Ryan and Tracy camped out in the western part of the state in August and went to the Watkins Museum in Winona. I did not know such a place existed but since we grew up using Watkins Vanilla and Meat Magic, I decided I needed to make it part of girls' weekend.
Going to the Watkins Museum fit in the schedule perfectly. It is open 10-4 Monday-Saturday. We could hit it first thing in the morning and still have plenty of time to get to Wabasha for the Eagle Presentation at 1:00. It is located downtown Winona adjacent to the factory.
The Watkins Museum highlights the history of Watkins Company. It tells how J. R. Watkins started his business and early product making.
My favorite part was all the old bottles and tins of products. They sold everything from spices to moth spray. I remember you only were able to get your Watkins through a Watkin's rep.
My old babysitter growing up, sold it. I found a lady I used to work with that sold. Now you can get their cleaning products and vanilla in Walmart and Target. Alas Meat Magic is no more.
There is also a store where you can buy whatever Watkins products you need to stock up. Of course I picked up vanilla. It is still the best vanilla for the price. It was $18 for the large bottle. My little bottle from Penzey's is $15.
After checking the museum and store, we drove over to J.R. Watkins home that he built in town once his business took off. It is now a nursing home but back in the day it had fabulous gardens. I would have to been able to tour it. The house is only a short drive from the museum. It is also worth driving by when in Winona.
If you are in Winona or that part of the state and need a quick stop, this is perfect. It gives a glimpse in a family run business since 1868. I love checking out these pieces of history as you don't see many left anymore. It is definitely a quick stop no more than 30-60 minutes depending on how long you spend in the store.
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