A tuna melt.  Such a silly thing, but it made my day.  For some odd reason, the idea of a tuna melt popped into my head a few days ago, and my anti-tuna husband declared if I was going to make such a sandwich, it should be on a day when he was away at mealtime.  Today, on a rare without-kids outing in St. Peter, Minnesota, I stopped for lunch at River Rock Coffee and found a tuna melt on the menu.  I ordered half a sandwich with a cup of creamy tomato soup, and I’m not sure which I enjoyed more.  On second thought, it was definitely the tuna melt.  Honestly, you may wonder how a tuna melt can be special, but this one was.  I’d order it again in a heartbeat.  I’m adding the River Rock tuna melt to my list of things I like about St. Peter.

Oh, yes, there is a list.  St. Peter is one of those small college towns that just has a great feel to it.  The first time I drove through St. Peter was in April 1998, a few weeks after an early-season tornado ripped through its streets, destroying beautiful old buildings and huge old trees.  It didn’t destroy the spirit of the community, however, and today St. Peter is once again a beautiful place.  Its main street, which doubles as U.S. Highway 169, is wide enough for four lanes, turn lanes, and parallel parking on each side.  For a historic downtown area, this is very unusual, but legend says that St. Peter was anticipated to be Minnesota’s state capital, and thus was designed with a grand main street for its important purpose.

The capital never made it there, but there are still many reasons to stop in St. Peter instead of flying through on 169.

Ah, yes, my list.

Let’s focus more on the downtown area.  From unique coffee shops like River Rock and Waldo’s, to the St. Peter Food Co-op and Deli, to the unique shops including Swedish imports, kitchen needs, and a wide variety of household needs, St. Peter’s downtown is beautiful, one of those places that make you think “Main Street, U.S.A.”  (Hutchinson, New Ulm, and Northfield have similar downtown areas.)

A few blocks west of downtown, the post-tornado St. Peter Community Center is host to a variety of community programs and offices, including a lovely public library.  My kids love to go to the St. Peter Library because of the train table and other activities in the children’s area, while I have found that it has an excellent collection.  In fact, following a meeting I attended at the library today, I had to make two trips to the car with the materials I’d checked out.  The library is a pleasant and useful space.

Just outside the library/community center is a park with a huge playground, one of those wooden climb, hide, imagine, and explore playgrounds that kids seem to love.  The only thing I don’t like about the playground is that it’s hard to keep track of toddlers because they love to wander in, around, and sometimes out of the structure.  It’s a fun place for kids.

If history’s your thing, visit the Nicollet County Historical Society’s E. St. Julien Cox House or the Traverse des Sioux Historic Site and Nicollet County Historical Society Museum.  If you prefer nature, visit the Linnaeus Arboretum on the Gustavus Adolphus campus or walk the trails at the treaty site.  For a beautiful drive, head west out of town on MN Hwy 22, past the new hospital, to Norseland and beyond, through the rolling farmland, or cross the Minnesota River between the food co-op and Whiskey River, turn south toward Kasota, and hug the river along the shady drive that will take you all the way to Mankato if you take the right path.

Yes, St. Peter is brimming with charm, history, and character.  And let’s not forget–a really good tuna melt.

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