Red Wing Favorite Tips by zrim

The St. James Hotel

Favorite thing: The St. James is a landmark. A beautiful old river hotel with sweeping views of the Mississippi. The front of the building is impeccably preserved. The rear is another story, however. There is a less than aesthetically pleasing addition that was built within the past ten years or so. In my opinion the view from the Missippi back up towards downtown Red Wing has been destroyed by this architectural gaff.

Highway 61

Favorite thing: Highway 61 begins at the Canadian border (actually the Canadians call it 61 up to Thunder Bay), hugs the Lake Superior shoreline through Duluth, traverses the eastern part of Minnesota through St. Paul, meets up with the Missippi at Red Wing, and meanders along with the Mississippi all the way to St. Louis.

Highway 61 is the main street in Red Wing.

The Old Train Depot

Favorite thing: The old train depot looks out on the Mississippi River. It is still a working station as the Empire Builder passenger train (amtrack) comes through twice a day on its journey from Chicago to Minneapolis and vice versa. Again a building that has been nicely preserved.

The Mighty Mississippi

Favorite thing: The Mississippi is an integral part of Red Wing. Most of the shoreline is public space and in the summertime it is a nice place to sit a spell and watch the barges, houseboats and speed boats pass on by.

Old Brick Buildings

Favorite thing: I love the way the old parts of towns look with their brick buildings. They don't build them like this anymore. It is my view that any brick building that is restored and preserved enriches the town in which it is located. In Minnesota we have been doing a good job with our preservation efforts over the past two or three decades.

Grain Storage

Favorite thing: A lot of grain is produced in rural Minnesota and it has to ship out of somewhere. red Wing is a port city on the Mississippi and the big agra-businesses like Cargill have a presence here.

The Lutheran Church

Favorite thing: Nothing says Minnesota like a Lutheran Church. Every town and village has at least one and a city the size of Red Wing is going to have at least three.

Civil War Memorial

Favorite thing: Almost every city and town in Minnesota has a Civil War memorial or a general veterans memorial. Usually located in the town square or out front of a courthouse.