Wednesday, February 2, 2022

A Visit To Lark's Toys

Over Thanksgiving break, my husband and I took the kids and grandkids to Lark Toys.  Lark Toys is located in Kellogg, MN,  only 15 miles from our home, but we had never been there before.  We are not the type of family that spends a lot of money at Toy Stores so that is why we never went there.  But then a co-worker of my husband's suggested we take the grandchildren there because it was a lot of fun...so we did!

Lark Toys is famous for their handmade wooden toys seen in the picture below.  I must admit, these were nice.  They were so old-fashioned and cute.  If I would have purchased anything, it would have been one of these wooden toys.  I think they would make a nice gift for a new baby or a child you may not know very well.  Heck, the craftsmanship is so nice even an adult might want one!


On the outside, Lark Toys is not very impressive.  It is a simple brown building that looks very small.  But it's looks are deceiving,  for inside the place is so large you need a map and plenty of signs to find your way around.  The store at times seemed like a maze that went on forever.  We spent several hours there and I still don't feel we saw everything.


When you first walk in there are cute displays of elves inside glass windows.  The grandkids got a kick out of these.



The first thing we did was take the children's pictures!  Atticus was not thrilled.  He was ready to explore, not pose for a picture! 😀


Alethea is looking through the window shop that holds all the handmade wooden toys Lark's sells.


I loved seeing this little girl in a wheelchair.  What a special gift that would be to a special needs child.

The older generation will appreciate the Toy Museum.  There are many glass window displays of old toys, games, and dolls.


Walking through the museum brought back a lot of memories for all of us.  I remember playing "Trouble" as a child and loving it!


I thought the Toy Museum area was very well done.  It looked like you were walking down an old time street filled with shops.



They had a country western shop filled with all toys and western collectables.


This display held transportation toys:  trains, trucks, cars, etc.


I don't know if the grandkids could enjoy the museum as much as us older folk, but they sure enjoyed peeking through all the windows.


The doll display was one of Alethea's favorites...of course.


This display brought back so many memories for me!  We all had the coolest lunch boxes when we were kids.  I wonder why those went out of style?  We loved getting a new lunch box every year.  And of course I remember playing "Operation" and "Hungry, Hungry Hippo".



Alethea and Atticus couldn't understand why they couldn't go inside any of the displays.  ðŸ˜€


They had an old fashioned candy section or "Sweets" where you could buy a lot of fun candy you don't see around too much anymore.

In addition to the "Sweets" section, Lark's also has a cafeteria and an ice cream/fudge shop.


Lark's is very well known for it's beautiful carousel.  It is unlike an other carousel in the world.  Around the carousel are plaques you can read describing all the history and details.  It is hand carved from Minnesota basswood and each riding animal is considered a work of art.



The kids were thrilled to ride on the carousel!  It's only $2 to ride.  It's so nice that they keep the cost down so children of all income levels can enjoy a ride.  Adults ride free with a toddler/baby.  The carousel runs every 30 minutes.



Alethea was mesmerized by this giant Lego piece.  

I had read that Lark Toys also had Llamas but we had a hard time finding them.  Normally they hang out around an observation deck so guests can meet them, but they had them hidden behind the mini golf course the day we were there.  

These little guys were friendly!  The second we came out they ran to meet us, making Jordan feel a little uncomfortable. 😀


The expressions on the llamas faces were priceless.  I couldn't stop laughing.  And those eyes!  Don't these creatures have the most beautiful eyes?


We weren't sure if the llamas thought we had food, or if they were just very friendly, but they sure seemed very interested in us.


Back inside, we were off to explore the other half of the store where we found more window displays like this Stegosaurus.


My dinosaur-loving grandson sure liked this one!


This half of the store features modern toys that you would find in a typical toys store.  There were many areas where the kids could stop and play.  It made me wonder how we were ever going to get them out of here!  It was a kid's paradise!


The Toy Workshop is also in this part of the store.  Here you can look through windows and see how the carpenter makes all the wooden toys.  It is quite fascinating to watch.







Yet another play area for the kids to explore!


Lark's Toys even has a bookstore with a cute reading nook for the kids to curl up and read a good book.  Here, Ashley found a beautiful journal to give as a Christmas gift to her sister-in-law.


On the way to the register to pay for Ashley's journal we spotted the Wizard of Oz characters.


And a train that moved on tracks above our heads!


They used every inch of space to display old toys, including the rafters in the ceiling!


Lark Toys is located in Kellogg, Minnesota and it's hours varies depending on the season, so always check their website before visiting.  Right now it's only open on weekends, Friday through Sunday from 10 - 5.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

26 comments:

  1. What an awesome place to visit for children and adults. Lots of interesting old toys and games to see! Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 68. Pinned!

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  2. What a cool toy shop! My kids and I would love visiting a place like that. There is something about wooden toys that is special.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  3. What a fun place to visit and discover! Even as adults my husband and I would love to visit a place like this!

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    1. Yes, there is so much for both children and adults.

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  4. What an amazing place. I always think wood toys are worth the extra price. They are an amazing gift.

    We had a local store that went out prior to COVID as the man retired. I was fortunate to be able to take the nephews there for a couple of visits before that happened. He had wooden toy kits he made at his store. Then he had tables and children's size tools for the kids to put the kits together. You could also pay for the kids to be able to paint their toys as well. It was the best birthday present we ever gave two of the boys as we took the family for 2 of the birthdays and they each came home with a toy they made with their own hands.

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    1. It sure is. Wow. They should consider doing that here too. The kids would love making their own toys.

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  5. Amy, I love visiting an old-fashioned independent toy store on those rare occasions when I can find one. But this one is BEYOND anything I've ever seen. Would love to go there, but it isn't very likely to happen, so I really appreciate your thorough account of your visit. Wonderful post!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It is a very unique place.

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  6. That looks like the neatest shop! You could easily spend hours there.

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    1. It is. We spent a long time there, and could have easily stayed longer.

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  7. CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at the Unlimited Link Party 69!

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  8. I swear you guys are like us in that we love going to these kinds of places. You made me laugh with needing a map, haha!! But seeing all those old toys...so fabulous.
    XOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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    1. Oh, we'd probably get along great. If we ever get to Arizona I'll look you up!

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  9. Wow! These are the most beautifully crafted playthings ... and what an incredible destination for both small and big people!

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    1. yes! Everyone had fun! There was something for everyone.

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  10. That looks like such a fun place to visit! We took the kids to a toy museum when we were in Edinburgh in 2019 and it was fun seeing all the old toys, although it didn't have a very big shop at the end.
    It was so fun seeing the old games too! My kids still play with some of them - hungry hippos is one of their favourites - my parents kept all our old board games so we borrowed a few to add to our collection in the lockdown in 2020 and just haven't given them all back, haha!

    Hope that you are having a lovely weekend! We had a playdate yesterday and today is the last day of the summer school holidays :)

    Away From The Blue

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    1. It was fun. I would imagine a toy museum in an old place like Edinburgh would be even more exciting. That's great that your parents kept all the old board games! They're expensive!

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  11. What a cool place. Thanks for sharing. I would love to visit there.

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    1. It sure is. Yes, I actually thought of you when I was writing this post, thinking this is the type of place you'd like to visit. Too bad you live so far away.

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