MnGette
Nice nature areas to explore with kids. Quite a few geocaches in the neighborhood, if you like those.
wildchough
Great birding area long recognized by the locals. Marbed Godwits breed in the grasslands near the refuge while the pelicans are almost always in sight. Most Midwest marsh and prairie birds can be found here in summer and during migration with impressive displays of geese in late fall including Ross's Geese and White-fronted Geese. Use caution on some back roads when wet.