Red Wing

My wife and I are kid free saturday-sunday and we’ve never explored the Red Wing area. Any recommendations for hotels, restaurants, things to do etc?

My wife and I were thinking about doing a quick get away to Red Wing recently but it didn’t end up working out. I was looking into the St James hotel, maybe some leaf peeping in Frontenac State Park, a trip to Pepin Heights apples in Lake City. I didn’t get as far as finding a dinner place but I’m sure someone will chime in.

Hamms & Spam with the infamous BK should be on any must do list for Red Wing.

Hiking Barns Bluff is always a good activity and you are rewarded with great views of the Mississippi River Valley. There is also a road you can drive up on Memorial Bluff with your vehicle and get good views of the city and also some of the river valley. Frontenac state park is also an enjoyable activity with great views. The Harbor Bar has pretty decent food options if you like Caribbean food and drinks. You can also drive the great river road around Lake Pepin.

You can walk up and check out the lock . Kinda cool if it’s busy to watch the boats lock through .

lots of hotels…..country inn on 61 coming into red wing. there’s a holiday inn off the main drag by pottery place. super 8 nearby…..depending how fancy you want.

st james is spendy!!!!!

eating places………royal oaks…..right by the country inn is good.

so is Liberty’s not far from the st james.
i cant recall the names of these little bars but there just south of pottery place along the river……they had good food also!!!! there is also, or was a godfathers pizza in pottery place building. its been 3 years since ive been to red wing!1

^^Glenn meant “Smokin Oak.” And yes everyone around here loves that place for a reason.

If slots, tables, or other entertainment is your thing, Treasure Island is right there as well.

Like others have said I’d try getting to the top of Memorial Hill. My brother proposed up there last October and the fall views are just great.

Red Wing is a nice river town that grows into the hillside so it definitely has a unique set up to it.

yepper…DAN is correct, my bad, Smokin Oak!!!

i forgot to mention the Bierstube also !!! really good food!!!

and across the river in Hagar city……….dang nabit cant for the life of me think of the place!!! Grrrr

Harbor Bar is a must stop for lunch. I don’t explore RW just fish there but the little downtown is really cool to walk around and see all the little shops. Baypoint park, Colville park give you nice views of the river. also the view from the top of the hill has to be really nice? I only see it from my boat but lots of people head up there for the views.

colors are coming in real nice but probably another couple weeks to peak.

FYI 61 to LC may be closed still if coming that way? does not show closed on Maps but it is quite the detour through the countryside if you have time to waste. Pepin is always 100% to watch a sunset. bundle up it will be chilly!

Took the kiddos down there and milled around last year, stopped at the st.james and ate at the place connected to it, can’t recall the name but a lil boujee, good date night material. Food and the Lavender lemonade was tasty!

The restaurant in the basement of the St James has always intrigued me.

St James is super cool with a ton of history, and a little more spendy. Restaurant at St James is really solid and overlooking the river.

Kelly’s, Bayside, Smokin Oak and Liberty’s are all good places to eat as well for more standard food reasonably priced. RW Brewing has good artisan style pizza. I would definitely recommend driving down the WI side of Lake Pepin, beautiful drive anytime but especially now. Lots of cool little towns as well, Stockholm, Maiden Rock etc. Harbor View Cafe is still open and one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, get the Halibut with the Black Butter Caper sauce. Hanisch Bakery is regularly voted the best or one of the best bakeries in the state.

Like others said Memorial Bluff and Frontenac State Park have awesome river valley views as well, if you’re not interested in hiking Barn Bluff. Hager Heights is probably what Glenn is talking about and they are closed for the season, but have awesome fried/broasted chicken all summer.

The bluffs in hagar city is good food.

FYI 61 to LC may be closed still if coming that way?

It’s opened as of today.

My personal favorites are:
Barn Bluff once on top, follow the trail to both ends. (if I can do it anyone can)
A sunset drive up to Memorial Park.
Ribeye (or the burgers) at Bayside Tap and Grill

Depending on when your going, there’s a military museum along with a marine museum that may or may not be open. Did you know Red Wing had outboard motors made in town?

If you haven’t had a Dirty Banana at the Harbor Bar, you really haven’t experienced the Mississippi River.

For places to stay, it’s the St James. Yeah, it’s going to cost almost twice as much as any other place in town, but everything is there. Heck, just touring the St James will take a few hours not to mention if you eat or drink there.

I haven’t done it yet but I’m going to be staying in room 310. The haunted room of the manager Clara Lillyblad. Not that I believe in such stuff…but I think it would be a fun night.

If your an early riser, Hanish Bakery opens at 7 am all week except Sundays and Mondays. Try one of everything. It’s walking distance from Clara’s room.

Count me in the group that would suggest a drive down the WI side too and consider looping around Lake Pepin.

The views there are pretty cool with the Fall colors. There’s a shop in Stockholm that sells some of the best pie I have ever had (whole or by the slice). The Harbor View restaurant in Pepin is a top notch place. If you are looping Lake Pepin, there’s a tiny brewery in Reads Landing (MN side) that is decent. We don’t regularly eat there, but will stop for a couple beers on our way by and hangout on their patio.

If you like driving and want to go 15 minutes further south head to Alma on the WI side and check out Buena Vista. It gives a pretty cool worthwhile view of the Alma dam. We hunt the land and 4 consecutive points just up river from there. Our driveway accesses right off the parking lot. There’s a winery on top of the bluff in Alma too (Danzingers I believe it’s called?)

Here’s a Tim Alm’s photo taken from Memorial Park. It doesn’t do the sight justice.

But it does give a flavor of the area. Just past the bend in the river is Hay Creek.

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