1. The Lowell Inn
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (651) 439-1100
Address: 102 North Second St.
Description: The elegant Lowell Inn in Stillwater (20 miles east of downtown St. Paul) harbors 21 individually decorated rooms featuring period antiques. Elmore Lowell established the Sawyer House on the land where the Lowell Inn now stands in 1848, the year Stillwater was incorporated as the Minnesota Territory’s first city. The colonial inn standing today dates from 1927, and the interior brings to mind the regal atmosphere of southern plantation homes. The Lowell has 23 unique guest rooms and four distinct dining rooms. Guests can also relax in front of the colonial fireplace in the Front Parlor.
2. William Sauntry Mansion
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (651) 430-2653 or (800) 828-26
Address: 626 North Fourth St.
Description: Lumber baron William Sauntry had his 25-room Victorian mansion built in the booming sawmill town of Stillwater on the St. Croix River in 1881. Today this B&B, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has six guest rooms, all with fireplaces, private baths, and double whirlpool tubs. The ornate house features wood floors, original chandeliers, stained-glass windows, and Victorian furnishings. The William Sauntry Mansion is close to downtown Stillwater, with its quaint antiques stores, lovely cafes, and antiquarian bookshops.
3. Victorian Christmas At The Historic Courthouse
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (651) 275-7075
Address: 101 West Pine St.
Description: Fine handmade crafts by local artists are displayed at the elegantly decorated Stillwater courthouse. The building, beautifully decorated in Victorian style, resounds with laughter and music, while vendors in costume offer their wares to the public. Volunteers in period clothing offer jail tours, an exhibit, an old-fashioned tearoom, and music of the season.
4. Square Lake County Park
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (651) 430-8370
Address: 15450 Square Lake Trail North
Description: The 27-acre Square Lake County Park is known for having one of the clearest lakes in Minnesota, making it a popular spot for scuba divers, swimmers, and anglers alike. The lake is regularly stocked with trout and has a 950-foot clean sand beach, a concession stand where food and fishing supplies can be purchased, and restrooms with showers. The park also has a boat launch, a fishing pier, and a picnic area.
5. The Lowell Inn
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (651) 439-1100
Address: 102 North Second St.
Description: The Lowell Inn is widely known for its Swiss cheese fondue, served in the Stillwater inn’s Matterhorn Room. But at the Lowell the Swiss cheese fondue is just the starter of a four-course meal (with optional wine accompaniment) featuring beef tenderloin, duck breast, or jumbo prawns with Minnesota wild rice pilaf. Desserts include grapes Devonshire and Grand Marnier chocolate fondue for two. The whole shebang is delivered tableside for a set price. For those looking to choose individual dishes rather than a multicourse extravaganza, the Lowell’s George Washington Room offers such entrées as duck breast, filet mignon, and lobster tail. (For more information on the Lowell Inn’s guest rooms, see the Accommodations chapter.)
6. Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (651) 439-7128
Address: 8390 Lofton Ave. North
Description: Gasthaus has specialized in the cuisine of southern Germany since 1966, and the extensive menu offers something for everyone. The restaurant has the largest variety of schnitzels (cutlets) in the Twin Cities. Also featured are sausages, sauerbraten (a tangy beef), and, for large appetites, a couple of Bavarian combination platters. Surprisingly, the meaty restaurant has two kein fleisch (no meat) meals—vegetable rouladen and vegetable casserole. And don’t forget to wash the meal down with a German beer, especially since the restaurant does not stock domestic brews. For diners’ entertainment, polka music is performed on Friday and Sunday as well as for the many German events. The Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter is open daily for lunch and dinner.
7. Axdahl’S Garden Farm/Greenhouse
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (651) 439-2460
Address: 7452 Manning Ave.
Description: Call for hours. Open mid-April to Oct and during the Christmas season.
8. River Market Community Co-Op
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (651) 439-0366
Address: 221 North Main St.
9. Church Of St. Michael
City: Stillwater, MN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (651) 439-4400
Address: 611 South Third St.
Description: Catholic missionaries arrived in Stillwater in 1849, and the first Church of St. Michael was built in 1853. In 1873 the construction of the present Church of St. Michael began, and the building was completed in 1875. The yellow Kasota-stone church with its 190-foot spire sits atop a hill overlooking the city of Stillwater and the St. Croix River Valley. Over the years St. Michael’s has been renovated several times to maintain its striking beauty. In a city filled with architectural treasures, the Church of St. Michael stands out as one of Stillwater’s prettiest structures.