k_marie

My husband and I are planning our first visit to Minnesota around a (happy) family event in August in Rochester.

Arriving mid-day Friday at MSP, we'll spend the weekend in Minneapolis, then rent a car on Monday morning to drive to Grand Marais and stay several days there, exploring towns along the North Shore, enjoying easy hikes and walleye dinners.

Then to Rochester for family stuff, leaving Monday morning. Our plane out of MSP is Thursday. From Monday morning until Wednesday night my only 'musts' are a visit to Anoka (where my father was born) and some time at the Swedish museum in Minneapolis (because I think it will be easier for us when we have a car).

Any suggestions for that unplanned time? Any place of interest to the south or west of Minneapolis? No, not he Mall of America! I know we could plan to go north to the lakes. But where? And we could probably plan Anoka and the museum on Wednesday before going to our airport hotel... What do you think?

Thanks so much for your ideas!

ziggypop

Grand Marais to Rochester will take all day to drive. I know you did not ask that but it is a long drive. Spend time in Duluth while you are along the North Shore. Do you have your hotels booked, it is a busy time of the year. I'm not sure of your interests, but some popular towns worth exploring are Red Wing, New Ulm, Stillwater, and St.Paul. The Minneapolis Institude of Arts is excellent as is the Science Museum in St.Paul. The Russian Museum seems to always have a good variety of paintings and the Walker Art Center has modern showings. There are many excellent restaurants in the Minneapolis and St.Paul areas and Minnehaha Falls is a nice park area to spend a day. I am going to spend a few vacation days in St.Paul as there is a lot of history and unusual sites in that city. If you check out the Twins' schedule you might want to take in a baseball game at Target Field. Three days could fly by in the Twin Cities as well as in the little towns. www.exploreminnesota.com Hopefully TC and the more informative posters will see your post and chime in with more ideas.

ziggypop

stillwater is on Fodor's list of 5 midwestern towns to visit.

WhereAreWe

There are some nice towns (Red Wing, Lanesboro) in southeastern Minnesota, either along the Mississippi or a bit west of there. There are several good state parks along the river. I'd spend the couple unplanned days you have in that area.

The Swedish Institute is actually fairly easy to get to from downtown Minneapolis, either by bus or even a bike ride (Minneapolis has bikes to rent). It wouldn't be difficult to get there without a car. I'd visit Anoka on your way out of town prior to the North Shore - it is not directly on the route but if you're just doing a quick drive-by then it makes sense to do it then rather than make a special trip up there later.

If you do want to stay in/near Minneapolis for those two days though, then just spend them exploring the harder to reach places that you didn't see the first weekend. There is light rail between downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul so it's fairly painless to go back and forth without a car. The Lake Calhoun area is nice to walk around or rent a kayak to go out on the lakes. There are some great walking neighborhoods in Minneapolis or Saint Paul (Cathedral Hill, Summit Avenue, anything around Lake Calhoun, Harriet or Lake of the Isles).

If you do want to go further out, a day trip east to Stillwater or somewhere else along the St. Croix River is nice. Lake Minnetonka (to the west) is very popular.

The State Fair is the last week of August if you are here at that time.

flpab

https://www.lighthousebb.org/ We stayed by the lift bridge in Duluth a couple of years ago and on our way to Grand Marais we saw the lighthouse at Two Harbors. I thought it would be nice to stay there.
I lived in Grand Marais in the 70's. Loved the boundary waters canoe area.

k_marie

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

Most of our lodging reservations have been made: the Kimpton Grand Hotel in Minneapolis, the Naniboujou Lodge north of Grand Marais, a Hampton Inn in Rochester and a Holiday Inn (Express?) near the airport. And I'm happy to see you both recommend Stillwater because we have booked a B and B there to break up the drive from Grand Marais to Rochester. And I'm hoping we'll arrive in Rochester in time for a late lunch with a former colleague.

Thanks, ziggypop, for the art museum ideas. I thought we'd spend most of one day at the Mill City Museum and in the park along the riverfront. My husband says now he's not keen to go to a baseball game--a surprise to me since he's been to many ballparks in the US and Canada.

I'll look into the towns and parks that you both have suggested. I can see, too, that there is plenty to keep us busy if we decide to return to the Twin Cities and focus on St. Paul. And thanks for the tip, WhereAreWe, about the Swedish Institute; I did not realize that we could easily get to it by public transportation.

Restaurants? Since we'll be away from home for a total of four weeks (after Minnesota, we're headed to California), we'll want to mix things up. I may bring a soft-sided cooler for picnics on the road. In Minneapolis, Kramarszuk's? Sea Change? (Do I want to seek out seafood in the Midwest?). FIKA? In Grand Marais, we'll want to dine in that amazing-looking room at the lodge. And maybe the Angry Trout? Any ideas for dinner in Stillwater? In Rochester, we'll leave the choices to the other family members.

Thanks for your help!

taitai

My favorite restaurants in Minneapolis are bar la grassa, Borough, 112 Eatery, Smack Shack, Travail (although it is out in Robbinsdale), Butcher and the Boar and Solera. Many of them have outdoor patios.

Some of the small communities on Lake Minnetonka are worth a visit....Excelsior and Wayzata are fun to walk around and enjoy the Lake. You can rent paddle boards or kayaks from Tommy's Trolley on the water and enjoy the lake a bit. Eat at one of the many restaurants on the lake and enjoy the day.

Tell your husband to reconsider the baseball game. Target Field is really something special and well worth a visit. Have lunch at Smack Shack first.

Enjoy the visit. Minnesota is gorgeous in the summer.

travelgo7

Some great Minneapolis restaurants include Bar La Grassa, 112 Eatery, Bachelor Farmer, Pizzeria Lola, French Meadows (for breakfast/lunch) and Zelos. Lot of good options!

I know you mentioned your husband doesn't want to go to a baseball game but Target Field is a great little stadium with lots of fantastic food options from local restaurants. If you're into theater, the Guthrie is excellent. If you're here on a Saturday am, there is an organic farmer's market held by the Guthrie that is worth checking out. You can always take a walk afterwards along the riverfront and the Stone Arch bridge. Enjoy your time in Minnesota!

k_marie

I'll mention again to DH a game at Target Field! I know the light rail will take us right there! (We went with the grandsons to see the Giants in S F just a few weeks ago.)

travelgo7, the farmers market will be interesting. That's our usual Saturday morning activity here in NJ. The Guthrie has a tour at 10; maybe we could do both. At the moment My Fair Lady holds no interest and I saw a marvelous Vanya and Sonia... in NYC so I feel I don't need/want to see it. But I do want to see the theater!

taitai and travelgo7, I see that you have recommended a few of the same places. I'll definitely check them out. And it's time to get out a map and start locating some of the attractions, activities, and places to eat. Thanks!

Cali

On your drive to Grand Marais, do go to Canal Park in Duluth and hopefully you will be there when one of the ships come in or go out. I grew up seeing this and I still love to see them go thru the Duluth Ship Canal. Take the scenic route from Duluth to Two Harbors as it goes along the lake and also has some little stores you might like, such as "Kendall's Smoked Fish Market". YUM!! Also, stop at Betty's Pies which about 2 miles east of Two Harbors. It has been around for years and I remember going there when they had a small counter and a few tables. My very favorite pie there is 5 layer chocolate pie but the others are excellent also. You also should stop at Split Rock Lighthouse which is between Two Harbors and Silver Bay. There are many other state parks and other places to walk along falls and water, it just depends on how much time you have to do this. Naniboujou is a very interesting place. I LOVE their dining room. It is truly something to see and they have great food too. The Angry Trout has wonderful seafood and the location right on the lake is great. My only pet peeve is their super tiny napkins. The Harbor Grill is across the highway from Angry Trout and it also overlooks the harbor and is very good. There are a lot of gift shops and lots of art for sale in Grand Marais. If you like donuts, do not miss World's Best Donuts - they really are that good. Have fun!!

k_marie

Cali, thanks for your suggestions along the North Shore and the reminder to take the scenic route. We'll probably have time to stop at one or two places on our drive up to the lodge, then return to some others as we're exploring the next several days. (I learned about Betty's on chowhound.com; sounds like one of those 'worth a detour' places!)

ziggypop

Naniboujou Lodge did not have cell phone reception the last time I stayed there,or a TV.(I found that to be a good thing)The lodge has fireplace rooms and serves meals. It is close to the hiking trail and has a wonderful view of Lake Superior. After you arrive in Minnesota you can purchase a map(book) called the Gazetter which details every road, park and trail in Minnesota for $29.95 and you can fill up weeks of activities. Bring along comfortable walking shoes

k_marie

We'll have real books and a loaded Kindle, binoculars, and playing cards! Maybe we'll find some euchre opponents. We're not expecting cell phone reception nor internet access. Nor air conditioning. We won't need it, right? Bonfire on the beach on Monday night, wine only in our room. Starry skies with no light pollution. Right? We have booked a fireplace room. Sounds wonderful to me! (While in California we'll spend a week at an equally relaxing place in Bolinas but the fog rolls in nightly and I never see the stars.)

We'll stop at a roadside tourist info place or at a local AAA office to pick up more detailed maps than those I already have. If they don't have what we need, we'll look for the Gazetteer. Thanks!

flpab

I was broke when I lived there so we would go to Dairy Queen, get ice cream and head to the dump at night to watch the bears. They would come out with their cubs, swat them up a tree and dig for food in the garbage. Cheap entertainment, The Blue water cafe was our breakfast place. Bring lots of bug spray.

k_marie

You are not the first person to mention the bug spray! It's already on the list! (We may skip the bear viewing.)

Cali

K_marie, the bugs are not as bad down by Lake Superior (I grew up on Lake Superior), but they do get bad if you just go back a little ways into the woods. Someone mentioned Blue Water Cafe and I must add that my husband loves the hot beef sandwich there. I love the blueberry pancakes. Yes, it is very inexpensive. We are heading up there at the end of the month and I can't wait.

flpab

Cali, they had these potato chip cookies that were so good. Sweet and salty.
One time I had a group of kids that I took berry picking on Eagle Mountain. We started getting bit so bad and were about to surrender when one kid found a huge full bottle of cutter on the ground! They said God provided cutter in the wilderness for them. It was divine intervention for sure and will never forget that. I miss the simple beauty of the people and the land there. Now I want to visit again.

ziggypop

k_marie, if you are visiting the Grand Marais around the weekend of the 15th I can scare up some euchre competition

k_marie

Alas, ziggypop, by then we'll be playing in Bolinas CA. When we visit, we play nearly every night with daughter and son-in-law. New wrinkle: the eight-year-old grandson is getting better and rather competitive. So now there are five of us who want to play! And not one of is very good at merely observing from the sidelines.

Cali

flpap, Oh I do remember those cookies. They were/are very popular in Grand Marais and a lot of people made them at home. Loved them. I have been berry picking on Eagle Mountain so can feel for you getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Glad you found some cutters. My sister-in-law picks berries constantly all summer and I have no idea how she keeps the mosquitoes away, but she never complains. I go back several times a year and really love it. Of course I still have a lot of family and friends there so that adds fun to our visits. Hope you can get up to visit again sometime.