It's the season to satisfy the gardener's spirit: The riot of pink, yellow, orange, red and purple flowers as far as the eye can see, and the thick scent of sun-warmed earth and fresh green plants. Donahue's Greenhouse in Faribault entices people from around the state and region for spring road trips with its 30,000-square-foot glass greenhouse packed with hanging baskets, perennials and carpets of annuals from April through June.
Part of the Faribault landscape for more than 40 years, Donahue's has become a specialist with close to 100 varieties of twining, colorful clematis, selling close to a million vines across the nation each year (1-507-334-7156; www.donahuesclematis.com). Faribault is also home to Farmers Seed and Nursery, with a mail-order catalog that has inspired gardeners in the dead of winter for more than 120 years (1-507-334-1623; www.farmerseed.com).
Those who prefer less domestic signs of spring can drive east of Faribault to wander among the wildflowers at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. Considered one of the state's best wildflower spots with close to 200 varieties, its spring blooms include delicate white bloodroot, hepatica and endangered dwarf trout lilies that open among unfurling fiddlehead ferns (1-507-333-4840; www.dnr.state.mn.us).
It's also an ideal time to check out a free birding guide and listen for the trills and chirps of woodpeckers, indigo buntings and scarlet tanagers that flit among this 2,800-acre stand of sugar maple, basswood and elms. Don't miss a walk to Hidden Falls.
Even if you don't leave Faribault's city limits, you can find wooded trails and a small waterfall tucked into a ravine at River Bend Nature Center. Kids will enjoy the hands-on activities at the visitor center or getting sticky at the annual pancake brunch and fun run on April 27. Be sure to savor the syrup made from River Bend trees (1-507-332-7151; rbnc.org).
What else to do
Get cozy: If winter's chill is still lingering or you're seeking Minnesota-made products for the upcoming wedding season, stop by Faribault Woolen Mills (1-507-412-5510; www.faribaultmill.com) for a peek at historic displays, a showroom and once-a-week tours.
Enjoy some art: Check out a show, catch a concert or browse the work of regional artists at Paradise Center for the Arts. Through June 7, the two galleries are showing Deb Lee Carson's horse-themed photographs and watercolor paintings by Kathy Miller (1-507-332-7372; www.paradise centerforthearts.org).
Go for a spin: You can find the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail near Hwy. 60 and County Road 21. The 39-mile route rolls past Wells and Cannon lakes, Sakatah Lake State Park, Lake Elysian and Lake Francis on its way to Mankato (1-507-362-4438; www.dnr.state.mn.us).
