St. Joseph is one of my favorite small towns in Minnesota, thanks to its picturesque surroundings and walkable downtown dense with local shops and eateries. As an added bonus, it's well-positioned for a day trip from the Twin Cities—it's about a 90-minute drive northwest of Minneapolis. Over the past several years, Mike and I have made a trip to St. Joseph an annual tradition. Here's a guide to our favorite things to do and places to eat and drink, both in St. Joseph and in nearby Collegeville.
Things to do in and nearby St. Joseph, Minnesota
St. Joseph has a compact downtown (about four blocks long and one block wide) that's home to several local retailers and boutiques. Minnesota Street Market is a unique food and art co-op that carries groceries along with a nice selection of pottery, jewelry, paintings, soaps, and other items produced by over two dozen local artists and artisans. Hudson & Company is a boutique with clothing, bath products, and accessories—it's a great place to browse for gifts. W|R Home Company feels like walking into a magazine spread, with a beautifully curated selection of home decor and furniture.
My can't-miss shopping destination is St. Joseph Meat Market, an old-school butcher shop that's been in business since 1909. (The original market on Minnesota Street is now used as a processing facility, and the current retail store is a block away.) They produce an amazing array of creatively-flavored brats and beef sticks—Mike's a fan of the blue cheese brats and cheddar beef sticks. They also sell smoked fish (the salmon is excellent), basic groceries, and in the summer, a handful of fresh, locally grown produce items. Even if you're not planning to buy anything, it's worth visiting for the nostalgic, small-town vibe, with taxidermy displays and handwritten signs.
The College of Saint Benedict is a Benedictine and Catholic liberal arts college with a beautifully landscaped campus adjacent to downtown St. Joseph. It's a peaceful place to wander, with wooded grounds, a koi pond, a grotto, and stately brick buildings.
Millstream Park (about one mile northwest of downtown St. Joseph) is a nice spot for a picnic, with picnic tables shaded by large trees. The park is also home to a disc golf course, playground, and wooded walking trail along the Watab River.
Saint John's University in nearby Collegeville is 5-mile, 10-minute drive from downtown St. Joseph, and it's well worth the detour. (Historically, the College of Saint Benedict was a women's college and Saint John's University enrolled men. Today, they operate as a combined academic institution and students attend classes on both campuses.) Although the historic brick architecture and wooded grounds are somewhat similar to Saint Benedict, Saint John's has a more expansive feel, with a striking modern church and lake on campus.
The Saint John's Bible Gallery on the Saint John's University Campus showcases the Saint John's Bible, the first handwritten, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in over 500 years. It took a team of 23 calligraphers and artists 15 years to complete the 1,100-page book, which was finished in 2011. Although the techniques and types of materials date back to the Middle Ages, the art and aesthetic are modern, making for a fascinating juxtaposition.
The Saint John's Bible Gallery displays 28 pages of the Bible at any given time, along with other rare books and manuscripts as well as exhibits that explain the processes used to create the Bible. We spent about an hour taking everything in.
The Saint John's Bible Gallery is free and open to the public, although weekend hours are limited to the summer months and the gallery is closed for various holidays. Be sure check the website for the gallery hours if seeing the Bible is a priority.
Although the exhibit obviously centers the Christian Bible and Christianity, other faiths and cultures are acknowledged and discussed in a respectful tone. For what it's worth, Mike is a lifelong atheist and I'm Jewish, but we were both fascinated by the artwork and craftsmanship.
Places to eat in St. Joseph, Minnesota
Flour & Flower Bakery is my go-to spot to eat in St. Joseph. The tiny bakery churns out top-notch baked goods, including croissants, scones, cookies, and other sweet and savory pastries. Typically, there are a few items featuring seasonal produce—over the years I've enjoyed a corn poblano scone, rhubarb ginger croissant, and sweet potato croissant. I always get one of the compost cookies, which have the perfect tender, chewy texture and are loaded with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, potato chips, pretzels, oatmeal, graham crackers, and coffee (it sounds like a lot but it really works).
In addition to baked goods, Flour & Flower offers espresso drinks and pre-made sandwiches, quiche, and salads. Items are consistently fresh and flavorful, and we've especially enjoyed the quiche and the seasonal baguette sandwiches.
Note that there isn't any indoor seating at Flour & Flower. There are a few small bistro tables around the perimeter of the building, or you can get your items to-go and picnic in the nearby Millstream Park (mentioned above). I recommend pre-ordering baked goods online on weekends if you won't get into town until midday, since popular items sell out. Don't forget a loaf of sourdough to take home for later.
The Local Blend is another great option for baked goods, coffee, and lunch, especially if you want to linger in a cozy indoor space. Located on Minnesota Street in a repurposed historic building, the Local Blend is the epitome of a neighborhood coffee shop, with housemade baked goods and locally-roasted coffee. The food menu includes breakfast items like avocado toast, omelets, and granola parfaits, plus lunch options such as sandwiches, salads, soups, and flatbread pizzas. I'm a big fan of their biscotti, and I appreciate the extensive menu of coffee and tea drinks, including kombucha on tap.
Krewe Restaurant is a lovely full-service option, with New Orleans-inspired decor and Cajun-influenced menu that features dishes like po'boys, jambalaya, gumbo, and muffuletta sandwiches. I'm a fan of their Sunday brunch—order the French omelette stuffed with goat cheese and a Flour & Flower biscuit with jam. (Krewe is co-owned by husband-and-wife chef team Mateo Mackbee and Erin Lucas, who also own and operate Flour & Flower.)
Jupiter Moon Ice Cream is a fun space-themed ice cream shop with creative housemade flavors like confetti cake batter and root beer. Flavors rotate frequently, but one of my favorites, salted caramel with truffles, is usually on the menu. I love that you can get a flight of five mini scoops so that you don't have to decide on just one flavor. Jupiter Moon also makes their own waffle cones and sells bags of the broken pieces (a sure-fire way to my heart).
The House Food and Tap is a food hall with vendors specializing in burgers, pizza, and Hawaiian cuisine, plus a coffee counter and self-serve tap wall with wine, beer, hard seltzer, cider, and kombucha. We haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, but my colleague Amy Rea gave the sesame ahi tuna poke bowl (98 Hawaiian Grill), burger (Joetown Smashburger), and Trippple Birdie's Bacon Brussel pizza (Birdie's Pizza & Garden Bar) high marks in her review for the Heavy Table.
Places to drink in St. Joseph, Minnesota
Milk & Honey Ciders is a 2-mile, 5-minute drive west of downtown St. Joseph, with a taproom and patio overlooking an apple orchard. They craft cider from heirloom and traditional cider apples with minimal intervention, which results in complex, tannic ciders. Heirloom is a good entry point, and I like trying the Estate since it changes each year based on the apple harvest. If you're in the mood for something sweeter, I love the Alchemy ice cider and the Pommeau barrel-aged apple brandy.
Obbink Distilling has a casual space-themed cocktail room a few blocks north of downtown St. Joseph, just across County Road 75. They produce an impressive array of whiskeys, vodkas, gins, and liqueurs, which you can order neat or as a flight of three. There's also a menu of signature and classic cocktails—I'm a fan of their whiskey, and I think the old fashioned is a good value. Obbink Distilling does have a patio, but since the distillery is in a commercial area near a busy street it's not particularly scenic.
Bad Habit Brewing Co. is on my radar for our next visit—they have a taproom and patio in downtown St. Joseph, with a wide-ranging tap list and housemade root beer.
Additional information: Visit St. Joseph, MN
If you enjoyed this post, pin it!
