Shakopee Tutors Come To You

Shakopee, Minnesota, is named after Chief Shakopee, leader of one of several Mdewakanton Dakota bands that settled along the Minnesota River in the eighteenth century. Chief Shakopee received his name when his wife, White Buffalo Woman, gave birth to sextuplets. The word “Shakopee” means “the six.”

Today’s Shakopee has developed into a fun-loving community southwest of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. The city takes its reputation of “where the Midwest comes to play” seriously, with some of the best attractions in the area. Working with a Shakopee tutor will give students the time needed to join in the fun.

In going with the theme of six, here are six don’t-miss places in or near Shakopee.

1. Valleyfair
The largest amusement park in the upper Midwest, the 125-acre Valleyfair features over seventy-five rides and attractions. It opened in 1976, with the “High Roller” wooden coaster as the prime attraction. The High Roller is still in use, along with seven additional roller coasters. The adjacent Soak City water park is included in admission and a welcome respite on a hot day.
2. Canterbury Park
When pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing was approved in Minnesota in1982, the Minnesota Racetrack Inc. formed and was awarded the state’s first race-track license. The facility, which includes a one-mile oval dirt track and a seven-furlong, or 1,400-meter, turf track, opened on June 26, 1985. The facility also offers outdoor blackjack, seven other table games, three types of poker, a playground for the kids, and special events all summer long for the whole family.

3. The Landing
Part of the Minnesota River Heritage Park, the Landing is an eighty-eight-acre historic village that represents life from the 1840s to the 1890s along the Minnesota River. The village is laid out in a timeline format. Visitors can tour the grounds on their own or with a costumed guide. During special living-history events, costumed interpreters help immerse Shakopee tutors, teachers, students, and visitors into the frontier, farmstead, and village experience.

4. Mystic Lake Casino
Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the casino offers live-dealer blackjack, mechanical roulette, bingo, slots, and pulltabs. Mystic Lake also has a 600-room hotel, an adjacent RV park with 122 spaces, seven restaurants, three bars, and meeting and banquet space.

5. Minnesota Renaissance Festival
The country’s largest Renaissance-themed festival, this authentic sixteenth-century-village experience features sixteen stages for jugglers, magicians, and musicians; 250 artisans who sell handmade crafts; demonstrations in techniques such as glass blowing and armor making; and over 150 food choices.

6. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
The arboretum, part of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Horticultural Science, was established in 1958 and is comprised of 1,137 acres of annual, perennial, northern-climate, and other themed gardens, and natural areas of woodlands, marshes, and prairies. There is also a 15,000-volume horticultural library and conservatory, as well as trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. The arboretum, located in Chaska, Minnesota, is considered the upper Midwest’s largest public garden.