Night between North Shore MN and Chicago
 

I've already posted two threads about the North Shore, gotten great responses and made our reservation for there. Since I'm estimating the drive back to the western suburbs to be around 10 hours (does that sound right?), we thought we'd break it up and stay somewhere on the way home.

I could, of course, just look at a map and estimate a half-way point. But I thought I'd see if anyone has suggestions for a nice stopping point. It doesn't have to be half-way, in fact, a little closer to home than the North Shore would be great. But something scenic would be nice. And somewhere where we can fairly easily find an inexpensive hotel/motel and a good, casual place to eat.

I'm thinking maybe somewhere along the Mississippi? But we're open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks!:)

CAPH52, I am also heading from the northern portion of Minnesota to the western burbs of Chicago. My drive is estimated at 8 hours, why spend the night in a hotel? The drive can easily be done in one day.

Have you made the drive before, jbsgirl? I haven't. But my understanding has always been that it's about an 8 hour drive to Minneapolis. And we're going to be at least two hours farther north.

Spend the night in Minneapolis and then make the 8 hour drive to Chicago.

Depending on exactly where along the North Shore you are it very well might take 9-10 hours. I've done a similar drive to Chicago in a day and if you have the time, staying at a hotel along the way sounds fine.

Minneapolis or St Paul would be a decent choice.

Or you could detour a bit to Stillwater. It's a cute little town with plenty of shops, restaurants, etc and is along the river between MN and WI.

Have fun :)

Thanks, TC and wontan!

Mapquest puts it at 9 hours 46 minutes. And that, of course, is without stops to eat, etc. Since it's a vacation and we have the extra day, we'd rather split the drive.

Might check out Winona, MN, LaCrosse and/or Prairie du Chien, WI.

FWIW: Chicago - Twin Cities is 400 mi (6+ hrs if you can average 65 mph). Twin Cities - Duluth is 160 mi (about 2.5 hr). Duluth - Grand Marais roughly 110 mi (about 2.5 hrs on mainly 2-lane road). We find it almost always takes us 5 hr from MSP to Grand Marais, for ex.

How about Red Wing, MN? You could do that beautiful drive along the Mississippi on Highway 61. Then rejoin 90 when you cross into Wisconsin.

CAPH - I suggested a few places that seemed a little more than half way, but would highly recommend either Red Wing or Stillwater mentioned above if you're inclined to stop a little earlier. Stillwater is a wonderful little town with some upscale restaurants and shops; Red Wing is also delightful.

Thanks, dfr and marilyn! I appreciate the drive time info, dfr. And I will definitely look into Red Wing. As well as the other places mentioned!

Red Wing is a great choice! Look into the St James Hotel.
http://www.st-james-hotel.com/new/start.php
Stillwater is great as well with a lot of neat antique stores, great restaurants and fun things to do along the river. Check out the Elephant Walk B & B. http://www.elephantwalkbb.com/
Enjoy your trip to the north shore!
Pam

Thanks for the links, Pam! I checked out the St. James Hotel and it looks amazing. A bit out of our price range though. Sadly, our budget for the night is more in the Super 8 neighborhood. ;)

I haven't actually stayed at the St James - just had a drink there but it looked lovely.

Check out the Days Inn - Red Wing. My sister and her husband really like this place (they go to the casino down that way). I believe it overlooks the river. A quick check for one night showed a rate of $64.59 - hope this link works although I don't know why it shows up twice:)
http://tinyurl.com/2tjznn
Pam

Thanks so much for both the recommendation and the link, Pam. Definitely more within our budget! And it even has a pool! We'd like to try to get one for our son that night because we won't have one while we're in Grand Marais.

Thanks! I really appreciate your taking the time to find that link. :)

If you stay in <font color="red"> Redwing </font> - definitely eat at the Stag Head-great restaurant (kitty corner block from St. James Hotel). If you like antiques, go to Memory Makers (Main Street-across from St. James Hotel);;)

Yes, the Stag Head! We walked over there after our drink at the St James. It was wonderful! I was there with girl friends so we shopped, had a drink at the St James and then ate at the Stag Head. I had forgotten about that place - very good and a nice wine selection if I remember.
Pam

Also, you mentioned Grand Marais and I see on another thread someone was talking about the Angry Trout and Betty's Pies - both great places and we really enjoyed them both. Definite stops at both. Let me know if I can help with anything else. I'm no expert on Red Wing or the north shore but have visited a few times. I'm more familiar with Stillwater since I work there. Pam

My lunch at the Angry Trout cost me well over $300. They had the cutest pottery coffee mugs and of course I inquired about them. I went to the pottery studio after lunch; one vase and a couple platters later ...... ;)

jbass - OUCH! Our tab wasn't quite that pricey but I believe my husband and I shared an entree when we ate there.

Pam-what cost me $300 was the pottery. Sorry, guess that wasn't clear. Lunch is VERY reasonable-if you don't inquire about pottery for sale. ;)

Those &quot;off the menu&quot; items will kill the budget every time!

Oh my - guess that makes sense. I did admire it (pottery) as well. Cute place too.

When we did a quick stop in Red Wing during the winter months it seemed that there were some vacant store fronts. Perhaps they have been filled since then. A couple of the antique stores we had previously enjoyed were out of business. My vote goes to Stillwater.

Caph, Just to give you an idea. I used to take my kids to &amp; from Winona, MN for hockey camp. From the Hoffman Estates area, that was about 4 to 4 1/2 hr drive depending if took the interstate the whole way ( in which case depending on what day &amp; time it is, you could hit alot of traffic around the Dells) or a scenic route along the river in Wisconsin. Take 35 south going from La Crosse down to Prairie du Chien. Then take Hy 18/151 towards Madison &amp; then hook up with I-90 there. It is really scenic along that route as well as along 61 south of Minneapolis to Winona. &amp; if you wanted to do something cool (temp wise) for a short break along 151, when you get to Blue Mounds area you can go to Cave of the Mounds (maybe about 25 miles west of Madison.)

Okay, this is really weird! I tried to post earlier today but our internet was acting up and I got kicked off before it posted. That post doesn't show when I open the thread. But when I click on &quot;post a reply&quot;, there it is! I'm going to copy and paste that reply. My apologies to anyone who &quot;sees&quot; it twice.

Author: CAPH52
Date: 06/13/2007, 02:43 pm
Thanks again, Pam! And you too, jbass! I will definitely <i>not</i> inquire about the pottery! Sounds like a real budget-breaker! Must be nice pottery though. :)


Thanks too to mdwest and Bill. I'll read up on Stillwater too. And I really appreciate the route info, Bill. We're actually starting this trip in Madison. Our son has registration/orientation at UW July 22 and 23.

If your driving I-94,90 you could get a place off the main strip in Wis Dells.

Stillwater vs. Red Wing--I'd vote Stillwater hands down. Tons more to do; probably prettier-also on the River and there's Hudson, WI across the river as a bonus. Really depends on what you want to do and the direction you want to take. ((h))

We take the scenic routes whenever possible. Whether you choose to stay in Stillwater or Red Wing I would highly recommend the drive south along the Mississippi to La Crosse and then take hwy 33 east out of LaCrosse to Hwy 12 near Sauk and then 12 back into Madison. Hwy 33 is very scenic (if you don't mind curvy and hilly). Hwy 33 winds through the Amish community of Cashton so we often encounter the buggies and horses and this route is not packed with other travelers. The trip from La Crosse to Madison going this route only adds about 35 minutes to that portion of the trip. Well worth it if you can spare the time.

Just for the record, I think the prettiest drive along the Mississippi is actually south of La Crosse to the small, historic town of Prairie du Chien. The road along that stretch is nestled between the river and the bluffs. In some spots you actually travel along the backwaters and sloughs and we often see herons, egrets, eagles and other wonderful birds.

Whatever you choose, enjoy the trip.

Thanks, boombacca, jbass and mdwest. That sounds like a wonderful route, mdwest!

I have to start doing some serious research into Red Wing, Stillwater, La Crosse and Prarie du Chien. Things have been a little crazy around here the last week or so. But I should have time now to start really working on it. And I so much appreciate all the help I've gotten here! :)

Let me know if I can be of any help with Stillwater. If I don't know the answer to a question, I have &quot;contacts&quot; :)
Pam

Thanks for that very generous offer, Pam! I need to read my Moon guide first. And then, if I have questions, I know who to ask! :)

Caph, I don't know if you are interested in this at all, but along 61 south of Minneapolis to Winona, there are some prime spots for eagle (golden &amp; bald) watching, if you have your binoculars along. There are pulloffs along side the road where you can stop &amp; watch, &amp; you will usually know when there are eagles around because there will be people already pulled off &amp; watching. Again when I have taken the kids to hockey camps in July, we have driven abit north of Winona (and even once in awhile will see them south of Winona) &amp; stopped &amp; watched the eagles.

Thank you, Bill! We'll make sure to take the binoculars along. My husband will definitely be interested in seeing them. I've heard my sister-in-law and her husband talk about eagle watching along the Mississippi near Alton, IL. But I think they're usually in that area earlier in the year.

Does anyone know whether we're likely to see the Northern lights while we're on the North Shore in July?

I haven't seen the Northern Lights often while in Grand Marais in the summer - but I have seen them a couple times, so you can hope. They are really something when you do see them. Just fabulous. Have a fun trip.

Thanks, Cali. For the info and the good wishes. :)

Hello:
I enjoyed reading thru this thread regarding the North Shore..have never been north of Minneapolis.

We will be taking a Fall road trip which originates in South Florida. We will be leaving in September and plan to go thru St. Louis, Chicago, the west side of Lake Michigan, the UP from Mackinaw City to Marquette up to Copper Harbor and then across the Porcupine Mts. to Duluth and up the North Shore. Should we go as far as Grand Marais?(sp)

Will the weather still be decent toward the end of September, to middle of October? I like some your recommendations regarding Red Wing and or Stillwater...we have never been and can do our return trip going thru these areas...along Great River Road,etc.

Please advise about weather conditions during this time...hoping for some nice Fall colors..we don't see that in Florida. We will be traveling with a small dog, so we need pet friendly establishments to stay in.

Thanks

The weather can get cold and rainy, but fall is the best time of year around here, hands down.
Our wedding anniversary is Sept 19 and we've been married 25 years. We've had bad weather on our anniversary only twice in all that time. Our wedding day was perfect.

It may get a little cool further north, but it's usually beautiful and less humid in fall.

We also tend to take our northern trips in the fall. It usually ends up being around the end of Sept. or the beginning of Oct. It can be cool especially at night, but with the sun out it warms up nicely. Love that time of year! Just bring a light jacket and maybe a light weight sweater for under the jacket. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year to head north. Last year we stayed at a B &amp; B just north of Bayfield WI and didn't venture any further than that - beautiful weather and a wonderful weekend going to wine tasting, apple picking, shopping, eating.....
Pam

topping for welig12