Big Ole - Big Viking Statue — Attraction in Alexandria

Big Ole is a must visit if you’re in Alexandria!!! He’s a 28 foot statue of a Viking explorer. A runestone was found in the 1800s outside of town, and the nearby Kensington Runestone Museum does a nice job of educating visitors about the stone and Viking history in Minnesota. Big Ole became a part of Alexandria's history in 1965 when artist Gordon Shumaker created the fiberglass sculpture for the New York World's Fair. After the fair, the statue was moved to Minnesota where it found a home in the...

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this statue. On the one hand - giant viking statue in the middle of a nice park in a small town! On the other hand, this statue is quite out there. The yellow tunic, the winged helmet... It is difficult to figure out my feelings on this one. Ole in combination with the other bits of folklore from around the Alexandria area though and man, this could be part of a good day trip for a family - or a good bike trip, considering its proximity to the trails...

It's a big statue with some nice walking trails around it and along the water. We were there on a Saturday morning and they had a cute farmer's market going on with live music. Also, the public restrooms. There was really nice and clean. I just wish the sign in front of the statue explained why his shield says that Alexandria is the birthplace of America. We also checked a sign down the path, but it didn't...