Overview
Lanesboro is a quaint tourist destination in Southern Minnesota nestled in a deep valley of the Root River.
7 places to eat · 3 bars & cafés · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Oct. Summer highs reach about 85°F; winter lows dip to about 11°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jun and May. (climate data from nearby Waterloo)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- RST Rochester International Airport, Rochester — 29 mi away. Directions
- LSE La Crosse Regional Airport, La Crosse — 38 mi away. Directions
- MSP Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field, Minneapolis — 101 mi away (major hub). Directions
Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Do
Popular activities include biking, canoeing & kayaking.
Eat
Eat Pedal Pushers
Breakfast, lunch, & dinner.
Eat Old Village Hall Restaurant
Dinner only.
Eat Riverside on the Root
Lunch and dinner. Casual dining with good-sounding, but bland-tasting, thus over-prized entrées with rushed and slightly grumpy service, role-modeled by the owners. But the location and atmosphere is grand (if you can get a table on the river patio or balcony) and if you don't have too high expectations about food quality and service, it's worth a visit.
Eat Pastry Shoppe
Good value and taste for pastries and lunch. Seats 25. They also do wonderful catering.
Eat Chat 'n Chew
A traditional, old-time breakfast and lunch diner with the charm of fair-priced standard American fare with varying degrees of service quality.
Eat Spud Boy Diner
Breakfast and lunch. Circa 1925 diner car refurbished and placed on a small lot on Lanesboro's main street. Great food and excellent coffee. Booth seating for ladies.
Drink
Three bars & saloons cater to the needs of the thirsty:
Sleep
With over 125 beds and over 200 campsites in the community and surrounding areas, Lanesboro invites its visitors to stay more than just a day.
Nearby
Spring Grove
City / town · 10 listings · 20 mi away
Winona
City / town · 28 listings · 28 mi away
Decorah
City / town · 5 listings · 30 mi away
Rochester
City / town · 93 listings · 32 mi away
Spillville
City / town · 1 listings · 36 mi away
La Crosse
City / town · 24 listings · 38 mi away
Byron
City / town · 40 mi away
Wabasha
City / town · 4 listings · 46 mi away
My experience
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