Walking paths along Lake George, views of power generation on the Mississippi River and traces of the city’s history offer different ways to experience St. Cloud. What you’d like to do can therefore be a good starting point for planning your trip: spend time by the water, attend a concert or visit a museum.
Outdoors at Lake George and the Mississippi River
Lake George is surrounded by walking paths, water features, seating and picnic areas, and a beach. On the southeast shore, the Lake George Boathouse rents pedal boats, canoes, stand-up paddleboards and fishing equipment. At the lake, you can choose between a walk, a break in the seating and picnic areas, or an activity on the water. Rental availability may change; check ahead for your dates.
Calvary Park has a year-round disc golf course that is free and open to the public. The Beaver Island Trail connects to the St. Cloud State University campus. At the St. Cloud Hydro Dam, you can look out over the Mississippi River from observation decks at different levels and watch power being generated up close.
Summer concerts on different dates
If you’d like to include a concert in your trip plans, the two summer offerings differ mainly in the day of the week and location. Starting in mid-June, concerts are held on select Sundays at 3 p.m. in Munsinger Gardens, near the gazebo along the Mississippi River. Summertime by George is an outdoor concert on the shore of Lake George, held on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Programs are seasonal; check the dates for your travel period ahead of time.
City history, museums and stages
At the Stearns History Museum, permanent and rotating exhibits highlight people, places and stories from the history of Central Minnesota. The museum hosts programs year-round and offers research opportunities. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the Research Center is accessible on Tuesdays by appointment. Opening hours may change, so it’s worth checking the latest information before your visit.
The self-guided Historic Downtown Walking Tour uses a virtual or printed map to lead visitors to the main historic sites in downtown St. Cloud. Historic buildings stand alongside modern shops and restaurants. For performing arts, the Paramount Center for the Arts presents performances by musicians, dancers, comedians and actors from around the world. Its historic Theatre preserves the original Sherman Theatre Curtain as well as elegant dressing rooms once used by vaudeville performers.
Baseball history also has its own home: the MN Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame Museum is on the second floor of the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center. It displays numerous artifacts relating to the history of amateur and town team baseball in Minnesota. The Great River Children’s Museum is in downtown St. Cloud and is designed for imaginative play by children and families.
A look at the city’s past
George Friedrich Park in East St. Cloud is on the former site of Gottfried Hilder’s granite quarry operation. The site combines a present-day park with a chapter in the region’s labor history. Along with the exhibits on the history of Central Minnesota and the historic sites downtown, this offers more than one way to explore the past: you can discover it through a former quarry, collected artifacts or buildings in the cityscape.
Explore more destinations: Sauk Rapids
Go to the main travel overview: Benton County.
