Other stories in "Travel with kids"

• Baraboo's gilt complex
  In Ringlingville, the golden age of the circus never ended.
• Laura land
  "Little House" fans trace Pa's meandering path, looking for echoes from the past.
• Agate stampede
  Every year, Moose Lake introduces budding rockhounds to the thrill of the hunt.
• Whitewater 101
  In northeast Wisconsin, novice kayakers learn moves at a resort that refuses to die.
• The first American Girl
  Before Laura, before Kit, there was Caddie Woodlawn on the Wisconsin frontier.
• Snow asylum
  In the wilderness of northeast Wisconsin, a family resort stays on top of the heap.
• Summer's last gasp
  In north woods, the last resort may be the best.
• The last Little House
  Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in rural Missouri was the final stop on a famously winding path.
• Playtime in Milwaukee
  For children, this easygoing city is just the right size.
• Scenes from the fur trade
  At re-created forts, meet the adventurers who shaped the Upper Midwest.
• In Caddie and Laura's back yard
  In western Wisconsin, a loop tour explores the homeland of two real-life heroines.
• Break on the lake
  In Minnesota, the traditional full-service, family-run resort is alive and well.
• Wisconsin for kids
  From farm to city to beach, the state is one big playground.
• Madison for all ages
  Famous for collegians, Wisconsin's capital also fascinates children.
• Little pageants on the prairie
  A scrappy pioneer family is brought to life each year in two towns that played a prominent role in the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
• Grand sand
  Along Lake Michigan, the Sleeping Bear Dunes are a giant playground for all ages.
• Fun with Dick and Jane
  Want to have a good time with your children? Then go back to basics.
• Duluth rocks!
  With a pizza train, a bike path and beaches lined with boulders, this is a kid’s kind of town.
• Chicago with kids
  For curious children, this inviting city overflows with treasures.
• A week at the lake
  Other destinations beckon, but few can beat the classic Minnesota vacation.
• Making waves
  Now that they’ve inspired a deluge of imitators, Wisconsin Dells’ popular indoor water parks are paddling hard to stay on top.

Speed demons of Nisswa

Swift turtles mix with power shoppers in a Minnesota lake-country oasis.

As soon as we turned off the highway into Nisswa, my children’s heads began to swivel.

"Souvenirs . . . Gift Shop . . . Moccasins,’’ read 9-year-old Madeleine. "And look — Candy Store.’’

"This is a cute town,’’ said 6-year-old Peter, noticing the covered sidewalks. "It’s like a cowboy town.’’

As soon as we parked, Madeleine was pulling on my arm; she’d spied the words "Rainy Days Toy Store and Bookstore’’ above one shop.

I first spent time in Nisswa when I rode into it on the Paul Bunyan State Trail, which cuts through town on a corridor once used by logging trains. It was Crazy Days, and throngs of shoppers prowled the boardwalks.

Nisswa became a resort town after the loggers left, with the usual souvenir and ice cream stores in the three-block downtown, 20 minutes north of Brainerd. But its complexion changed in the 1990s, with the opening of top-flight golf courses nearby.

Now, people who can afford to spend $350 for a day’s lodging and golf at neighboring Grand View Lodge can come into town and spend even more in the 50-plus boutiques.

But we were in town for an event started even before upscale was a word: The Nisswa Turtle Races, held every Wednesday afternoon in summer since 1966.

First, we checked out the shops. When we walked into Zaiser’s, heard Pachelbel’s Canon over the sound system and saw shelves of aromatherapy wraps and soap by the slice, I started shaking my head over the disappearance of good old-fashioned junk stores — until I heard an excited cry, "Look, Mom!’’ And there it was, a whole room full of sling shots, magic ink, lucky rabbit’s feet, arrowheads and exploding golf balls.

Everywhere we went, storeowners asked, "Going to the turtle races?’’ After lunch at Ganley’s, we headed for the parking lot behind the Chamber of Commerce, where big circles were painted on the parking lot. There was already a crowd, so we went to pick out turtles, a big one that Peter named Charger and a medium one Madeleine called Tortoise. I asked vendor Robert Litzau if it was true that bigger is better. He smiled and put a finger to his lips.

"Mum’s the word,’’ he said slyly. "If I said so and they didn’t win, I’d be in hot water, wouldn’t I?’’

As we waited for the races to begin, we talked with Clark Christiansen and his 13-year-old son Sam, who had brought his own turtle; Christiansen was attending his first race in Nisswa in three decades.

"I was a turtle hunter as a child; all the local kids were,’’ he said. "I had a whole stable, and we’d have tryouts in the yard.’’ The races haven’t changed much, said Christiansen, though Nisswa has: "It used to be the real boondocks around here; we used to think we were way out there,’’ he said. "Now, it’s a strip all the way from Minneapolis.’’

Then the first heats began, with children kneeling inside the first circles, pounding the pavement and shouting their turtles on to victory. Charger moved a respectable distance, but Tortoise just sat at the starting line as Madeleine stared at him forlornly.

Finally, a 7-year-old from Iowa won the grand championship, earning $5 and his name on the radio, though he got to race again: After the main race come races for button-holders, out-of-staters, resort guests and "mighty midgets.’’ That day, 229 turtles were entered, with more than 600 people looking on.

"It gets bigger and bigger every year,’’ Litzau said when we returned our turtles. Then he relented and gave us a tip: "Yeah, the bigger ones are faster,’’ he said, handing me a 40-year-old turtle the size of a football. "They’ve got a bigger stride. When they get going, they go.’’

Trip Tips: Turtle racing in Nisswa

Getting there: It’s about 2½ hours north of the Twin Cities.

Turtle races: They’re held at 2 p.m. every Wednesday from the second week of June through the third week of August. Cost to rent a turtle is $3.

Where to stay: The Nisswa Motel downtown has clean and pleasant rooms, 800-254-7612. Two resorts are within walking distance, on Lower Cullen Lake:  Good Ol’ Days Family Resort, 800-298-2478, and Eagles Nest, 800-922-0440. For more, see The buzz on Brainerd.

Information: 800-950-9610, www.nisswa.com.

Last updated on August 4, 2008