Today we drove from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Along the way, there were several cool stopping places, so we took advantage of them.

The first, the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, was in Waterloo, Iowa, (and yes, ABBA’s Waterloo song hits me every time I read a Waterloo sign). We arrived just after the museum opened, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. The museum is free and is full of restored tractors, interactive displays, history, and nicely arranged exhibits. It’s worth a stop if you are in the area.

John Deere also offers free tours of the nearby Engine Works and Drive Train Operations (see the bottom of this page for more info). Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for that.

Once done with tractors, we ventured into downtown Waterloo to get some coffee. There, we found the Lincoln Perk coffee shop with a rotating menu of 75 different grilled cheese sandwiches. Ann and I split one on gluten free bread that, despite the bread, was still very good. The coffee was very good, too.

Our next stop was in Austin, Minnesota, where we visited the SPAM Museum. This museum is also free and especially geared toward kids. However, there’s still plenty for adults to see and enjoy (if you like SPAM). Perhaps what surprised us most about this museum was that it was busier than expected (at least busier than we normally encounter), but that is probably due to its location near Interstate 90 (there are bill boards along I-90 that promote the museum, too).

If you do go to the museum, stay out of the gift shop. There’s far too many cool things in there. Ann had a little too much fun buying stuff for family members (not such a free museum after all, lol).