MINNESOTA

(does not include Lake Superior, Minneapolis or St. Paul)

GENERAL
Sights & Sites
●Pine to Prairie Birding Trail – mnbirdtrail.com; Minnesota’s 1^st birding trail; 45 sites spanning 223 mile corridor from pine to prairie in northwestern state; situated at 3 major ecosystems’ juncture (tall grass prairie, boreal forests & aspen parkland).



BLUE EARTH COUNTY
Mankato
Sights & Sites
●Blue Earth County Historical Society, History Center & Museum – 424 Warren Street; 507-345-5566; bechshistory.com; includes R.D. Hubbard House.



DAKOTA COUNTY
Hastings
Sights & Sites
●LeDuc Historic Estate – 1629 Vermillion Street; 651-437-7055; dakotahistory.org/LeDuc/home.asp; Mary LeDuc selected designs from Cottage Residences, seminal volume 1^st published in 1842 by noted architectural writer and landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing, whose work dominated New York’s Hudson River Valley; following Downing’s stylistic guidelines, LeDucs produced stunningly landscaped architectural gem in young river town on Minnesota prairie; house survives virtually unaltered from its appearance when completed in 1865-66; in 1970, listed on National Register of Historic Places.
●Vermillion Falls – 26^th Street (downtown, just off Vermillion Street (also known as US 61)); urban waterfall and apparently once working waterfall; large factory located right next to falls in Vermillion Falls Park; short walk from parking area to falls overlook; paved walking/biking trail follows river in both directions; follow trail downstream to find places where people climb down into gorge; no maintained trails in gorge and going is bit tricky in places.



KOOCHICHING COUNTY
International Falls
Services
●Rainy Lake Houseboats – 2031 County Road 102; 218-286-5391; rainylakehouseboats.com; houseboat rentals for Voyageurs National Park.
●Voyagaire Houseboats – 7576 Gold Coast Road; 218-993-2266; voyagaire.com; houseboat rentals for Voyageurs National Park.
Sights & Sites
●Voyageurs National Park – 360 Minnesota Highway 11; 218-283-6600; nps.gov/voya; home to 30 lakes & 1K islands; some say scenery as beautiful as Alaska; way to do it is house-boating, best mid-May through September; best lakes to boat are Kabetogama, Namakan, Rainy & Sand Point; will see bears swimming, island to island, during day and hear wolves howl at night.



WALNUT GROVE
Sights & Sites
●Wilder Museum – 330 8^th Street; 507-859-2358; walnutgrove.org.



WINONA COUNTY
Winona
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
●Blue Heron Coffeehouse – 162 West 2^nd Street; 507-452-7020; blueheroncoffeehouse.com.
Hotels
●Alexander Mansion Historic B&B – 274 6^th Street; 507-474-4224; alexandermansionbb.com; Queen Anne extravaganza with ties to J.R. Watkins’ family; marble bathrooms and great breakfasts.
●Village House – 72 College Road; 507-454-4322; villagehouseinn.com; homey.
Restaurants
●Jefferson Pub & Grill – 58 Center Street; 507-452-2718; jeffersonpub.com; on levee; notable for burgers and brandy old-fashioneds.
●Lakeview Drive Inn – 610 East Sarnia Street; 507-454-3723; lakviewdriveinn.com; Winona’s oldest eating spot; since 1938, serving guests in their cars or at umbrella-ed table; home-made root beer.
●Signatures – 22852 County Road 17; 507-454-3767; signatureswinona.com; nestled on golf course, hidden among firs; named after owners’ eclectic collection of signed items.
Services
●Self-Guided Walking Tour App – 160 Johnson Street (at Winona County History Center); 507-454-2723; winonamntours.org or winonahistory.org/wordpress/?page_id=1306; entitled, “Stories in Structure: Winona Architecture Tour”); leads through 7 blocks preserved on National Historic Register.
Shopping
●J.R. Watkins Museum & Store – 150 Liberty Street; 507-457-6095; jrwatkins.com.
Sights & Sights
●Lake Park Lodge – 80 West Lake Boulevard; 607-453-1995; cityofwinona-mn.com; bike, canoe, ski, and snow-shoe rentals.
●Minnesota Marine Art Museum – 800 Riverview Drive; 507-474-6626; minnesotamarineart.org; anchors pretty terrace on riverfront; works such as American and Dutch paintings of ships and their captains, dreamy Hudson River Valley landscapes, and permanent installation that includes Monet, O’Keeffe, Renoir, and Van Gogh.
●Polish Cultural Institute & Museum – 102 Liberty Street; 507-454-3431; polishmuseumwinona.org; .
●J.R. Watkins Museum & Store – 150 Liberty Street; 507-457-6095; jrwatkins.com; dedicated to spice empire’s founding location (dominated by white spire visible all over town).
●Winona County History Center – 160 Johnson Street; 507-454-2723; winonahistory.org; in 1915 former brick armory; Winona founded in 1851 on Mississippi River sandbar “island,” displacing native Dakotas; documentation of this time period and on, particularly through town’s “boom” years (1870-1890), which years 3rd Street’s remaining, world-class architecture personifies; for example, make sure to see Winona National Bank’s original structure, grand Egyptian revival with Tiffany stained glass; also noteworthy: Merchants Bank building (Prairie-style edifice with stained glass and 1915 murals).