- Exploring the hidden gems of Western Wisconsin—curating unforgettable stays and sharing the places locals love most.
Thousands of people drive through Prescott every week on Highway 10 without ever turning onto Broad Street. They cross the bridge, glance at the river and keep going. I always want to roll down the window and yell, “You’re missing it!”
Prescott sits where the St. Croix meets the Mississippi, at the very start of Wisconsin’s Great River Road, and it’s full of small things that make people fall for it once they slow down. These are the hidden gems I point out to guests, the ones locals know and visitors usually miss.
Up on a sandstone bluff about 100 feet above the river, Freedom Park is where the Great River Road officially begins. From the overlooks you can watch the clear water of the St. Croix meet the brown Mississippi, and on a calm day you can see the line between them stretch downstream. It’s an Audubon birding site, and bald eagles are a regular sight, especially in the colder months.
Most people walk the overlook and leave, but go inside the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center. It’s free, with exhibits on eagles and river wildlife, river boating, Native American history and the commerce that built these towns. National Park passport collectors, take note: there are two passport stamps here.
Insider tip: From November through February, the center is open weekends only (Saturday 10 to 5, Sunday noon to 5). The park and overlook are open year-round.
Here’s a Prescott trivia question most locals get wrong. The Highway 10 bridge over the St. Croix is often called the “lift bridge,” but it’s actually a double-leaf drawbridge. Since 1990, it has opened in two halves that tilt up like a pair of hands. Right next to it, the railroad bridge is a true vertical-lift bridge, where the whole span rises straight up. Two different kinds of moving bridge, side by side, at the mouth of the St. Croix.
From April through October, the highway bridge opens on signal for boats, from 8 a.m. to midnight. There’s no timetable, so grab a coffee, sit by the river and wait for a tall sailboat. It’s oddly satisfying to watch.
Down on Front Street, right at the confluence, Mercord Mill Park is a small riverside park with one of the best views of both bridges. It sits on the site of an 1852 sawmill that later became the Mercord family’s flour mill, and historical markers tell the story. Look for the old gear house from the earlier lift bridge, still standing in the park.
On Broad Street, the Welcome and Heritage Center is home to the Prescott Area Historical Society and its rotating exhibits. This year’s exhibit, Steamboats, Towboats and River History, tells the story of the boats that made Prescott a river town, and it runs through fall 2026. Hours vary through the year, so call ahead or stop by and see if the door is open.
Just a few doors down, the historic H.S. Miller Bank building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Look up at the arched windows. As the story goes, they were brought upriver by steamboat. It’s a good reminder that for most of Prescott’s history, the river was the highway.
Most people order their coffee at the Twisted Oak Coffee House and walk out. Don’t. Head upstairs to the loft, which regulars call the tree house. It’s the coziest seat in town on a cold morning, and there’s a fireplace to warm up by. Order the Starry Night and the breakfast burrito and stay a while.
Everyone wants a table on the deck at Muddy Waters, and in summer I get it. But the real insider seat is at the bar. That’s where the locals are, where the bartenders know everyone, and where you’ll hear the best stories about the river. Order the baked Brie and a Manhattan, and ask whoever’s next to you where they’d go fishing. On Friday and Saturday nights, the house-smoked prime rib is a reason to stay for dinner.
Ten minutes north of town, Kinnickinnic State Park covers more than 1,200 acres where the Kinnickinnic River meets the St. Croix. In summer, boaters anchor off the sandy delta at the river’s mouth, and there’s a beach you can walk to from the parking lot. In winter, the park grooms classic cross-country ski trails, packs other trails for snowshoeing and hiking, and has a sledding hill off the Brown Trail lot. Bring a Wisconsin state park vehicle pass.
Riverbank Antiques and Book Shop is a two-for-one, with antiques and used books under one roof. And 22 and Co., a home decor shop full of refined-rustic and salvaged pieces, is run by an owner with an interior design background. Both are easy to miss and worth the stop.
Make downtown Prescott your home base and book direct with us: The Port of Prescott for boutique king suites steps from the river, Port After Dark for romantic suites made for couples, The Harbor Hotel for themed rooms and extended stays, and The Cove Guest House for downtown condos and group getaways.
