15 Things New College Students Should Know About St. Cloud

There are a ton of little things that make St. Cloud, Minnesota easily identifiable. These things are traits and characteristics that make this place home to more than 65,000 people. Here's what every new college student should know about the area! Pay attention, there might be a pop quiz on this!

1. Gopher Chair–Gopher Bargain Center has a gigantic chair located on the second floor of their building. It’s believed to be one of 12 chairs like it in the world. It’s a right of passage for a St. Cloud native to have their picture taken in the chair!

2. Val’s–the french fries are to die for! It’s a little burger joint along Lincoln Ave. in St. Cloud. If you order a large fry, you’ll be laughed at. It’s common knowledge that a small fry will fill the entire bottom of your burger bag. You’ll definitely have enough to share with your co-workers and friends.

3. Lake George skating rink–Lake George used to be double the size that it is today. There used to be skating competitions held on the rink. Today, there’s a giant warming house and free skate rentals. It’s St. Cloud’s go to place for skating in the winter.

4. Cow button–Before Cash Wise on the East Side of St. Cloud was a Cash Wise store, it was actually Cub Foods. They installed a fake electronic cow in their dairy section. There was a button located by the milk coolers that activated the cow. Kids press the button all of the time and the cow pops its head out of the barn and moos. When Cub sold the store to Cash Wise, the decided to keep the cow! It’s still there today.

5. Munsinger/Clemens Gardens–There’s a beautiful love story behind the start of Clemens Garden. A husband built the garden for his wife who was wheel chair bound. She loved flowers, so he built a flower garden for her!

6. Triton merman statue–If you’ve ever driven past the Heim Mill along the Mississippi River, you’ve probably noticed on really neat yard decoration outside of one unique home. It’s kind of famous in the area. The Triton statue has been on display for a number of years. The house is actually up for sale.

7. The clock–There’s a giant clock on the courthouse building. It weights over 2,000 pounds. The pendulum on it’s own weights about 200 pounds. According to Stearns County, a former St. Cloud Jeweler named Bert Stafford said, “the clock is made of such quality material that it will outlast any clock in existence, including the highly touted Big Ben of London.” It’s easily one of St. Cloud’s most recognizable features.

8. St. Cloud State University–St. Cloud State University started out as a one building college for teachers. It’s has since grown to an accredited university in the heart of central Minnesota. The university is also home to the St. Cloud State division one men’s hockey team, the Huskies. The team was once coached by Herb Brooks.

9. Green Castle house–A giant green trim castle is located on the edge of campus and houses college students. It’s been a staple in the area nearly as long as the university itself.

10. Superman--St. Cloud may not be Metropolis but we have a Superman too. His name is John and he can usually be seen dressed in a Superman costume along Division Street in St. Cloud by Dairy Queen. It’s something he’s been doing for decades.

12. Beaver Island Trail--The trail got a $6.2 million extension last year. It spans along the Mississippi River and St. Cloud State University. They even added a selfie station along the trail.

13. Sportsman's Island--We’ve got a place called Sportsman’s Island and it’s completely abandoned. There’s a landmass in the Mississippi River nearly as big as St. Cloud State University and it’s a ghost town. The only thing left on the island now is an old baseball diamond and a few old buildings. There’s only one way in–through an old abandoned bridge that’s no longer in use.

14. Unmarked graveyards--St. Cloud was home to two unmarked graveyards. The story behind St. Cloud’s forgotten cemetery sounds like something from a movie. A few homeowners reported finding  caskets and gravestones in their yards and underneath their houses. Some even claimed to have experienced strange happenings. Little did they know at the time that their homes were on the site of a former cemetery.

15. St. Cloud's prison wall--The St. Cloud Prison wall is the second largest wall in the world built by prisoners. It’s ranked second next to the Great Wall of China. The wall stands about 22-feet high and 1.5 miles wide.