Home > Plan a trip > Best Trips > Day trips > Day forays

Day forays

Want to save on gas? Go on a mini-vacation not far from the Twin Cities.

Bicyclists ride the Gandy Dancer State Trail near St. Croix Falls.

Gas is expensive and vacation is in short supply. But you're not ready to give up on fun. Below are eight little vacations that only take a day.

Grantsburg | Wildlife-watching

Not far from the St. Croix River in northwest Wisconsin, native plants and animals have reclaimed wetlands and brush prairie once drained and used by settlers.

The land resisted taming, and today, the 30,000 acres of Crex Meadows Wildlife Area once again belong to osprey, otters, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans and all kinds of migrating fowl. Wildflowers bloom, wild rice flourishes and visitors are invited to come out and see nature at its most robust.

In the Education Center, staff and volunteers give visitors the latest news — where the cranes are feeding, how many swans are nesting, which wildflowers are blooming. Right now, animal and bird parents are introducing their young to the world, and next month, migrating shorebirds, ducks, geese, hawks and eagles will start to arrive.

A self-guided 24-mile auto tour takes visitors through wetlands, lakes, prairie and sedge marsh, where the Crex Carpet Co. harvested grass for rugs from 1912 to 1933.

Dawn and dusk are the best times to see wildlife; 715-463-2739, www.crexmeadows.org.

There's also a great hiking trail just five miles west on Wisconsin 70, in Governor Knowles State Forest. The trailhead for the Sandrock Cliffs Trail is right off the highway before it crosses the St. Croix River, and the bluff-top trail gives hikers views of the river as they walk through a fragrant forest of red and white pines.

Mantorville | Theater

Highbrow it's not. But the theater housed in the 1918 Opera House of Mantorville, Minn., is as endearing as an old quilt.

Since 1973, the Mantorville Theater Company has been having a swell time putting on melodramas, some of them original, in this tiny village on the Zumbro River, just west of Rochester. Audiences are encouraged to boo the villains, who are always dastardly, and cheer the heroes, who are always true and strong.

The company puts on four melodramas in summer, and another four throughout the year. Check the schedule at 507-635-5420, www.mantorvillain.com.

The town, once a stagecoach stop on the route from the Mississippi to the western plains, is on the National Register of Historic Places, including the 1857 Hubbell House, a restaurant visited over the years by such celebrities as Gen. U.S. Grant and Mickey Mantle and still a popular dining destination, 1-507-635-2331, www.hubbellhouserestaurant.com. Tourists also like to browse in the antiques and gifts stores and at the chocolate shop.

Most everything is closed Mondays, but there are farmers' markets Tuesdays through mid-October. Marigold Days is in September, with fireworks, a flea market, music and parades, www.mantorville.com.

Hudson | Shopping

In summer, this Wisconsin river town is a good place to stroll in the sun. There's shopping in the historic downtown, with antiques at Abigail Page Antiques, art at Seasons on St. Croix, vintage clothes at Bibsy Jean's, chocolates at Knoke's and gifts at Et Cetera, La Rue Marche and Lavender Thymes, among many other shops.

From downtown, visitors can migrate a block down to Lakefront Park, which has a beach and playground, and walk out onto the 1913 Old Toll Bridge, which now reaches only partway over the St. Croix. On Thursday evenings in summer, bands play in the park.

Afterward, stop for a bite at one of the cluster of restaurants on Second Street — the San Pedro Cafe, the Winzer Stube, Barker's Bar and Grill and the Twisted, which often hosts live music. Call 1-715-386-8411 or 1-800-657-6775, www.hudsonwi.org.

St. Croix Falls | Hiking

Once, St. Croix Falls, Wis., was a city with trails. Now, it's the City of Trails (See Trail mix).

As the 1,000-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail gains renown, St. Croix Falls is sharing it as the trail's western terminus. Starting from Interstate State Park's half-mile Pothole Trail, named for its cylindrical holes drilled by glacial whirlpools laced with sand and gravel, the Ice Age Trail heads out of the park and into town, climbing over a giant esker filled with glacial rubble. From there, the trail's yellow blazes lead around town, up the St. Croix River valley and east across Wisconsin.

There are another 11 trails in Interstate State Park and two trails just south of town off County Road S, Wisconsin's newest Rustic Road. The crushed-limestone Gandy Dancer State Trail also starts in St. Croix Falls, taking bicyclists 48 miles north to Danbury; a spur allows bicyclists to start at the Polk County Information Center at the intersection of U.S. 8 and Wisconsin 35, 800-222-7655, www.polkcountytourism.com.

Down in town, there are some nice shops, an Aveda spa and the St. Croix Festival Theatre, which puts on concerts as well as plays. Check the schedule at 888-887-6002, www.festivaltheatre.org.

Menomonie | Bicycling

It's hard to beat the Red Cedar State Trail out of Menomonie, Wis. It's one of the best-maintained crushed-limestone trails in the state and also one of the most scenic; it would be rare to ride its 14½ miles without seeing an eagle, heron, hawk or wild turkey.

The trail ends in the Dunnville Wildlife Area, where the Red Cedar River runs into the bigger Chippewa (see Red Cedar ride 'n' glide). But bicyclists can continue riding on the seal-coated Chippewa River State Trail, either 23½ miles east into Eau Claire or 6½ miles south into Durand.

A good stop for brunch or lunch is the Creamery in Downsville, 715-664-8354. If there's time, visit three attractions on Wisconsin 25: the Eau Galle Cheese Factory; a mile and a half north of Durand; the Caddie Woodlawn Home and Park, just west of Dunnville (see The first American Girl); and the Empire in Pine Lumber Museum in Downsville.

To get to the Red Cedar, drive through Menomonie on Wisconsin 25 and turn west on Wisconsin 29. The trail starts on the west side of the river. Roscoe's Red Cedar Outfitters rents bikes, 715-235-3866 or 866-831-7451.

Hastings | Architecture

For many people, Hastings' architectural riches have been enjoyed only in drive-by glimpses. The ornately domed 1871 Dakota County Courthouse, now City Hall, catches most people's attention as they cross the bridge into town; it's one of 62 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and a landmark on the city's self-guided walking tour.

Another landmark, farther along U.S. 61, was shuttered until this year. Built between 1862 and 1866 by William Gates LeDuc and his wife, Mary, it's a Gothic Revival built from designs by architectural writer and landscape architect William Jackson Downing, whose "cottage residences" dominated New York's Hudson River Valley in the middle of the 19th century.

Set on four acres of landscaped grounds, the house was listed on the National Register in 1970 but sat empty from 1986 until this year, when restoration was completed. Now, the Dakota County Historical Society offers tours, $5, $3 for kids. 651-437-7055, www.dakotahistory.org.

For a walking-tour guide and other information, call 651-437-6775 or 888-612-6122, www.hastingsmn.org.

Stillwater | Cruising

There's cruising of all kinds in Stillwater. Shoppers troll Main Street for bibelots and antiques; a trolley prowls residential streets to give passengers glimpses of elaborately painted Victorians. But Stillwater made its name as a river town, and the real cruising happens on the river.

On the St. Croix, John Kershbaum and his gondoliers row folks up the river in a real Venetian gondola, providing song from a real Italian, Luciano Pavarotti, as well as picnic baskets full of goodies.

The gondola cruises go out after 5 p.m. in summer, but Kershbaum recommends late evening, when the boat traffic fades, the wind dies down and the water is calm. Call Gondola Romantica, 651-439-1783, www.gondolaromantica.com. In fall, the gondolas go out on afternoon cruises, too.

The five paddlewheelers of the St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. also cruise the St. Croix from their moorings near the Dock Cafe. Lunch cruises go out Monday through Saturday, and there's a 2½-hour Sunday-brunch cruise. Dinner cruises go out daily, with a jazz band on the Saturday-night dinner cruise, and there are band cruises on Friday nights through August. Call 651-430-1236, www.andiamo-ent.com.

Lake Pepin | Eating

Since the first explorers came, saw and spread the word, Lake Pepin has been known for scenery. But these days, I suspect many people are going there just to eat.

The Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, Wis., may have started the trend, serving good food in such a picturesque setting people from the Twin Cities are willing to drive 1½ hours and wait another two for a table. It's still open, though it has been joined by other restaurants that also deserve adoring hordes.

In Red Wing, The Nortons serves superb food on Main Street, next to its own Lucky Cat World Wine Market. In Maiden Rock, Wis., the Smiling Pelican Bakery lures motorists off the highway to eat Viennese lemon tart and quiche in a garden full of flowers; in Stockholm, Wis., Bogus Creek Cafe and Bakery has a pretty courtyard in which it serves caramel-pecan rolls and apple turnovers, plus soups, sandwiches and ice cream.

In Pepin, there's the Harbor View (it doesn't take reservations or credit cards) and Nelson, Wis., has Nelson Cheese and Creamery, always worth a stop for its ice cream, imported delicacies and, now, a wine bar. There's Vinifera in Wabasha, which also has its own wine market, and Nosh in Lake City, which has a view of the marina. And check out Rabbit's Bakery next door.

The Nortons is at 651-388-2711, Vinifera at 651-565-4171 and Nosh at 651-345-2425.

Last updated on November 14, 2008

E-mail:
Name:
Zip Code:

Other stories in "Day trips"