Minnesota’s Top 3 Coziest Towns for a Winter Getaway

Wintertime calls for a cozy getaway. That could mean going to a cabin away from everything for a weekend or hitting up a cute small town. We've got lots of options right here in Minnesota but there are three towns in our state that made the list of the coziest winter towns in the entire country.

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What makes a town 'cozy'? According to New York Travel Guides, the ones who built this list of the 110 coziest winter towns in the US, they determined which towns are the coziest based on

(1) popularity during winter with the general public and photographers, (2) cozy weather, and (3) cozy activities and atmosphere.

MORE COZY: 11 Picture-Perfect MN Airbnb's to Stay in this Winter

Not only are there Minnesota towns that made the list, there are also towns in our surrounding states of Wisconsin and Iowa that made it, too!

The coziest winter towns in Wisconsin are Bayfield, Cedarburg, and Lake Geneva. And the coziest winter towns in Iowa are Pella, Fairfield, and Decorah.

Coziest Winter Towns in Minnesota

But now, let's get to the coziest winter towns in Minnesota! These towns are the perfect spots for a little winter getaway. Up first is...

Stillwater! They even came in as the 10th coziest winter town in the entire country.

Stillwater has a beautiful downtown area on the St. Croix River. They have great little shops and delicious restaurants. Plus, they have cool events in the winter like a snow sculpture competition that they've hosted the past few years.

Up next is Red Wing.

Another town with an awesome downtown area. They're also located right along a body of water but this time it's the Mississippi River. The older buildings and views of the river make it the perfect cozy spot in the wintertime.

And finally, Excelsior was also named one of the coziest winter towns in Minnesota.

Once again there's a super cute downtown with plenty of shops and restaurants. And, once again, the town is on a body of water. Excelsior is located on the shores of the chain of bays that make up Lake Minnetonka.

Clearly, there's a theme here of cute downtown meets waterfront views meets shopping and tasty food. And I definitely agree that that's part of what makes up a cozy winter town! So start planning your mini escape to one of these spots before everything gets booked up.