Puzzle for my daughter; got it. Book for my sister; check. Kitchen gear for my mother-in-law; done. And for me? A relaxing few days away; on a recent shopping excursion, I got that too.

Along the Great River Road, down the Minnesota side to Kellogg and up the Wisconsin side from Alma, I chatted with a tinsmith, whose glittering cookie cutters hung from a wrought-iron tree. I joined an impromptu coffee klatch in a book store, where a sleepy dog plopped at my feet. And I discovered galleries filled with pottery, paintings and textile works by regional artists, a storefront devoted to Japanese wedding kimonos, and a sprawling toy store that offers rides, every half hour, on its carousel.

When I wasn't browsing stores, I had the riverscape to inspire me. Bald birch trees stood out against their darker neighbors on bluffs. A hawk soared over the water. Scene after scene was beautiful. And coming home with much of my holiday shopping complete --that was beautiful too.

An assortment of handmade tin cookie cutters by Catherine Latané and a nicely detailed soup ladle by her metalsmith husband, Tom, caught my eye at T&C Latané in Pepin, Wis. The small shop is devoted to the Latanés' handiwork, along with a small collection of other regional craftspeople, including an octogenarian basket weaver and a potter who specializes in Norwegian designs. I bought my daughter a cookie cutter shaped like a fiddle, but raced home with plans to trace her hand. For $20, Catherine will create what I consider the best gift of all: a cookie cutter in the shape of a child's hand, with his or her name and age stamped on the inside (412 2nd St., Pepin, Wis.; 1-715-442-2419).

Down the Minnesota side

Many shoppers will want to stop in Red Wing. Not me; I was too excited to get to L.A.R.K. Toys, a sprawling store in Kellogg, Minn., that makes its own wooden toys (charming pull toys, doll houses and alphabet blocks). Amid a maze of rooms housing tea sets, toy soldiers and stuffed animals, I stumbled upon a shop-within-a-shop called "Baby Boomer Heaven." I was ogling its wind-up toys and Raggedy Ann dolls when I heard carousel music and followed it to a nearby room. Six adults merrily twirled around, perched on a river otter, a swan and the like. Laughter rang out, but there was not a child in sight (171 Lark Lane, Kellogg, Minn.; 1-507-767-3387; www.larktoys.com).

I drove back up the river to Wabasha, Minn. In search of a warming tea, I encountered an incongruous storefront. What's a kimono shop doing in a small Minnesota town? For one thing, wowing visitors. At Wind Whisper West, salesperson Sarah Taubel handed me a magnifying glass and invited me to peer at the store's prize, a kimono with a hand-knotted design that took two years to make and originally sold for $100,000. The shop sells other stunning full-length kimonos, ranging from $600 to $4,000, most of which are sold as artwork. Less elaborate, hip-length kimonos, which most buyers wear rather than hang on their wall, can be had for a few hundred (128 Main St., Wabasha, Minn.; 1-651-565-2002; www.windwhisperwest.com).

Tea in hand, I stopped at a bookstore crowded with racks called the Book Cliffs. Owner Nancy Falkum not only retrieved a title I requested, she also brought out another similar one she thought I might enjoy, and sent me to one of the store's two stuffed chairs for a good read. Her dog lay nearby, a collection of friends started to gather for coffee, and I headed out the door with both books (161 Pembroke Av., Wabasha, Minn. ; 1-651-565-5312).

Up the Wisconsin side

I needed refreshment and, just across the river in Nelson, Wis., I found it in good form at Nelson Cheese. My reuben sandwich was delicious and I ate it by the fireplace, where the scent of burning wood mingled with pastrami, and the view from the window took in the river as dusk fell. The shop adjacent to the dining room offered a collection of goods. I left with Wisconsin maple syrup, a few bottles from its thoughtful wine collection and an assortment of cheeses (On Hwy. 35 south in Nelson, Wis.; 1-715-673-4725; www.nelsoncheese.com).

The next day the shopping continued in Alma, Wis., where the Commercial was a standout. The gallery's owner, Kristine Kjos, clearly has a gifted eye. Diminutive white felt circles strung in the windows looked like falling snow. Inside, there was enough gorgeous glass, jewelry, ceramics and paintings by regional artists -- and textiles by Kjos herself -- to fill the space under my tree (305 S. Main St., Alma, Wis.; 1-608-685-4104). Down the road I spied handmade purses, belts and riding chaps (for horses and cycles) at Alma Leather (121 N. Main St., Alma, Wis.; 1-608-685-4775).

I passed through Pepin, where Catherine Latané and her two dogs greeted me at T&C Latané (see "Favorite Find" above).

Then I landed in Stockholm, Wis., a hotbed of shopping, if the area can be said to have one. There is Ingebretsen's, where I got my fill of old-world Christmas charm (W12092 Hwy. 35; 1-715-442-2220), and Abode, a gallery featuring local fine arts, furniture and sweet pewter Christmas ornaments I bought as hostess gifts (N2030 Spring St.; 1-715-442-2266; www.abodegallery.com). At Clementine, Allison Lisk whips up pretty flower arrangements amid a bohemian collection of goodies including silver vases, exquisite burlap-upholstered French furniture, pretty glass plates, a candle shaped as a bird, topiaries and a bowl of clementines. After I bought a Christmas tree ornament, Lisk handed me a clementine (W12111 Hwy. 35, Stockholm, Wis.; 1-715-442-2008).

As charming as Clementine is, I spent more time across the street at the Palate. It wasn't so much that I needed a Le Creuset pot (though they were on sale), or even that I like to peruse kitchen gadgets. I was killing time until owner Nancy Fitzsimons finished frosting her freshly baked orange-chocolate chip scones. And she was occupied at the moment with her beef stew. Fitzsimons takes great advantage of her cooking supplies. But I got the sense it wasn't so much a chance to show them off to potential buyers as a way to lure in friends. Several stopped by for coffee and to buy a cookie, also freshly baked by Fitzsimons. When the scones were frosted, I pounced. That was just a little gift for me; a warm reminder of the river valley as I made my way back to the city (W12102 Hwy. 35; 1-715-442-6400; www.thepalate.net).

Where to sleep

I happily spent the night at the Historic Anderson House B&B in Wabasha, Minn. How historic? The hotel dates to 1856, and a couple staying on the third floor (I was on the second) were checking for ghosts. At breakfast the next morning, they reported the existence of at least a few. My only nighttime visitor was an aggressively affectionate cat; the hotel keeps several for guests, like me, who may want one in their room ($69 to $189 a night; 333 Main Street W., Wabasha, Minn.; 1-651-565-2500; www.historicandersonhouse.com).

Kerri Westenberg • 612-673-4282