Love a Garden Gnome? This Minnesota Town Has More Than Any Other

I love a good gnome.  But the kind that I have are usually the ones that are stuffed and you put them out at the holidays, then pack them away again until the next year.  They only see the light of day for about 2 months...tops.

But this time, we are talking about the kind of gnomes that you generally see outside...Garden Gnomes.  Like the Travelocity gnome.

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There is a town about 2 hours West of St. Cloud that has kind of cornered the market on Garden Gnomes.

Dawson, Minnesota only has a population of about 1500 people, and according to Only in Your State is one of our most charming towns.

The town does celebrate their reputation of having the most Garden Gnomes.  The local coffee shop/cafe is called Gnometown Grounds.  They sell not only coffee and snacks, but also a handfull of home goods and, of course, a selection of gnomes.  Not all are the garden gnomes either.  They have the stuffed ones that were mentioned earlier.  Some of them can even be used as jar toppers.

Most of the gnomes are located in the town park.

The theme can be seen throughout the park.  If you are wondering what the name of the park is, it's aptly named Gnome Park.  I know, super original.  At least you know what you are getting immediately.  There's even a gnome map!

Thanks to its dozens of garden gnomes, Dawson, Minnesota, is one of the quirkiest towns in the state. It's a great stop on a Minnesota road trip or a great day trip destination for those in search of something a little different.

f you do happen to stop in Dawson, you can make up a fun game with the kids.  Count all the gnomes you see.  Who saw the most?  There are a lot.