Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in South St. Paul (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Wakota Bridge, Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing, and St. Stefan's Romanian Orthodox Church. Also, be sure to include Stockyards Exchange in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in South St. Paul (Minnesota).
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Wakota Bridge
Segmental bridge in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wakota Bridge is a ten-lane bridge carrying Interstate 494 over the Mississippi River between South St. Paul and Newport, Minnesota, United States. It was completed in 2010, replacing a four-lane span built in 1959. The name was given to the previous span in the early 1960s, and is derived from the two counties it connects, Washington and Dakota. Lunda Construction Company won the bid to build a new five-lane west-bound span, remove the existing bridge, and build a new five-lane east-bound span, which was completed in 2010. It is the widest bridge in Minnesota in number of lanes, along with the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis.[1]
Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing
Specialty museum, Museum
Address: 310 Airport Rd, 55075-3551 South Saint Paul (South St. Paul)
St. Stefan's Romanian Orthodox Church
Church in South St. Paul, Minnesota. St. Stefan's Romanian Orthodox Church is a historic church built in 1924 in South St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was built for Romanian American immigrants who worked in the meatpacking industry. It continues to serve as a Romanian Orthodox Church.[2]
Stockyards Exchange
Building in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The Stockyards Exchange is a building in South St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, built in 1887 by the recently formed Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. The building housed businesses associated with the nearby stockyards, which later became the largest stockyards in the United States. It also housed a post office, city offices, and the city's first bank, Stockyards National Bank.
The stockyards were organized in 1886 by Alpheus Beede Stickney, who was the president of the Chicago Great Western Railway. The stockyards attracted four major meatpacking plants, including Swift & Company in 1897 and Armour and Company in 1919. During the World War II years, the stockyards operated at their peak. Due to changing market forces and the decentralization of the industry, the stockyards declined during the 1960s and 1970s. Swift closed their plant in 1969, while Armour closed their plant in the 1970s. In 1976, the South St. Paul City Council gave its Housing and Redevelopment Authority permission to buy the building. Colonial Properties bought the build in October 1979, but two months later, vandals caused major damage to the building by flooding it with fire hoses in the attic. The building was later purchased by a private developer, who was unable to raise the money to finish the renovation as scheduled. A couple opened the building in 1998 as the Castle Hotel, but it was only open a year. The building is now able to be reserved for private events.[3]
Serbian Home
Museum in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The Serbian Home is a two-story brick building, that was built in 1924 in South Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was built as a community center for Serbian immigrants who worked in the meatpacking industry. It served as a museum respecting the multitude of ethnic groups who have made the city their home until 2020, when it was purchased and renovated by Serbian immigrant Aleksandar Stojmenovic to serve as an event center.[4]