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Minnesota - places to see, things to do?

Posted on 1/15/21 at 8:58 am
Posted by Sheep
Neither here nor there
Member since Jun 2007
19534 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 8:58 am
Obviously - not going to Minnesota now, but...

I'm contemplating taking the family (wife, 6yo daughter, no pics for either) to some type of "upper midwest lake house type deal" for summer vacation.

The direct flight from MSY to MSP has me interested. I've looked around the Crosby, Brainerd, Brainerd Lakes area so far and that looks interesting.

For context, we drove to Shenandoah NP last summer and everybody had a decent time, so thinking about doing something similar.

What areas should I investigate, either in Minnesota or somewhere in the "not as hot as Louisiana" Midwest where I could get a similar experience?
This post was edited on 1/15/21 at 9:36 am
Posted by Nodust
Member since Aug 2010
22635 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 9:27 am to
Biggest ball of twine about 1.5 hours west of Minneapolis.

The Mill museum in Minneapolis was nice.

Bermidji has the giant babe and Paul Bunyon statues. Lake Itaska hiking camping. Walk across the Mississippi River there.

Plenty of great hiking trails in the northern part.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4656 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 9:28 am to
If you want to get off the beaten path, Big Lake Wilderness Lodge near Ely is pretty awesome. It's adjacent to the Boundary Waters and is one of the few lakes in the area to allow motors. Main attraction is fishing. No skiing or anything of that nature. It's rustic and remote, and you can easily day or overnight trip into the Boundary Waters from there if that suits your fancy. It's 30 minutes into the nearest groceries (Ely), and cell service is non-existent with wifi available around the main lodge, only.

If you want something more "resort" like, check out Giant's Ridge. I haven't stayed there, but we did a day of downhill mountain biking there on our way to Ely last year. It looked pretty awesome. Golf, disc golf, hiking, biking, boating.

Bonus video of my kid ripping the downhill MTB park at Giant's Ridge with a Tyler Childers soundtrack.
LINK
This post was edited on 1/15/21 at 9:34 am
Posted by hoopsgalore
Chicago, IL
Member since Nov 2013
8648 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 9:56 am to
Are you looking to spend time in MSP, or just head north for lake living?
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4656 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 10:03 am to
Also, here are some pics from my wife of Big Lake and the Boundary Waters. They're all photostacks on Instagram, so there's multiple photos on each post. Her photos are pretty awesome, imo.

Big Lake Post

Boundary Waters Post

Posted by Brosephine
Member since Aug 2016
252 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 10:09 am to
You definitely need to go to Ely. I have no specific recommendations, but went twice to the Boundary Waters area when I was in scouts. Once in January cold weather camping on a frozen lake, and then a 100+ mile canoe trip in June. I have been dying to go back ever since. This is on my list of vacations to go on once my daughter is old enough.
Posted by RogerTheShrubber
Juneau, AK
Member since Jan 2009
261531 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 1:52 pm to
Go to Northern Michigan instead. Far better than Minnesota for what you're looking for.
Posted by Sus-Scrofa
Member since Feb 2013
8182 posts
Posted on 1/15/21 at 4:08 pm to
Duluth and then up the north shore. Ton of great things to do.

If y’all are the canoe camping type, the Boundary Waters are great.
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