Sometimes you don't need a plane ticket, a packed itinerary or even a very long drive to feel like you've gotten away.
You just need a friend, a change of scenery and permission to spend a couple of days doing things you enjoy.
If you're looking for a girls’ weekend in southern Minnesota, St. Peter makes an easy little getaway. We have locally owned shops, great food, coffee, beautiful places to walk and plenty of ways to experience St. Peter without spending your entire weekend driving from place to place.
And late summer into early fall may be one of my favorite times to do it.
The days are still warm enough to walk downtown and sit on a patio, while the shops are filling with everything that makes fall feel new again.
Here's how I'd spend the weekend.
Friday: Check In & Settle In
Start by checking into the Konsbruck Hotel, a small historic boutique hotel located right in downtown St. Peter.
Then put the suitcase down and go enjoy yourself.
For dinner, head to KAVO Italian Eatery.
Order dinner, have a nice glass of wine and actually sit long enough to enjoy it. That's one of my favorite things about a weekend away—the feeling that you don't have to hurry on to the next thing.
Then head back to the hotel and get some sleep.
Tomorrow we're shopping.
Saturday Morning: Coffee First
Start Saturday at River Rock Coffee & Tea.
This is the hometown coffee-shop experience. Grab your coffee, visit for a while and then head out to experience downtown St. Peter.
And yes, I'm going to suggest one particular store. 😉
Shop Downtown St. Peter
Come see us at Her Happy Place.
But I don't want you to walk in thinking you need an entirely new wardrobe.
Think about what you already own.
What do you love wearing? What hasn't been working lately? What do you keep trying on and taking back off?
We'll help you look for the keystone pieces that connect those clothes and give you more ways to wear them.
Maybe it's a great pair of denim.
Maybe it's a lightweight layer that works with five things you already own.
Maybe it's simply a necklace or pair of earrings that makes an old favorite feel new again.
That's especially important if you're trying to update your wardrobe on a budget. Buying more inexpensive clothing isn't always the answer. Sometimes one well-chosen piece can make much more of your existing wardrobe work.
And shopping with girlfriends?
Even better.
Sometimes another woman sees something in the fitting room that we'd never choose for ourselves. Try it. Play. Give each other opinions. That's part of the fun.
Then keep walking. Downtown St. Peter has locally owned businesses worth wandering into, so don't make this a one-stop shopping trip.
Saturday Lunch: Find the Patio
When you're hungry, head to Minnesota Wing King.
Grab a spot on the patio if the weather cooperates and try some of their smoked options.
This is why I love doing a St. Peter weekend while the weather is still warm.
There will be plenty of Minnesota weekends when going from the car to the door as quickly as humanly possible becomes the goal.
This isn't one of them.
Walk.
Sit outside.
Linger over lunch.
Enjoy it while we can.
Saturday Afternoon: Experience Something Beautiful
After lunch, I'd change gears completely and head over to the Linnaeus Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Walk the trails, talk, take some pictures and enjoy being outside.
You don't have to accomplish anything.
That's allowed.
Then make time for one more very St. Peter experience.
Head toward the Minnesota River and take a walk along the historic Broadway Bridge.
Built in 1931, the green steel bridge has been part of St. Peter's landscape for generations. It's one of those landmarks many of us drive across without stopping to really look at it.
Walk a little. Look out over the Minnesota River. Take the picture.
And if you fall a little more in love with St. Peter while you're here, we created something for that, too.
Our St. Peter Heritage Collection Tote was inspired by the character and history of our community—including that very bridge.
It's a little piece of St. Peter you can carry home with you.
Then head back downtown. Browse another shop you missed, find an afternoon treat or go back to the hotel for a little downtime before dinner.
Saturday Night: Make It Your Own
This is the part I wouldn't over-plan.
Go back to a restaurant that caught your eye. Find a drink. Take another walk. Sit and talk.
One of the best parts of a small-town girls’ weekend is that it doesn't need to become an endurance sport.
You aren't trying to see 37 attractions before Sunday morning.
You're spending time together.
Sunday Morning: One More Meal
Before heading home, stop at The Nicollet Café for a home-cooked breakfast.
Have another cup of coffee.
Talk about what you bought.
Decide which one of you is responsible for planning the next trip.
Then head home with a few new memories—and hopefully a couple of new wardrobe ideas, too.
And What If You Already Live Here?
This might be my favorite part.
Do it anyway.
You don't need a hotel room to have a St. Peter girls’ day.
When was the last time you treated the town you live in like somewhere worth visiting?
Call a friend.
Meet at River Rock Coffee & Tea for coffee. Walk downtown. Come play in the fitting rooms with us at Her Happy Place. Have lunch on a patio. Walk the Arboretum. Cross the historic bridge. Get dinner.
We spend so much time thinking we need to go somewhere else to do something special.
Sometimes happiness is considerably closer to home.
And we only get so many of these beautiful, warm Minnesota days.
Winter will give us plenty of opportunities to stay home.
For now?
Get out. Call your girlfriends. Wear the good clothes. Walk downtown.
We'll see you at Her Happy Place in downtown St. Peter, Minnesota. ❤️
And when you're ready for more ideas, events and reasons to come back, visit Experience St. Peter and start planning your next experience.
