Things to Do in St. Cloud (2024)

By Lisa Meyers McClintick

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ROCK-SOLID RECREATION

Besides its location along the Great River, theSt. Cloudarea’s also known as Granite Country. Rocky outcroppings throughout the region have been quarried for more than 130 years, providing red and speckled black-and-white granite that graces buildings and monuments across the country.

Best bet for rock-solid fun? It's got to beQuarry Park and Nature Area(pictured above), with 684 acres in the adjacent city of Waite Park. Hiking trails loop past close to 20 former quarries that have filled in with spring water, creating peaceful pools that reflect surrounding rocks walls and piles of granite chunks. The quarry areas are ideal for a romantic picnic, trout fishing, scuba diving and rock climbing.

If you hear whoops and big splashes, you’ve reached the park’s summer hot spot—Melrose Deep 7—where swimmers and a few daredevils launch themselves off rock ledges and into the super-chilled water of this unique 112-feet-deep swimming hole.

A few minutes away, theStearns History Museumoffers quick lessons in granite with a re-created two-story quarry operation among its exhibits. The gift shop offers granite souvenirs and books that highlight the area’s German-Catholic roots. Among its early settlers were Benedictine monks and nuns who established the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, which exhibits hand-scribed, illuminated pages from the world-renowned St. John’s Bible in its.

EXPLORE HISTORIC DISTRICTS

History and recreation blend with a stroll aroundLake George, St. Cloud’s new concert venue and gathering place, with downtown as the backdrop. You can see St. Mary’s Cathedral inspired by an Italian basilica, Stearns County’siconic yellow courthouse dome,concerts and plays lit up on the 1921Paramount Theatremarquee and Victorian-era buildings where you can find cafes, boutiques, a spacious bookstore and plenty of nightlife.

From downtown, the Mississippi River flows past the historic homes and St. Cloud State University’s campus on a high bank above the river until it reaches the dam. Don’t miss crossing University Bridge to the east side, which is anchored by the vibrant, elegant—and free—Munsinger Clemens Gardens.

A trail parallels the shore and leads from the gardens to Riverside Park, where you can disc golf on oak-canopied hills, let kids run through the playground and playful splash pad, throw in a fishing line below the dam, or simply sit back and take in the beauty of the mighty river making its way across America.