Microtinerary: Red Wing, MN

In this, fresh Microtinerary, we're bringing all of the must-see stops for a weekend camping trip to Red Wing, MN and Bay City, WI, on both sides of the Mississippi River!

Stay:

Bay City Campground https://baycitywi.org/lodging/bay-city-campground/

Eat:

Hanisch Bakery https://hanischbakery.com/

See/Do:

Pottery Museum https://potterymuseumredwing.org/

Larry's Jugs https://redwing.org/listings/larrys-jugs-and-antiques/

Ski Jumping Museum https://redwing.org/listings/american-ski-jumping-hall-of-fame-and-museum/

Bay Point Park https://www.redwingmn.gov/facilities/facility/details/Bay-Point-Park-3

Menu: 

Tastier Beans on Toast 

and

Jell-O Salad

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Camp Mindowinia, where we're reviving the vintage camping vibe in the Midwest. There is so much to see and do in the Midwest, and we want to share it with everyone. So on this show, we'll be talking about all things camping as we explore the states of our name. Glad to have you back at camp, everyone. I'm Liv and I'm here today with my longtime camping buddy and sister Ab. Hi, everybody. And today we are bringing you a micro itinerary to the Red Wing area in Minnesota. In Minnesota. So it's technically Red Wing, Minnesota, and Bay City, Wisconsin, which is kind of just across the river. And these are both on the Mississippi River. Yes. And they're about seven-ish miles away from each other, which translates, if you're a Midwesterner, to about a 13 to 15 minute drive. Yes. And we'll get into that in just a minute. Our micro itinerary episodes feature locations you can visit easily within a weekend or a long weekend time frame. And then we have where to stay, some things to do, any really exceptionally good eats and drink spots around, or even just very convenient ones, honestly. Yeah. And a meal plan for your trip. Yes. So let's get started. First off, where are we staying? We are staying at Bay City Campground, which, as Liv said, is in Bay City, Wisconsin. This is literally seven miles from like downtown Red Wing. So it's a very easy, quick drive. It's mostly flat. There's a couple stop signs, you know, but it's picturesque. Yes, it is. Because you do drive along the river for a little bit of the way. You have to go, you have to cross the river, obviously, because the Mississippi River is what divides Wisconsin from Minnesota at this point. Yes. So you go over the river and then you just kind of, you know, follow it. There's bluffs. There's a historical marker that's very interesting. We stopped at it and it was supposed it was the funniest line. It was like from 1975 or you know, 1970s. Yep. And it says, um, on this bluff face that you can see in the distance, there is kind of a rock formation that looks like a bow and arrow. And we're not sure if it's intentional and was like carved by the local, you know, indigenous people hundreds of years ago, or if it's naturally occurring. Or it may not even be a bow and arrow. We don't really know what it is, but it's there and take a look. So we get out of the car and we go for a look, and we're like, all we can see are trees. Yeah. Trees and trees and trees. Even the bluff that's in the distance, which you can kind of see, is covered in trees. There was no rock formation inside. So no what they were talking about. Yeah, and it's quite a large sign, I would say. And they're really big trees. So it's not like these were, you know, non-existent trees back then. Which is they were planted and or you know, naturally occurring since the 1970s. I mean, I'm sure they were, but they're like big trees. So some of them had to be there then. It was a very bizarre sign. If they ever cut down the trees, you might be able to see this potential bow and arrow. But still, it was kind of a fun stop. I think those things are kind of quirky. Yeah, it was funny. We're like, this is 70 people cork. We're like standing there in the parking lot. We're like, well, maybe it's behind us. I'm sure everyone going by on the highway was like, what is going on over there? Yeah, we couldn't find it, but if you can find it, let us know. Yeah. Oh my gosh, it's like Lake Alice. Yes. Accidentally drained one summer. Yeah, it happens sometimes. So if you continue on past that, you get to Bay City. And it's a pretty easy drive, minimal turns. There's good signage and everything for it. It's a very tiny town, definitely a blink and miss it. Yes. You cross some railroad tracks. There is so much train activity in like Red Wing, especially. Well, it's because you can take the Amtrak from Chicago up to Red Wing there. I know. Like people ride on the train. It's not just like they're, you know, transporting materials or something. No, it's like a passenger train. Yes. We like even saw them stop and let people off one time by the depot. Yeah. It's really cool. So you'll definitely get those. I I love the sound of train whistles at a train stop. And you will likely hear those throughout your stay um at the Bay City Campground. Yes. Unless it's like 900 degrees and you have your air conditioner going overnight, then you might not. Because I don't know about you, but my RV air conditioner is loud. Yeah, mine is so loud. Yeah. I want one of the ones that's like built into the walls. Those ones are so awesome and so much quieter. Like a mini split? No, just a built-in HVAC, you know, like the house type HVAC system. Oh, yeah. It's just built into the camper. Yeah. Yeah. Those ones are nice because they're quiet. But back to the campground, which should have lovely train whistles unless your air conditioner is loud. Yes. So if you're sitting out enjoying the campfire and watching the sunset on the river, then you might hear the train whistles. Yes. But I don't know if there's any set times that they run. Yeah, I don't know. So the campground is a l in a lovely location. It's situated right on the river. So you have fantastic views. They have a boat launch and everything. They have a beautiful sandy beach. So I'd say maybe about a third of the sites are on the sandy beach. The only disadvantage to that is people who have used the boat launch, which the boat launches open to the public with a $5 fee and there's just like a drop box for cash there. And you don't have to be staying at the campground to use that. No. And if you're staying at the camper campgrounds, then you don't obviously have to pay the boat launch fee. Right. Because that's separate. Um, so if you're staying there, those people then will go out and be boating and then will beach themselves on the beach and then come up and use the bathrooms because that's part of the boat launch area and the campground. It's kind of like a shared space in the park. However, they are usually pretty good about not parking right behind your camper since there is like a little park area and pavilion that is all part of like the boat launch half of the park. Yes. So it's not like they're impeding your use of the the beach. No, no, no. So yeah. And the spots are great. They really are right up to the water. They look out at the water, they're right by the beach. So you definitely could use them as as beach access. Exactly. And they have beautiful views of the bluffs all around and really mature trees, which makes them very nice and shaded, which I thought was rather lovely, especially you know in the hot summer sun. Yes. The only drawback is they are relatively close together. You are a little packed in, but I think it's because it's not a ton of space. So, you know, you get the nice views, you get the beach, but you're a little close to your neighbors. They have 44 camper sites, and these are only for campers, they're not for tents, and those all have full hookup, and they are $45 a night. You can stay at them weekly, monthly, and seasonally, I think as well. Okay. But you'd have to call for details on that because it seemed kind of book on their website. Yes, it was very detailed. Well, you have to call to book in general. Yes. And then they also have six tent spots, which are $25 a night, but I've only stayed in the RV site, so I can't really give a good idea of the tent sites. They looked level, but there were people in them. So I didn't want to be snooping too much. I'm like, sorry, I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at the spots. For reserving those spots, you do have to call to reserve, and they don't take reservations unless you're staying monthly until March 1st. So you can't call and make reservation until then. So just bear that in mind when you go to do your reserving. After you're situated at your campsite, what to do next is I would say head in to Red Wing, because this is a Red Wing, mostly a Red Wing micro itinerary in town. I always have to start my day with coffee. And the a great place to do so is Hannish Bakery and Coffee Shop, I guess it's called. And we have gone there many times. I think their coffee is delicious. Ab disagrees a little bit. I would say their like sweet espresso drinks are barely, barely sweet. They also have a large bakery section where they have like fresh baked bread and rolls and things like that, which I have never really tried, I don't think. I've had the breads before with Mitchell when we've been down there. And I have to say, I like their bread more than their sweet rolls. Their breads are amazing. Okay. Their donuts are more just kind of like standard bakery donuts for the most part, but the breads are really where it's at. Okay. They do have a really large selection of bakery items, and they had some unusual things. Yeah. Like we had a peanut butter and jelly long john, was it, I think?

unknown 9:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

And it was interesting. It definitely tasted like peanut butter and jelly. Yes. Um, and a donut. Um, the thing that I would recommend there is a strawberry rose, I believe it was called. Those were good. Yes. They're kind of like a bear claw but strawberry flavored. Yes. And I thought it was very, very tasty. So after you are hyped up on caffeine and sugary pastries, head across town to the pottery museum. So Red Wing, I think, is well known for really two main things. And one is Red Wing pots, of course, like crockery and um pottery. And the other is Red Wing shoes, which make like work wear type shoes, and they have for well over a hundred years. They also make hiking boots and cowway boots and all sorts of things. Like boots you would wear because they're comfortable, well-made, and attractive. Yes. So the the first place to start would be the pottery museum. And they are open all of the hours for these things. Like everything in Red Wing seems to be closed one day a week, and they don't all overlap. So they are open from Tuesday to Sunday. So they're closed on Mondays, but this works perfectly for a weekend visit. Yes. It is free. However, there's a suggested donation, I think, of like $5 or something. Right. And um, there's just a little donation box inside the door where you can donate if you'd like. And then you just walk around and they have guided like tours, kind of. So, like at different stations, they have a QR code you can just scan with your phone, and then it takes you to a video on YouTube where you can get more information. And they just had pretty much every kind of Red Wing pot, dish, and unique item pretty much ever made. And it was so, so cool. It was awesome. Like, who knew Red Wing Pots made birdbaths? I didn't know. It was so cool. And they had like a whole display of them, like a little lawn with these little bird baths. Yeah. It was so cool. They had like a little 1950s kitchen set up with all of the 1950s, kind of fiesta wear dishes and just and a living room because they also made this one was shocking to me, lamps. They made pottery lamps. Yeah. Yep. And it was, it was really, really cool. They had these giant jugs that had been at the Red Wing Potteries stand at the Minnesota State Fair back in like, was it the 1940s? I think so. Or 50s. 1940s or 50s. And I mean, these things were like five feet tall. Yeah. And they made them specifically for that. As you know, a display item. Which was really cool. Yeah. So the museum was fantastic. I would highly recommend. We were there. How long were we there? Would you say? We were there for over an hour, and we were like, oh, if we didn't have other things to do, we would be here all day. Yes. Yep. We did have, we were, you know, fitting things in. You could take more time. You could walk through faster. And we actually didn't even watch the videos. And it's it was still was like an hour of just looking because there's so much to see in there. Like from, you know, really 1800s pottery all the way up until, you know, like the the retro 1960s stuff. Yes. You know, and uh pretty much everything in between. So there's you know a lot to look at there. It was really fun. I think it would be fun for all ages. Definitely, you know, there's just so many cool and unique things on display. And you don't have to worry about kids knocking stuff over because they have everything like, you know, in cases. Yes. Because my concern with like delicate things is I'm like, are kids gonna knock this over if I bring them? But no, this is one where you don't have to worry. Yes, 100%. Yeah, and then they have a little gift shop which features pottery that has been donated to the museum that they sell in the gift shop. So some of it is very old, some of it is much newer, you know, kind of the whole range. They even had some really unique Red Wing pottery pieces in there, so it's not like you just see stuff that you would find at estate sales and flea markets. Yeah. I ended up actually buying a piece the last time we were there, and it was a very unique, fun, geometrically shaped bowl. And I had no clue they made stuff like that, but it was part of one of their like tableware type items. After walking through the museum and looking through the gift shop, you like me might be thinking that you really have to get your hands on some Red Wing pottery. So we highly recommend Larry's Jugs. Yes, which is actually a little antique store, and it's very close to the pottery museum, like a few blocks away. Right, less than half a mile. Yes, yep. And Larry, the the owner of Larry's Jugs, his dad actually was one of the co-founders of the museum. Yes. So he's extremely knowledgeable about the pots and different pottery products. And they have tons and tons and tons of Red Wing pottery for sale, you know, across the entire spectrum. They have like really rare, unique pieces to like replacement pieces if you already have a set of Red Wing old dishes or something. They have just so much stuff to look at. It's really fun, and it's a great way of taking home some of the Red Wing pottery heritage, after, especially after looking at the museum and seeing all the cool stuff there. For sure. And they also did have some items that were not specifically Red Wing pottery, but just other pottery, you know, makers. Some they said, you know, were maybe just pottery makers from the area and different things too. Yeah. So that was really fun too. Yep. And some other antiques, of course, do it. It is an antique store, so they have like all the, you know, random things that you would expect to find in an antique store, but the prevalence and the focus is really on pottery. Red wing pottery. Yeah. After all of this looking and shopping, you're probably getting hungry. So your next stop for lunch could be Liberty's Restaurant and Lounge. And I would highly recommend getting their lunch buffet, which I believe runs from like 11 to 2. Something like that. And I think they got a lunch spread or something like that. And they have sandwich making stuff with bread from the Hanish Bakery, which is amazing. I'm doing it. You need that bread. But it's true. I've had the bread there, so I guess I have had the bread at Spanish. And it's so good. So they have that with like an old pot of mustard. Not like it's old, but like the old-fashioned deli-style mustard. Yes. Yeah. And then they have pickles and they have cooled cuts from a local place too, and cheese slices and lettuce and all the stuff you'd want for like an old-fashioned big sandwich. It's just yeah, it's basically like a sandwich bar, which also have soup. And they have soup. And they're rotating flavors for the soups of the day. And I've never had one that wasn't good. They've had like a sauerkraut soup, which sounds weird. It was if you like sauerkraut, oh my gosh, this was amazing. Even if you don't like sauerkraut, which I don't love it, it was still good. They have a tomato soup that's amazing. They've had um a potato, creamy potato soup once that was really, really good. Yeah. They have a bajillion flavors. Yes, their wild rice is really good there too. So you can get unlimited soup and sandwiches. And then the thing that's kind of their main item from their lounge menu is their pizzas, which are handmade crusts and such delicious cheese on top. Oh my gosh. And they have pepperoni and sausage too. But they have then pizzas that you can get slices of unlimited part of this whole lunch spread buffet thing. Yeah. Yeah, it's a fun experience. It feels very vintage. Yes. And the building is old and cute. Like 1800s building. It's so fun. It is really fun. Yeah, and they have had some recent renovations, I believe, like maybe in the past five years. Because they've been there for quite some time, I believe. Well, we've been going there for well over 10 years, I think, since we were like it used to be called Liberty's Cafe. So I'm just like, oh, let's go to Liberty's Cafe. It's now Liberty's Restaurant and Lounge. Yes. And it's in the downtown area, which is nice because the downtown is very walkable. It is extremely walkable. And it makes it so that you are now close to the next stop, which is the Red Wing Shoe Store. Yes. And specifically the Red Wing Shoe Museum, which is just upstairs in the shoe store. And if you just come in and they'll like have salespeople there and they ask you, Oh, do you need any help? You can just say, Oh, we're just here for the museum. And they totally expect visitors who are just there to look at the museum. And that's because they have the world's largest boot. Very impressive. It is the size that would be appropriate to fit a 12-story giant. Yeah. So you can imagine. I mean, this boot is probably 20 feet tall. Do you know how tall the boot is? I think it's 16 feet tall. 16 feet tall. A 16-foot-tall exact replica of a Red Wing work boot. Yes. You know, the kind that are like they kind of have a little bit of a mock toe, and it's a tall lace-up boot. I mean, it has the coolest thing ever. It's actually the tiniest bit. Like if you have megalophobia, it's the tiniest bit scary. But really cool because it's made out of all the same materials as their boots. Yes. Like it's made out of the leather and the boots. But you can touch it and you can feel, oh, this is a leather boot. It's just a giant boot. Yeah. It's so cool. It is so cool. The museum part upstairs is very small, I would say. It takes probably 20 minutes to get through if you're reading things. Yeah. You could walk through faster. Right. Yep. It's just a cute little place. They have a cool wall that shows a boot in construction. And so it shows like all the different pieces as they're putting it together. So you know how their boots are made. They have an area that kind of compares the how the different boots are made for different functions. And they have a memory wall of boots that are all boots that have been donated by people whose relative or whatever had worn them as their work boot. Yes. Which I think is really cool because they're really like worn out, but just like over the decades, all these different cool boots. Yeah. It's really cool. And they have another section where people can talk about like passing on their boots because Red Wing boots are supposed to be like super long-lasting, very high quality. So it's kind of a fun, nostalgic little place where you can see it says, you know, these boots are from dad to kid name, you know, right? Or, you know, from one person to another where they've passed on the Red Wing boot legacy. Yes. Which I feel like I related to because our dad growing up always had Red Wing work boots, and I thought they were so cool. Yes. And if only he had feet that were about half the size, we could have gotten his boots. Right? Not that we'd be able to get them away from him. He really loves his Red Wing boots. He does. The last quirky stop in town before heading back to camp is just across the street in the historic St. James Hotel. And if you go in and you go to the desk, same thing. You ask for this very unusual little museum, and they'll just tell you how to get there because people do come in just to see it. And this is the ski jumping museum. Once you get in there, it's not overly large, but you do get the joy of walking through the lobbies and up the stairs of the St. James Hotel. And it is a beautiful old building. Then you come upon this fun little glassed off room, which is the museum. And if it is locked, you can ask at the lobby and they will unlock it for you. Yeah. Once you're inside the room, you can follow it around in a circle. And as you go, you will see cool old memorabilia from ski jumpers, signed skis, and then even information about like the first winter carnival that Red Wing ever had with ski jumping and ice dancing and different competitions and things that they did to kind of make it a whole weekend of entertainment in the winter around the ski jumping. And that was like, was that in the like 1920s or 30s? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Once you've gone through the museum, which is just kind of a circular room and you get around to the end of it, the coolest part of the museum was a complete miniature motto of the ski jump in Red Wing from that 1920s or 30s carnival, complete with like little tiny vintage car. And all the little people and trees and the bluff slope. I mean, you can absolutely get a picture of what the ski jump looked like at that time. And it was like pretty decently sized, probably like three feet wide by like maybe eight feet long. Yeah. This is a really fast stop, and it's not like something that you would probably spend a ton of time at, but it's just something fun to walk through quickly, kind of linger over that super cool model display, and just sort of get an idea of what the ski jumping history was in Red Wing. And then outside of that, in that same upstairs lobby of the hotel, they have a really neat quick read display about the gal named Clara who was the first, was she the first owner of the hotel? I think she was the first owner. Yeah. Yeah. And then her life living at the hotel, as well as they have some of her outfits and stuff that are period correct, which was really fun. They set up like a whole little scene and all of the props in there were things that she actually owned. Yeah. So they're not just there's no stand-in items like they often have at museums. Uh-huh. On Sunday, as you're headed out of town, you absolutely have to stop at the Bay Point Park, which is just a nice little walk along the river. You can see barges going past. They have a great playground for kids, tons of benches along the shore, and actually swings too, like you know, that are like a swing you would sit on to watch the river. Yeah. And then they have a fairly large and newish um kind of pavilion thing with information about Chief Redwing and kind of the history of how the town got started and who was living there at the time. Back at camp, our suggested menu will be a tastier take on beans and toast. Start by frying up some onion and mushrooms until they're nice and caramelized and have released all their really good flavors. And then just set those aside. And then next you're going to make your toast. So you can use a skillet, your black stone, something over the fire, whatever you have, and do bread with a slab of tomato if you like it. You can skip this if you don't eat tomato. And then a piece of cheese over the top. And then you just cook that until the bread is nice and toasty and the cheese is melted. Then you can plate that and put on a generous dollop of baked beans. Yes. And then top it with your fried onions and mushrooms, and it's ready to eat. I would even say you could go one step further and drizzle mustard over the top. But again, that sounds really good. That brings us to our Minnesota salad, which everyone knows Minnesota is notorious for these ridiculous salads. And this is one of those. So you're gonna take jello. You can use any flavor you like. Lime is like the stereotypical. Because it gives you that good green color. Yeah. Okay. Lime jello is like the Minnesota thing. Lime jello is the least objectionable of the jellos, too, in my opinion. Yeah. It's very like theming. Yeah. So you could do lime or lemon, but lime will work better for this. So you're gonna take and you're going to prepare your lime jello per the instructions. Then you are going to dump it into some sort of pan or bowl or whatever you're gonna store it in to like chill. The large Tupperware, whatever you have. Whatever you have. Then you're gonna drain a can of pineapple.

unknown 25:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

And then you're gonna dump the pineapple chunks in and stir it in. And this is before the jello has set. Yes. Before the jello has set, you're gonna dump it in and then you're gonna sprinkle over the top flaked coconut, like the dehydrated coconut flakes that are sweetened. Okay. And those will kind of sit towards the top, and then your pineapple will just kind of be floating all over inside it. Right. Then you're gonna throw this baby in the fridge until it's set, and voila. And traditionally, wouldn't they have made this in like a mold too? Yeah, but if you're camping, you probably don't have your jello mold with no, no, I know that, but I'm like live. Live to make it really fancy. I think this was called a jello mold, wasn't it? Yeah, but then you do like a cream layer and it's separate. But the thing is you have to like let it set. Then you have to come back and make the next layer and add it in. Oh yeah, that's way too for camping. Yes, for camping, way too much. Yeah. Yeah. But if you're at home, it doesn't it sounds it sounds kind of good. It's kind of refreshing. You could add fresh fruit instead, like sliced strawberries or something. Yeah, whatever's in season. Exactly. Something you found at a local farm, farmer's market, farm stand along the way. The only thing that won't work is watermelon. But other than that, okay. Anything is fair game. Does watermelon not work because it's too wet? Yes. Oh okay. It'll just leak its water. Oh, it just gets gushy and gross. Okay. That makes sense. All right. Well, there you have the micro itinerary to Red Wing and Bay City by necessity. That's where the campground is. And we hope that you are inspired to make your way out to Red Wing this summer. And of course, we would love to hear about it. And that is our episode for this week. Thanks for listening to the Camp Mindowinia Podcast. If you want to connect with us, head over to our Facebook group, Camp Mindewinia, or follow us on Instagram at Camp Mindowinia. Take us on Instagram in your camping posts for the chance to be featured on our page. And if you're enjoying the show, please follow us on your favorite podcasting platform, and we'd love it if you leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify. Join us next Monday for another episode. Bye, guys!