Taylors Falls, Minnesota (Population 1,054) is a small town located 45 miles northeast of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis & St Paul, MN. This historic village is well known for scenery, adventure and natural beauty preserved for thousands of years. The area attracts tourists from all over the world, and summer tourism can reach up to 5,000 visitors on any given day. Taylors Falls and the adjoining St. Croix River Valley offer several types of lodging & accommodations such as camping, Bed & Breakfast houses, as well as numerous Extended Stay Motels and Hotels. The town and it’s surrounding areas also have State Parks for Tent camping as well as camper cabins and camping sites with electrical hookups for all of your vacation needs.

Nearby at William O’ Brien State Park the accommodations are numerous, and include picnic and shelter areas, volleyball, horseshoes, a golf course (within 10 miles), a ballfield with a backstop, a fishing pier, swimming beach, as well as a boat launch and three year-round, rental cabins. They also have showers and toilets, and all accommodations are Handicapped accessible.

Wild River State Park is a 6,803 acre area located in Center City MN, which is a close neighbor to Taylors Falls. In addition to miles of multi use trails, they have picnic and shelter areas, a playground, restrooms, water for cooking and drinking as well as grills, boat ramps and a nature center that includes interpretive exhibits and naturalist programs. They also have camper cabins. For the nature lover, they have access to river boating, snowshoeing, skiing, horseback riding, canoeing, boating and excellent fishing.

Our family decided to stay at the "Holiday Inn Express" Hotel which is located in St. Croix Falls Wisconsin (about six blocks from downtown Taylor’s Falls on the other side of the St Croix River) Our greeting from the hotel staff at the reservation desk was very courteous and helpful. Since we were a little bit indecisive, we asked to see a couple of rooms before we made our decision. The staff gladly allowed us to do so. At this time we discovered that the hotel has 80 rooms, 4 of which are designated "Smoking Rooms." The rest are designated "Non-Smoking" rooms. Unique in style, our room was (L) shaped, and it had one king-sized bed as well as a comfortable sofa sleeper that the kids slept on. Around the corner was a table and two chairs, a microwave, sink, refrigerator and a coffee maker as well as adjustable lighting above the table. It was a great set-up for heating up leftovers or preparing meals for an extended stay vacation. This room would certainly qualify as an extended stay motel/hotel room. You would have no problem staying here for an extended period of time. The bathroom was very clean, and the amenities included a wall hair dryer, plenty of bath and hand towels as well as soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner. In the closet there were two extra pillows and an iron and board. This hotel also will allow you to purchase all of the items found in your room such as the hair dryer or iron, if you would like to take one with you for the rest of your trip. I thought that was a nice feature. Another nice feature of this hotel that I really enjoyed was the original artwork hanging on the walls throughout the entire main floor, as well as the dining area. Apparently the owners’ mother-in-law is a professional artist and she displays her artwork there. They even go so far as changing the paintings to match the present time of year. The dining area was very nice and clean, and featured couches, lounging chairs and a fireplace to cozy up to. It felt more like home than at a hotel, which was very appealing to me. I really enjoyed eating the complimentary breakfast there every morning.

Since our grandchildren like to spend most of their free time in the swimming pool and whirlpool, I like the pool area to smell clean, and not over bearing with any odors. The pool area at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel is one of the cleanest I have seen. I also like to use my keen sense of smell when judging a hotel swimming pool area. When I first open the door to a Hotel pool area, my sense of smell is most accurate, if I can smell strong mold or mildew odors, I may want to think twice about jumping in. I could tell right away the pool area at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel is well maintained because it smelled clean without the harsh odors. I give it 5 stars out of 5. Your family will enjoy swimming here.

It was later in the evening when we decided to have dinner. Although there was a café located right outside the hotel within easy walking distance, it was a Sunday night and they were getting ready to close. Another option we considered since we had a mini kitchen area in our hotel room, was picking up something from the grocery store located right across the street that was open 24 hours. (Again handy for those extended stays) One of the Hotel staff suggested a place called "Wayne’s Truck Stop". It was located less than a mile down the road from our Hotel. What a great place to eat with it’s hometown cooking and affordable prices! Our waitress was very friendly and patient and the quality and quantity of food was great. I could tell that the food was homemade and fresh. We also brought homemade pie back to our hotel for a late night snack. I am one of those people who want all of the comforts of home when traveling, and I like a circulating fan, extra blankets and pillows. When we were ready to turn in, I called the Hotel front desk to request these items, they had everything at our door within five minutes. Now that’s service.

There is a lot of very interesting history in Taylor’s Falls. The Interstate Park dates back to 1837 when the Ojibway (Chippewa) Indians allowed the United States to acquire lumbering rights (Minnesota) to harvest the rich virgin pine tree forest. In 1838, Baker and Taylor arrived from Fort Snelling to make a claim on the West bank of the St Croix. At that time they began construction of the mill complex, and marking the beginning of the first permanent settlement. In 1846, Baker and Taylor sold the claim and holdings to Joshua L. Taylor for two hundred dollars. The town was first plats and surveyed in 1851, at this time the young settlement was officially designated “Taylors Falls.” There were no roads leading to Taylors Falls, the only “highway” was the St. Croix river, traveled by steamboat, barge or birch-bark canoe. (Now that’s a true Adventure Vacation) The only other means of travel to Taylors Falls was on foot or horseback, through intertwining forest trails. In 1853, a road was finally cut through wooded areas such as Point Douglas, (Hastings) by way of Stillwater to Taylors Falls and further north to lake Superior. That same year the first bridge was built at Taylors Falls, and it was the first bridge to span across the St. Croix River. By 1880, tourism began to travel in to the town by train. Reporters from all over the world traveled to take photos of "The Little Switzerland" as it was called, given in reference to the rock formations, sheer cliffs and the glacial gardens. In 1891, the pristine area was established as a Minnesota Interstate park.

When visiting Taylors Falls be prepared to let your curiosity get the best of you. There are two hundred ninety three miles of acreage with several trails including safety rails that lead you to some of the world’s most beautiful scenic views of Glacial rock formations. You will see shallow and deep potholes formed by glaciers thousands of years ago, as well as a cave or two. You will see many hikers, rock climbers (permits and ID required) families wandering around as well as canoeing and paddle boat tours enjoying the St. Croix River. There are also several scenic parks in the area. Heritage Park which is located on Hwy. 95, has spectacular views of the St. Croix River Valley. They also have picnic pavilions, and wild flower walking paths. Cherry Hill Park is currently under preliminary design, but it is famous for a lighted ice-skating rink and beautiful scenery. North of town located on Co. Rd. 16 (a.k.a. "Wild Mountain Road") is Lions Park, on the north side of the park are picnic shelters, sand volleyball and trails. On the south side, there is a boat landing and more breathtaking hiking trails. From downtown Taylors Falls to the Minnesota side of Interstate Park, they have a pedestrian friendly River Walk park, that is located under the Highway 8 bridge and is considered a “must see” view of the river.

Remember the only thing separating Minnesota from Wisconsin is the river, so in about a ten-mile radius on both sides of the river, you can find a variety of restaurants ranging from casual to fine dining. In Taylors Falls there is a casual restaurant called “Schooneys Malt Shop and Pizzeria,” and is considered to have the best food in town for quality and price. The Border Bar & Grill is also listed under casual as well as Romaynes Bar & Grill. If you are in a hurry, there is McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. A couple of Fine dining restaurants are “The Chisago House” and a place called “Tangled up in Blue.”

Other local attractions include Wild Mountain Water Park which is located just 7 miles north of Taylors Falls. Great for the family on a hot day! At Wild Mountain, they also feature Alpine slides that coast down 1700 ft. to the bottom of the mountain. If you like a little extra adventure, the Park also features "formula-k" go-kart tracks. The adults can drive between 15-20 mph, but kiddie side go-karts are set at 5 mph.

Taylors Falls and the St. Croix River area, has something to offer any age traveler. If you are on a road trip or just passing through, stop in for a meal. If you are staying a night or two or planning an extended stay vacation, remember the Holiday Inn Express for Extended Stay Motels.