Red Wing, Minnesota

This small town is on the Mississippi River just one hour southeast of the Twin Cities. It is best known as the home of Red Wing Shoes. This lovely small town has a great historic downtown commercial district and numerous Victorian homes. Treasure Island Resort and Casino is located on the nearby Prairie Island Indian Reservation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Red Wing on its 2008 distinctive destinations list. Redwing is the county seat of Goodhue County. The 20-mile long paved Cannon Valley Trail has its eastern terminus at Red Wing. Red Wing's Amtrak station is served by Amtrak's Empire Builder daily. In 1823, U.S. Army officer Major Long suggested the name Red Wing in reference to an Indian Chief who was called Hupahuduta (meaning “a swan’s wing dyed in red” which he carried as an emblem of his chieftaincy).