Hudson: Lakefront Park, Art and History

Hudson can be explored through a wide range of interests: At Lakefront Park, the offerings along the shores of Lake St. Croix include a beach, paved paths, and a Tree Trek. The Phipps Center for the Arts brings together theater, music, dance, and visual arts, and also offers opportunities to get creative yourself. If you want to explore local history, you’ll find a banner walk, a collection of historic objects, and connections to the Yellowstone Trail. Tastings in the historic downtown are also among the experiences Hudson has to offer. When choosing your vacation rental, it may therefore help to consider whether you want to focus on the park and waterfront, culture, history, or food and drink.

Waterfront Experiences and Tree Walks at Lakefront Park

Lakefront Park has a swimming beach and paved paths. The park also has a public boat launch. Use of the launch is subject to a fee, and seasonal passes are available. If you plan to use a boat, you should take this fee into account. The beach, paths, and launch give the park a variety of attractions, without requiring you to choose a particular type of experience.

The Hudson Tree Treks are self-guided walks through parks or along residential streets, passing a variety of tree species. One of the described routes is the Lakefront Park Tree Trek: It starts at Picnic Point, south of Buckeye St. and the boat landing, follows the shore of Lake St. Croix, and continues along the path north of the Beach House near Vine St. The specific route helps you consider this walk as a park activity in its own right.

Experience Art or Create It Yourself

The Phipps Center for the Arts offers a diverse mix of theater, music, dance, and visual arts. Its cultural offerings range from performing arts to visual forms of expression. If you’re planning a stay with a variety of interests in mind, this breadth of offerings is a reason in itself to explore Hudson beyond Lakefront Park.

The Phipps also offers art classes and studio activities for all ages and skill levels, including pottery and drawing. If you want to create art yourself, rather than just look at it, you can consider these offerings when planning your stay. This makes the Phipps a good fit both for those interested in performances and visual arts and for those looking for a hands-on activity.

Hudson’s History Through Several Examples

The Lakefront Heritage Project is a historic walk along the footpath in Lakefront Park. Banners along the path cover Hudson’s local history. This also makes the park a place where you can combine a walk with a look at the area’s past. The History Alcove offers a different way to learn about history: It displays an extensive collection of historic objects related to local history. While the banner walk follows a footpath, the History Alcove centers on viewing historic objects.

Hudson is also part of the Yellowstone Trail, established in 1912 as the first transcontinental highway. Another connection to history is Hudson’s Yellowstone Trail Heritage Day. Its offerings include classic car displays, historical reenactments, and demonstrations of historic dances. These activities offer a different way to explore the subject than the banners in the park or the objects in the History Alcove. If you’re interested in transportation history and historical reenactments, you can take these aspects into account when planning your trip.

Downtown Tastings

The Hudson Food Walk offers tastings at six stops in Hudson’s historic downtown. The guided tours last three hours. This makes the duration a useful guide for planning your day; the number of stops also gives the walk a clear structure. The Food Walk is a good option for anyone who wants to get to know Hudson through its food culture, without requiring any particular foods to be part of the experience.

Whether you’d rather spend your time at Lakefront Park, explore art offerings, discover local history, or plan a guided tasting tour, Hudson offers several different themes for a stay. You can also consider New Richmond as another destination.

For the broader travel overview: St. Croix County.