Things to Do in Red Wing, Minnesota

This 340-foot bluff is one of the best-known landmarks on the upper Mississippi. It’s also a sacred site of the Dakota people of the Prairie Island Indian Community. From the top you see the river on one side and downtown on the other. The South Trail, up the Kiwanis Stairway, is the easiest route. Near the base, the 1882 G.A. Carlson Lime Kiln survives, and climbers use the old quarry walls.

★ Good to know All trails start at the end of East Fifth Street; expect loose rock and steep drop-offs, and note the North Trail closes every November through April.

The company’s flagship store on Main Street has a self-guided museum on three levels and the world’s largest boot. There’s also a Norman Rockwell gallery and a bargain basement. Red Wing Shoes started here in 1905 and is still based in town.

The Sheldon opened in 1904 and is one of the oldest operating municipal theaters in the country. The Renaissance Revival building on West 3rd Street hosts concerts, plays and film screenings.

★ Good to know Check the schedule and book tickets before your trip.

Red Wing’s other famous industry was clay. The Pottery Museum on Harrison Street shows thousands of pieces, from stoneware to art pottery, and explains how they were made. Pottery Place Antiques fills the old Red Wing pottery factory, and Larry’s Jugs sits nearby in the West End.

★ Good to know Behind Pottery Pond lies a slope of discarded factory seconds; look, but leave it untouched.

This Italianate hotel went up in 1874 and 1875 when wheat money was pouring into town. Red Wing Shoe Company bought and restored it in 1977, and its 62 rooms are each named for a Mississippi riverboat. It’s a member of Historic Hotels of America. A later addition created a shopping courtyard, so it’s worth a walk through even if you’re staying elsewhere.

Red Wing Arts runs the Historic Depot Gallery in the train depot, with rotating exhibits by local and regional artists. It has a good shop for fine art and crafts. The group’s Clay & Creative Center on West 3rd Street runs classes and paint-your-own-pottery sessions.

★ Good to know Pre-register for hands-on pottery sessions.

About 10 miles southeast, a 430-foot limestone bluff runs three miles along Lake Pepin, a natural widening of the Mississippi. Look for the natural arch called In-Yan-Teopa on the blufftop. The park is known for birdwatching.

★ Good to know A Minnesota state park vehicle permit is required.

This artist retreat and arts center sits on the former estate of A.P. Anderson, a Red Wing native and inventor. You can tour the historic buildings, walk the grounds and see current exhibitions, and it’s a good spot for a picnic lunch.