HASTINGS, Minn — KARE 11's Alicia Lewis hit the road this week and decided to explore a town southeast of the Twin Cities metro: Hastings, Minnesota.
"People love coming to Hastings because it's close enough to the Twin Cities because its about 20 minutes away from St. Paul but you can really come here and relax because you do get that small town feel when you're here in Hastings," said the Hastings Chamber of Commerce President Kristy Barse
With around 22,000 residents, Hastings does have that quintessential small town charm. From their coffee shops like Froth and Cork to their historic downtown with popular dining destinations like The Busted Nut Bar and Grill.
"All of our restaurants are fantastic and again they are not the standard chain restaurants they are all family owned and unique," said Barse.
In the heart of downtown lies the local watering hole, Spiral Brewery, where owner Amy Fox will tell you a little town history and where this brewery got its name.
"We used to have a Spiral Bridge, it was the only one of its kind," said Amy. "It crossed over the Mississippi and spiraled down to bring horse and buggies on the main street and it came down just a block away."
Now that we have an "in" with the locals and a cold craft beer to boot. Just a hop, skip and jump away - the towns not-so-hidden gem.
"We do have a waterfall right in the middle of town off of Highway 61 is the Vermillion Falls," said Barse.
During the 19th century the 35 foot waterfall used to power the old gristmill, today Vermillion Falls is just a beautiful attraction.
With well over 30 miles of biking and walking trails you can definitely work up an appetite, and if you have a sweet tooth ice cream at Schoolhouse Scoop is a must!
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