Hey there,
I would like to start with, Bayport is a cute little place and it’s RIGHT NEXT TO Stillwater. If you’ve never been to Stillwater, you need to go right now. Stillwater is also known as “The Birthplace of Minnesota.” A lot of people have the misconception that it was the first city in Minnesota, but that’s false and I digress because I’m not here for a Minnesota history lesson. Although, it would be so fun to do a Minnesota history tour and learn more about this great state. But I need to stay in my lane and stick with the libraries. Maybe in another life I’ll be a history major, we’ll see. Anyway, back to my niche of libraries. Bayport Public Library in Bayport, MN (also part of the Washington County library system) is a beautiful historical building in downtown Bayport right off of the St. Croix Scenic Byway. In other words, it’s across the street from the St. Croix River, and it’s gorgeous. The building that currently houses the library also served as a school and a post-office in its’ past life (there’s that history again). I was personally a big fan of this library as far as “adulting” goes. It is perfect for quiet reading and working while enjoying a view and a free cup of coffee. But my daughter on the other hand found this place a bit boring (for lack of activities in the kid’s area). Which is definitely fine because it encouraged her to use her imagination a little bit. There also happened to be a birding class that was taking place while we were there so we joined that at the last and she really enjoyed it, as did I, so it wasn’t all that boring after all. The birding program was courtesy of Wild River Conservancy and we learned more about local birds, habitat, and all the things. Anyway, sometimes I forget to check the events going on at each library we go to, but that seems to work out in our favor and we get a little surprise activity during our trips to the library. So, let’s dive in to my reviews.
Library # 6/381:
Overall Star Rating
Important Things to Know
- Address: 582 4th St N, Bayport, MN 55003
- Library System: Washington County
- Parking: Small parking lot in the back and street parking
- Accessibility: Yes, but very limited
My Ratings
- Book selection: 2/5
- Children’s area: 2/5
- Amenities: 3/5
- Cleanliness: 4/5
- Staff friendliness: 2/5
- Restrooms: 4/5
Best for: Adults with quiet reading or work to do. Lots of meeting space on the upper level, so good for groups
Would I come back? Yes, without children
Unique Feature(s):
- Located in a beautiful historical building
- Free coffee
- Fireplace
- Wildflower garden
Photo
Nearby food/coffee:
- Downtown Stillwater (need I say more?)
- Not Justa Bar & Cafe’– this is a personal favorite of mine. They also have locations on the other side of the river in Wisconsin, and I used to live in Wisconsin so I’m partial to this place. Great breakfast
- Brick and Bourbon- Fun drinks and yummy food
- Willow River State Park– just across the river in Hudson, WI if you’re looking for a more scenic day trip and hiking. LOTS of good trails
So there you have it. Another library review in the books on our wild and crazy Minnesota Tour of Libraries. Many people say we’ll never complete this goal. That’s some negativity if I ever heard it. I would LOVE to complete this goal. How cool for my daughter and I to look back on. We love libraries, so why not see all of them and pick our favorite. I joke that we’ll have it accomplished before she starts middle school since we love the library so much. Who knows what the future holds. Hopefully many books and library trips am I right? Until next time. Next up is Maplewood. That’s all for now.
Talk soon,
Corrah
