Fergus Falls, MN
Today was another one of those days where I had planned a hike and a few other outdoor activities. It had rained most of the night, and it continued into the morning. I left my Harvest Host home and drove a little over an hour in steady rain to Fergus Falls.
When I arrived, it was still pouring, so I searched for a café where I could wait it out. I found Cally’s Café & Coffee right on Main Street. It had the feel of a real community spot—students on laptops, a few locals chatting over breakfast, and a steady flow of people ducking in out of the weather. The coffee was good, and the staff were friendly, so it was easy to hang out for a few hours. I ended up staying through lunch, going through photographs and catching up online, which made it feel like a productive stop.
When I arrived, it was still pouring, so I searched for a café where I could wait it out. I found Cally’s Café & Coffee right on Main Street. It had the feel of a real community spot—students on laptops, a few locals chatting over breakfast, and a steady flow of people ducking in out of the weather. The coffee was good, and the staff were friendly, so it was easy to hang out for a few hours. I ended up staying through lunch, going through photographs and catching up online, which made it feel like a productive stop.
By early afternoon the rain had slowed, and I decided to check out the Fergus Falls River Walk. It runs a little over a mile along the Otter Tail River, but honestly, it was a bit of a letdown. The path felt under-maintained and rough in places, and with such a beautiful stretch of river, it seemed like there was so much more potential for a scenic, inviting trail.
Still, it gave me a sense of the town’s layout, and it led me to Spies Riverfront Park, where I stopped to photograph the playful water features and a butterfly mobile that caught the light just right.
From there, I wandered further into downtown. Fergus Falls has a small but interesting arts scene, and I found myself in the Kaddatz Galleries standing in front of a kinetic sculpture by Jeff Zachmann, a Fergus Falls–based artist who creates intricate marble-driven pieces. His work is both playful and precise, with marbles rolling through tracks and gears in endless loops. The soft clack of marbles was almost meditative, and it was by far my favorite piece in the gallery. The town is proud of its local artists, and it shows in the number of murals, galleries, and creative touches you find as you walk around.
The downtown itself was quiet during the middle of the week, but I could tell from the restaurants, brewery, and historic movie theater that weekends probably have a lot more energy. I grabbed a few photos of the Fergus Fall Theater’s old marquee, which still gives the street a sense of classic small-town character. It’s easy to see how this could be a fun spot on a Friday or Saturday night when things are livelier.
As the afternoon wore on, the skies began to clear. I climbed back into the van and started heading toward Alexandria. The late-day light was spectacular—one of those golden stretches where you can’t help but pull over every 10 minutes for another photo of a lake, a field, or the way the clouds broke open above the horizon. That ended up being my favorite part of the day.
I rolled back into my Harvest Host spot by 6:30 p.m., thinking the host was grilling and hoping to get to know my hosts more, but the place was quiet. I made dinner on my own, settled in with a book, and called it a day.