Stillwater is one of our favorite places around the Cities and whenever someone comes to visit, it’s always where we take them. It’s a super cute town on the St. Croix River on the Minnesota / Wisconsin border. Their downtown is full of unique shops, delicious restaurants, and fun events. Here’s our top things to do in Stillwater, MN:

St. Croix River Cruise

If you’re looking for a relaxing night out or a special date night, the dinner cruises on the St. Croix are awesome. They serve dinner and play live music, so it’s fun to spend the afternoon or night out on the water enjoying the river.

Nelson’s Ice Cream

At this local ice cream shop, they only accept cash and are only open during the summer months. The first time I went, Carm told me to order a kids size and share it. What?! She was right though because they stack those scoops so high and it’s so good.

Aamodt’s Apple Farm

During the fall months, this apple farm is the place to be. You’re able to walk through the orchards and pick your own apples while enjoying the fall colors. If you don’t want to pick your own, they also have a store with bags of apples, hot cider, and apple doughnuts.

Downtown Shops

There are so many cool and local shops in downtown Stillwater so it’s perfect for an afternoon of hanging out with friends and exploring them all. One of our favorites is Mara + Mi, which is a stationery and paper store that has adorable notebooks and planners and also their own design studio on the second level.

Brown Creek Trail

This trail has a good mix of shoreline along the river and tree cover as you go further north, which is great for bike rides, longer runs, and casual walks. It’s almost 6 miles long and also connects to the Gateway State Trail that goes all the way to St. Paul.

Events

Stillwater is all about the town festivals and they have at least one every season. Some of the festivals include Ice Castles in February, Fourth of July fireworks, Lumberjack Days, Harvest Festival, Aamodt’s Apple Fest, and Hometown for the Holidays and more so be sure to check their calendar for fun events!

Local Restaurants

There are so many great places to eat in Stillwater and lots of them have patios overlooking the river. Some of our favorites include Leo’s Malt Shop, Brick and Bourbon, LoLo’s Kitchen, Nacho Mama, and Portside.

Have you been to Stillwater? We’d love to hear your favorite things to do there!