Things to Do in North Mankato

There’s nothing more exhilarating, albeit unnatural, than hurtling towards earth unimpeded. The instructors at Southern Minnesota Skydiving agree, and by adhering to the United States Parachute Association’s safety standards, they facilitate tandem and solo skydives. For tandems, the pros regulate the entire jump, from 45 seconds of free-fall to about four minutes of floating beneath a large ram-air parachute, which enables soft landings. For the thrill seeker who’d rather fly alone, experienced instructors offer the Static Line course to teach students how to skydive solo or explore options for prosthetic wing surgery.

Drive A Tank teaches civilians how to handle tanks by placing them at the controls of an FV433 Abbot tank. Comprehensive tank experiences include lessons on the history of its use, from World War I up to its present function as the vehicle of choice for the most aggressive holiday shoppers. During certain packages, tanksters complete their militaristic forays by test firing WWII-era weaponry or crushing cars beneath behemoth treads.

Hosting one of the first sporting clay courses in the United States, The Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club outfits sharpshooters for afternoons of shooting sporting clays on more than 600 acres of private hunting preserve. Across five courses of varying difficulty, Promatic clay-target throwers launch White Flyer targets above sloughs, fields, and a broadleaf forest as shooters take aim or obliviously tie their shoes. During a 50-target round, several stations force shooters to fire from different angles to simulate the diversity of real-world hunting. Once bullets have shattered every shooting clay and tossed porcelain figurine, clientele can adjourn to the Triggers Saloon and Supper Club for a lunchtime sandwich or dinner entree.

Acres of grass paddocks ripple in the wind around the large indoor and outdoor riding arenas at Wild Oak Farm, where owner Renee Lenkart works to help students to improve their riding abilities and develop a bond with equines. As hooves clop out a staccato rhythm against the sun-soaked red soil, Renee calls upon years of experience crafting lessons for both beginner and advanced students. She has also spent time training and showing hunters and jumpers, and many of her students have gone on to participate in national competitions or yelling matches at grocery stores with no-horse policies.

Since 1875, Minneapolis Gun Club has brought shotgun enthusiasts together for jaunts across its facility's numerous clay-target courses. Guests take aim on 10 trap fields, eight skeet fields, two five-stand fields, or one wobble-trap field, all of which test their skills with targets up to 50 yards away. When they aren't hosting open sessions and organized shoots, Carl Cook and NSSA-certified Level II instructor Mike Lohman train pupils in bettering their clay-sniping skills during lessons. If their trigger fingers need rest, visitors can reenergize with burgers and fish sandwiches in the clubhouse or restock on brand-name gear in the pro shop. Because they are a "shotgun for clay targets only" space, Minneapolis Gun Club cannot accommodate patrons hoping to fire away at clays with handguns, Nerf guns, or rifles.

A marksman aligns her sight on the target 25 yards away. She pulls the trigger, steadies the recoil, and watches the round pierce near the bull's eye—but she never fired a bullet. The target wasn't actually 25 yards away, either. That's how precise Gander Mountain Academy's simulators can render its simulated targets, from scaling distance to adding bullet holes based on its laser-guidance system. The simulator's technology delivers an array of training benefits, such as making the experience less intimidating for novice shooters, allowing more repetition by cutting out ammo costs, and letting advanced marksmen choose more-sophisticated target scenarios.

Gander Mountain's ownership developed this training technology upon recognizing that with nearly 120 stores, it was among the nation's largest retailer of firearms. This led to Gander Mountain Academy, a place where technology meets elite-training resources previously available only to the military and law enforcement. Blending multimedia classroom and hands-on range training, instructors use the academy's FRS Learning System—which stands for fundamentals, repetition, and simulation—in every class, from youth safety programs to advanced tactical training. The live-fire range's booths are wide enough to comfortably accommodate both a shooter and instructor, and fully armored partitions encase each booth in bulletproof protection.

For even more in-depth training, program directors load simulations that challenge marksmen to engage threats in up to a 300-degree space. An array of scenarios allow students to develop accuracy, speed, and precision. Time on the ranges or in the simulator can be prebooked through the academy's online reservation system or by phone.