Choose Your Winter in Hastings!
Skiing, Ice Fishing, Frozen Falls and More! Hastings is a top choice for a perfect winter get away. Let us help you build your winter vacation itinerary. Check out different winter experiences below:
Enjoy The Outdoors
HIT THE SLOPES
The Hastings area is home to two premium ski hills in Minnesota.
Afton Alps:
6600 Peller Ave. S., Hastings, MN 55033
Nestled on the scenic St. Croix River Valley just outside Minneapolis and St. Paul, this sprawling resort offers 300 skiable acres, 48 trails, 18 lifts and four terrain parks. Located just North of Hastings, this ski resort has something for experts to beginners. Details at www.aftonalps.com
Welch Village Ski & Snowboarding Area:
26685 County Road 7 Blvd, Welch, MN 55089
Located just 20 minutes South of Hastings, Welch Village offers 140 acres of skiing in addition to a terrain park, food service, rental center, kids club, and Ski Link Learning Center. Details at www.welchvillage.com
CROSS-COUNTRY AND SNOWSHOEING
For fabulous Cross-Country Skiing & Skate Skiing. Spring Lake Park Reserve / Schaar’s Bluff Trailhead has miles of dual-tracked, classic cross-country skiing and packed skate skiing trails that provide opportunities for you to explore during the beautiful winter season. The trailhead and picnic area provides a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River Valley.
Spring Lake Park 8500 127th St E, Hastings, MN 55033
Spring Lake Park offers cross-country ski trails with spectacular views. Click here to view trail maps, hours, and rules and regulations for Spring Lake Park Reserve’s trails.
DISCOVER NATURE
Winter is a great time to get outdoors! Hastings offers great spaces for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter hikes. Enjoy moonlight snowshoeing at St. Croix Valley Carpenter Nature Center or explore miles of cross-country ski trails in Spring Lake Park.
Carpenter Nature Center 12805 St. Croix Trail S., Hastings, MN 55033
Carpenter Nature Center has beautiful snowshoeing trails and hosts a special moonlight snowshoeing event for adults. Learn more about Carpenter Nature Center.
Discover the Frozen Vermillion Falls!
Located off of HWY 61 in Vermillion Falls Park, this stunning waterfall stands 35 feet high. Unique from other MN water falls, the Vermillion Falls are located right in the center of town! These falls frozen over are a site to see, and you won’t want to miss their mighty release in early spring.
Just a short walk west on the trail and you’ll find the gorge bridge with a beautiful view of the Vermillion River. Further downstream along the path is the ruins of the Ramsey Mill.
Shop & Dine In Our Historic Downtown
2ND STREET, HASTINGS, MN
Hastings Historic Downtown, located on 2nd Street along the Mississippi River, is a must-stop when visiting. Stroll antiques and boutiques or grab lunch at one of 6 great restaurants. Thirsty? The new Spiral Brewery offers excellent craft beer in a family-friendly environment.
Bogey’s Pub: If you like indoor golf during the off-season, you need to visit Bogey’s Pub at Emerald Greens Golf Course and try one of our 8 state-of-the-art, high definition (HD), widescreen simulators. These HD simulators are the best interactive golf simulators on the market. You can play Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, and Medinah just to name a few of the top 100 golf courses.
The Spiral Brewery: The Spiral Brewery’s is located in Hastings’s historic downtown on 2nd Street and features a community tap room that is family-friendly. “Family friendly” means all members of the family are welcome including well-behaved pups. Watch their website for live music, bingo nights, hops & hymns, and more!
Alexis Bailly Vineyard: This winery is open year-round, enjoy delicious local wines in their tasting room open winter hours Friday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Discover Alexis Bailly Vineyard!
SEE A SHOW
The Hastings Art Center is a stunning concert venue that features live music, plays, and community events.
Black Dirt Theater is a local theater production company that performs one featured winter show each year. This December, don’t miss A Christmas Story showing 12.1, 12.7 & 12.8 at the Hastings High School. Starting in January, Black Dirt puts on a dinner theater show in collaboration with The Onion Grille in downtown Hastings. Flaming Idiots premiers on January 25th!
Enjoy Family-Friendly Events
Hastings is known for hosting amazing outdoor events, and winter is no exception!
From Thanksgiving runs to lighted holiday trains, dueling pianos, ice fishing, and more; the events calendar will provide guests with plenty of winter event ideas the whole family will enjoy.
DECEMBER
The CPR Lighted Holiday Train rolls into Hastings each year with live performances by notably known artists. Caroling, hot chocolate, food, fun, and a special visit by Santa. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11th because the train pulls into the CP Depot, 500 East Second Street at 8:00 pm.
JANUARY
Ice Carvings Festival Celebrate the winter season in Downtown Hastings, horse and wagon rides, a DJ, and ice sculptures throughout our neighborhood. Walk the streets viewing the ice carvings in front of the stores, then step inside and warm up with a hot drink, food or in-store sales items.
www.hastingsdba.com
FEBRUARY
Frozen Mulligan Join the Hastings Downtown Business Association for a nine-hole mini golf tour of Downtown! It is free to play and we even offer mulligans. Purchase two mulligans for $5 when you pick up your scorecard.
All completed scorecards will be entered into a prize drawing and there are also prizes for the child’s lowest score and the adult’s lowest score!
www.hastingsdba.com
Choosing to spend your winter weekend in Hastings has never been so easy!