Downtown Moorhead Is Open Again: What's New for Winter Now That the Detours Are Done

On Oct. 15, cars started using Center Avenue at 11th Street again. The City of Moorhead and MnDOT announced that the 11th Street Underpass would open to traffic by early evening that Thursday, after nearly three years of construction. Four days later, City Hall staff moved back into their building. Through all of it, a library has been sitting at 450 Center Ave. It has an indoor walking track, and since Oct. 1 it opens at 7 a.m. for anyone 18 or older with a library card and a key fob.

Put those three changes together and you have a different downtown for winter 2026–27. The center of it is a free public building, the roads to it are open, and you no longer have to time your trip around a train.

The train no longer sets your schedule

According to the city, the underpass removes more than 70 daily train blockages at that crossing. The city also expects gains in safety, travel time, fuel use, emissions, and conditions for people walking and biking. Seventy-plus stoppages a day is a lot of idling at a gate in January. Most of those waits are gone now.

Crews were still doing final striping and cleanup when the road reopened. The city asked drivers to keep watching for workers on site in the weeks that follow. So if you see a cone or two this month, the project isn't stalled.

This matters for the rest of downtown because the places below sit close together. Once the crossing stops cutting the city in half dozens of times a day, a short winter errand loop becomes realistic again.

The earliest open door downtown is the library

The Moorhead Public Library opened on April 8, 2026, at The Loop. InForum reported that it was the first building to open in The Loop redevelopment. Inside are the Essentia Walking Loop, a 1/8-mile indoor track, along with a children's library and play area, community gathering spaces, and the Spark Center.

The biggest change this fall is when you can get in. The city's Sept. 18 announcement set up self-service hours starting Oct. 1. During those hours, cardholders can walk the track, borrow items at the self-checkout computers, and pick up holds before staff arrive.

To sign up, bring a photo ID to the library during regular hours and apply for a key fob. The building isn't staffed during self-service hours, and security cameras monitor it at all times. Lake Agassiz Regional Library's self-service page also says staff help isn't available during those windows, so save questions for staffed hours.

Sunday is the standout. Six hours of indoor walking before 1 p.m. is a real option when the sidewalks are glazed over.

For walkers who like company, the city's free Decades in Motion walking club for adults 55 and older meets monthly at The Loop. This winter's dates are Nov. 5, Dec. 3, Jan. 7 and Feb. 4. The library's December calendar lists the Dec. 3 meeting at 9:30 a.m.

The rest of the calendar fills out a winter week. November brings Game Night for Adults, Language Exchange, the Best Sellers Book Club, and Craft Connection. December adds a Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m., a Senior Social, and a bonus adult game night.

If you run a side business or work from home, the Spark Center for Entrepreneurship in the same building offers free coworking, founder chats, and workshops. Its December calendar includes Spark School: Startup Smart on Dec. 1.

Parking is on the street by the north and south entrances, with accessible spaces at both, plus a temporary lot just west of the building.

City errands are back at 475 Red River Ave

City Hall offices moved from their temporary spot at the FM Center, 403 Center Ave., back to 475 Red River Ave. starting Monday, Oct. 19. The city asks visitors to check in at City Hall unless they have an appointment.

A few pieces are still moving:

• Moorhead Public Service, the water and electric utility, is scheduled to move back to City Hall in November. An after-hours drop box will sit at the north entrance on Red River Ave.
• Public meetings will stay in the Hjemkomst Center auditorium at 202 1st Ave. N. until the city announces the move to the River Room in City Hall.
• Parking and entry: there's parking on the east side of the building plus nearby street parking, and the entrance doors are on the north side.

Because the utility's move is scheduled for November, check the city's downtown updates page before you bring a payment in person.

Coffee returns to 8th Street

Downtown Moorhead lost two coffee spots this year. InForum's roundup of 2026 closures lists Third Drop Coffee at 115 4th St. S., which closed April 30, and Twenty Below's Moorhead location at 600 8th St. S., which closed July 5. The same roundup notes 99 Bottles at 924 Main Ave. closed June 15. Rustica Eatery and Tavern at 315 Main Ave. served its final meals Aug. 29.

The former Twenty Below space is getting a new tenant. InForum reported on Oct. 7 that Black Coffee and Waffle Bar is opening its fourth location there. The others are in St. Paul, Roseville, and downtown Fargo. The Moorhead shop will work a little differently from the Fargo one. According to the business's announcement, weekdays will keep the fast-casual counter format, while Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be full service with a bigger weekend food menu and more drinks. The post ended with "we'll see you in Moorhead come November!"

The announcement gave November as the target, not an exact opening day, so check the restaurant's own channels before you plan a Saturday brunch around it.

Two smaller openings from earlier this year are also worth a stop. InForum's 2026 openings list includes Bouquet Bar at 17 5th St. S., which opened July 24 for build-your-own bouquets and floral arrangements, and Peculiar Pet Shop at 106 7th St. S., which held its grand opening May 28. If your dog has opinions about winter boots, that second address is the one to know.

The Hjemkomst covers the rest of the season

A few blocks toward the river, the Hjemkomst Center at 202 1st Ave. N. has two exhibits up, both from the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. Americana: Objects that Reflect US is in the Hall Cases through Jan. 3, 2027. It explores U.S. history through themes like democracy, belonging, and culture. Land to Table: Food Stories from Clay County fills the 4th Floor Gallery through Dec. 31, 2027, with local food history, cookbooks, interactive recipe and food-growing features, and videos. Americana closes in early January, so see it over the holidays if you want to catch it.

When snow arrives, the Hjemkomst is also where you can rent gear. The city's winter activities page lists cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals there on weekends from Dec. 12, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027, weather permitting.

When it's too cold to skate, the track still works

Moorhead's outdoor rinks with warming houses are at Hansmann, Lamb, Morningside, Ridgewood, Riverview Estates, Village Green and South parks. The city lists warming-house hours as 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 1 to 8 p.m. on weekends. Davy Memorial Park is listed as a general rink, and its cabin serves as a warming house for events only.

Those hours come with limits. Warming houses and activities close when it's -10°F or colder, when the wind chill hits -30°F or colder, or when the ice isn't safe. Open-skate hours at the Moorhead Sports Center are still listed as TBD for 2026–27. On the nights the rinks close for cold, the walking track at The Loop is still indoors and still free.

Still to be announced

Some familiar winter events don't have 2026–27 dates yet:

• Holiday Kickoff and Skate with Santa. The city's holiday events page describes a kickoff with a tree lighting, music, and treats, and says 2026 dates and details are coming.
• A Frostival successor. KVRR reported that the Jan. 31, 2026, event was the last under the Frostival name. City officials said a winter celebration would continue in some form, but the details hadn't been settled.
• The rest of the former Center Mall blocks. The city's downtown overview describes a nine-block redevelopment with mixed-use retail and housing, green space, river connections, and a civic plaza, but gives no construction schedule. The city's 2025 development report lists Sterling Development's mixed-use project at 650 Center Ave. as in progress.

Downtown has been a construction zone for a long time, and it's nice to have a short list of places to go this winter. If you're picking up a library key fob this fall and have questions about a move within Moorhead or across the river, Green Team Realty is happy to talk it through over coffee, at Black Coffee once its doors are open. Schedule a Consultation whenever it suits you, no pressure.