Plan a day trip along the Mississippi River with stops in Minnesota & Wisconsin. This itinerary includes a hike, winery and pizza farm!
We love taking day trips to get away from the cities & to discover new places we've never visited. Driving along the Great River Road is entertaining in itself, with beautiful scenery of the river & bluffs.
There are a ton of places to stop along the Great River Road, we're just covering a small stretch. Did you know that the GRR spans the entire length of the Mississippi River, all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico?! This post will just cover stops in Minnesota & Wisconsin :) You can find more about our day on our Instagram Story Highlights, just look for "Great River Rd."
We're located in Minneapolis, so our first stop down south was to Red Wing, MN.
Barn Bluff in Red Wing, MN
There is much to discover in Red Wing, MN, but because this is a mini road trip, we just stopped for a short hike. Barn Bluff Trailhead is basically in downtown Red Wing with views of the city & river. There are a few different routes to take, we'd recommend starting on South Trail or Midland Trail for beautiful 360 views. The entire trail is 2.9 miles.
Points of Interest along Great River Road
We recommend driving along the Wisconsin side of Great River Road, it's a lot more scenic on this particular stretch. You'll just need to cross the river in Red Wing and get on Wisconsin State Highway 35. There are many turn offs for views of the river including: Maiden Rock & Pepin. If you're looking to fuel up or do a little shopping, make a pitstop in Prescott, WI.
Villa Bellezza Winery & Vineyards
Get ready to be transported to Italy! Villa Bellezza is absolutely stunning! They have a restaurant, tasting room and a gorgeous piazza with Italian music playing. We loved their Terra Reserve, highly recommend if you like a full bodied red. Their food looked delicious, but we already had plans to get our pizza fix on at...
The Stone Barn Pizza Farm in Nelson, WI
We've been wanting to visit a Pizza Farm for years and we're so glad we finally did because it was amazing! We got to The Stone Barn Pizza Farm right when they opened so there wasn't a wait. They have tons of tables and space to bring your own blanket or chairs. They offer all kinds of beverages including beer & wine and they even have ice cream! We ordered their Hawaiian and replaced the Canadian Bacon with Pepperoni and it was unbelievably good. We actually contemplated buying another to bring home. I should also mention, these pizzas are HUGE! They are wood fired Italian-style thin crust pizza. We've been to 3 pizza farms this year and this one is our favorite for pizza and 2nd for ambiance. Be sure to visit their cute store on the way out.
We hope you enjoyed our short day trip itinerary & hope you plan a mini road trip to discover the beauty of the Great River Road. For more Great River Road itineraries, check out our posts below.
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