What else are you gonna do in New Ulm? You could tour the 3M plant but I don't think they give away free samples. You could check out the Schell brewery, where they definitely do give out free samples. You could check out the German/Minnesota BBQ (which in my opinion you only need to do once). But the one thing you can't do is ignore this giant 3 story cuckoo clock.Are there bigger and better glockenspiels in Europe? Sure. Can it get boring waiting around for the glockenspiel to start doing its thing? You bet! It is kind of lame when it actually starts glockenspieling? A little. But...How often do you get a chance to cross "listened to a glockenspiel" off your bucket list. Plus, you get to use the word "glockenspiel" as much as you want. It's a happy sounding word even if people don't know what it means. Go ahead. Use the word in a conversation. Watch your friends smile.
My first trip to New Ulm was to see the "famous" Glockenspiel. I was disappointed then and still am now. Luckily that trip led me to discovering many other things in New Ulm that I do love. My wife and I stop by to take a selfie in front of the Glockenspiel as a joke.
So beautiful to hear. Worth waiting for. Drive through town with the windows down so you don't miss the music!
This was not as exciting as hoped, but we are glad we stopped. The chimes went on for a lot longer than expected. That was good.
We were in town visiting relatives and went on a Wednesday night. Only two other people in the restaurant, which was hot & sticky, with one very nice & friendly waitress but she was very slow. We were there for over 2 hours. The brauts are not authentic and are not made on premises. I expected more from a family owned and run German restaurant. The black forest cake was not fresh. the tea was old and warm. Very disappointed!
Check out the glockenspiel "show" that occurs multiple times a day at this historic New Ulm site. A nice stop on any adventure!
At selected time intervals, a door opens up and animated figures which reflect on the various stages of New Ulm history, perform on a rotating stage, as music is played. Real neat.
It was very special to see the Glockenspiel that everyone in the town is so proud of. The music and revolving characters that come out to greet you will put a smile on your face!
I had read in the tour guide to New Ulm about the Glockenspiel and I just happened to be downtown 15 minutes before one of its scheduled performances, which take place at noon, 3:00, and 5:00. I took my camera and tripod and got into place on one of the park benches in front of it. About 20 other people had gathered by the time it was to begin. Suddenly, a door halfway up the tower opened to reveal the life-sized characters on a platen. As the music began ("I Love to Go A-Wandering"), the characters revolved slowly, allowing many photo opportunities. The characters represent the history of New Ulm. Those I remember seeing were a beer drinker, two dancers, a brick maker, a farmer, a family, and an Indian. There is a sign nearby which explains the role each character played in the history.
We made sure we got to the site at noon to hear the music from the carillion. It was very much worth it and it's good that it plays at other times of the day, too, in case one couldn't be there at noon.