Split Rock Lighthouse
Red Wing and the Mississippi Bluffs
As blessed as they are with ready access to lakes and trails, residents of the Twin Cities have a time-honored tradition of getting the heck out of town whenever they possibly can.
Split Rock Lighthouse
They go “up north” or “to the cabin”—vague answers to the question “What did you do this weekend?” that are as evocative to a native Minnesotan as a full description of the destination and the route. They tend to do this, en masse, on summer Fridays, when the highways headed out of town (especially going north and east) clog up in the early afternoon.
Even if you don’t have a family cabin in Minnesota, you can enjoy a little bit of the “up north” lifestyle with a weekend in Duluth, on the shore of Lake Superior. Or you can spend a day in one of Minnesota’s most charming small towns: shopping for antiques in Stillwater, hiking up the bluffs of Red Wing, or soaking up the college-town atmosphere in Northfield. When you head out of the cities, the transformation is dramatic. You can leave behind the skyscrapers and mild congestion of either downtown in a matter of minutes and find yourself in a compact grid of single-family homes. You can put the straight urban streets behind you and find the curvy lanes of suburbia in another easy quarter of an hour, and then a few moments later you’re driving through farmland. Stick to the two-lane rural highways and you’ll come upon two-intersection towns in a steady rhythm, the sort with a church, a coffee shop, and a hardware store.
Minnesota’s flat prairie is a stunning sight for natives of the hillier, woodsier, more crowded coasts, who may never have seen the horizon over land. Watching lightning strike where the land meets the sky, miles away, during early-summer thunderstorms is simply unforgettable (if a little ill-advised, unless you’re familiar with the local weather patterns). As you head south and east toward Red Wing and the bluff country, the prairie starts to roll and then spike into majestic hills with a downward slant that drops you right at the Mississippi River. North of the Twin Cities, the ancient mountains of the Iron Range touch down lightly at Duluth, a city built between the foothills and gitchigami (great water), as the Ojibwe call Lake Superior. And all along the way, there are lakes—well more than the advertised 10,000—and the Minnesota landscape that calls Twin Citians inexorably to head up north and to the cabin.
If you have an extra day or two in the Twin Cities, it’s easy enough to head for the small towns and farmland that surround them—easy, that is, if you have your own transportation. Stillwater, just 20 miles from St. Paul, is close enough to be considered a commuting suburb, but it has enough history and personality of its own to make it worth exploring. This is our top pick if you’ve got limited time. It’s a very comfortable day trip, but the huge selection of bed-and-breakfasts and the great dining options could easily tempt you to stay longer.
Two of Minnesota’s most charming small towns, Red Wing and Northfield, are also within short driving distance, to the southeast and south of the cities, respectively. An ambitious sightseer could combine the two trips into one day but would lose out on the whole point of a relaxing, laid-back southern Minnesota jaunt.
Duluth is both a popular weekend getaway and a good place to kick off a more outdoorsy expedition on the North Shore. While you could certainly get a taste of the city in a day of wandering Canal Park, the 300-mile round-trip drive (straight north and then back south on I-35) might take the joy out of it. A better idea would be to plan at least one overnight, preferably in a homey bed-and-breakfast, and make sure you have enough time to drive up the stunning shore of Lake Superior, at least as far as the Split Rock Lighthouse.
Summer brings out the boating crowd and the T-shirt-buying hordes, but Duluth’s famous “air conditioning” (the lake keeps the center of town as much as 10-20°F cooler than the surrounding area) can make braving the crowds worth it. The North Shore, like much of Minnesota, truly shines in September and October. (Fall foliage typically peaks in early October.)
Any expedition outside the Twin Cities requires a car, with a couple of possible exceptions: An Amtrak train makes one trip a day each way to Red Wing, and Greyhound services Duluth.
Stillwater is where Twin Citians go to relax. Just half an hour from St. Paul, the small town on the St. Croix River is close enough to be a commuting suburb but distinct enough in its history to be an easy escape from the daily grind. May-October, tourists fill the historic downtown on the riverfront, an all-in-one stop for shopping, boating, fine dining, and drinking beer on a long summer evening on a deck overlooking the river. In the off-season—Minnesota’s beautiful autumn and fleeting spring, even the cold winter—the crowds are smaller, but all of Stillwater’s delights are still open and available. Stillwater can easily be enjoyed in a day—or even just a long evening.
A trip to Stillwater can start and end quite satisfactorily on historic Main Street, which stretches along the riverfront. Storefronts dating to the mid-19th century crowd the sidewalk, now occupied by bookstores, candy shops, and tchotchke boutiques as well as antiques stores, antiques stores, and more antiques stores. Start at the south end, where Nelson Street crosses Main Street, and stroll north about half a mile until the shopping district ends abruptly in a bluff. How long it takes you will depend on how avid a shopper you are. At either end of your trip, long, steep flights of steps (the steps at the south end are known as the Stillwater Steps) will take you to the top of the bluff for spectacular views of the St. Croix and the still green and undeveloped Wisconsin side of the river.
Stillwater’s Historic Main Street
When the Washington County Courthouse (101 Pine St. W., Stillwater; 651/275-7075, www.co.washington.mn.us; Mon.-Wed. 9am-4:30pm, Thurs.-Fri. 9am-6pm, Sat. 10am-4:30pm; free, donations accepted) opened in 1870, Stillwater was a boomtown, flush with logging money. While government functions have moved to a more modern building, the grand structure—the oldest existing courthouse in Minnesota—stands proudly on the bluffs overlooking the St. Croix. Several guided tours are available each day. Visiting kids can do scavenger hunts and try on period costumes.
The Stillwater aerial lift bridge, built in 1931, is one of only two of its type left in Minnesota (the other is in Duluth). The central part of the bridge lifts straight up, rather than tilt, to let boats pass through. The bridge is of tremendous sentimental value to locals and visitors alike, and to save it, they had to close it—to vehicles, that is. Because it has serious structural issues, it was replaced by a much larger bridge downstream in 2016 and is now open to pedestrians and bicycles only.
lift bridge in Stillwater
At the north end of Main Street, the Washington County Historical Society displays another piece of Stillwater’s history in the Warden’s House Museum (602 Main St. N., Stillwater, 651/439-5956; May-Oct. Thurs.-Sun. 1pm-5pm; $5 adults, $1 children 17 and under). From the time it was completed in 1853 until 1914, the building housed 13 wardens who presided over the Minnesota Territorial (and later State) Penitentiary in Stillwater. Most of its 14 rooms are decorated in late-19th-century period style. Others house exhibits on the lumbering industry and some famous residents of the prison, including Jesse James’s partners in crime, Jim, Bob, and Cole Younger.
The best Texas-style barbecue in Minnesota is just a few miles south of Stillwater in Bayport at the Bayport BBQ (328 5th Ave. N., Bayport, 651/955-6337, www.bayportbbq.com; Thurs.-Sun. 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm; $7-13). Order your brisket, smoked chicken, ribs, house-made hot links, and sides by the pound, and it all comes to the table on a giant commercial half-sheet metal tray covered in wax paper. Don’t miss Bayport’s own vinegary barbecue sauce. Live blues acts play most evenings, and there may be a cover charge.
Even natives of the Twin Cities, who are now spoiled for choices when it comes to fine dining, have been known to drive to Stillwater for a memorable meal—or even a memorable glass of wine. Domacin Wine Bar (102 2nd St. S. #1, Stillwater, 651/439-1352, www.domacinwinebar.com; Mon.-Tues. 4pm-10pm, Wed.-Thurs. 4pm-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 4pm-midnight, Sun. 4pm-10pm; $20-38) serves both. Whether you want a flight with some Marcona almonds and carpaccio on the side, or a full dinner (the menu changes seasonally) with the perfect glass, you’ll feel right at home. Come on Sunday evenings for the chef’s tasting menu.
A luxurious meal can also be had at the Dock Café (425 Nelson St. E., Stillwater, 651/430-3770, www.dockcafe.com; Mon.-Thurs. 11am-8pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-9:30pm, Sun. 11am-8pm; $15-30), with the added bonus of a broad, shaded patio right on the river. Although none of the fish comes from the St. Croix River, the location calls for a menu heavy on fish and seafood, from the local favorite walleye to scallops, shrimp, tuna, and salmon. Non-fish lovers can enjoy chicken, steaks, and burgers, but vegetarians will have a tough time filling up.
Built right into the bluffs along Main Street, Feller (402 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/571-3501, www.fellerrestaurant.com, daily 11am-midnight; $16-35) pays homage to the wild flavors of the Upper Midwest. The brief menu changes frequently, but look for local cheeses, wild mushrooms, rye berries, quail, trout, and bison. Sharing space with Feller in the Lora Hotel, The Long Goodbye (daily 11am-2pm) and Made (Sun.-Thurs., 7am-3pm, Fri.-Sat. 7am-5pm) are your top choices along Main Street for cocktails and coffee, respectively.
Phil’s Tara Hideaway (15021 60th St. N., Stillwater, 651/439-9850, www.tarahideaway.com; Tues.-Fri. 11am-10pm, Sat. 4pm-10pm, Sun. 4pm-9pm; $16-30) is a jumble of histories and influences: Originally a speakeasy and then a roadhouse, it now serves the Greek cuisine of current owner Phil Barbaitsis in a tiny log cabin. It’s known for some of the best steak around. Come early or make reservations, because it gets crowded—and loud.
While you can have a terrific time in Stillwater without ever getting on the water, the St. Croix River is an obvious attraction. The St. Croix Riverboat and Packet Co. (525 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/430-1234, www.stillwaterriverboats.com; $19-33) offers two or three cruises a day, most with a meal included. Six boats, with capacities of 50 to 675, make the tours north up the picturesque St. Croix, passing under the lift bridge.
You can also ride smaller—much smaller—boats on the river, namely the two-passenger gondolas of Gondola Romantica (Nelson St. on the riverfront, Stillwater, 651/439-1783, www.gondolaromantica.com; May-Oct. daily noon-midnight by appointment). Rides on the Venetian-style boats poled by burly men in striped sailor shirts start at $95 for 45 minutes. Make an appointment; walk-ups are only available as the company’s schedule allows. Packages combining a ride with a meal at the Dock Café are also available.
gondola passing under the lift bridge
If you want to be in control of your own craft, rent a stand-up paddleboard from 45 Degrees (229 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/430-3609, www.45-degrees.com; Sun.-Mon. noon-5pm, Tues.-Sat. 10am-7pm; $25 half-day, $50 full-day).
To see Stillwater from the land, hop on the Stillwater Trolley (400 Nelson St. E., 651/430-0352, www.stillwatertrolley.com; $13.50 adults, $12.50 seniors, $7.50 children) for a 45-minute narrated tour. This is a great way to get up on the bluffs above Stillwater for a view of the St. Croix valley, and to learn about the lumber barons’ mansions, many of which are now B&Bs.
To see the town on foot—and learn why so many Twin Citians come here to enjoy the food—sign up for a tour with Foodies on Foot (855/236-6343, www.foodiesonfootmn.com; $70-75). From a bloody Mary brunch tour to a progressive beer dinner, these guides have the days covered. Be prepared to walk as much as you eat and to keep going despite the weather.
Shopping is a pastime and a passion for many visitors to Stillwater, many drawn specifically by the well more than half a dozen antiques shops and antiquarian booksellers downtown. You’ll encounter rare finds but not too many deals. One of the largest antiques shops is Staples Mill Antiques (410 Main St. N., Stillwater, 888/489-6682, www.staplesmillantiques.com; daily 10am-5pm), located in the old mill building at the north end of Main Street. As many as 30 dealers sell in the store’s three levels, on more than 10,000 square feet of sales floor. You’ll find pieces large and small, including furniture, Depression glass, jewelry, and old magazines.
Shop for deliciously exquisite paper goods and baubles at Mara Mi (201 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/689-1730, www.mara-mi.com; Mon.-Thurs. 8am-6pm, Fri. 8am-7pm, Sat. 9am-7pm, Sun. 10am-6pm), then stop at the in-store café for exquisitely delicious cupcakes.
Midtown Antiques (301 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/430-0808, www.midtownantiques.com; Mon.-Thurs. 10am-5pm, Fri.-Sat. 10am-7pm, Sun. 11am-6pm; during summer Mon.-Thurs. until 6pm, Fri.-Sat. until 8pm) is even larger than Staples Mill Antiques, with 100 dealers in an overwhelming 30,000 square feet. With so much on offer, you could stumble across virtually anything on one of the three floors. Appropriate to the setting, many dealers specialize in Victorian pieces, others in modern or Middle Eastern. A particularly nice selection of old advertisements is available.
Valley Bookseller (217 Main St. N., Stillwater, 651/430-3385, www.valleybookseller.com; Mon.-Sat. 9am-8pm, Sun. 9am-5pm) is an independent bookseller with a serious independent streak, right down to the birds living in a beautiful glass house in the middle of the store. While most of the selection is new books, a few good bargains on used are mixed in. Free Wi-Fi is available, too.
Stillwater is known for its historical inns and bed-and-breakfast options. The Stillwater Bed and Breakfast Association (www.stillwaterbb.com) represents seven of them, all within easy walking distance of Main Street and the waterfront. High-season weekend rates are given here. Prices drop considerably in the winter and on weekdays. Some inns have a two-night minimum on the weekends.
Among the best known is the Elephant Walk Inn (801 Pine St. W., Stillwater, 651/430-0359, www.elephantwalkbb.com; $149-289 d). Proprietors Rita and Jon Graybill have filled the Victorian mansion with mementos from their diplomatic tours in Europe and Asia, and each of the four rooms reflects the flavor of one of their favorite countries. The house and owners are both filled to bursting with charm, right down to a complimentary bottle of wine and the four-course breakfast that comes with each night’s stay.
Particularly convenient to downtown, the Rivertown Inn (306 Olive St. W., Stillwater, 651/430-2955, www.rivertowninn.com; $175-545 d) has nine rooms, each decorated in the style of a favorite author, from Agatha Christie to Oscar Wilde to Lewis Carroll. The mansion, with its broad, comfortable porch, and the carriage house are surrounded by fantastical gardens with fountains and a gazebo. The large professional kitchen offers cooking classes about once a month. Plan ahead if you want to include one in your trip: These sell out fast.
High above the southern end of downtown, the Ann Bean Mansion (319 Pine St. W., Stillwater, 651/430-0355 or 877/837-4400, www.annbeanmansion.com; $159-289 d) represents a lumberman’s wife’s determination to show up her neighbors with a grand house. The five rooms are all comfortably, though not sumptuously, furnished. The fourth-floor tower room is as cozy as a tree house and has one of the best views in Stillwater. The mansion does have a resident cat, but guests may ask that it be kept in the innkeeper’s residence.
Lora Hotel (402 Main St. S., Stillwater, 651/571-3500, www.lorahotel.com; $150-500 d) combines the best of Stillwater’s past and present. Modern furnishings and conveniences set off the original limestone walls of the old Joseph Wolf Brewery. Most of the 40 rooms have lovely views of the St. Croix River and historic Main Street.
While, in theory, there is a Metro Transit bus, it runs from St. Paul to Stillwater 3:40pm-5:40pm and from Stillwater to St. Paul 5:40am-6:50am. In other words, you need your own wheels for the 20-mile drive. Highway 36 east from Minneapolis or St. Paul (it runs across the northern half of the metro area) will drop you directly on Main Street. If you prefer two wheels to four, take the Gateway State Trail from St. Paul to the Brown’s Creek State Trail, which leads straight into Stillwater.
Once you’re in Stillwater, navigating on foot is very easy, as everything is within a block or two of the main half-mile stretch of Main Street.
The city of Red Wing began on the site of a Dakota farming village. White missionaries and settlers began arriving in 1837, but the city saw a huge boom in population in the 1860s and 1870s, when this became a key—and even for a time the most important—shipping point in the world for wheat. When the wheat trade shifted elsewhere, Red Wing became an important manufacturing city, most notably (and this is where you’ve heard the name before, in case you’ve been wondering) for shoes and pottery.
Red Wing work boots and Red Wing pottery are still a big draw for tourists, who come for good prices and to see the famous products at their source. The city itself is compact and can be enjoyed in a single full day, including a trip to the Red Wing Stoneware Factory. But if you want to enjoy the other wonders of the bluffland, including the glistening Lake Pepin and charming small river towns like Wabasha, add in an overnight.
Red Wing’s historic downtown district is a well-preserved and welcoming area of a half dozen blocks just steps from the Mississippi River. While tourists will find plenty to do, this is a modern business district, where barbers, hardware stores, and appliance stores sit in among the gift shops. A perfect example of the mix of old and new is the Sheldon Theatre (443 3rd St. W., Red Wing, 651/388-8700, www.sheldontheatre.org). A landmark since 1905, the playhouse, with its ornate interior restored to its original splendor, now shows a thoroughly modern mix of comedies, children’s shows, concerts, and lectures.
view of Red Wing from Barn Bluff
Just four miles north of downtown, you can get a taste of Red Wing’s manufacturing past and present. The Red Wing Stoneware Factory (4909 Moundview Dr., Red Wing, 651/388-4610, www.redwingstoneware.com) offers 20-minute tours weekdays at 1pm ($3 adults, $2 children 12-17, 11 and under free). Watch potters and painters at work on the distinctive, heavy gray and blue crocks, butter churns, bowls, and more.
The river bluffs that make this area unique are another draw in Red Wing. The easiest way to get a panoramic view of the city is to take the short but winding drive to the top of Sorin’s Bluff in Memorial Park (entrance at 542 E. 7th St., Red Wing). You’ll also find hiking trails and disc golf. For a more rewarding but much harder-won view, head to Barn Bluff (steps at 500 E. 5th St., Red Wing). The steps to the top of the 350-foot limestone cliff may leave you huffing and puffing, but you’ll have a nearly 360-degree view of Red Wing.
Minnesota’s Great River Road follows the Mississippi River from the headwaters in Itasca State Park to the Iowa border. In bluff country, the Great River Road curves along Lake Pepin, one of Minnesota’s most popular destinations, for most of the lake’s 22-mile length. Lake Pepin is the name given to the widest part of the Mississippi River from Red Wing to Reads Landing. It was formed by sediment carried down by the much narrower and steeper Chippewa River and dumped at the confluence of the two rivers, blocking the flow of the water upstream in the Mississippi. Spectacular views can be had from the road, especially on sunny summer days, when the wide smooth water glistens on one side and 450-foot bluffs soar on the other. There are several opportunities to pull off the highway at observation points and rest stops.
Lake Pepin area of the Mississippi River
The stretch of the Mississippi River below Lake Pepin doesn’t freeze over in the winter, thanks to the warm water pouring down from the lake and the turbulence that forms at the confluence with the Chippewa River. This attracts, among other hungry species, bald eagles, who feed in the ice-free water. While hundreds of eagles live here year-round, peak eagle-viewing time comes when the cold weather hits, mid-November to mid-March. As many as 700 eagles have been counted in the area on a single day, according to the National Eagle Center (50 Pembroke Ave., Wabasha, 651/565-4989, www.nationaleaglecenter.org; daily 10am-5pm; $10 adults, $9 seniors, $7 students, children 3 and under free). The Eagle Center, a modern building among century-old storefronts in the tiny historic town of Wabasha, sits directly on the river, with a small observation deck and spotting scopes aimed at the highway stretching over the river into Wisconsin. That’s where eagles and other birds like to congregate. The center itself is home to four bald eagles that were injured in the wild and now live in the exhibit hall, where visitors can get up close and personal without glass or fencing in the way. After visiting the eagles, it’s worth sparing some time to wander down Wabasha’s Main Street to Beach Park and the marina, passing the tourist information office (137 Main St. W., Wabasha, 651/565-4158; Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 9am-3pm) along the way.
Farther south down Highway 62 (about 35 miles from Red Wing), the focus shifts from natural wonders to the wonder of childhood. LARK Toys (63604 170th Ave., Kellogg, 507/767-3387, www.larktoys.com; June-Labor Day daily 10am-6pm, Sept.-Dec. and Mar.-Memorial Day daily 9:30am-5pm, Jan.-Feb. Fri.-Sun. 10am-5pm) grew up in this off-the-beaten-path location thanks to one family’s passion for wooden toys. LARK stands for Lost Arts Revival by Kreofsky. Now the 20,000-square-foot store sells original LARK designs (including rockers, dollhouses, and puzzles) as well as carefully selected toys, art supplies, science kits, and books in seven showrooms. While the 85-mile trip from the Twin Cities may seem like an awful lot for a toy store, even a truly great one, LARK is much more than a toy store: An 18-hole mini-golf course (May-Oct., $7 adults, $5 children) stays open until 6pm on warm summer nights daily, and, almost worth the trip in itself, a fantastical carousel with carved moose, beavers, flamingos, and ostriches operates right in the middle of the café. Like any good children’s fantasy, the café serves hamburgers, hot dogs, onion rings, ice cream, and fudge. In January and February, LARK Toys takes a little break, staying open only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Even the most upscale restaurants in Red Wing have a casual, resort-town air to them in the summer. The swankiest hotel in town, the St. James Hotel (406 Main St., Red Wing, 800/252-1875, www.st-james-hotel.com) has two restaurants and a pub where it’s definitely no jackets required. The Veranda (Mon.-Thurs. 6:30am-8pm, Fri.-Sat. 6:30am-9pm, Sun. 7:30am-8pm; $10-25) serves breakfast (try the Sturdiwheat pancakes with maple-vanilla sauce), lunch, and a light dinner (hearty batter-fried walleye or a lighter sandwich) on the patio or inside, both with a great view of Levee Park and the Mississippi. Downstairs, Port (Tues.-Sat. 5pm-9pm; $22-34) serves steak and seafood in a former bank vault. Jimmy’s Pub (Sun.-Thurs. 4pm-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 4pm-midnight; $12-13) offers pub fare, a long list of tap beers, and small-town camaraderie.
For a solid meal and a little bit of old-time diner attitude, you can’t beat Bev’s Cafe (221 Bush St., Red Wing, 651/388-5227, www.bevscafe.com, Mon.-Thurs. 5am-3pm, Fri. 5am-8pm, Sat. 6am-2pm, Sun. 8am-1pm; $5-11). The hand-formed burgers are served smashed, crispy, and delicious, perfect with a side of funnel cake “fries.”
Check out the Staghead Gastropub (219 Bush St., Red Wing, 651/212-6494, www.thestaghead.com; Tues.-Thurs. 11am-8:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-9pm; $18-30) for hearty fare that goes several steps beyond the usual pub burgers. Think bouillabaisse, cassoulet, and pot roast sandwiches dripping with local blue cheese. Live music and a lively atmosphere.
One of the most popular ways to experience the natural beauty of southeastern Minnesota is on the Cannon Valley Trail (trail office: 825 Cannon River Ave., Cannon Falls, 507/263-0508, www.cannonvalleytrail.com). Nearly 100,000 cyclists, hikers, skaters, and skiers traverse the trail every year between the cities of Cannon Falls and Red Wing. The 20-mile paved trail follows the Chicago Great Western rail right of way along the Cannon River. Anybody on wheels—whether bike, skates, skateboard, or scooter—needs a wheel pass, available for $3 from the trail office and a variety of local businesses, including the St. James Hotel and the Red Wing Visitors Center. You can buy your pass and rent your bike at Cannon Falls Canoe, Kayak and Bike Rental (615 5th St. N., Cannon Falls, 507/407-4111; Mon.-Thurs. 10am-4pm, Fri.-Sun. 8am-4pm). A full-day rental is $25 and a half day is $20.
If you want to get in or on the water, Lake City, more or less halfway down the Minnesota side of the lake, is the place to be. Hok-Si-La Municipal Park and Campground (2500 Hwy. 61 N., Lake City, 651/345-3855, www.hoksilapark.org) is a convenient swimming spot, with a shady park and a broad sandy beach, as well as 41 tent-camping sites. There’s also a big public beach at the Lake City Marina in the center of town. To rent speedboats, pontoons, and sailboats, head to Hansen’s Harbor (35853 Hwy. 61 Blvd., Lake City, 651/345-3022). If you happened to bring your own boat, there’s convenient public water access at Roschen Park, just south of the Lake City Marina.
Popular with skiers and snowboarders from around the region, Welch Village Resort (26685 County 7 Blvd., Welch, 651/258-4567, www.welchvillage.com) covers 120 acres of skiable terrain, with two dozen trails and eight lifts. The average annual snowfall in this area is 45 inches, but Welch Village is prepared to supplement that with plenty of snowmaking equipment to make sure the season lasts from November to March. A day pass costs $47, and hours vary throughout the season.
Some may say there is no better recreation than drinking a $3 beer on a lingering summer evening at a small-town baseball game. The whole town turns out to cheer and the sun sets over the cornfield. That’s exactly what you can find at a Miesville Mudhens game, 15 miles northwest of Red Wing along Highway 61 and just a 30-minute drive from the Twin Cities. The Mudhens play at Jack Ruhr Field (Hwy. 61, center of Miesville, www.miesvillemudhens.com). Their regular season is in the Classic Cannon Valley League against teams like the Dundas Dukes, the Red Wing Aces, and the Northfield Knights.
For recreation of an altogether different sort, the Mdewakanton Sioux of Prairie Island, a band of Dakota, own and operate Treasure Island Resort and Casino (5734 Sturgeon Lake Rd., Welch, 800/222-7077, www.treasureisland.com). The complex includes half a dozen restaurants, slots and gaming tables, a bowling alley, 18-hole golf course overlooking Lake Pepin, a massive hotel, marina, and RV park.
A dedicated shopper in Red Wing can easily fill half a day or more exploring the shops downtown.
The Red Wing Shoe Company (315 Main St., Red Wing, 651/388-6233, www.redwing.redwingshoestore.com; Mon.-Fri. 9am-8pm, Sat. 9am-6pm, Sun. 11am-5pm) occupies most of the Riverfront Centre block. The company, which has been making work boots since 1905 (the first pair sold for $1.75), keeps its corporate offices here, along with an extensive display of its history and a store selling all its brands (watch for terrific semiannual sales).
“Uffda” is what a Minnesotan says when confronted with disappointment, consternation, or mild pain. It’s a quiet, characteristically stoic two syllables, usually said under one’s breath. At the Uffda Shop (202 Bush St., Red Wing, 651/388-8436; Mon.-Fri. 10am-7pm, Sat. 9am-6pm, Sun. noon-5pm, longer weekday hours Sept.-Dec. and shortened hours Jan.-Apr.), you can experience a little more of the Scandinavian national character—and a lot of the aesthetic. The Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Icelandic wares are typically spare and elegant, and the extensive Christmas selection is a nice change from other schlocky and sentimental holiday stuff.
The St. James Hotel (406 Main St., Red Wing, 800/252-1875, www.st-james-hotel.com; $189 s, $239 d) has been a landmark in Red Wing since 1875. Today the hotel is like a one-stop getaway for weary Twin Citians, especially those who take advantage of the weekend meals-included packages. The Victorian ambience of the lobby extends to the 60-plus guest rooms, all individually decorated with period furniture and quilts. On the mezzanine level, take a quick break to see the artifacts in the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame, or look for monthly book signings with Minnesota authors at Clara’s Coffee in the main lobby.
A few miles outside of downtown Red Wing, you’ll find the more intimate Round Barn Farm (28650 Wildwood Ln., Red Wing, 651/385-9250, www.roundbarnfarm.com; $159-249 d), which calls itself a B&B&B—or bed-and-breakfast-and-bread, after the sourdough bread the proprietors bake in the wood-fired stone oven. Five double rooms with feather beds, massage tubs, and fireplaces make this a welcoming retreat, and with extensive hiking trails on the farm itself, you may never feel the need to explore much farther.
For something a little different on longer trips, rent a houseboat from Great River Houseboats (125 Beach Harbor Rd, Alma, WI, 800/982-8410, www.greatriverhouseboats.com). The family-owned company nine miles south of the Minnesota border rents boats sleeping 2-4 people for a minimum of two nights ($725-930 for two nights), or 10 people for the long weekend ($1,655-2,490) or the week ($2,965-4,425). The boats are fully equipped and—provided you’re ready to pilot a 48-foot boat—can move up and down the river within a 70-mile range.
The Red Wing Tourist Information Office (420 Levee St., Red Wing, 651/385-5934, www.redwing.org; Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 10am-3pm, Sun. 11am-3pm) is inside the historic train station, built in 1904 and modeled, like many buildings of the time, after the neoclassical revival style made popular by the 1893 Colombian Exposition. Even outside of regular hours, when the information office is staffed, the main lobby of the train station is stocked with brochures and information and has some historical photos on display.
Train travel is rarely a convenient option in Minnesota, but the Twin Cities’ only passenger train is, in fact, timed for a nice day trip to Red Wing. The Empire Builder, Amtrak’s most popular long-distance train, carries half a million passengers a year between Chicago and Seattle, passing through both Red Wing and St. Paul. One train a day passes in each direction, leaving St. Paul at 8am and arriving in Red Wing about 9am, then departing Red Wing at 8:49pm and arriving in St. Paul about 10pm. The train, however, is notoriously unpredictable and is often delayed for hours in the Rocky Mountains.
If you want to explore the area outside of the historic downtown district, you’ll want your own transportation. From the Twin Cities, many roads lead to Red Wing, each more picturesque than the last. Taking Highway 55 south to Highway 52 to Highway 61 will take you through small towns and rolling farmland. For a few more glimpses of the river, take I-94 to Highway 61, then cross into Wisconsin at Prescott and take Highway 55 south, crossing back into Minnesota at Red Wing.
Red Wing’s historic downtown district is easily navigated on foot, from the train station on the riverfront park to the small shops in the area. But if you want to appreciate the rest of Lake Pepin or tour the Red Wing Stoneware Factory, you’ll need your own transportation. Bus service in Red Wing is very limited.
When the city of Northfield tried to replace its longtime slogan, “Cows, colleges, and contentment,” the good citizens led a quiet rebellion, and the phrase simply refused to go away, eventually returning to a place of honor on a sign on the main road into town. Apparently this happy agricultural city of 17,000, 20 percent of whom are students, wants the world to know it just that way.
History buffs are more likely to know Northfield as the end of the road for the James-Younger gang, which tried to rob the First National Bank in 1876 and was thwarted by an angry mob of citizens. Visitors can absorb Northfield’s college-town charms in a morning or an afternoon, stretching it out to a full day by adding a trek through Carleton College’s 880-acre arboretum.
Two colleges, Carleton and St. Olaf, together help shape much of life in town, from attracting professors and staff members as residents to supporting arts and cultural life. Both colleges were founded by Protestant organizations (Carleton by Congregationalists in 1866 and St. Olaf by Lutherans in 1874), but only St. Olaf has retained the religious tie. Both schools rank highly among small liberal arts schools and were coeducational from the very first class. In local lore, a great rivalry rages, but in truth, the rivalry comes down to an annual football game—a sport neither school is known to play all that well—and a few ribald chants in an otherwise peaceful coexistence, with neither side paying the other much attention. Carleton (1 N. College St., Northfield, 507/222-4000, www.carleton.edu) sits immediately adjacent to downtown Northfield, along the river. Most of the school’s historical buildings are arranged around a quadrangle known as the Bald Spot, where students play Frisbee in all sorts of weather and skate and play broomball in the winter. On the west side of the Bald Spot is Willis Hall, the campus’s oldest building. Like the iconic “Old Main” at many schools, Willis was once a classroom building, dormitory, chapel, and cafeteria all in one. Today it houses several social science departments.
To the north and east of the Bald Spot is the historic Goodsell Observatory, built in 1887 and given to the school by the railroad magnate James J. Hill. For many years it sent daily time signals to railroads around the country. Goodsell has two domes: the larger with a 16-inch refractor (one of the largest in the world when it was installed in 1890) and the smaller with an 8-inch refractor. The telescopes are open to the public for about two hours on the first Friday of every month, starting at dusk.
The college’s public art gallery, the Carleton College Perlman Teaching Museum (507/222-4469; Mon.-Wed. 11am-6pm, Thurs.-Fri. 11am-9pm, Sat.-Sun. noon-4pm, open during academic terms only; free) is in the Weitz Center for Creativity, an enormous building next to Northfield’s Central Park that you couldn’t miss if you tried.
chapel at Carleton College
The gem of the Carleton campus is the Cowling Arboretum, 880 acres of natural beauty originally dubbed “Cowling’s Folly” by those who disagreed with then-president Donald Cowling’s investment. But like so many so-called follies in history, the Arb, as it is known, has been vindicated and is now central to campus life. The Upper Arb, the area closest to the main campus, includes playing fields and is crisscrossed by paved and unpaved paths for running and biking. The much larger portion, the Lower Arb, is less developed and a lovely place for more solitary hiking and running (but no biking is allowed). The easiest place to access the Lower Arb is behind West Gymnasium (321 Division St. N., Northfield). Cross Division Street and walk north a few hundred yards to access the Upper Arb. (Note that the Lower Arb, so named because it lies low in the Cannon River valley, actually lies to the north of the Upper Arb.)
Northfield’s claim to fame is the 1876 bank robbery that proved the downfall of the James-Younger gang. Five men held up the First National Bank of Northfield with guns and bowie knives but were thwarted by a brave cashier and quick-acting local citizenry. The bank itself has moved up the street, and the Northfield Historical Society (408 Division St., Northfield, 507/645-9268, www.northfieldhistory.org; Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 1pm-5pm) has restored the original location to its 1870s appearance. Visitors can see the cashier’s booth and safe, as well as some of the weapons used in the raid. Rumor has it a skeleton of one of the Younger brothers was once on display in the museum but has now been moved into storage.
Drop by Northfield during the first weekend of September for Defeat of Jesse James Days (www.djjd.org). A small carnival atmosphere takes over the town, with games, rides, parades, food, and music, as well as more than a half a dozen chances to see reenactments of the famous raid.
St. Olaf (1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, 507/786-2222, www.stolaf.edu) sits on a hill overlooking Northfield’s compact downtown. Strolling through the shady campus, one can enjoy the beautifully unified architecture, much of it in the Norman Gothic style. Rølvaag Memorial Library (1510 St. Olaf Ave.) is a good example of this. Built in 1942, it is named for Ole Edvart Rølvaag, an Olaf alum and author of the 1927 bestselling immigrant epic Giants in the Earth. Next door, Holland Hall, completed 20 years earlier, is like a brotherly bookend to the library, and the pair make a familiar Northfield sight.
St. Olaf is well known for its musical programs, including the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival concert, broadcast nationally. About one-third of the school’s roughly 3,000 students are involved in music somehow, many of them in the 17 instrumental ensembles and 10 vocal groups. The college also rates some pop-culture references, at times because its name sounds humorous to non-Midwesterners. Jay Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, attended the school.
For years Northfield residents had to drive to the Twin Cities for any cuisine other than American. But now Twin Citians have been known to drive to Northfield for Chapati (214 Division St. S., Northfield, 507/645-2462, www.chapati.us; Sun.-Thurs. 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-10pm, $8-17). Located inside the Archer House building, along with a host of small shops, the Archer House hotel, and a couple of other restaurants, Chapati offers fresh, authentic Indian cuisine, including excellent tandoori dishes and biryani (similar to rice pilaf). The daily lunch buffet includes as many as eight curries, plus rice and side dishes.
In a college town like Northfield, academic types need a place to gather over a pint or a meal. The Contented Cow (302 Division St., Northfield, 507/663-1351, www.contentedcow.com; daily 3pm-late; $8-16) offers just that, informally and formally, with its Politics and a Pint gab fests on Sunday nights starting at 6pm. The pub also hosts live music on Sundays and Tuesdays, as well as frequent poetry readings, and it makes good use of its riverside deck with outdoor barbecues when the weather permits. The menu is lighter in the summer (salads and sandwiches) and heavier in the winter (with the addition of dishes like shepherd’s pie and pork stew), and there are 13 beers on tap (also changing seasonally) to wash it down.
Another pub with a great riverside view is Froggy Bottoms (307 Water St. S., Northfield, 507/301-3611, www.froggybottoms.com; Mon.-Wed. 11am-10pm, Thurs.-Sat. 11am-1am, Sun. 11am-9pm; $10-13). Owned by a St. Olaf graduate who, no doubt, had noted the long-famous dearth of bars in this college town, Froggy Bottoms has a cozy, stone-walled main dining room and a small, flower-filled patio right on the river. The menu includes filling sandwiches, pizzas, and pasta dishes and a long list of goofily named cocktails (Sex on the Cannon, anyone?). Karaoke is on Thursday nights during the school year.
On the St. Olaf side of town, The Ole Store (1011 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, 507/786-9400, www.olestorerestaurant.com; Mon.-Thurs. 11am-9pm, Fri. 11am-10pm, Sat. 7am-10pm, Sun. 7am-1pm) offers a little college town sophistication in a homey old farmhouse. For dinner ($20-26), it’s classics like steaks, lamb chops, and mahi mahi. For brunch ($7-13) it’s thick, orange-glazed French toast and, of course, the famous Ole rolls. Expect a wait for weekend brunch.
The very active Northfield Arts Guild (304 Division St., Northfield, 507/645-8877, www.northfieldartsguild.org; Tues.-Fri. noon-6pm, Sat. 11am-3pm) hosts visual arts exhibitions, concerts, and readings, and also produces six plays a year, including some for children, at the NAG Theater (411 3rd St. W.).
There is usually something interesting going on at Carleton College (1 College St. N., Northfield, 507/646-4000, www.carleton.edu) and St. Olaf (1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, 507/786-2222, www.stolaf.edu), and the public is welcome.
Two wonderful basement pubs face each other across the river. While both the Contented Cow (302 Division St., Northfield, 507/663-1351, www.contentedcow.com; daily 3pm-late) and Froggy Bottoms (307 Water St. S., Northfield, 507/301-3611, www.froggybottoms.com; Mon. 4pm-10pm, Tues.-Wed. 11am-10pm, Thurs.-Sat. 11am-1am, Sun. 11am-9pm) have their own personal faunal theme, they have much in common, including riverside patios, live music, and smoke-free air. Hogan Brothers’ Acoustic Café (415 Division St. S., Northfield, 507/645-6653, www.hoganbros.com; Sun.-Thurs. 11am-8pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-9pm) also has live music on weekends.
Rooms in and around Northfield fill up fast—as in four years in advance—for St. Olaf and Carleton graduation and homecoming weekends. During the Defeat of Jesse James Days festival (the weekend after Labor Day) and the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, rooms are also hard to come by. During those special events, many hotels may have higher rates and minimum stays.
The number of both chain hotels and B&Bs in and around Northfield is growing. An independent option right on the Cannon River in the center of town is the charmingly old-fashioned Archer House (212 Division St., Northfield, 507/645-5661, www.archerhouse.com, $90-240 d). The Archer House was built as a hotel in 1877 and has been welcoming visitors to town ever since (even through a couple of decades of relative disrepute and decrepitude during the 1960s and 1970s). Rooms are on the small side and individually decorated in a sweet country style. Many have old-timey details like sleigh beds, four-posters, and claw-foot tubs. Be sure to specify whether you want a full or a queen bed, and ask for a river view. Rates are higher on weekends and during special events.
For longer stays, or for more convenience during a single overnight, the Froggy Bottoms River Suites (309 Water St. S., Northfield, 507/650-0039, www.froggybottomsriversuites.com), next door to the pub of the same name, is a unique independent option. The one- and two-bedroom suites sleep 4-6 people and come with fully equipped kitchens and on-site laundry facilities. The price is the same no matter how many in your party: $100-150 for a weekday overnight, more on weekends and during special events, with weekly and monthly rates available. The suites are casually decorated, like spare, comfortable student apartments, with a goofy frog theme throughout. Several have decks directly overlooking the river.
The Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (205 3rd St. W., Northfield, 507/645-5604, www.visitingnorthfield.com, brochures available daily 24 hours, staff available Mon.-Fri. 8am-4:30pm) doesn’t see all that many drop-in visitors, but staff will happily answer questions and supply you with materials.
Northfield is about 45 minutes to an hour’s drive south of the Twin Cities. Take I-35 to exit 69. State Highway 19 will take you straight past the Malt-O-Meal factory to the center of town. Northfield Lines buses (www.northfieldlines.com) travel from key points in the Twin Cities (the airport, the Mall of America, both downtowns) to the Carleton and St. Olaf campuses six times a day on weekdays and three times on weekends (see website for schedule). Tickets are $15 online in advance or $25 from the driver.
Once you’re in Northfield, the main drag, Division Street, is easy to navigate on foot and immediately adjacent to Carleton College. If you want to head the couple of miles up the hill to St. Olaf, you’ll want to be able to get there on your own power. Northfield’s single taxi is notoriously difficult to summon.
Duluth was once the definition of a boomtown: After financier Jay Cooke convinced the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad to open a line to Duluth in 1869, the population ballooned from practically 0 to 3,500 in a matter of months. By the early 20th century, the rail, timber, mining, and shipping industries were exploding, the port of Duluth handled more freight than any other port in the United States, and Duluth was home to more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Some shadows of those boom times are still visible in the steep neighborhoods of Duluth, where today tourism easily surpasses shipping as the city’s major industry. Grand mansions are now inns, and the railroads offer nostalgic pleasure rides. But one thing remains: Here at the westernmost edge of the Great Lakes, where the St. Louis River opens out into Lake Superior, gitchigami (great water, as the Ojibwe call the lake) shapes everything, from the food to the weather to the economy.
A great way to get acquainted with Duluth is to walk along the three-mile Lakewalk from the Bayfront Park Pavilion through Canal Park and then north beyond the Fitger’s Brewery Complex. You’ll pass Duluth’s iconic aerial lift bridge, which connects Canal Park with a narrow peninsula known as Park Point. The central portion of the bridge rises straight up (rather than at an angle) to let boats pass underneath. The bridge can make it all the way to the top in about three minutes and lifts about 40 times a day during peak shipping season. You can pick up a copy of the Duluth Shipping News (www.duluthshippingnews.com) to find out when ships are expected to pass through, or listen for the long-short-long-short series of horn blows that signals a request to raise the bridge. The bridge is an especially beautiful sight at night, when it is fully illuminated.
aerial lift bridge in Duluth
Great Lakes Aquarium
At the base of the bridge, the surprisingly diminutive tugboat Essayons, which takes its name from the Army Corps of Engineers motto “Let us try,” stands outside the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center (south end of Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/720-5260, www.lsmma.com; summer daily 10am-9pm, fall daily 10am-4:30pm, winter Fri.-Sun. 10am-4:30pm, spring Sun.-Thurs. 10am-4:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 10am-6pm; free). Inside, you can get a good look at the tug’s engine and learn more about the 1908 boat’s history. Like any good ship, the visitors center crams more than you would think possible into a small space: exhibits on shipwrecks in Lake Superior, the history of shipping on the lake, and early passenger travel conditions, as well as a working radar and marine radio. You can even try your hand at steering a large ship. Serious shipping buffs can call the Boatwatcher’s Hotline at 218/722-6489 for news on which ships are expected to dock or leave port that day. This information is also listed on the Duluth Shipping News, a one-sheet publication distributed free at the visitor centers around town daily during the summer and occasionally during the spring and fall. The center’s staff is small, and the center may close earlier between Labor Day and Memorial Day.
You can get even closer to Lake Superior’s maritime past and present aboard a ship docked just off Canal Park. A ticket gets you access to the SS William A. Irvin (350 Harbor Dr., Duluth, 218/722-7876, www.decc.org; May daily 10am-4pm, Memorial Day-Labor Day daily 9am-6pm; adults $12, students and seniors $8, children 10 and under free). The William A. Irvin, built in 1937, carried both serious cargo and serious dignitaries, which means the one-hour tour will give you a look at a 2,000-horsepower engine and lavishly furnished staterooms. In October, the ghosts of Halloweens past come aboard for Haunted Ship Tours.
Built in 1892, the Duluth Union Depot was accommodating seven different rail lines and 5,000 passengers daily by 1910 and served as an important hub for the transport of logs and iron ore for decades. In 1971, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and The Depot complex (507 Michigan St. W., www.duluthdepot.org, $12 adults, $6 children) now houses the Duluth Playhouse, the Duluth Art Institute, the St. Louis County Historical Society, and the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. One ticket offers admissions to the whole building.
The Duluth Art Institute (Union Depot, 506 Michigan St. W., Duluth, 218/733-7560, and 2229 2nd St. W., Duluth, 218/723-1310, www.duluthartinstitute.org; Memorial Day-Labor Day daily 9:30am-6pm, Labor Day-Memorial Day Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 1pm-5pm) is a quintessentially accessible contemporary art museum. Its family programming and hands-on training for artists make it an important part of the local arts community. The rooms are small and friendly, showcasing artists from Duluth and Minnesota’s Arrowhead region in changing exhibitions.
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is housed at the lowest level, where the old rails run. In addition to plenty of rail cars to clamber through, the history of the rails is on display, from the earliest of engines used in the area to specialty designs like huge rotary snowplows, converted autos that could run on tracks, and an odd-looking log loader that was important for the logging industry throughout the Upper Midwest. Re-created dining cars, model railroads, and an actual train operation simulator round out a fine afternoon.
In the warmer months, the Duluth Zephyr makes two 90-minute runs a day on the North Shore Scenic Railroad (12:30pm and 3pm, 218/722-1273, www.northshorescenicrailroad.org; $16 adults, $8 children), up the North Shore to the Lester River. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the all-day Two Harbors Turn takes you up to Two Harbors and allows you enough time to shop and dine. Specialty trips include fall color tours, music, and pizza dinners on the train.
The Great Lakes Aquarium (353 Harbor Dr., Duluth, 218/740-3474, www.glaquarium.org; daily 10am-6pm; $18 adults, $14 seniors, $13 youth, $12 children) is 120,000 gallons of freshwater, focusing on fish found in the Great Lakes. Some 70 species of freshwater fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles are spread out over two floors, along a self-guided tour. The aquarium is fairly well curated and includes some historical perspective on lake life. Lake fish, by and large, lack the color and flash of the more commonly exhibited tropical species, but that in no way diminishes the appealing oddity of the paddlefish, the sturgeon, and the catfish on display in carefully chosen habitats, the most impressive of which re-creates the base of a waterfall. There are plenty of interactive exhibits, a touch pool, a wave maker, and an expansive model of the Great Lakes, where you can pilot a plastic boat from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean and gain a working understanding of the lock and dam systems along the way.
The other scenic rail option in town, St. Louis River Railroad (6930 Fremont St., Duluth, 218/624-7549, www.lsmrr.org; $17 adults, $8 children) heads south instead of north, also for 90 minutes. On nice days, the open safari car is the place to be, as the tracks run through the Duluth area’s varied terrain. Trains run from mid-June to early October (Sat.-Sun. 10:30am and 1:30pm).
This scenic 25-mile drive stretches right across the top of the city. The marked route roughly follows the ancient Lake Superior shoreline some 600 feet above today’s lake surface. Though the central portion of the drive passes through the city, most of the parkway leads through forest and past rushing rivers and waterfalls. You can access the east end from Superior Street at Lester Park and the west end at Becks Road near Gary-New Duluth. The popular eastern section is known as Seven Bridges Road, a narrow unpaved route with not seven but nine stone-arch bridges and the most scenic of the road’s many scenic overlooks.
Also along the eastern portion is the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (Skyline E. and 52nd Ave. E., 218/428-6209, www.hawkridge.org; daily 9am-4pm; free, donations accepted), a 315-acre hilltop natural area. People flock from all over the country beginning in mid-August, when tens of thousands of migrating raptors follow the air currents along the Lake Superior shoreline on their way south for the winter. Over 100,000 broad-winged hawks were once counted in a single day. The best viewing is usually early September through October between 9am and 4pm, and some hawks still pass by as late as December. During the migration, Hawk Ridge naturalists conduct research and offer free educational programs for the general public. The rest of the year, it’s still a worthwhile destination for the 2.5 miles of hiking trails.
Enger Park (16th Ave. W. and Skyline Dr.), near the middle of the parkway at 16th Avenue West, should also not be missed. A historic rock observation tower rises five stories from the city’s highest point, and a Japanese garden, picnic area, and several secluded overlooks surround it.
In the early 1900s, Chester and Clara Congdon raised seven children in Glensheen mansion (3300 London Rd., Duluth, 218/726-8910, www.glensheen.org; summer daily 9am-4pm, late Oct.-mid-May Mon.-Fri. 1pm-3pm, Sat.-Sun. 10am-3pm; $15 adults, $7 children, expanded tour options $26-35), and much of the elaborate decor is still in place for the public to view. But that is not necessarily what draws Minnesotans to the house and grounds. In 1977, one of Chester and Clara’s children, Elisabeth Congdon, was murdered, along with her nurse, Velma Pietila, by Elisabeth’s son-in-law, in one of Minnesota’s most notorious crimes.
While it lies nearly 30 miles north of Duluth along scenic North Shore Drive, the Split Rock Lighthouse (3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Rd., Two Harbors, 218/226-6372, www.mnhs.org; mid-May-mid-Oct. daily 10am-6pm, mid-Oct.-mid-May Thurs.-Mon. 11am-4pm; $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $6 children 6-17) is an iconic Minnesota sight and worth the drive for anyone who has time. It stands a full 600 feet above the surface of Lake Superior, built here after a 1905 storm damaged 29 ships. The Minnesota Historical Society has restored the lighthouse to its 1920s appearance and leads tours that focus on the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper. It is no longer operational, but the beacon shines across the water once a year on November 10 to commemorate the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Call for winter hours.
Split Rock Lighthouse
On the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, the Tweed Museum of Art (1201 Ordean Ct., Duluth, 218/726-8222, www.d.umn.edu/tma; Tues. 9am-8pm, Wed.-Fri. 9am-4:30pm, Sat.-Sun. 1pm-5pm, $5 suggested donation) houses more than 6,000 works of art in its own dedicated building. Its core is a collection of 600 works of early-20th-century American art donated by a Duluth couple in 1950. The permanent collection now reaches across eras and cultures.
The Duluth Children’s Museum (115 N. 29th Ave. W., Duluth, 218/733-7543, www.duluthchildrensmuseum.org; Mon.-Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. noon-5pm, $12.50) aims to spark imaginative play through science, theater, history, and crafts. Kids can climb through the Old Woman’s eponymous shoe, dig for dinosaurs, explore with magnifying glasses, and more.
Grandma’s (www.grandmasrestaurants.com) is an unavoidable institution in Duluth, a Canal Park empire including four restaurants, all within a block of each other. Grandma’s Saloon and Grill (522 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/727-4192; Sun. 11am-10pm, Mon.-Thurs. 11:30am-10pm, Fri. 11:30am-11:30pm, Sat. 11am-11:30pm; $10-16) is the sort of authentic good-feeling place fast-casual restaurants should model themselves after, with towering burgers and mountainous fries, along with enough beer to fill Lake Superior and a large variety of shakes and malts. Grandma’s Sports Garden (425 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/722-4724, Memorial Day-Labor Day daily 11:30am-10pm, later on weekends, $8-12) is more of the same, with more television, even more beer, and live music or a DJ nearly every night.
Bellisio’s (405 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/727-4921; daily 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-10pm; $18-44) brings white-tablecloth Italian to the mix with entrées like chicken marsala and fennel-roasted rack of pork. And Little Angie’s Cantina and Grill (11 Buchanan St. E., Duluth, 218/727-6117; Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-1am, Sat.-Sun. 11am-1am; $10-15) is young, south-of-the-border fun, heavy on the fajitas and margaritas.
A classic Duluth eatery has its roots in the Twin Cities: Pizza Luce (11 Superior St. E., Duluth, 218/727-7400, www.pizzaluce.com; Mon.-Thurs. 10:30am-2am, Fri. 10:30am-2:30am, Sat. 8am-2:30am, Sun. 8am-2am) serves the same quirky, thick-crust pizza you can get in Minneapolis and St. Paul (topped with mashed potatoes or mock duck, if you like). But it also serves breakfast: pesto Benedict, Cajun hash browns, vegan sausage, and more. A pizza serving 3-5 people is about $22; breakfast ranges $8-12.
Cozy little Martha’s Daughter (107 Superior St. E., Duluth, 218/481-7887, http://marthasdaughterrestaurant.net; Fri. 4:30pm-1am, Sat.-Sun. 10:30am-2pm and 4:30pm-1am; $9-12) contains a whole world of cuisines, from chicken and waffles to dumplings to mapo tofu (tofu in a spicy sauce). What it all has in common is comfort.
Inside the Dewitt-Seitz Marketplace in Canal Park, Northern Waters Smokehaus (394 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/724-7307, www.northernwaterssmokehaus.com; Sun. 10am-6pm, Mon.-Sat. 10am-9pm) sells house-smoked meat and local fish by the pound, along with other picnic-ables and a menu of deluxe sandwiches.
The best dining by far in Duluth is actually about eight miles north of town. The New Scenic Café (5461 North Shore Dr., Duluth, 218/525-6274, www.sceniccafe.com; Sun.-Thurs. 11am-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-10pm) is a critics’ darling and a destination for those seeking an up-to-date take on fresh, local cuisine. The restaurant itself is unaffected, comfortable, and subtly elegant, as is the menu, which changes seasonally and will likely include herbs from the garden out front. Expect to spend about $26 for an entrée or $13 for a sandwich.
It should surprise no one that casual, outdoorsy, beer-loving Duluth has joined the brewery boom that swept across Minnesota, with nearly a dozen local taprooms where you can stop for a pint or fill a growler.
Ales and lagers from Bent Paddle Brewing (1832 Michigan St. W., Duluth, 218/279-2722, www.bentpaddlebrewing.com; Tues.-Thurs. noon-10pm, Fri.-Sat. noon-11pm, Sun. noon-9pm) are on nearly every menu on the North Shore. At the brewery, you can try beers that are still in the experimental phase and take a tour (Sat.-Sun. 11am). There’s no food menu, but you can order delivery from local restaurants.
Hang out, play lawn games, sit by the fire pit, enjoy the unbeatable views of Lake Superior. Canal Park Brewing (300 Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/464-4790, www.canalparkbrewery.com; Sun.-Thurs. 11am-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-midnight) has a long menu of beer snacks and hearty sandwiches, in addition to the brews.
Hoops Brewing (325 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/606-1666, www.hoopsbrewing.com; daily 11am-noon) is no spare, concrete-floored afterthought of a the brewery; it’s a vast, beautiful beer hall with wide wood timbers. Your non-beer-drinking friends can enjoy cocktails and other drinks in the bar area, officially (but not really) separate from the brewery.
Duluth has a reputation as an arts-loving community and supports several theaters and musical groups. The Duluth Playhouse (506 Michigan St. W., Duluth, 218/733-7555, www.duluthplayhouse.org) was among the first community theaters in the United States when it was founded in 1914 and among the first to include children’s productions in its season. It moved to its current home in the Union Depot in 1977. The year-round season includes about seven plays for all generations, heavy on the musicals, and three children’s productions.
The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (350 Harbor Dr., Duluth, 218/623-3776, http://dsso.com) performs at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (350 Harbor Dr., Duluth, 218/722-5573), on the harbor. The season, which runs September-May, mixes well-known classical music and pops, including an annual performance by the youth orchestra and a popular December holiday concert. The Duluth-based Minnesota Ballet (218/529-3742, www.minnesotaballet.org) also puts on a few performances at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center each year. The Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra (218/525-4076, www.lakesuperiorchamberorchestra.org) holds 4-5 weeknight concerts at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the College of St. Scholastica each summer.
Unless you’re a runner with a room booked a year in advance, the third weekend of June is not the time to visit Duluth. That’s when more than 9,000 runners come to run Grandma’s Marathon (www.grandmasmarathon.com), named for the restaurant, which was a major sponsor when the race started in 1977. Runners start near Two Harbors and continue along Scenic Route 61, finishing in Canal Park outside the namesake restaurant—you can see the finish line year-round. The race, a Boston Marathon qualifier, registers runners on a first-come, first-served basis. The men’s record is 2:09:06 and the women’s is 2:26:31.
A slightly smaller crowd (an estimated 4,000 spectators) converges on Duluth on the last Sunday in January for the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon (218/722-7631, www.beargrease.com). Run since 1981, the marathon is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 and is an Iditarod qualifier race. Mushers race north from Duluth almost to the Canadian border and back. The mid-distance race, about 100 miles, starts in Duluth and finishes on the shore of Lake Superior in Tofte. The race is named for the son of an Ojibwe chief who helped the communities of the North Shore survive and grow by delivering mail by dogsled in the late 19th century.
More than 4,000 skaters follow the same route as Grandma’s in September during the Northshore Inline Marathon (www.northshoreinline.com), the largest inline race in the country and an official World Cup event.
The Bayfront Blues Festival (www.bayfrontblues.com) has the whole town swinging the second weekend in August. Dozens of acts perform on three stages in Bayfront Festival Park, and many area clubs get in on the action as well. Headliners have included Shemekia Copeland and Robert Cray.
If a brisk walk on the Lakewalk isn’t enough for you, the Hartley Nature Center (3001 Woodland Ave., Duluth, 218/724-6735, www.hartleynature.org; Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 10am-5pm; free, donations accepted) is a great place to satisfy a craving for nature and recreation. The urban park, with a wide variety of natural environments and about a mile across at its widest point, has trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, as well as docks for canoeing and fishing. The beautiful modern park building is also a model of sustainable building techniques and houses a small exhibit on green building.
During the winter, skiers can get their fix on the dozen ski and snowboard trails at Spirit Mountain (9500 Spirit Mountain Pl., Duluth, 800/642-6377, www.spiritmt.com; Sun.-Thurs. 9am-8pm, Fri.-Sat. 9am-9pm; ski pass $55 adults, $44 seniors and children). In the warmer months, the park is full of other kinds of adventure: mini golf, ziplines, and a coaster track that zips down the mountain through the trees.
With up to seven departures a day, Vista Fleet (DECC Dock and Harbor Dr., Duluth, 218/722-6218, www.vistafleet.com, $16-44) makes it easy to get out on the water and see Duluth’s beautiful shoreline from the same vantage point as the shipping vessels that built the city. Sightseeing cruises run 90 minutes, while some meal cruises (including brunch, lunch, pizza, or dinner) run the same or a little longer. The fleet includes two boats, with capacities from 80 to 225 passengers. Both have both open observation decks and enclosed seating areas.
A wander through the Canal Park area will turn up plenty of touristy T-shirt shops. Souvenirs of a different kind can be found at the Lake Superior Magazine Outlet Store (310 Superior St. E., Duluth, 888/244-5253, www.lakesuperior.com; Mon.-Fri. 8am-5:30pm, Sat. 9am-4pm), which sells wall maps, nautical maps, books, gear, and furnishings all related to the lake.
A “Duluth Pack,” in regional parlance, is a heavy-duty rectangular canvas backpack with a fold-over top. The original 1882 design was known as a Poirier pack, named after the inventor. Duluth Pack still makes the bags, along with school bags and heavy-duty luggage, and sells them at its only retail outlet (365 Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/722-1707, www.duluthpack.com; Mon.-Sat. 9am-9pm, Sun. 10am-8pm), along with other high-quality outdoor gear.
For one-stop, less Duluth-oriented shopping, head to the Dewitt-Seitz Building in Canal Park (394 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/722-0047, www.dewittseitz.com; Mon.-Fri. 10am-9pm, Sat. 10am-8pm, Sun. 10am-5pm). The renovated warehouse is home to the excellent toy shop J. Skylark (218/722-3794) and Hepzibah’s Sweet Shoppe (218/722-5049). Across the street, Waters of Superior (395 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/786-0233, www.watersofsuperior.com, daily 10am-7pm) combines high-end, contemporary women’s clothing with Scandinavian-influenced art in a spare gallery setting.
A little piece of a particular era in Minnesota musical history—when the Minneapolis sound was on the rise in the 1980s—can be found at Electric Fetus (12 Superior St. E., Duluth, 218/722-9970; Mon.-Fri. 9am-9pm, Sat. 9am-8pm, Sun. 11am-6pm), a sister store to the original in Minneapolis, which sells music, clothing, books, and candles.
For fine art with a true Northland touch, check out Sivertson Gallery (361 Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/723-7877 or 888/815-5814, www.sivertson.com, Thurs.-Sat. 9am-7pm, Sun.-Wed. 9am-6pm). You’ll find photos by National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg and works by many Native Americans.
Duluth is a popular getaway for Minnesotans as well as visitors from farther afield, so its 5,000 hotel rooms fill up fast and reservations are always recommended. The downtown business district offers plenty of convenient chain options, but the mansion district east of downtown, where shipping and railroad tycoons once built grand homes, offers a different taste of Duluth. Six of these Victorian homes are now beautiful bed-and-breakfasts (find them all at www.duluthbandb.com), with 5-7 rooms each and both romantic and practical details. The neighborhood itself, a quiet area inviting leisurely walks, is a perk. Ellery House (28 S. 21st Ave. E., Duluth, 218/724-7639, www.elleryhouse.com, $119-199 d) is one of these hospitable homes, with a broad porch, delicious breakfasts, and welcoming, unobtrusive hosts.
No hotel is better situated than the South Pier Inn (701 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218/786-9007 or 800/430-7437, www.southpierinn.com, $150-285), on Park Point just across from Canal Park. Most rooms look up at the lift bridge, and you can watch ships pass through the harbor from a private balcony. Most of the 29 rooms are whirlpool suites, and there is a two-night minimum on weekends.
In Canal Park, four large hotels line the Lakewalk, overlooking Lake Superior. Canal Park Lodge (250 Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/279-6000, www.canalparklodge.com, $200-350 d) is charmingly rustic with a resort-like atmosphere and a high-ceilinged, comfortable lounge in the lobby. Breakfast and high-quality coffee are included in the cost of the rooms, which feature large HD TVs and—if you’re lucky—a balcony facing the lake.
Two doors down, also on the Lakewalk, The Inn on Lake Superior (350 Canal Park Dr., Duluth, 218/726-1111, www.theinnonlakesuperior.com, $200-285 d) is a little older and less flashy but no less comfortable. The inn focuses on making families comfortable—from offering long, leisurely breakfasts in its café to evening story time and s’mores on the lakeside patio. In a nice Minnesota touch, a large sauna is available for guests to use.
Arguably the most elegant hotel in Duluth is located in a brewery. Well, the building was built in 1885 as a brewery, and now, after handsome renovations, it houses not only a much smaller brewing operation but also Fitger’s Inn (600 Superior St. E., Duluth, 218/722-8826, www.fitgers.com, $170-380 d), along with a host of other businesses. The 62 rooms (including 20 suites) are, like all of the Fitger’s complex’s many charms, carved creatively out of the old brewery space. Many have exposed brick walls, raised separate seating areas, and other touches to remind you of the building’s history. Luxury suites have fireplaces, balconies, and whirlpools. Be sure to request a lakeside room.
The Edgewater Resort & Waterpark (2400 London Rd., Duluth, 218/728-3601 or 800/777-7925, www.duluthwaterpark.com, $180-320) features a 30,000-square-foot water park with water slides, a kiddie play area, and more. The 297-room hotel also has a pool, whirlpool, sauna, arcade, miniature golf course, free bikes, and nicely appointed rooms. It’s not directly on the shore, but it has easy access to the Lakewalk and great views from lakeside rooms.
The Visit Duluth tourist information center (225 W. Superior St. W., Duluth, 800/438-5884, www.visitduluth.com; Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm; waterfront info center at the Vista Fleet office summer daily 9:30am-6:30pm) is operated by the Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau.
From the Twin Cities, take I-35 straight north for 150 miles and you will find yourself in the middle of downtown Duluth. Delta schedules several flights a day between Duluth International Airport (www.duluthairport.com) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (and seasonally to Detroit as well), but the cost of these tickets almost never compares favorably to a rental car and a tank of gas. United Airlines flies daily to Chicago O’Hare. Two Greyhound buses a day run between the Twin Cities and Duluth, dropping passengers at two locations in the city: the Greyhound bus terminal (4426 Grand Ave., Duluth, 218/722-5591) and Kirby Student Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth (1120 Kirby Dr., Duluth, 218/762-8520).
If you plan to stay in downtown Duluth and forgo exploring the coast, it’s possible to get by without your own car. The city is very walkable: The stretch of Superior Street where you’re likely to spend the most time, from Fitger’s to the Depot, is only about 1.5 miles long. The skywalk system (daily, hours vary) helps pedestrians when the weather’s bad and makes it easier to get across I-35, which cuts the lakefront off from downtown. The skywalks are sadly underused compared to the lively Minneapolis and St. Paul systems.
From June through Labor Day, the free Port Town Trolley carries passengers in a loop through Canal Park and downtown Duluth, running along Lake Avenue and Superior Street. Pick up the trolley at eight locations (the Holiday Center, Radisson Hotel, Duluth Union Depot, Great Lakes Aquarium, Excursion Dock, SS William A. Irvin, Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, and Fitger’s) once every 30 minutes 11:30am-7pm.
The Duluth Transit Authority runs 20 city bus routes, which run every 10 minutes to every hour during the day, with reduced service on the weekends. Route 5 runs between downtown and the bus station and airport. Route 8 runs up and down Superior, stopping at the Fitger’s complex. Pick up schedules (and any bus) at the Duluth Transit Center (214 Superior St. W., 218/722-7283). Fares are $1.50 during peak hours (Mon.-Fri. 7am-9am and 2:30pm-6pm) and $0.75 otherwise.