Things to Do on a Sporty Winter Road Trip from Minneapolis to Winona

KICK THINGS OFF WITH CAFFEINE 

The Minneapolis location of Backstory Coffee Roasters trades the low-key look of its St. Paul outlet for a sunlit, plant-lined space within The Duffey. The former home of a paper company, it’s now a bright apartment building that stands as a prime example of why the North Loop is one of downtown Minneapolis’ most desirable neighborhoods.  

HIT THE TRAILS 

Just north of downtown Minneapolis is Theodore Wirth Regional Park, an essential stop for outdoor rec enthusiasts all year round. During the winter months, its lush golf course transforms into 20 miles of carefully groomed cross-country trails aimed at both competitive skiers and beginners. Theodore Wirth’s Nordic-style runs are so respected within the international community that it hosted the COOP FIS Cross-Country World Cup in 2024 — the competition’s first stateside appearance in two decades.  

ROUND THE GLOBE

Midtown Global Market’s community engagement director (Earlsworth “Baba” Letang) describes the indoor marketplace as a microcosm of Minneapolis — a cross-cultural “representation of what happens around us.” That includes Moroccan home goods (Dar Medina), East African clothing (Zahra Fashion), Himalayan meditation tools (Tibert Arts & Gifts), and a wide variety of omnivorous food options.

Stop by the Indigenous Food Lab to shop for Native American products and experience the visionary eats of Oglala Lakota Sioux chef Sean Sherman, or book a reservation at his James Beard-award-winning restaurant Owamni.   

COMPETE IN AMATEUR CURLING 

"The cool thing about curling,” says Minnesota Curling Association president Lisa Rudolph, “is you can take an hour to learn how to do it and a lifetime trying to get better.”

One of the best places in the world to make sense of the largely misunderstood Olympic sport is the Saint Paul Curling Club. Founded in 1912 and boasting more than 1,200 members — the largest club in the country — it welcomes guests and spectators during winter and spring league matches. Share a pitcher of Summit EPA beer while learning about the legacy of a quirky place that’s produced such medalists as recent bronze winners Tabitha and Tara Peterson.  

MAKE IT NORDIC

Get the full Up North experience while being surrounded by skyscrapers at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis’ Riva Terrace, which turns into a vibrant Nordic Village every winter. Be sure to book your fully insulated, meticulously designed (by the local menswear store MartinPatrick3) “cabin” with haste, as they often sell out months in advance and feature a playful multi-course menu of French onion soup, fondue, and Minnesota-shaped s’mores. Bring a few close friends or the entire family; five cabins seat up to four guests, and three have room for eight.  

FLY TO FRANCE (VIA ST. PAUL)

Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris is the home of a St. Paul-based Hmong baker who grew up in French Guiana and sharpened his culinary skills at the country’s oldest pastry shop (Stohrer), a revered Michelin-starred restaurant (Pré Catalan), and the acclaimed Soho cafe that came up with the cronut (Dominique Ansel Bakery).

Heu’s own creations often strike a balance between his French background and his family’s roots as refugees in Southeast Asia. Or as Marc Heu Pâtisserie co-owner Gaosong Heu puts it, “It’s really exciting to see the different flavors Marc comes up with.... Like ‘why passion fruit?’ or ‘why lychee?’.” She pauses and says with a smile, “Why not?”  

BUY A HOLLYWOOD-WORTHY BLANKET

If you ever seen episodes of “Yellowstone” or its spinoff “1923” and thought, ‘If Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford can wrap themselves in handwoven blankets, why can’t I?’, then you should head straight for the riverside factory of Faribault Mill. The iconic company started making its storied blankets in 1877. In the century-plus since, they’ve shown up in two World Wars, several television shows, and many design, fashion and style magazines. To see how they’re still produced today, stop by Faribault Mill on a Friday or Saturday for a tour. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (507) 412-5534.  

STRIKE A POSE BEFORE THE WORLD'S LARGEST BOOT

Speaking of heritage brands headquartered in Southern Minnesota, the one-and-only Red Wing Shoe Company has a small museum devoted to its heavy-duty boots within its flagship store. It’s hard to miss the 20-foot boot on the main floor, or all the artifacts that beam street and workwear fans back to 1905, but don’t overlook the discount outlet downstairs — one of the only ways to save a little money on shoes that’ll last a lifetime.  

BITE INTO AN AWARD-WINNING BURGER

When Tripadvisor named the top-ranked burgers in every state a little while back, many local news outlets were surprised to hear that King’s Place Bar and Grill prevailed over all the Juicy Lucy joints that have dominated headlines for decades. Anyone who’s been to the Miesville mainstay gets it of course, although good luck finding someone who’s tried all of King’s signature combos — more than 50 in total, ranging from relatively normal (sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese, a.k.a. the Chessman) to revelatory (a “Full Count” of peanut butter, homemade BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and French’s crispy fried onions).  

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE

Daily live demos and two floors of interactive exhibits draw around 80,000 visitors a year to The National Eagle Center. A beloved fixture along the Mississippi River, it reopened after a $27 million facelift in 2022. A big part of the reboot is Preston Cook’s private 25,000-piece collection, which the Wabasha resident agreed to donate in 2017. Now featured in a fully refreshed exhibition space, it spotlights nearly six decades of eagle fandom — everything from sheet music to stamps.  If you’re looking to see eagles in their natural habitat, the center also leads seasonal field trips and crash “floating classroom” courses along Lake Pepin.  

CELEBRATE THE ART WORLD'S LOVE OF WATER

While the artists, mediums and eras featured within the Minnesota Marine Art Museum are in constant flux, one thing has remained the same since 2006: its steadfast devotion to uncovering the intrinsic connection between creativity and water. Past exhibits have revolved around everything from a wide range of popular European paintings — household names like Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne — to the surreal work of Anishinaabe artist Karen Savage-Blue and large-scale portraits of Minneapolis photographer Alec Soth. 

FACE YOUR FEARS

Winona Ice Park is one of just five U.S. facilities devoted to the gravity-defying sport of ice climbing. The six volunteers who maintain its many routes are driven not just by the joy of reaching higher ground, but by sharing that thrill with others. The Winona-based Big River Climbing Guides offers courses to climbers of every age, skill and experience level at the park, and co-hosts a full-on Ice Fest alongside the Recreation Alliance of Winona and the city itself.  

What better way to conquer a fear of heights — something Robin Pacquing discovered during her own introduction, a Big River Climbing Guides session that left her drawing a direct love-of-the-sport line from Southern Ontario’s surfers to Winona’s ice climbers.