Nodine is located just off I-90 at the 267 exit. This is also part of the “Apple Blossom Scenic Drive.” In May the apple trees are in bloom with an explosion of pink and white. It only lasts a few days, but the fragrance is awesome. With fall comes delicious apples of every kind.
The area of Nodine is on the ridge above the Mississippi river. The hills and valleys surrounding are so different from the rest of Minnesota’s flat prairies.
Nodine was settled by mostly German people. Families here have 4th and 5th generations still living in the area. There is a Lutheran Church and day school, and the “Culvert Man” featured in Road Side Attractions website gets photographed almost every day during the summer tourist season. If you visit on the 4th of July, enjoy our parade through town and train rides, next to the antique shop. You can even join in the parade if you have a mind to.
Nodine gets it’s name from an early surveying crew that plotted out the townships. It was then called Rose Hill, however, there was no place to eat so it became Nodine. In early history it supported three general stores and a creamery and ice house. As time has changed, most of these small towns, with easy travel to larger towns and jobs and the decrease of small family farms, Nodine has also changed.
If you happen to be a camper or hiker, take advantage of the Great River Bluffs park is just North of the exit.
Come and enjoy the great scenery and friendly people.
