Enjoy a Better Way to Stay!  This is a great ad that was put out by The Better Way to Stay campain. The Better Way To Stay is a grassroots campaign to help travelers discover today’s inns and B&B experience. Brought to you by the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (to which the Rivertown Inn Innkeepers belong) along with hundreds of B&B associations, directories, vendors and innkeepers, the Better Way To Stay campaign seeks to bust myths and build confidence in the B&B brand. While hotels and motels are one option, inns and B&Bs add amenities like complimentary breakfasts, free parking, afternoon or evening refreshments, free wi-fi and much more. Find a better way to stay at a bed and breakfast!

Stillwater and the surrounding cities offer many activities leading up to Halloween night. Bring the kids in their Halloween costumes or choose to have an “adult-only” night and enjoy all the fun that Stillwater has to offer! On Halloween night, dress up the kids and walk Stillwater’s historic neighborhoods for candy. Stop by Rivertown Inn, Innkeeper Marty Rem will be passing out goodies!

Saturday, October 29th, 12:00pm – 5:00pm

Halloween at the Winery

St. Croix Vineyards is offering a free wine tasting to every adult 21+ wearing a costume and free candy for visiting with an adult.

For more information, please visit www.scvwines.com

Saturday, October 29th, 1:00pm – 11:00pm

Halloween Dinner and Dance Retreat at Afton House Inn

Saturday, October 29th, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Trick or Treat Trail in Afton

Bring the kids and follow St. Croix Trail through the town of Afton to collect Halloween treats, enjoy fall activities and have fun!  Treat Stops include: Making Waves Hair Salon, Afton Care Senior Homes, Baglio’s of Afton, Swirl Wine Shop, CURRENT Restaurant, Bisou Bisou Salon, Historic Afton House Inn, Calla Lily Day Spa, Afton Leather.

For more information on activities at the shops, please visit www.aftonmnarea.com.

Saturday, October 29th  & Sunday, October 30th, 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Trick or Treat on Main Street

Dress up the kids in their Halloween costumes and bring them to Historic Downtown Stillwater for a fun afternoon of trick or treating! Participating Downtown Stillwater Merchants will have a sign in front of their store or restaurant. Treats will be handed out on Saturday, October 29th 12-4pm and Sunday, October 30th 12-4pm.

For more information on participating businesses, please visit the Mainstreet Stillwater Facebook Page.

Rivertown Inn is proud to announce our partnership with Trellis Events, a charming garden venue located just minutes away from the Inn. We now offer two unique wedding packages for our guests: An Intimate Elopement and An Affair to Remember.

Ideal for intimate gatherings, Trellis Events is outlined by nature’s beauty. Their gazebo site creates the perfect setting for a romantic garden ceremony. From the moment your guests arrive for your wedding ceremony and enter Trellis Events through a beautiful trellis, they will stroll the landscaped grounds and be surrounded by picturesque heirloom gardens and historic limestone pathways, stone benches and trickling fountains. Trellis Events’ gazebo setting is perfect for smaller ceremonies. A wonderful chandelier overhead compliments the floral setting below. Guests can be seated on beautiful white chairs, draped with soft satin covers, on a grassy knoll. Afterwards, you and your guests can luxuriate in the splendor of Rivertown Inn. Our historic inn creates a unique and memorable atmosphere that your guests will never forget. Enjoy the ultimate in luxury with Rivertown Inn’s Suites and Bedchambers, featuring private baths with whirlpool tubs, fireplaces and unmatched decor. From sumptuous three-course breakfasts to intimate five-course wine dinners, Rivertown Inn can also provide the ultimate culinary experience for your guests. Together, Rivertown Inn and Trellis Events will make your wedding an affair to remember.

For more details on our packages, please visit our website www.rivertowninn.com.

Already have another venue for your wedding? Many couples choose to stay with us on their wedding night or honeymoon. Brides and Grooms that stay overnight with us have the option of taking their  engagement and wedding photos in our gardens and rooms. Brides and Grooms that cannot spend the night have the option of using our grounds and suites for photography for a small fee.

Please Contact Rivertown Inn at (651)430-2955 or visit our website to check availability and pricing.

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We recommend our sister property, The Van Dusen Mansion, for hosting a larger wedding or special event.  The Van Dusen Mansion is a contemporary events center enveloped in elegance and grandeur. Rising from a pedestal of earth in downtown Minneapolis, this breathtaking and enchanted property is ideal for weddings, corporate events and gatherings of any kind.

If you held your wedding at Rivertown Inn and would be willing to share your photos, or if you have taken wedding/engagement photos at Rivertown Inn, please contact us at rivertown@rivertowninn.com!

Chilkoot Cafe & Cyclery opened in June and is located just a few block away from Rivertown Inn. The cafe was recently featured in Heavy Table, a Twin Cities-based magazine for foodies. Read the article below.

Try climbing Chilkoot Hill in Stillwater, MN, and you’ll start to feel the burn around step number four or five. The hill has a 24 percent grade (rising 100 feet over a distance of 700 feet), which makes it treacherous enough to be closed off during the winter. It’s far too steep for cars. Cyclists, on the other hand, love the vertical challenge, and so do the owners of the hill’s namesake, the newly opened Chilkoot Cafe & Cyclery, located a few blocks away from the epic climb.

Tucked inside one of Stillwater’s South Hill residential pockets, the Chilkoot Cafe offers counter service dining (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), coffee, and pastry, as well as bike repairs and maintenance in its adjoining bike shop. The cafe held its grand opening mid-June, in tandem with the Stillwater Nature Valley Grand Prix bike race, whose director, Lee Stylos, is also the owner of Chilkoot Cafe & Cyclery.

According to Stylos, there are three ingredients that make for a great local cafe: a unique, inviting space; a welcoming, informed staff; and a menu that leaves customers with lingering “food memories.” Stylos started working with Chef Michael Moore in December to create that ideal neighborhood cafe. Having purchased a building that had once been a grocery store in the 1920s called Kearney’s Korner Market, Stylos and Moore set to work gutting the joint, reclaiming old windows and floorboards, building a kitchen, and, meanwhile, discussing the menu. Read More…

Celebrate the 4th of July in historic Stillwater, Minnesota with the Concert and fantastic Fireworks display! Bring a blanket and sit on the banks of the St. Croix River to enjoy the best fireworks show in the state! Fireworks are set off right over the river above the historic lift bridge. Concert starts at 7:00pm and the fireworks begin at 10:00pm.

Can’t make it to Stillwater on the 4th? The fun continues throughout the month of July with Summer Tuesdays’ events including a market, movie and music each week! Every Wednesday night, you can enjoy Cruisin’ on the Croix – a hot rod and vintage car show, also taking place in Lowell Park.

The Taste of Stillwater, which takes place at St. Croix Vineyards on July 9th, is a great time to sample wines, beers and food from local restaurants and vendors. You can also take winery tours, and enjoy live entertainment.

The Stillwater Garden Tour is Saturday, July 16th-17th, 10-4pm. Self-drive through the spectacular garden show and see the beautiful historic homes and lovely gardens throughout the city.

Born and raised in Stillwater, MN, Tony Tschida (Pronounced Cheetah) discovered his passion for cooking at the age of 14 while working his way up from bus boy to line cook at some of the most popular restaurants in his hometown.

Fresh out of high school Tony enrolled in a Minneapolis culinary school, but quickly found the lessons uninspiring and limiting. His real culinary education began when he purchased an old school bus, converted it to run on bio-fuels, outfitted it with a houseboat kitchen  and set off in search of cooking experiences that would enhance his hands-on learning and stimulate his passion for food.

For nearly ten years Tony honed his cooking techniques and developed his style while working north to south, east to west for some of the best chefs in the country. From haute French cuisine in Charleston, SC to the bold tropical flavors of Roy’s Hawaiian-Fusion Restaurant in Sarasota, FL; from the organic hippy vibe of Tony Harper’s Pizza Shack in Raquette Lake, NY to California’s famed Sonoma Valley – Tony has developed a well-rounded style of cooking that is flavorful, healthy and exciting.

Coming full circle back to Stillwater in 2010, Tony says, “No matter where I’ve been my heart has always been in MN and it will always be my home.” When it comes to comparing our state to the rest of the country, “I feel that  MN is really up there with current and innovative food trends. We have a whole collection of different genres and styles that are very surprising to find in MN making it a real pleasure to eat out and explore the culinary scene around town.”

Tony is thrilled to be cooking at Rivertown Inn where owners Jeff and Julie Anderson support his vision of creating eclectic and energizing dishes with robust artisan flavors. Grilled and braised meats, ocean-friendly fare, using locally-grown, organic produce whenever possible, and limiting needless sugars are the hallmarks of Tony’s style.

Tony prepares sumptuous three-course breakfasts for overnight guests, and offers a full schedule of specialty cooking classes, and private fine dining events throughout the year.

Rivertown Inn is committed to supporting local growers, artisan food producers, and organic agriculture.

Stillwater is welcoming a new restaurant, First National Green Room, to Main Street! The Sous Chef and Bartender from Marx Wine Bar have left to open their own restaurant and have taken over the former home of Shane’s on Main.  Innkeeper Mary Dieter went down to check it out and enjoyed the eclectic menu, varying spice levels for dishes and the option of small portion sizes! This is definitely a place we will be recommending to our guests.

Read more at the Pioneer Press

or

Visit First National Green Room on Facebook

On February 1st, the Stillwater City Council gave organizers the go ahead and the Nature Valley Grand Prix will return to Stillwater on June 19th. This is a really fun and exciting event and we are so glad to hear that it will be taking place here in Stillwater again this year! Last year, our guests loved cheering on the bicyclists on the challenging short-course located just a few blocks away from the Inn.

Here is what the St. Croix Valley Press has to say about the event:

STILLWATER — Five-day pro cycling event The Nature Valley Grand Prix will return to Stillwater June 19.

The Stillwater City Council gave organizers the green light at its Feb. 1 meeting, pending final review from the Downtown Parking Commission.

The Grand Prix is part of the National Racing Calendar, USA Cycling’s listing of the top professional races in the country. The six-day bike race, held mostly in the Twin Cities and Menomonie, Wis., will conclude with a race in Stillwater, said Lee Stylos of the Stillwater Bicycle Criterium.

The 2011 Stillwater Criterium (a criterium is a short-course bike race often run on closed-off city streets) will include three divisions: pro/elite men, pro/elite women and advanced amateurs. In addition to adult races, organizers have planned a two-blocks-long kids’ race.

“I think it’s a fabulous event for Stillwater and showcases the city in a unique way,” said Mayor Ken Harycki. “We’re just here to work out minor issues like expenditures the city has for the event, and what is fair policy.” Read more…

Learn more about this exciting event on the Nature Valley Bicyle Festival website!

The St. Croix River Valley is a beautiful setting for a romantic winter getaway and Rivertown Inn is proud to annouce a new seasonal package that is perfect for celebrating the winter season here in the valley with your special someone.

Our Snowshoe Solitude package is a great way to enjoy the Minnesota winters. Snowshoeing is easy to learn and you can blaze your own trail. Enjoy the wildlife and the quiet, snow-covered forests as you meander your way through the St. Croix River Valley. Wahoo! Adventures will pick you up at Rivertown Inn and deliver you to one of the many scenic locations within 10 – 15 minutes from the Inn.

Trek your way through a wintery park to find a romantic bonfire and picnic basket lunch waiting for you. Enjoy a rustic lunch provided by Wahoo! Adventures that includes artisan meats and cheeses with baguette, hot festive soup, and either bailey’s coffee or spiced wine to keep you warm and of course marshmallows to roast over the bonfire.

Snowshoes, poles, maps, and a quick lesson will also be provided. Plus, water and trail snacks. You pack the layers of warm weather gear. Plan for about 1 – 2 hours of snowshoeing, plus time for your leisurely lunch. Pricing is per couple.

This package can be ordered online or by phone. Please e-mail rivertown@rivertowninn.com or call 651- 430-2955 with your preferred reservation time.