Hastings Minnesota Day Trip

If you are looking for things to do on a Hastings Minnesota day trip, check out this itinerary!

Hastings is a surprising city full of unexpected little areas to explore. Like the historic downtown area, Vermillion Falls Park, coffee shops, the oldest winery, a fun brewery and great restaurants.

So, let’s see all that you can do on a Hastings Minnesota day trip!

Where is Hastings Minnesota?

Hastings is only 30 minutes southeast of the Twin Cities and the perfect distance for an ultimate day trip destination. Interestingly, Hastings lies alongside the Mississippi river which meets up with Vermillion and St. Croix rivers. Such a neat occurrence to have all these rivers meeting up in one area.

Drive over and view the Hastings Bridge

One of the most prominent things you’ll see when you first come into the city, is the Hastings Bridge. With its architecturally beautiful tied-arch design, it’s an amazing to sight to see and super fun to drive on.

But there’s more to the story, as the city clearly loves its bridge history. Especially the first bridge that was built in 1895. A spiral bridge that “spiraled” vehicles right into the downtown area. Such a neat history and you’ll find nostalgic mentions of the bridges throughout the city.

Start your day with some delicious coffee

Froth & Cork Coffee Shop — Coffee flight at Froth & Cork

There’s nothing better than getting coffee from a small-town local coffee shop. And luckily Hastings has a couple to choose from.

Here are the coffee shops in Hastings:

Froth & Cork is a very popular coffee shop in an adorable Victorian style house. It’s so popular that you should expect the place to be busy, often with a line out the door. Which is pretty impressive considering the shop opened one day before the pandemic shut down. Try their coffee flight and a breakfast toastie, (a breakfast sandwich with amazing flaky bread). Delicious.

Geek Haven Coffee is located within the Level Up Gaming shop. Which is super neat as you can order your coffee and look at all the old retro boardgames on the shelves. It’s also open later in the day. So, you can have the best day ever and get coffee in the afternoon as well.

Visit the historic downtown area

The downtown area is a bit of a surprise as it’s hidden from the main road of Hastings. Remember that old spiral bridge we talked about earlier? This is the town that it was spiraling vehicles towards. Once the spiral bridge was taken down, the bridges since then just go over the top of the town. Oh, how cool it must’ve been to ride that spiral bridge in the past.

But definitely make your way here because the dreamy historical buildings are in pristine condition. And if you are a shopper, there are antique shops and other fun boutique shops in this area.

Furthermore, there are also some great restaurants here that we will talk about a little later in this post.

Check out Levee Park

Within walking distance of the historic downtown area, is the wonderful Levee Park. Where you can hang out and relax by the Mississippi River and watch the boats float by.

It’s also where you can see a different vantage point of the Hastings bridge. Additionally, there’s even an amphitheater here that has fun events with live music, movie showings and more in the summertime. Check out the schedule here.

Eat at one of the Restaurants in Hastings

There is just something so incredible about sitting at an outdoor patio and eating good food. Luckily, Hastings has figured this out and has many restaurant options with patios. There’s even a restaurant where you can eat in an outdoor igloo/dome when it’s cold outside. Super fun and lively places to eat.

Here are some restaurants in the downtown area to check out.

El Mexican Restuarant of Hastings– Mexican food but people rave about their breakfast, especially eggs benedict!
Lock & Dam Eatery– Where the winter igloos/domes are! You must reserve the igloos ahead of time and be sure to see the price minimums on their website.
Busted Nut Bar & Grill– The place to get burgers. You used to be able to get free peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. (Hence the name.) But that went away a few years ago due to Covid. Hopefully this will come back!

Visit the Spiral Brewery

With the name being an ode to the old Spiral bridge, and also being Hasting’s only brewery, it really is a sentimentally cool spot. You can even see pictures of the old Spiral bridge on the walls inside the Spiral Brewery. So cool when businesses pay homage to the history of their city.

Furthermore, the brewery also has a rooftop patio, along with front patio seating as well. But note there are only drinks here, no food. However, they do allow you to bring in food from the neighboring restaurants.

See the beautiful City Hall building

If you love architecture, be sure to walk or drive by the City Hall. A beautiful building built in Italian Villa style in 1871. Known as a Courthouse when it was first built, and then became the City Hall in 1993. An absolutely amazing piece of history and true delight to gaze upon.

Visit the Vermillion Falls Park

Vermillion Falls Park is right off the main road in Hastings and a true gem to visit. Just a short walk from the parking lot, you’ll cross a pretty landscaped area with picnic tables before you reach the falls.

Once you get to the falls area, you’ll have many vantage points from which to view the falls. Additionally, if you want to explore more of the park, check out the remains of Ramsey Mill in Old Mill Ruins area.

Try a wine tasting at Alexis Bailly Winery

Alexis Bailly Vineyard — A whole row of vines to myself

One of the coolest things about this winery, is that it’s the very first winery in Minnesota. Established in 1973, it’s the first winery to plant and create wine from Minnesota grapes.

As you would expect, their wines are delicious, and the grounds are amazing. In the picture above, you can see that I’m sitting at a table in between the vines. Furthermore, I was lucky enough to be here when a band was playing outside and there’s nothing better than wine and live music. Definitely a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

Hastings Minnesota Day trip — Alexis Bailly Winery

Hang out at the Point Douglas Park

You can’t miss this park as it’s along the main road that goes into Wisconsin. In fact, this park or rather, the St. Croix River is right on the Minnesota and Wisconsin border. And it’s only 5 miles from downtown Hastings so you can come hang out here and relax after your fun day.

Check out the town of Prescott Wisconsin

Just down the road from the Point Douglas Park, is the adorable town of Prescott, Wisconsin. Another town that borders the river and has a ton of charm. I came here solely to grab a coffee from Twisted Oak Coffee House, but quickly realized that the town is amazing. Definitely worth a visit!

Visit the Carpenter Nature Center

The Carpenter Nature Center has over 400 acres of hiking trails, a visitor center and even has an apple orchard in the fall. The center’s main objective is to provide education on nature and hosts many student field trips throughout the year.

You can check out the visitor center with its live animals and informative demonstrations. Or just go on one of the many accessible or more rugged hiking paths. Everything at the center is all free but they do welcome donations. I was here for an hour doing some easy hiking paths, but I could’ve easily spent a few hours here if I had more time. It’s a beautiful place!

Visit the Afton Apple Orchard

In the fall, this is THE place to be. I was shocked at how big this place is and just how busy it gets. There are rows and rows of apples to pick from, a gift shop, hayrides, corn maze, huge jump area and more. It’s literally all your fall dreams in one place. But note that it does cost money to get into the activity side of the park and also to pick your own apples. Check out the Afton Apple Orchard website for current prices. You can also visit in the summer to pick your own strawberries.

Stay at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino

If you are looking for a place to stay nearby, stay at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino. Only 20 minutes away from Hastings and has plenty of fun things to do. Like an indoor lazy river with a swim up bar, bowling, a spa, concerts, and of course casino games. Super fun place.

Last thoughts on doing a Hastings Minnesota Day Trip

Hastings really is a surprising city with lots of hidden gems. Definitely a fun day trip! I hope you get to visit this amazing city and have fun making those memories!

If you are looking for some more towns close by Hastings, check these places out:

Things to do in Cannon Falls Minnesota

Day trip to Red Wing, MN