8 Most Photogenic Towns In Minnesota

Many pictures and photographs are focused on the outdoors, the wilderness, mountains, lakes, and forests—after all, there is a timeless and transcendental beauty to encapsulate in a single frame. And in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there are more than 10,000 places and opportunities for you to capture the majestic sceneries of the state. With a name meaning the “sky-tinted water,” the state of Minnesota will enchant travelers with its skies and its waters, and most of all its most photogenic towns in Minnesota. Better prepare your storage space in your camera, your cellphone, or any device you use to immortalize a single moment in time. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, you will be seeing why the most photogenic towns in Minnesota are worth the trip.

Grand Rapids

Prepare your cameras for grand moments to capture at Grand Rapids. Deriving its name from the tumultuous and perilous three-and-a-half-mile-long rapids in this portion of the Mississippi River, Grand Rapids will give photographers a grand time when encapsulating the wild side of Minnesota. For those of you more interested in clearer and calmer waters, you can certainly admire the thousands of lakes surrounding Grand Rapids, such as Lake Winnibigoshish, many of which are teeming with fishes for you to reel in.

You might also be invigorated by the trails and treks at both Chippewa National Forest and the Golden Anniversary State Forest, regions with which you can become more familiar at the Forest History Center. Amazingly enough, Grand Rapids happens to be the home of Judy Garland, the actress who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, whose life and career you can learn all about at the Judy Garland Museum. Should you ever get weary from all the trekking and photography, you can spend your rejuvenating nights at places such as the Hotel Rapids or the Timberlake Lodge Hotel & Restaurant.

Ely

Minnesota may be called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but there are nearly 11,842 lakes in total and still possibly counting in this wild state, sharing some of its bodies of water with Canada. Although it can be difficult for people to photograph all of these lakes, there is a town in Minnesota that is closest to these manifold lakes—the photogenic town of Ely. Whether you are hunkering down in a Turkish yurt in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) near Shagawa Lake or learning about the “Root Beer Lady,” a real person who gave homemade root beer to people in the BWCAW at the Dorothy Molter Museum, travelers will undoubtedly come across a number of panoramic images to capture in their cameras.

The Northwood, the Superior National Forest, and the Kawishiwi Falls Trail are additional points of interest for you to visit, while the International Wolf Center and North American Bear Center should be your first spots to visit in order to be cautious about Ely’s wildlife. At the end of the day, you should definitely consider resting in one of Ely’s grand establishments like the Grand Ely Lodge Resort & Event Center, Adventure Inn, or Northwoods Inn & Suites.

Red Wing

Red Wing, a scenic small town beside the Mississippi River that delineates the border separation between Minnesota and Wisconsin, is a place of simple airs and simpler sceneries. Of course, when you are standing at the Barn Bluff, one cannot but take a photograph of the landscapes of two different states. Visitors from the city of Cannon Falls can take the scenic Cannon Valley Trail to visit Red Wing and vice versa. Upon arrival to Red Wing, you can be entreated to the wine and delicacies of the Falconer Vineyard.

The Pierce County Islands State Public Hunting Grounds is open season for all hunters, whereas the Spring Creek Prairie Scientific & Natural Area (SNA) and Anderson Center Sculpture Garden at Tower View accommodates newcomers with a penchant for the perennial. Some of Minnesota’s elusive wildlife can be seen at the Cannon River Turtle Preserve Scientific and Natural Area, and many snowboarding and skiing events can be experienced at the Welch Village Ski & Snowboard Area. Should you wish to stay a little bit longer in Red Wing, you can do so by first booking a room in a lodging like the Moondance Inn.

Grand Marais

Want to have a superior series of photographs to proudly display online or on a mantle? Then, travel to the town of Grand Marais for some of the grandest views of Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, which you will be certain to find. Between Artist's Point, the Grand Marais Marina Vista Point, and Grand Marais Lighthouse, which all offer panoramic vistas of Lake Superior and inspired many a local artist to depict the beauty of nature, you will not be starved for inspiration in the town of Grand Marais.

If you can easily traverse and brave the climb up the Sawtooth Mountains, then you will be rewarded with spectacular destinations such as Devil's Kettle, Devil’s Track Lake, and Cascade River State Park. Last but not least, there are several other locations around Grand Marais that will definitely fill the storage space in your camera or phone, like the Grand Marais like Fall River Waterfall, George Washington Pines, the Five Mile Rock, and the Highest Point in Minnesota. When the day is done, you can retire to establishments like Timberlund’s Resort for another day’s trip throughout Grand Marais.

New Ulm

The photogenic town of New Ulm got its name from a city in Bavaria, and as such the town’s setup resembles much like most old-school towns in Germany. One can take a photo of the Hermann Monument, a statue depicting the Germanic chief Arminius who united feuding Germanic tribes against the Roman Empire. Photographers will definitely be taking selfies, groupies, or just any ordinary picture of the Glockenspiel, a 45-foot-tall clocktower that represents German ingenuity in engineering.

Additionally, you might want to purchase exquisite brews from Schell’s Brewery, which has continued to practice America’s oldest brewing techniques. When following either the Cottonwood River or the Minnesota River, you might come across scenic areas like Flandrau State Park and Swan Lake. More importantly, you ought to prepare your cameras for the Bavarian Blast from July 18 to 21, the Bacchus Fest on May, the HermannFest on September 7, or New Ulm’s version of Oktoberfest. No need to worry about lodgings in New Ulm, not when you are taking a break at the Innis House Bed & Breakfast or any other establishment in this photogenic town.

Lanesboro

Give yourself a much-needed vacation about 40 miles from the city of Rochester, and treat yourself to the wonders of Lanesboro. Over 20 or more medallions, each representing or depicting a different scene in the history of both the Root River Valley and Lanesboro, can be sought after all over the town during the Discover Sculpture Explore Lanesboro Medallion Walking Tour.

As the Rhubarb Capital of Minnesota, Lanesboro is dedicated to improving and marketing its excellent rhubarbs, which you can admire during the annual Rhubarb Festival every month of June. Visitors will fancy strolling about at the Mill Pond Overlook, the South Branch of the Root River, and Sylvan Park for more scenic spectacles of the Root River Valley. Most of all, you might even consider spending a longer vacation in Lanesboro by booking a room at either the Stone Mill Hotel and Suites or Root River Inn & Suites. Ultimately, you will definitely see why Lanesboro is one of the most photogenic towns in Minnesota due to its natural environments and its adorable medallion tours.

Stillwater

Even a still image like a picture can move people and create a thousand words. In the photogenic town of Stillwater, approximately 34 minutes from the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, one can gain the stillness and clarity that some of the best pictures can engender in anyone. With its awesome landscapes at the Otto Berg Memorial Park, Brekke Park, Pioneer Park, Lowell Park, Pine Point Regional Park, and Afton State Park, the town of Stillwater is a gateway to many beautiful sceneries along the Saint Croix River. Merge the past and the present together by taking a photo of the Historic Stillwater Lift Bridge, or perhaps you can stand beside one of the many monuments and statues along the River City Sculpture Tour that each represents a different aspect of Stillwater’s history. There is much to see and much to do in Stillwater, but for those of you who wish to be as tranquil as water, you can certainly feel relaxed in places like the Hotel Crosby, the Ann Bean Mansion Bed & Breakfast, or the Aurora Staples Inn.

Lindström

There is a body of evidence to show why Lindström is rightfully lauded as “America’s Little Sweden.” Approximately 35 miles from the Twin Cities, visitors to this town will definitely feel like they are in one of the Scandinavian countries of Europe due to the Swedish architecture and the many lakes in the area like South Center Lake, North Center Lake, South Lindstrom Lake, North Lindstrom Lake, Chisago Lake, Sunrise Lake. There is also an annual, Swedish-themed celebration called the Karl Oskar Days, so named after a character in Vilhelm Moberg’s book The Emigrants, which in turn is based on the journal entries of one of the Lindström’s founding members, Erik Norelius. If you are a photographer for wedding venues, you will absolutely adore the impeccable sites of both the Majestic Oak Ranch and Bloom Lake Barn. If you are eager to spend your evenings in Lindström, then you can do so at an establishment such as the Lakeview Motel.

The Takeaway

Minnesota, known as the Hockey State, shares its passion for ice sports with its neighboring country, Canada. More importantly, the state shares many landscape features and cultures that you can photograph in the most photogenic towns in Minnesota. Nestled between the towering Sawtooth Mountains and the lush valleys and woodlands that surround over 10,000 lakes, these picturesque towns reflect the beauty of Minnesota as much as the thousands of lakes in the state reflect the eternal magnificence of the sky. Towns like Stillwater, Red Wing, Lindström, and others have captivated visitors as much as a single picture frame captures a beautiful moment forever. So this year or the next, immortalize your memories of the many adventures you will have in the most photogenic towns in Minnesota.