Exploring The Mississippi Bluffs on the Great River Road HWY 61

Authored By :Shannon Quanrud

As a couple John and I will arrive first at the Bed and breakfast Golden Lantern Red Wing Inn, at 8 AM.

Day One……Red Wing

We get a quick lunch at Subway walking distance from the Inn.

Our first destination is the Falconer Vineyard that makes up the Great River Road Wine trail, which is walking distance from the Inn. This is where we will have the opportunity to taste Riesling and Frontenac wine. Since this was a package we purchased, we then return back to the Inn to get our messages.

Next we walk to the Port restaurant which was once a bank vault that now holds a collection over 50 different wines. We have a great dinner and walk back to our Inn, to rest for our next destination………..

Day Two……Wabasha Our second Bed and Breakfast we stay at is the American Eagle Bluff Bed and Breakfast.

We will first visit the National Eagle Center since we cannot check in at the Inn until 5pm. Today’s event is

the Migration Celebration, which begins at 10:30.

Our breakfast that morning is a continental one from the Golden Lantern Red Wing Inn.

While visiting the center we will discover the centers own

Eagles…This is Harriet

Harriet, hatched in 1981, came to the National Eagle Center in 2000 after two years of rehabilitation at the Raptor Center in St. Paul, MN. Her permanent injuries were the result of a vehicular accident. Serious and irreversible damage was sustained on her left side; it left her unable to fly and thus was unable to be re-release into the wild.

We get a bite to eat at the center for lunch. After our visit at the center we head to The American Eagle Bluff Inn.

Slippery’s Bar and Grille was referred to in the movie Grumpy Old Men.

John and I have a great dinner riverside at Slippery’s. We purchase two t-shirts from their gift shop. They are the two shown.

After dinner, we head back to the Inn where we enjoy the beautiful view of the Mississippi and Chippewa River. It’s such a clear day, we have an unobstructed view of 25 miles from our suite.

Day Three…… WinonaOur last bed and breakfast destination is the Alexander Mansion, originally built in 1836.

We check in at 8 AM into the D.C. Alexander Suite. On the way we get a bite to eat at McDonalds.

The Alexander mansion was originally built for a local judge, Thomas Wilson. This mansion was built in the Winona’s turn of the century lumber baron style. Then the Alexander family moved in and lived there for nearly 50 years. Now the bed and breakfast optly holds the Alexander name.

John and I will begin our last day transformed back to the 1800’s on an authentic paddleboat, meandering along the Mississippi River along the dramatic wooded bluffs of the upper Mississippi. We also get to go through two locks and dams.

The Julia Belle Swain Cruise……………

Lunch and snacks are served accompanied by music and a historical narrator.

After our paddle boat tour, we come back to the Inn and check out the tandem from the Innkeeper…a bike for two. In advance we had them fill a basket for dinner from the local Acoustic café.

With our basket filled with dinner and a blanket, we take the tandem on an adventure . We ride the path around the beautiful Lakes of Winona where we find the perfect spot to take in the beauty of the bluffs, soaring eagles and the activities all around us. Then its back home to reality…..Cambridge that is.

Total cost for our trip along the Mississippi Bluffs…………..

Golden Lantern-$159.00 plus $99.00 for the Vineyard and message package.American Eagle Bluff Bed and Breakfast-$175.00.Alexander Mansion-$229.00 Total for the Inns……$.662.00

Costs of the three Bed and Breakfast Inns

Cost of food for the three day trip

Day one food cost- Lunch @Subway-$10.00 Dinner @Port Restaurant-$95.00Day two food cost- Breakfast-free, continental Lunch @Eagle Center-$15.00 Dinner @Slippery’s-$50.00Day three food cost-Breakfast @McDonalds-$6.00 Lunch on boat, came with admission Dinner-Picnic basket from Acoustie Café’-$25.00 Total for food……$201.00

Cost of extra’s

Admission to Eagle Center-$16.00T-shirts@ Slippery’s-$30.00Tour boat-$90.00 Total for extra’s…..$136.00

$662.00$201.00$32.00$136.00

Total cost of trip $1,031.00

Cost of fuel$32.00

Driving directions from Cambridge to Winona

Go North on CR-70Turn right onto MN-95Take MN-65 S ramp on rightTake I-694 E rampTake exit 47(I-35 E S)rampTake exit 107A(I-94 E, US-52 S, 10th St, Wacouta St) on leftTake I-94 E (US-52 S,US-10 E) ramp on leftTake exit 244(US-10, US -61 S) on rightContinue onto US-10 E (US-61 S)Turn left onto US-10(Point Douglas Drive S)Continue onto US-10Turn right onto WI-35(Broad St. N, CR-Q)Continue onto WI-35(CR-Q)Continue onto -35Turn right onto US-63Continue onto US-62Turn right onto US-63(MN-58, Highway 58 Blvd, Plum St)Turn right onto US-61(US-63, Highway 61 Blvd, W Main St)Bear right onto US-61(US-63, Highway 61 Blvd)Continue onto US-61( S Lakeshore Dr)Continue onto US-61Turn left onto MN-60(Pembroke Av)Turn left onto MN-60(4th Grant Blvd W)

Map………