. Lol
If anyone is in Rochester on the Saturday night and wants to try their hand at out drinking a couple of Aussies give me a shout. We will take it easy on you though as we are heading to Vegas on the Sunday so will have to pace ourselves. Lol
Thanks again for the help.
Pit Row
When you exit off Hwy 52 onto 60 east, make sure you obey the speed limits. They are between 30mph and 50mph most of the 21 miles to the track.
The sherriff's and Highway patrol are thick, especially Friday and Saturday.. If you don't believe me, just ask Huck. He will verify.
Look us up when you're at the track. We park in John's front yard. Older white Winnebago brave and white trailer with some green # 87's sitting around.
Safe travels and have fun.
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