Franconia Sculpture Park

There's a park in Minnesota that takes the cake when it comes to offbeat installations: Franconia Sculpture Park. Ever wanted to see two cars doin' it? A cabin floating in mid-air? How about the massive severed heads of giants? You can see all these things and more at the Franconia Sculpture Park, the weirdest art in the country. Founded in 1996 by John Hock and a small collective of artists, Franconia was designed to be a much needed outlet for emerging artists who needed "physical space, technical assistance, and funding they needed to create and exhibit new work." Today the park has grown to 20-acres and houses a rotating collection of over 75 contemporary sculptures, many of which are completely bizarre.  Take, for insance, a sculpture titled Landing of Eros which depicts two cars doing the nasty, a gigantic lizard that serves as the park's concession stand, or a piece that looks kind of like a gigantic charcoal grill filled with potatoes. According to the park, many of the sculptures are created to intentionally shock the folks driving along the nearby highway. During the months of April through November, visitors can come and actually watch artists as they create these new pieces, and in some cases, even help. Not only is the entrance to Franconia Sculpture Park free, but the park also offers numerous special programs and events held in the park like concerts, tours, and art workshops events spaced throughout the year that include a concert series, artist-led tours, specific programs for at-risk youth and more. -Roadtrippers Franconia Sculpture Park is an innovative community arts organization that provides residence and work space to emerging and established artists. A lively schedule of programs and events for art lovers of all ages includes 3D Concert Series, Kids Make Sculpture Workshops, Community Collaboration Hot Metal Pour, artist-led tours , the Fall Annual Art & Artists Celebration, and specific programs for at-risk youth. The 20-acre park, with a rotating collection of over 95 contemporary sculptures, reflects the creative talents of local, national, and international artists and is free and open to the public 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. Franconia Sculpture Park is located 45 minutes northeast of the Twin Cities at the intersection of Hwy 8 (Lake Blvd) and Hwy 95 (St. Croix trail) in Chisago County, Franconia, Minnesota.