Lanesboro Decked out in Snow

Schedule your two night winter getaway at the Hillcrest Hide-Away B&B or Anna V’s Bed and Breakfast.  We’re ready to help you with your winter getaway.  Cedar Valley Resort rents cross country skis and snow shoes.  Enjoy a horse drawn sleigh rides in the bluff tops. Savor a couples massage at the Prana Healing Center.  Chef Brett from the Pastry Shoppe has his smoker going on weekends at the “Smoky River Barbeque”.  It is a quaint joint near the river that has received rave reviews. You can check trail conditions at: http://www.lanesboro.com/lanesboro-rootrivertrail.php

In February Lanesboro begins to wake up from its winter hibernation.

Feb 4: 20th Annual Whalen Candle Light Ski - The Root River Trail is lit with candles for a mile with bonfires at both ends.

Feb 4: Flamenco, Pure and Strong at the St. Mane Theatre, with dancer Deborah Elias and guest singer Vicente Griego - feature raw, soul-baring solos, lustrous and spirited company dances and driving guitar rhythms.

Feb 4: Dinner on the Bluff Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center hosts dinner and and a presentation by Gene Merriam, of the Freshwater Society sharing the status of the protection, enhancement and restoration of our freshwater resources.  Dinner menu include: strawberry-orange salad, roasted red pepper & tomato soup, trout, wild rice stuffing, roasted asparagus and cheesecake with assorted fruit topping.

Feb 10 7PM. Over the Back Fence - locals call this Lanesboro’s version of A Prairie Home Companion, An hour and a half of fun entertainment plus 30 minutes of pre-show live music.

Feb 10, 11, 14, 17, 18 The Old Village Hall features a special four course dinner with optional wine pairings to share with your special Valentine.

Feb 27, 28: Lanesboro Community Theatre presents: “Moon Over Buffalo”-upIt’s 1953 and a washed up acting duo, George & Charlotte Hay, are touring New York.. BUFFALO, New York.  They just one shot at leading roles in a film by THE Frank Capra, and he’s coming to see today’s matinee!  Everything goes wrong – with hilarious results!  This plan is nothing less than a love letter to live theatre.

Lanesboro is a quiet destination for your winter getaway.  Comfortable inns, great food, and beautiful scenery all await your visit.

The popular Lanesboro Holiday Inn Tour is coming soon, and this year it comes with a special twist.  The Tour welcomes people to visit the Bed & Breakfasts and inns that have made Lanesboro the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota.

Bed & Breakfast Decorated for the Holidays

This year the Tour will happen over two days: November 19th and 20th.  Six inns will be open on Saturday November 19ths and six more on Sunday the 20th.  Each inn will be decorated for the holidays and will offer a warm welcome to their special homes.   The Old Village Hall Restaurant and Pub will also be serving Amuse Bouche (bite-sized appetizers) to all ticket holders as part of the tour.  Visit the inn tour web site to purchase tickests and see the inns participating in the tour.  The times of the tour each day are 2-6 p.m.

Tickets purchased in advance are $20 for a one-day visit, $35 for two days.

Guests who are staying at any of the sponsoring inns that weekend will receive half-price inn tour tickets.

Enjoy the charm of Lanesboro and the beauty of the decorated B&Bs as a way to begin your holiday festivities.   For more  information, call 800-944-2670 or 507-467-2696.  Tickets—which are limited—can be purchased online at or in-person at the Lanesboro Visitor Center in downtown Lanesboro.  Advanced ticket purchase is recommended.  Tickets purchased on the day of the tour are $30 for one day and $45 for two days.

Make your visit to Lanesboro complete by dining downtown and attending the holiday play “Parfumerie” at the Commonweal Theatre.  See you at the 3^rd Lanesboro Holiday Inn Tour!

Fall colors in the Root River Valley

During the week is a great time to visit.  The Root River bike trail is quieter.  All you can hear is the wind rustling in the trees and the crunch of new fallen leaves under your bike tires.  MBBA member inns are ready to welcome you to our pretty corner of the state.  Hillcrest Hide-Away B&B, Habberstad House, Anna Vs, Scandinavian Inn, and Berwood Hill Inn each offer unique lodging, bountiful breakfasts and welcoming innkeepers.  

Lanesboro offers more that bike touring.  You can visit the Amish community nearby.  The Amish will soon be harvesting corn for winter storage.  You can see the corn shocks drying in the fields.  The Amish bakery is one of my favorite stops.  Fresh, glazed donuts, cashew crunch, home made bread, and apple turnovers are just a sampling of what you will find.

Fillmore County Rolling Farmland

As you visit the Amish, tour many of the ridge roads that offer mile after mile of beautiful fall foliage throughout Fillmore county.

The Commonweal Theatre is performing two plays this month: “Little Shop of Horrors” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”  Both plays have been lauded as outstanding performances.    Plan your fall leaf color tour to Lanesboro: “a quirky combination of the outdoors and the arts.”

To Kill a Mockingbird

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is one of the plays running in repertory this fall at the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, MN.  This play is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Harper Lee.  There is little debate that Harper Lee based “To Kill a Mockingbird” on factual events during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  Many believe the Tom Robinson trial in the novel was inspired by the infamous Scottsboro Boys trials – a case where nine black men were accused and convicted of raping two white women, despite overwhelming evidence to their innocence.

The novel is adapted for the theatre by Christopher Sergel and brought to the stage by the Commonweal Theatre Company.  The play is presented on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through October.  The play runs in repertory with “Little Shop of Horrors”.

Plan a fall getaway to SouthEast Minnesota, enjoy the fall colors, breathe in the crisp fall air, and take in the theatre.   Lanesboro’s innkeepers have the welcome mat ready for your visit.  There are five MBBA member inns located in Lanesboro:  Anna V’s, Hillcrest Hide-Away B&B, Berwood Hill Inn, Habberstad House, and Scandinavian Inn.

Lanesboro's Commonweal Theatre

Sylvia is an outrageous comedy that challenges everything we know about love, sex, relationships and the meaning of life. A financial trader facing career burn-out adopts a stray dog who turns his home, life and marriage upside-down. Commonweal’s Sylvia includes a woman playing a dog and a man playing two women. That makes the play sound merely silly, but it turns out to be a fresh, entertaining and ultimately rewarding production (read the full review).  Sylvia runs through August 19.

Playing opposite Sylvia is Little Shop of Horrors.  Seymour is a lonely flower shop clerk living on Skid Row when an unusual talking plant – with a very unusual appetite – promises him fortune and fame…at a price. Don’t miss this smash hit musical comedy! Little Shop of Horrors was a Broadway and Hollywood hit, and with good reason.  The music is an irrisistible combination of girl group-pop and ’60s R&B, given a showtune polish.  The comedy is twisted, but is not threatening (read the full review).  Little Shop runs through October 28.

Starting August 26th is “To Kill a Mocking Bird” based on a novel by Harper Lee and adapted by Christopher Sergel.  The warmth of childhood and the bitter loss of innocence surround one woman’s recollections of growing up in the South during the Depression and the summer her father risked everything to defend a black man falsely accused of a horrible crime.  To Kill a Mockingbird plays through November 13th.

Make your visit to Lanesboro complete by staying in an MBBA member inn.   Lanesboro’s innkeepers have their welcome mat ready and waiting for your arrival.   When you stay at the Hillcrest Hide-Away Bed and Breakfast your stay includes a just-baked loaf of home-made bread delivered to your room each morning, plus a hearty breakfast.  Hillcrest guests may redeem a voucher for a $5 discount to the Commonweal Theatre.

Over the Back Fence Radio Show

For the past 15 years “Over the Back Fence” has entertained us with local humor, outstanding music and just a good time.  We locals like to refer to it as the “poor man’s  Prairie Home Companion”.

On September 5th, 1010 Over the Back Fence took its’ curtain call as a live radio show.

Over the winter, a dedicated group of volunteers has been planning for the next generation of “Over the Back Fence”.   “Over the Back Fence” is moving next door to the St. Mane Theatre and play on the 2nd Friday of the month from February through November.  Plans include retaining much of the original character of the show and surely introducing new features for all to enjoy.

Plan a winter weekend getaway and join us for the inaugural version of the new and improved “Over the Back Fence” on February 11th.  Make it a complete Valentines weekend getaway by staying at one of Lanesboro’s lovely Bed and Breakfasts, enjoying fine dining at the Old Village Hall, cross country skiing on the Root River State Trail, or dashing through the winter wonderland on a horse drawn sleigh ride.

Performances are scheduled for Dec. 16th – 22nd.  Tickets are limited so plan ahead.  Tom Weber from the Rochester Post Bulletin calls Little Women “simply sublime …  [Little Women] seems to effortlessly create the kind of warmth we seek in any holiday story“  All who have seen the play and treasure the original book have come away touched.  View a Little Women Trailer to learn more.  For tickets call the Commonweal at: 800 657-7025.

On Saturday Dan Choinard returns to Lanesboro to host a community sing along.  Dan will bring his accordion and heart warming stories to help us enjoy the evening.  Dan is a Minneapolis native who plays, tours and records regularly with an ever-expanding roster of musicians and writers.

Dan will be joined by many local Lanesboro musicians to make the evening complete.  Contact the Lanesboro Arts Center for tickets at: 507-467-2446.

Lanesboro’s bed and breakfast community offers you choices of many lovely homes to stay in addition to fine dining to complete your visit.

Enchanted April Play

Enchanted April: This 1920s romantic comedy breathes new life into the most stifled of souls.  On the most basic level, Enchanted April is a success as a romantic comedy because it’s both comic and romantic. In telling the story of four English women who break free of their rain-drenched sorrows and oppression for a month in a rented Italian castle, there’s plenty of opportunity for surprises and redemption, hopes that Barber never squelches.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile: Steve Martin’s comedy is sure to have you roaring with laughter from start to finish!  Two guys walk into a bar, order up one part Einstein, one part Picasso, and add a splash of the zaniest characters to ever hit our stage “all shook up.”  We promise a rollicking good time.

Plays are performed Thursday through Saturday and Monday evenings with matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday.  Visit the Commonweal Theatre Lanesboro, Minnesota web site for schedule details.

Theatre is just a part of what makes Lanesboro a great destination.  The Root River State Trail, winds 60 miles through bluffs, forests, and rolling fields. The trail traverses Southeast Minnesota’s Bluff Country offering a variety of attractions for all ages and interests with welcoming trail towns often along the trail.
Lanesboro is near one of the largest Old Order Amish settlements in America. The rolling countryside offers an ideal location for their life style. Educational tours are available to see the Amish as they really live, and the items they produce and sell (baskets, quilts, furniture and crafts). The tours offer an appreciation for the Amish way of life.

Lanesboro’s historic downtown has been revitalized; the arts flourish, gift shops intrigue, and restaurants satisfy a variety of tastes. Horse drawn buggy rides offer a perfect ending for the day.  Come and see for yourself why people return time and time again to renew themselves in Lanesboro’s riches and immerse themselves in the “ Art of Living Well”!

As the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota, Lanesboro offers lodging to suit all tastes: country inns, restored Victorian Homes, and a restored mill all with welcoming innkeepers.

March 26 and 27 Commonweal Theatre presents: Death and the Ploughman
April 10: Ladies Day in Lanesboro including a Fashion Show sponsored by Cheryl’s Apparel
April 16, 17: Commonweal Theatre Ibsen Festival Weekend
April 23, 24: Bluff Country Studio Art tour and Earth Day in Lanesboro
April 30 – May 1: Commonweal Theatre presents: John Gabriel Borkman

Lanesboro innkeepers are shaking out their welcome mats preparing for your visit.   Lanesboro restaurants are launching new spring menus for your enjoyment.  To fill out your weekend, schedule a massage or a manicure.  Take an Amish tour.  Visit the unique shops and the Lanesboro Art Center.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in our country today.  We are thankful for Carol’s return to the kitchen after successful open heart surgery on February 1st.

To celebrate, we invite you to a spring girl’s getaway weekend at the Hillcrest Hide-Away Bed and Breakfast in Lanesboro, Minnesota.  Mention this blog entry when making your reservation and we will donate $10 for 1 night stays and $25 for 2 night stays between now and Mother’s Day to the Go Red campaign sponsored by the American Heart Association.

First Sign of Spring

Let us  pamper you for a weekend away.  Awaken each morning to the aroma of just-baked home made bread delivered to your room followed by a hearty breakfast in our dining room.

The crocuses are stretching their little heads to catch the warm sun.  Other bulbs are sure to follow.  Kiss winter goodbye and welcome spring in Lanesboro the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota.

Lanesboro’s  Bed and Breakfasts and fine dining restaurants have the welcome mat ready for you to enjoy the full weekend of events.  Regardless of your interests, you’ll find a lovely place to stay and a breakfast to suit any taste.  Kari’s, a new Scandinavian restaurant in Lanesboro, will be serving special treats for Ibsen Festival weekend.

Experience Lanesboro, the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota.