Stillwater

Understand

Stillwater is one of the oldest towns in Minnesota, being settled not long after the US government signed treaties with the local Ojibwa and Dakota nations in 1837. The town was the site of a territorial convention in 1848 that led to the establishment of Minnesota Territory as an organized territory in 1849, paving the way to statehood a decade later. Stillwater incorporated as a city on March 4, 1854, the same day Saint Paul incorporated. Today Stillwater is a popular day trip and weekend getaway destination for Twin Cities residents, who come to stroll the historic downtown with its shops and restaurants, and stay at one of the local bed and breakfasts.

The city is mentioned in the Swedish novel Nybyggarna ("The Settlers") by Vilhelm Moberg.

Get in

By car

From Minneapolis or Saint Paul, go east on Minnesota Highway 36, which passes Stillwater on the south side. Exit at Highway 95 and go north to reach Downtown Stillwater. If approaching Stillwater from the north or south, you can take Minnesota Highway 95 into town, which follows a scenic route along the St. Croix River. From Wisconsin, take Highway 64, which runs right into the St. Croix Crossing and becomes Highway 36.

By bus

Public transit access to Stillwater is unfortunately pretty lacking. The sole option is Metro Transit's Route 294, an express bus service linking Stillwater to Downtown Saint Paul, which only runs during weekday rush hours.

Go next

• St. Paul (25 min by car)
• Minneapolis (45 min by car)
• Duluth (2-3 hrs by car)