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Red Wing's antiques

In a scenic river town, hunters find culture and kitsch.

A small Red Wing Stoneware sponge bowl, $550. A beat-up pie safe, $795. A shaky coat rack with two broken brackets, $80.

Well, I'm not an expert on antiques. But an empty can of Heet antifreeze for $4?

My friend Andi and I stood contemplating this sight.

''Well, people's souls are warmed by different things,'' Andi said at last.

We also wondered about the Fisher-Price Little Snoopy pull toy, $18, and the pickle jar of marbles for $19.50. But we decided it was all part of the mystery of shopping in Red Wing.

This little town on the Mississippi River has become the darling of day-trippers. It's got scenery, it's got atmosphere, and it's got antiques. Lots of antiques, as well as a whole lot of just plain stuff.

The impulse to pick up a little something can, in fact, be irresistible. Not long before, Andi had come to Red Wing with her sister and mother and paid $340 for a small, colorful Turkish rug.

"I was ripe,'' she said. "You know, when you're on a little tourist adventure, you're willing to shell out the dough.''

Andi and I thought we'd brave this shopping gantlet again, and one Friday afternoon we checked into the St. James Hotel. Even our green floral room had a lot of stuff: Besides the two beds, there were a sofa, a secretary desk, two bureaus, an armoire, a large table, six end tables, five chairs, a night stand and eight lamps.

"Oh, this is regal,'' Andi said. "You can see the river; you can see the trains. Nice, very nice.''

We heard a whistle as the Canadian Pacific thundered through with a load of lumber. The restored 1875 hotel always has been tied to the town's commerce — first grain, then pottery and footware — but was decaying in 1977, when Red Wing Shoes bought it. Now, it's so popular that weekend reservations can be hard to get.

We shared our complimentary split of cold Freixenet, then went to find something to eat before our concert at the Sheldon Theatre, a 1904 vaudeville house that's also been beautifully restored.

We didn't have time to eat at the Staghead, so we settled at the counter of Bev's Café and had roast pork and a basket of shrimp. Bev's, with its green malt machine, bustling waitresses and plates of angel-food cake, turned out to be a homey little gem.

"And they don't do this just to be quaint, either,'' Andi observed.

Seats were filling fast at the Sheldon, which was the nation's first city-owned theater and shows silent films, accompanied by organ, when it's not hosting local and national acts. That night, ragtime man Max Morath was at the piano, ready to embark on a turn-of-the-century musical expedition.

Fingers flying, he traced the history of this foot-stomping, syncopated "music of the devil,'' from Scott Joplin to Eubie Blake, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin.

After the concert, we stopped for cinnamon rolls at Lily's Coffee House, then toured the bars at the St. James — elegant Jimmy's on the fifth floor, the cozy Port of Red Wing and the rather dank Mississippi Room, where a band was playing pop and jazz standards.

The next morning, we went across the street to the Uffda Shop, since we're both half Scandinavian, and nibbled samples of pepparkakor as we looked at the art glass and linens.

Then we drove over to Old West Main Street and Al's Antique Mall, whose hodgepodge of items and stuffed animal heads staring down from high walls tickled Andi.

"I kind of like this place,'' she said. ''It's so out there.'' Farther along Old Main, at Pottery Place, we climbed the stairs to Pottery Place Antiques, whose clean, well-lighted arrays of Depression glass and Red Wing art pottery nearly blinded us after Al's.

Another antique shop was down the hall, with stoneware, well-priced furniture and a framed portrait that caught my eye.

It was a 1930 photograph of Hazen Wakute in full regalia. Dealer Keith Klindworth was nearby, and told us about the Dakota man and his ancestors, who once lived in bark houses in the shadow of Barn Bluff.

"He was what is considered the last of the Chief Red Wings,'' said Klindworth, who collects Indian art.

''The first Red Wing would have been in the early 1800s. He had a dance fan, a big swan's wing that was red-ochered, so people started calling him Chief Red Wing. This one was kind of a tourist figure in the 1930s and '40s. He had his picture taken quite a bit, and he signed little tourist things; I have a little drum he signed.''

We wanted to look around some more, but we'd run out of time.

"It's kind of hard to tear yourself away, isn't it?'' Andi said. "It gets to the point where you're afraid you'll miss something.''

As we drove away, it occurred to me that a day in Red Wing would make a great first date. Not only would you learn a lot about your date — Partridge Family board games or stereoscope scenes? Billy Beer cans or art-nouveau vases? — you'd never run out of things to talk about.

With its endless arrays of cultural ephemera and historical morsels, Red Wing is one big conversation piece.

Trip Tips: Shopping in Red Wing

Getting there: It's fun to go there by train, and the depot is right downtown, on the river. Amtrak's Empire Builder arrives from the west at 8:54 a.m. and from the east at 8:52 p.m.

2010 events: Feb. 13 through March 21, Eagle Watch weekends. July 9-11, Prairie Island Wacipi. July 11, Garden Tour. Aug. 6-8, River City Days. Oct. 9-10, Fall Festival of Arts. Nov. 26, Holiday Stroll and parade.

Nightlife: The Sheldon Theatre has something scheduled every week. Tickets are $7-$29. To reserve, call 651-388-8700 or 800-899-5759. Members of Minnesota Public Radio may get a discount.

On West Third Street, the Blue Moon coffeehouse hosts musicians on Saturday nights.

Accommodations: Red Wing is a popular weekend destination for Twin Citians, so weekend rates can be high.

The 1875 St. James Hotel has 60 individually decorated rooms in old and new wings; some people prefer the older rooms. There are two restaurants and live music on Friday nights at Jimmy's pub. An inside court is lined with small shops. 800-252-1875.

There are four B&Bs within walking distance of downtown:  The Candlelight Inn is an 1877 Victorian, 800-254-9194.

The Golden Lantern Inn is a 1934 Tudor Revival, 888-288-3315.

The 1874 Moondance Inn, 866-388-8145, .

The newly restored Pratt Taber Inn is an 1876 Italianate, 651-388-7392, .

The Round Barn Farm B&B is just south of town, 866-763-2276.

For travelers with smaller budgets, there are motels off the highway near Pottery Place, including the Best Western, Super 8 and Rodeway. The AmericInn and Nichols Inn are between Pottery Place and downtown.

Dining: Greg and Sarah Norton of The Nortons Restaurant have moved back to downtown Red Wing and have a beautiful new restaurant across from the St. James Hotel, 651-388-2711.

The Staghead on Bush Street serves grilled meats and pastas, 651-388-6581.

Smokey Row Cafe on Old West Main Street, named for the pottery workers' houses in the shadow of the kiln chimneys, is a great place for lunch or to pick up a picnic.

Bev's Cafe on Bush Street is a homey nook, with old-fashioned food and prices.

Red Wing Stoneware: Short tours are given at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays at the factory, four miles north of downtown off Minnesota 61. 800-352-4877.

Red Wing Pottery: Visitors can watch pottery being made at the studio on Old West Main Street, 800-228-0174.

Wine-tasting: Just west of Red Wing, Falconer Vineyards offers wine-tastings on weekends, $4. Call 651-388-8849.

Hiking: From downtown Red Wing, East Fifth Street leads straight to the foot of the bluff French explorers called Mount La Grange, or barn mountain.

The main path follows the north side of the bluff, shady and cool on hot afternoons, and passes a vertical rock face frequented by climbers.

At the other end of the bluff, steps lead to an overlook and a grassy slope that faces town and is a popular spot to watch Fourth of July fireworks.

A path atop the bluff leads through prairie to the southern overlook, where it dead-ends; those who want to return on the sunny south face have to return to the overlook before heading down. For more, see Mississippi panoramas.

Information: Red Wing tourism, 800-498-3444.

Last updated on May 19, 2010