The 45th Annual Fall Arts Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9, in downtown Red Wing. The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Attracting more than 10,000 visitors annually, the festival, which is put on by the Red Wing Arts Association, is held each October during the peak fall color season. This juried event brings more than 90 artists to this historic city on the banks of the Mississippi River to sell their creations. The public is invited to purchase the artwork, and enjoy the food the music and the beauty of scenic Red Wing in the fall. There …

Assuming you don’t have severe claustrophobia, you can, as a Twin Cities resident, explore several outstanding caves within a short driving distance of the metro area. One is Niagara Cave in Harmony, Minn, located in the southeastern part of the state along the Iowa border.  It was recently voted the “Best Family Attraction in Bluff Country.” Visitors get a one-hour guided tour and can see 60-foot waterfalls, as well as stalactites and stalagmites and fossils galore. There is even a wedding chapel. There is also a gemstone-mining sluice where you can mine for real gemstones and fossils. A 10-…

Northfield townsfolk defeated the James-Younger Gang in about seven minutes. Planning and promoting the annual festival that commemorates the shootout takes awhile longer—like all year. Volunteers in charge of staging this year's Defeat of Jesse James Days joined for their regular biweekly meeting at Jesse James Lanes on Tuesday. Many of the gold golf shirt-clad people in attendance had already been working hard for weeks and months on their portion of the festival as it draws nearer. DJJD annually draws thousands of Northfield residents and visitors to town the weekend after Labor Day. The …

What kid doesn’t love toys and wildlife? A great place to take kids, especially that of grade school age and younger, is Lark Toys in Kellogg, Minn., and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn. Located along the Mississippi River between Red Wing and Winona, it is a trip of less than two hours from the Twin Cities. Lark Toys has toys galore, including a number of hand-carved wooden and collectibles. It also has a carousel, bookstore, miniature golf and a fudge store. The National Eagle Center in nearby Wabasha is devoted to conservation, research and education. The center is home to …

One of the biggest blues festivals in the Midwest is taking place this weekend in Duluth. The 23rd Annual Bayfront Blues Festival runs from Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14. Each year some of the area's top blues musicians appear during the weekend. In the past, notables such as John Lee Hooker, John Mayall and Johnny Lang have performed. This year’s headliners will be Commander Cody, Mick Sterling, Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants, and Tommy Castro. There will be plenty of food, beverages and merchandise for sale, too, and you can do some sight-seeing in Duluth—the famous …

During a Minnesota summer, nothing is as comfortable, relaxing and just plain fun as being out on the water—and what better place than the St. Croix River in Stillwater? The St. Croix Boat & Packet Co. has been in business for 30 years providing cruises out of Stillwater on one of five 1800s-era paddleboats or on its one luxury yacht, the Majestic Star. The paddleboats hark back to the history of Stillwater and the St. Croix when river traffic moved people and goods both in the region and around the country. The paddleboat was for many decades a major form of transportation for early …

Northfield, MN, is a picturesque college town only about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities, full of history, activities and scenic beauty. Built along the Cannon River, it is the home to Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges, and the site of the Jesse James Gang robbery of the First National Bank of Northfield in September 1876. The event is recreated every September during Jesse James Days. Information on the many activities, lodging, restaurants and historic sites is available by visiting www.visitingnorthfield.com

If you like old war planes and military aviation history, then you’ll want to spend part of this weekend at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie. AirExpo Minnesota will feature famous planes and some famous pilots. Among the aircraft on display and in the air will be a P-51 Mustang, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a TBM Avenger from World War II, and an A-10 Warthog from today. The show will run on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. For further information and tickets, go to www.airexpo-mn.org.

Less than an hour southwest of the Twin Cities on Highway 169, St. Peter is steeped in history. It was originally slated to be the capital of Minnesota, but skulduggery by some territorial legislators in 1857 (one year before statehood) prevented that from ever happening. Several of the buildings in the town are on the National Register of Historic Places and each October, Gustavus Adolphus College hosts its famed Nobel Laureate Conference. For more information visit www.stpeterchamber.org or call 1-800-473-3404. For additional information on Gustavus, visit www.gustavus.edu.

Lanesboro, MN, in the southeast corner of the state, bills itself as both the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Minnesota, thanks to 15 such lodging destinations and the Rhubarb Capital of Minnesota. However, because it is nestled in the bluff country of the Mississippi River, it also has many nearby locations for hiking, biking, canoeing,fishing and camping. It has a weekend Art in the Park program featuring regional artists, a birding tour and the Eagle Bluffs Rope Course where you can ride in a harness at treetop level near the area bluffs. The community has been recognized as a Minnesota Legacy …

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War—the bloodiest conflict in the nation’s history that resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 Union and Confederate combatants and civilians. To get a feel for this epic period, visit the Meeker County Historical Society in Litchfield, which is 65 miles west of the Twin Cities on Highway 12. The Historical Society is housed in a G.A.R. Hall, the only one still standing in Minnesota. The G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) was a fraternal organization founded after the Civil War and its membership was made up of Union …

Celebrate National Get Outdoors Day today by putting down the remote, logging off the computer and getting outside. With clear skies and seasonal summer temperatures forecast for today, National Get Outdoors Day is a great chance to grab the kids, pack a snack and find an adventure. All 72 state parks and recreation areas are all offering free admission, and many have planned special activities ranging from geocaching and kayaking to camping and other family-friendly activities. Click here to find a full list of events near (and not-so-near) you. Need some other ideas?  The Three Rivers Park …