The Magic Door Bed & Breakfast

The Magic Door is a stately, three story Victorian located on a spacious corner lot, just two blocks from downtown Northfield. It was built in 1899 by Henry Boe, the owner of one of Northfield's first hardware stores. The house had been both a private residence and a triplex before I purchased it in February 2001 to create my bed & breakfast.

Featured in Minnesota Monthly magazine as one of nine great weekend getaway B&Bs.

Featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Travel Section as a favorite retreat for a romantic weekend. The Magic Door has a "reputation for amenities & attention to detail."

The three room inn is quaint and relaxing with beautiful, unique furnishings, designer towels and bedding, quality mattresses and newly remodeled bathrooms. As an experienced B & B patron, I have strived to create the type of place I personally would love to frequent by providing all the amenities I hope to find during my travels and getaways. It is not only my home and my business, but an expression of my personality and spirit of hospitality. The Magic Door  is open! I hope you will come and experience it.

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Northfield is a friendly, historic town situated 35 miles south of the Twin Cities on the Cannon River. It is home to St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges, two top-rated schools that draw students from all over the country. In addition to the attractions and activities available year round on each campus, Northfield also offers many recreational opportunities such as biking, canoeing, golfing, and hiking in the nearby Big Woods State Park. The downtown area contains many well-preserved historic buildings that house restaurants, shops, antique stores, and the town's museum.

After feasting on a delicious and bountiful homecooked breakfast, you can relax in your private whirlpool or sit back and enjoy a movie from our extensive movie selection. The leather couches in the parlor are the perfect place to settle down with a good book, play a game of cards or Scrabble, or simply share some conversation and a cup of tea.

Just a short walk takes you downtown for dining, shopping, or a visit to the local museum, bakery or coffee shops. Stroll along the riverwalk at sunset, or sip a glass of wine on the outdoor patio of a local restaurant.

The Magic Door is perfectly located; close to everything yet peacefully removed from downtown traffic in a quiet and charming residential neighborhood.

Air Conditioning - cable TV with DVD
Extensive Movie Selection - Mini-fridges - CD Players
Afternoon fruit & cheese tray
Robes/Hairdryers - Cozy Parlor - Sitting Nook
Front Porch Seating
Bottomless Cookie Jar - Complimentary wine, beer & sherry
High-speed wireless internet connection

Of the city's numerous annual events, The Defeat of Jesse James Days, a four day festival in early September, attracts the most visitors and publicity. The celebration ignites the town with a carnival atmosphere and features a daily parade and re-enactment of the famed James Gang robbery attempt of the Northfield Bank in 1876.

For a small town, Northfield offers quite a variety of casual dining options. In addition to American cuisine, and the numerous pizza venues you'd expect to find in a college town, we also have Indian, Mexican, and Asian restaurants. Just three miles south in Dundas, you'll also find a charming, little French bistro with a romantic, fine-dining atmosphere. The Downtown area is quaint and inviting, featuring a wide variety of unique shops, a coffee house, ice cream parlour, bakery, museum and even a town square. It's a great place to wander around, shopping, snacking...relaxing by the river. Live music is often available downtown at the Tavern Lounge, The Contented Cow, and The Grand Event Center, and also in nearby Dundas at Dawn's Corner Bar. The colleges frequently offer free concerts throughout the year, as well as sporting events, lectures and seminars. Theater performances are presented by the Northfield Arts Guild and other independent theater groups. For a complete list of local events, contact the Northfield Chamber at (800) 658-2584 or check their websites: www.northfieldchamber.com or visitingnorthfield.com. For local events and information: northfield.org.

Northfield Highlights

• Picturesque, historic downtown area
• St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges
• The Cannon River
• Shops and Antique Stores
• Hiking, Biking, canoeing & golf
• Snowmobiling & skiing
• Numerous Parks
• Carleton's Japanese Garden & Aboretum
• The Christmas Festival
• The Winter Walk

"Our room was so delightful we didn't even go out for dinner! So pretty, so comfortable, and every amenity one could imagine - why go out?!" Adina & Kevin Overbee St Paul, MN

"Thank you for the amazing food and hospitality. The room is exquisite. Of the B&B's we have traveled, we've found yours to be the most relaxing and inviting." Quinn & Amy Bissonette Stewartville, MN

"As frequent patrons of B&B's.. and the former manager of a gourmet restaurant and B&B.. I can confidently declare The Magic Door to be exceptional! It's like taking the best luxuries at each place we have stayed and combining them all in one perfect room!" Kimberly & Christopher Mikla Stillwater, MN

Travelers' Reviews for The Magic Door on BedandBreakfast.com

From 1-35 or Hwy 3 take 19 east into Northfield.
Turn right on Division.
We are on the corner of Ninth and Division

From 52 take Hwy 19 west.  It turns into Division St. when you get into town.  Proceed through the downtown area, pass the Econo Foods on your left, to the corner of Ninth and Divison. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

2/5  Super Bowl Sunday at the Frog, drink specials and free wings, while they last, Froggy Bottoms

2/10  Meredith Fierke and the McKinstry's with Chris Koz, a rare and intimate show, Northfield Arts Guild, upstairs studio, 8pm, $10

2/11  Le Tour du chocolate, chocolate tastings in the downtown shops, drawings, 10am

2/16  Northfield Wine Club, "Think Spring/New Arrivals", Grand Event Center, free and open to public

2/17  6th Annual Northfield Stomp, a community Contra dance, no experience required, National Guard Armory, 7-10pm, $9, $6 students

2/18  Killer Hayseeds, Grand Event Center

2/25  Pints and Vines:  Second Annual Wall of Wine and Beer Tasting Event, Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault, 7pm, $18, $15 for members

MUSIC

Tavern Lounge (8:30-11pm):

2/3  Ben Aaron, guitar/harmonica, folk revival, country blues

2/4  Lonesome Dan Kase, think "O Brother Where Art Thou" with ragtime and a hint of bluegrass

2/9  Ian Alexy, singer/songwriter, guitar

2/10  Marv Gohman, fiddle, mandolin, guitar

2/11  Joe Meyer

2/16  Mark Mraz, "the piano man"

2/17 Matthew Griswold, acuoustic/ folk rock/ pop

2/18  Relativity, pop/ rock trio

2/23  Marv Gohman, fiddle, mandolin, guitar

2/24  Sasha Mercedes, chick singer/songwriter from the shores of Lake Superior, edgy & passionate

2/25  Jeff Ray, guitar/ harp,  blues, folk

The Contented Cow

Every Monday:  Northern Roots Session 7:30-9

Every Tuesday:  Acoustic Jam Session, 7:30-10

Every Wednesday: Traditional Irish Music, 7-9pm

2/2  Matt Arthur and the Bratlanders, gospel, blues, classic covers, 8-11pm

2/3  Winter Dance Party, 7pm

2/4  Jim Larson's Neil Diamond Tribute, 8-11pm

2/8  Allison Rae, 10-12pm

2/10  New Moon Trio, 5-8pm

2/11  Occasional Jazz, 5-7,  The Last Known Whereabouts, 8-11pm

2/14  Valentine's Day Celebration

2/16  Barb Piper, 5-7pm, The Counterfactuals, 8-11pm

2/18  Toaster Fork, 5-7pm, Optimum Trajectory, jazz quintet, 8-11, Ted Pretzel Experience 11-1

2/22  Allison Rae, 10-12am

2/23  Midnight Collision, 80's cover band, 8-11pm

2/24  As Is, 8-11pm,  Alluvion, 11-1am

Cannon River Winery

2/3  Barbara Owens and Lee Mesinger, 5-8pm

2/4  Tim Patrick and His Blue Eyes Band, jazz 2-5pm and

2/5  1-4pm

2/10  Tim Brown, 5-8pm

2/12  The DitchLilies, roots music, 1-4pm

2/17  Darrell Pipo Jr., acoustic guitar, 5-8pm

2/18  Andrew Walesch, blues and jazz, 2-5pm and

2/24  5-8pm

2/25  The Average Janes, 70's, 80's and today, 1-4pm

2/25  The treVelds, acoustic, 5-8pm

2/26  Daniel Switch, 1-4pm

THEATER

Arsenic and Old Lace, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, Feb 17-19, 24-26; Fr & Sat:  7:30pm, Sun: 2pm, Tickets:  $15,  students: $10

Living Electric Theater:  Cinema Emerges in Northfield, a narrated tour of re-created episodes fro Northfield's movie going history.  Stellar cast of local actors and musicians, Weitz Center for  Creativity, Carleton,  Feb. 26, 2-4pm

Robinhood, Northfield Middle School, Feb 10: 7pm,  Feb 11: 1pm

LECTURES/ READINGS

2/8  The Roots of Middle Earth; From Beorn the Were-Bear to Aragorn the Healler, BuntrockCommons, Viking Theater, St. Olaf,  7:30pm

2/9  Artist Talks:  St Olaf Art Apprentices, Flaten Museum, 7pm

2/9  Just Down the Road:  Historic Churches of Minnesota, All Saints Episcopal Church, 7pm

2/13  Flaten Lecture Series:  Todd Norsten, Dittman Center 305, St Olaf

2/16  Why the Civil War was Fought:  The Antebellum Period, Northfield Historical Society, 6-7pm

2/19  Flaten Lecture Series:  Ayomi Yoshida, Dittman 305, St. Olaf, 7pm

2/22  Author Reading:  Erin Hart, mystery writer, Rolvaag Library 525, St. Olaf, 7pm

2/23  Ice Harvesting Talk, Rice County Historical Society, Faribault, 7pm

2/27  Flaten Lecture Series, Piotr Szyhalski, new media installation artist, Dittman 305, St Olaf, 7pm

2/28  Heart to Heart: Keeping your heart healthy, Northfield High School Auditorium, 6:30-7:45

2/28  Isn't it a Bad Time to Sell a House?  Millstream Commons, 7pm