Mississippi River Run

[juggler]

We like running the Mississippi river from St. Paul down Hwy 61 through Hastings, Redwing, Lake City, Wabasha, Winona then back up the other side of the river in Wisconsin on hwy 35. You can cross the river at Red Wing, Wabash and Winona so you can adjust the length of your trip quite easily. Some of the cities on the WI side are (heading back North) Fountain City, Nelson, Pepin, Maiden Rock, Bay City, Prescott.

 

 

Points of interest along the way:

The river - I never get tired of the river. I'd live on the river if I could afford the house boat and my house.

 

Bald Eagles (this is a major migratory route and in the spring there are hundreds of them with their young),

 

 

 

Locks and Dams - Some have visitor platforms were you can watch boats and barges moving through the locks. L&D #2 in Hastings is one.

 

Red Wing has many places to eat include the Historic St. James Hotel. Good food there. (Spendy but worthy)

 

In the fall you MUST stop in at Pepin Heights Orchards just past Lake City. Good fresh apples, pies and other wonderful snacks.

 

Wabasha - The Historic Anderson House B&B - good food and very interesting sleeping arrangements. Minnesota's only legal 'Cat House'. They have numerous cats and you can pick one to have in your room.

 

Fountain City - Rock in the House, A while back a GIANT 55 ton boulder fell from the cliff and rolled into this house coming to rest on the couples unoccupied bed. It's a cheap walking tour and a site to see.

 

If you shoot into WI on 95 from Fountain City you'll make your way to Hanson's Hold-up. A very unique place to eat.

 

Pepin - Check out The Pickle Factory. They have great food and if you and yours are trying to slim down get one meal and split it, the servings are large.

 

Prescott - You gotta eat at Muddy Waters! Food, music (sometimes live jazzz and blues) large outdoor seating overlooking the joining of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

 

There's plenty more to be had along this route and there are plenty of reasons to do this trip again and again taking in something different each time. Check out the Hwy 60 side route in MN. A short little jaunt of twisties that will get your heart pounding and you can get back to with ease to continue your river journey.

[kantornado]

Good post Will.

The NAVIGATOR and I travel that route very frequently and have ate at about all the places you mentioned.

It is truly a wonderful ride................................Ron

[juggler]

This coming week we are going to extend this run all the down to Missouri. We are taking our annual Anniversary trip along the river from St. Paul to Missouri and back. From Thursday to Monday.

[Eck]

Looks like a very interesting trip... thanks for the info.

[924gtr]

I'm relatively new here to VentureRiders and just came across this thread. I also feel that I need to chime in because you're talking about my home turf. All the things you mention are true and if I may be so bold, Ill expand on some of them.

 

The River - Can't beat it. All roads seem to lead back to the river so you can get back to your scheduled route.

 

The Eagles - They're so many of them that most of us locals aren't really that enamored by them anymore. They seem to be almost as common as backyard squirrels. That's a bit of an exageration, but they are pretty cool to watch if you've never seen many of them.

 

Locks and dams - They are really fun to watch when barges are going through. If you like girls in bikinis (and who doesn't) watching pleasure boats go through can be quite interesting.

 

On really hot summer days it's better to go on the Minnesota side during the peak heat of the day. The bluffs shade the road and it's much cooler. The Wisconsin side is open to the sun almost the whole way.

 

Eating places: (We don't generally go for "fine dining" when we're out on the bike.)

 

On the Minnesota side:

Hastings - RJ's Pub located just below the Mississippi River bridge in old downtown is great for "burger and fries" type of food. My wife likes their Buffalo chicken sandwich. Not bad prices, either.

 

Red Wing - Andy's Bar located about 3 blocks off Hwy 61 on Plum St. My favorite is what they call a "buffalo fish" sandwich. Fried cod fillet with buffalo wing seasoning. They have 3 heat levels for the adventerous. I like the middle level of heat. Excellent.

The Bierstube on Old Main St. Specializes in German cuisine and has a very full menu. Ok prices for good food.

Liberty's at the stop light on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River bridge. Very good menu of American favorites. I'm partial to the Ribs and Chicken dinner.

The Roxx next door to Liberty's is an excellent burger and fries place. It's real tiny, though and you might not get a seat.

 

Lake City - The Old Bank Bar in downtown is another place tha has good burgers and fries.

 

Wabasha - Slippery's made famous by the movie "Grumpy Old Men" is pretty good, but I've only been there once and it was very busy and I'm sure that wasn't their best day.

Pioneer Club located south of Wabasha buried away on some windy 2-lane road is a unique place. Go south of Wabasha on MN 30 until you see a sign pointing to the Pioneer Club and follow that way for several miles. Pay close attention because you could easily go right past it. Good food, live music on weekends, great prices. It's right on the river and the mosquitoes can get bad out on the deck in the evenings.

 

Winona - There are a couple places downtown that are pretty good. Jefferson Pub and Bub's (pronounced boobs). They both have great food but Bub's keeps me coming back for their All-American burger. A half pounder with just about anything you can think of to put on it including a fried egg. I also really like the chili fries at Jefferson Pub. Both of these places are within a couple blocks of the river bridge.

 

On the Wisconsin side:

Nelson - The Nelson Cheese Factory is an absolute must-stop place. The worlds best ice cream. You can get a 2-scoop cone for a buck.

 

Pepin - The Garden Pub & Grill is a semi-outdoor kind of place. Great burgers and great pizza. It looks like a park shelter house with only one real wall and open on 3 sides. to find it, just look where all the bikes are.

There's another place that I can't remember the name of. It's something like "George and Martha's". Great home cookin' kind of food. And real inexpensive. This is where the local folks eat lunch.

 

Maiden Rock - I'm going to put a plug in for my friend Tracy who runs a place called the Lakeside Bar. Great little bar with a real great clientele. No food except a free popcorn machine. It's located next door to Ole's Bar. This place is dicey at best. Last time I was there the food was great. I've heard from other folks that it's not so great. Seems that the ownership has changed a few times in the last couple years and quality goes up and down.

 

Bay City - Mike's Baytown Bar has great food at good prices. They have a real good Friday Fish Fry and on Tuesday .25 Buffalo Wings. They also make the best bloody mary (virgin or real) on earth.

 

I've rambled on long enough. There are a lot more things of interest on this route and I'll be more than happy to write about them if anyone cares.

 

One other thing. Wisconsin has a lot more rest stops and overlooks along the river than Minnesota does. Not every stop has to be one where you spend money.

 

-- Rick

[sarges46]

This is one run that Marilyn and I want to do one of these days. Just take a week off and go. I've nothing but good about it.

[juggler]

This is one run that Marilyn and I want to do one of these days. Just take a week off and go. I've nothing but good about it.

 

When you do let us know and we'll ride with you. I bet you could even stay at our place.

[juggler]

Thank you for added to this. I had forgotten about this post, but as riding season approaches it's good to refresh it with new information.

 

Nelson's Cheese factory is a must stop. We've been there many time's. A few weeks ago we 'discovered' Liberty's, good food great prices.

 

We do this run many times a year. We need to connect sometime.

[juggler]

Since I first started this thread we've stretched our legs a bit further down the river. We did a vacation along the river down to the Iowa/Missouri border and back again. All along the way we zig-zagged across the river between the various states (IL,IA,WI,MN).

 

That was a nice week along the river.

 

Also, the Venture In the Pines Rally is held near the Mississippi headwaters and many of us have visited that portion of the river.

 

I would really love to ride to the Gulf some year.

[stardbog]

Hey Wil, I Like to join you if you dont mind. I Can meet yoy somewhere at IL, WI IA State Line on either side of river. Let me know.

[loneeagle44mag]

I live just south of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and ride the river often. I have to 2nd or 3rd or 4th this ride as a must do. I never get tired of the river myself. If you haven't been there I tell you, you will think your at a rally because of all the bikes along the river. Friendly people all the way. Nelson cheese factory is one of my favorite stops along with Hanson's Hide Out.