Cottage Grove, MN Outdoor Activities

Held aloft by 35 years of family tradition, Stillwater Balloon sends intrepid explorers skyward from a port just off the scenic St. Croix River. Friendly FAA-certified pilots operate each craft and readily answer any questions that passengers may have as they float through gorgeous views of the surrounding valley. The billowy, multicolored behemoths cruise at treetop level, allowing travelers to shake hands with monkeys. Private and semiprivate flights are the business's forte, but Stillwater Balloon also accommodates custom flights for backyard surprises or ultimate school pickups.

Long rumored to be the home of eerie happenings, a lonely stretch along Highway 61 has begun to attract even more sinister attention with the arrival of The Haunting Experience on Highway 61. Drawing from the site’s fabled past—including tales of cannibalism and mysterious disappearances—three haunted houses illicit goose bumps by way of deranged clowns, men with chainsaws, and ghosts plagued by unfinished business and half-completed doctoral theses. While waiting to enter the spooky abodes, guests can fortify their spirits by a bonfire and munch on snacks from the Ghoulish Grill and frosty mugs at the beer tent. Aside from these terrifying attractions, guests seeking a tamer experience can venture through a corn maze during the daytime, solving clues hidden within its paths to win prizes.

Skiers and snowboarders gently rise over the St. Croix River Valley in one of 18 chairlifts that grant them access to Afton Alps’ 300 acres of skiing terrain. With 48 trails—80% of which are manageable for beginner and intermediate alpinists—and an average annual snowfall of 48 inches, guests can carve their way down Afton Alps’ 350-foot vertical drop in a variety of ways, from slowly snaking down a 3,000-foot run to tucking into a cannonball at the peak and landing with a white splash at the base. Three rental shops provide guests with high-quality gear, and a snowtubing park offers a more leisurely way to enjoy the tender romance between snow and gravity.

In the spring, the melting snow gives way to the fairways and greens of Afton Alps’ 18-hole golf course, where golfers hunt pars over a combination of flat and hilly terrain. Guests can take in scenic views of the St. Croix River and its attendant wildlife aboard a peppy golf cart or while cruising down trails on a mountain bike or runaway wheelbarrow.

Vintage Paintball Park’s speckled outdoor arena unfurls 10 different fields across 600 acres, including the Thunderdome, where players aged 10 and older engage in colorful combat under the watchful eye of trained referees ensuring safety. Amid the paintball crossfire, sharpshooters weave in and out of a variety of obstacles situated around urban landscapes, hilly terrain, and moms yelling to come inside for supper. The park hosts myriad battle scenarios that keep guests entertained throughout the day or for the duration of season passes. Private paintball lessons help players improve shooting accuracy before releasing them into the line of fire during Saturday and Sunday afternoon open play. An onsite concession stand replenishes body fuel with snacks and drinks so that players can jump back into games with the energy of a superhero bit by Ben Franklin.

Capital City Trolleys charters a fleet of vintage-style vehicles and trolleys, ushering up to 20 passengers through New Orleans's historical and picturesque streets. Certified drivers cart revelers to their desired destinations during chartered rentals, cultivating a memorable corporate outing or ride to the airport. For weddings, Capital can transport brides, grooms, and ring-bearing bulldogs around town in a classic 1952 Bentley Mark VI luxury car.

Ever since its inception in 1935, the South St. Paul Rod & Gun Club has challenged visitors’ aim and timing in the rugged backwoods surrounding the Mississippi River. At year-round shooting ranges, visiting marksmen raise their rifles on four trap-shooting fields and three skeet-shooting fields. They can also travel to eight raised, wooden stands on a 50-target sporting-clay course or switch up positions on a five-stand field, blasting at targets shot to simulate the flight patterns of various game birds, which is easier than tracking the deceptive tumbling of blown kisses. To challenge technique and speed, staffers fire a range of specialty targets such as vertical-launching springing teals and arcing chandelles. When not training new shooters or catering to recreational marksmen, the club’s staffers host leagues and seasonal tournaments where competitors test their shooting prowess and showcase the season’s hottest camouflage tuxedos. All visitors can refuel at an onsite restaurant and bar, or stock up on shells, earplugs, and apparel at the pro shop.