Visit Stillwater, Minnesota - North America's First Official "Booktown"

Let me say right at the start that I love to read and I love books. When my wife and I moved from Iowa to Stillwater, MN, in 2002, it was almost like dying and going to heaven! (Well, that may be an exaggeration, but it was a good place to live.). For a variety of reasons, we have since moved from Stillwater into the Twin Cities, but we still enjoy our occasional visits to "Booktown."

What makes Stillwater a booktown? The term itself is derived from Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Hay-on-Wye, with a population of 1300, had over 20 bookstores with an estimated inventory of 2 million books. Because of that, it was a designated "Booktown." Hay-on-Wye, by the way, has a beautiful website with a detailed listing of the bookstores in the town.

Stillwater, by contrast, is a larger town, but by 1994, it had 35 booksellers and over 500,000 books for sale. Town officials petitioned Richard Booth, the King of Hay-on-Wye and the Lord Protector of all Booktowns, to recognize Stillwater as an official Booktown. Attempts were made to convince the king to visit Stillwater (a requirement for a town to be granted Booktown status). Finally, bookstore owner Tom Loome, personally visited the king and the king agreed to visit the town. On August 26, 1994, Stillwater was officially declared the First Booktown in North America. The booktown.com website will give you more details about the petition and the official proclamation that made Stillwater a "Booktown."

The major bookstores deal in used books. One theological bookseller is housed, appropriately, in a restored church (The Old Swedish Covenant Church). It's like going to church as the customer searches for books that deal with God.

Books are not the only reason to visit Stillwater. If you like antiques, you'll find several stores that may have what you want. There is a store that deals exclusively with antique radios. My wife and I have been in it and it brings back memories of our childhood. A Christmas store offers beautiful holiday decorations from Europe.

Stillwater is built along the St. Croix River with its scenic beauty, especially in the fall. A train carries passengers along the river while they enjoy a meal during the trip. Riverboats can take you out on the water. There are many great restaurants to fit any pocketbook. For dessert, you'll want to try Nelson's Drive In Dairy Store for the largest servings of ice cream for the price that I've ever seen.

One drawback to Stillwater is the traffic. Many people going across the St. Croix River into Wisconsin can cause traffic backups during rush hours. Add to that a stoplight and a two lane highway going through the heart of town and there are problems that lead to irritation on the part of some of the residents. I remember seeing a bumper sticker on an early visit to the town: "Welcome to Stillwater. Now go home!"

If you do make a trip to Stillwater, be patient, get through the traffic jams (or come into town on a different route than the main one (A sign will direct you.), and enjoy all that the town has to offer.

Sources:

www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/
booktown.com/Booth.htm