Weekend trip from Minneapolis
 

My husband is working in Minneapolis and I am flying up the last weekend of July. Where is a good place for us to go for the weekend? We would like to leave Friday night and return to Minneapolis on Sunday evening. I would prefer to drive for no more than 4-5 hours. Any suggestions on where to go? Canada? Wisconsin? North Dakota? South Dakota? Iowa? Or just somewhere in Minnesota?

This one is easy. in 4-5 hours you can be on the north shore of Lake Superior. Take the interstate up to Duluth, then take Highway 61 further up. Find lodging in or around Lutsen. It is a beautiful, undiscovered (expect by Minnesotans) part of this country.

Ditto the Lutsen suggestion. I've spent many summer vacations there and it is beautiful. We always stayed at Lutsen resort, right on the lake and the dining room is (or was) excellent.

Any suggestions for hotels in that area? It's hard to tell "quaint" from "shabby" by looking at internet photos.

Lake Superior is nice but boring. If you're looking for excitement, go to Chicago. It's right within that 4-5 hour time frame, and summer is the best time to be in the city.

Tammie:<BR><BR>http://www.lutsenresort.com/<BR><BR>Happy Contrails. :o)

Rachel,<BR><BR>I would love to visit Chicago, but I am thinking it is at least six hours from Minneapolis and I don't want to spend all of our time driving to and from our destination. I am researching the North Shore right now, but am still open to any other suggestions. Thanks so much for everyone's help.

Tammie-right outside of Lutsen is a town called Tofte, and there is a really nice resort there called the<BR>Blue Fin Bay. Right on the water, nice cond-like units---very peaceful and relaxing. I'm guessing you want to get OUT of the city atmosphere and into nature and quiet. This would fit the bill. Lutsen is a beautiful area.

Chicago is six to seven hours away. Depending your interests, Brainerd (about 2 1/2 hrs away) may be a good spot. Several top-notch golf courses are there, and some good resorts (Grand View Lodge, Madden's, Cragun's). Does tend to be busy and touristy on weekends, though.<BR><BR>Other options: Madison, WI (nice college town between two lakes, pretty good cultural scene, 4 1/2 hrs away) or the Hayward, WI area (lots of little resorts).

uup! (AS they say in those parts..0

Bayfield in northern Wisconsin is nice if you want to get on the water and explore the islands. To the south there is the Bluffs area just south of Rochester. There is a lot of good B and B to stay at there. Also many go to the Amish towns in Iowa to shop and enjoy the country feel. For something completely different, you cound go to Wisconsin Dells. Have fun.

I was going to suggest the bluffs country, too. Duluth and the North Shore of Superior are beautiful and a must do sometime in your life, but the bluffs and rolling hills in southwest Minnesota are very nice also. As Phil Tune said, there is a large Amish settlement ... and caves to explore and many biking/walking trails. Take the scenic route down from Minneapolis - Hwy 61 to Red Wing (a lovely historic town - you might even be lucky enough to see a big river paddleboat in town) and then to Winona then swing down to the little towns of Lanesboro or Harmony. There are many B&B's in the area, but if you are only staying one night that won't work, since they usually require a 2-night stay. But I'm sure there are hotels, also. (Maybe the St. James historic hotel in Red Wing?)<BR><BR>Have fun!

Just re-read your original post and saw that you were thinking about 2 nights away from Minneapolis - so a B&B is a possibility after all. There is no shortage of B&B's in SW MN - especially around Red Wing and Lanesboro.

Marie,<BR><BR>My husband is not the B&B type - more the Marriott type. Thanks for all of the ideas. We have decided that we want to visit the North Shore, but later, when we have more time. Two days just doesn't seem long enough. I checked the events calendar for Minneapolis for that weekend and noticed that there is a festival and baseball game, so we are just going to hang out in Minneapolis for another weekend. Thanks again for all of your ideas!

While in Mlps/St. Paul, if you like live music, definately check out the Minnesota Music Cafe. It's right off I-94 on W. 7th and Arcade. It's got great music (usually jazz-like, kinda old school R&B) and reasonably priced drinks. You'll have a blast, even if it's not your type of music. The atmosphere is incredable! It's also a good idea to get there before 9. Better seating and you usually don't have to pay a cover.

Another suggestion is going to Stillwater. There are alot of neat places to stay, resturants on the river, there is a marina on the river that has good live music on weekends. Quaint shops, wineries. You can do this as a day trip also, its only an hour or so from Mpls.