9 Incredible Vacation Spots In Minnesota

Minnesota, a naturally beautiful state in the northern Midwest, has long attracted tourists and travelers for vacations. Also known as the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes for its abundant bodies of water, the state, admitted to the Union in 1858, has always offered a taste of the outdoors and a chance to relax. The state's reputation only grew alongside the prominence of its most famous native sons: the folk musician and Nobel laureate Bob Dylan and the R&B icon Prince. Minnesota's eastern border traces the mighty Mississippi River, while its northern limit defines part of the U.S.-Canada national border and runs through the legendary Boundary Waters, a paradise for canoeing, fishing, and cabin-style getaways. For incredible vacation ideas in America's northlands, Minnesota's natural charms, culture, and other draws offer everything a discerning holidaymaker could want.

Brainerd

The unusually named town of Brainerd acts as the county seat of Crow Wing County in north-central Minnesota. Founded in 1870, sitting mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi and billing itself as the state's "adventure playground," the town has developed from a rail hub and lumber mill to its current role as a resort destination. Today, the Brainerd Lakes Area draws vacationers and fans of cabin breaks from far and wide. Brainerd's historic district recalls bygone days when the town served as an important rail hub. The town government runs a walking tour that brings to life the numerous elements still visible from Brainerd's past. The Northern Pacific Center, once a rail yard, now serves as a mixed-use space for commercial enterprises and offices.

For a little culture in fair weather, classical music fans visit Brainerd each summer for the Lakes Area Music Festival. For fresh air, Brainerd's many parks trace the Mississippi's wide banks.

Chanhassen

Chanhassen, an outlying suburb southwest of Minneapolis, is most famous for one thing: the music legend Prince. The town hosts the late artist's Paisley Park complex, an all-in-one residential and music recording space, and the site of many an all-night party that the R&B singer, guitarist, and entertainer used to throw. Since Prince's death in 2016, Paisley Park has been converted into a museum, available to visit by fans and music lovers from all over.

Around town, nature fans will appreciate Chanhassen's numerous ponds and lakes, which offer a variety of activities, like swimming, hiking, biking, or fishing for that signature local fish, the northern pike. Chanhassen has five public beaches, including Carver Beach — a six-acre park on the shore of Lotus Lake. If other ideas do not appeal, follow the advice of Prince himself, as he intoned in his iconic 1984 film "Purple Rain": to "purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka." The body of water lies less than 30 minutes from Paisley Park. However, the actual filming location for this scene was the Minnesota River near Henderson, Minnesota, not Lake Minnetonka.

Grand Marais

Grand Marais is a sleepy, very small harbor village in Minnesota's far northeast. Facing Lake Superior, the town takes its name from the early French Canadians who helped settle the area before the region came under US dominion. (The town's name, unchanged since France's colonial days, translates to "Great Marsh" in French.)

These days, visitors can come to the same zones that Canada's pioneers, known as "voyageurs" or travelers, once inhabited and used as part of the trade of muskrats, bears, and other furs. Modern Grand Marais also takes pride in its small-town creative spirit: organizers put on an art festival each summer. In autumn, Grand Marais organizes a "Moose Fest," meant to celebrate the large local animal. The Grand Marais Art Colony has brought in painters, creatives, and free thinkers since 1947.

Mankato

The town of Mankato, in south-central Minnesota, sits at the juncture of Highways 14 and 169. Some of the town's original settlers hailed from New England; their legacy is evident in the architectural styles of some of their homes, which still stand in town. In other cultural contributions, Mankato is possibly the hometown of the Minnesota "hotdish," also called Minnesota tater tot hotdish, a local culinary treat that requires ground beef, a bed of tater tots, and cream of mushroom sauce.

Today, the town hosts the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau, where travelers can stop, rest, and ask for visitor information. For even more small-town Americana, come to Mankato in summer when the town's MoonDogs baseball team plays as part of the Northwoods League, a summer college baseball league.

Pipestone

The small town of Pipestone, in Minnesota's southwest, sits near the border with South Dakota. The town's name derives from local stone, which once drew the appreciation of local Native American tribes, who used it to fashion pipes and other tools. The Pipestone County Museum downtown recounts highlights of the local past.

Travelers can discover more Indigenous histories like this on a visit to Pipestone National Monument. Stones shine in vibrant colors while walking trails showcase the best of the park's natural wonders. For even more time outdoors, consider Westview Park, the Pipestone Family Campground, or alternatively, the Pipestone Country Club, for its unusual nine-hole course.

Owatonna

The southeastern town of Owatonna lies along the Straight River. With grid-style streets and a prosperous community, this place has plenty to draw visitors focused on history. Established in the 1860s, Owatonna's reputation includes the legend of a Native American princess of the same name, who was said to have been healed of illness at the area's natural springs.

In town, the Steele County Historical Society, founded in 1949, operates the Village of Yesteryear, a reconstructed pioneer village in the south of town. The Owatonna Historical Walking Tours show more of the town's diverse history, with the downtown's blend of architectural styles, a former railroad station, and an early-twentieth-century school all on the program. The town likewise hosts an Orphanage Museum, remembering the nearly 11,000 children sent here as wards of the state between 1886 and 1945. The museum owes its opening to a one-time orphan of Owatonna.

Red Wing

Red Wing appeals to visitors as one of Minnesota's celebrated river towns, given its position at the meeting point of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. The arrival of the railroad kicked the town's economy into high gear, later spawning further growth in aviation and other transportation industries. The Red Wing Shoe Company, a classic U.S. workboot, is both named after the town and headquartered right here. Red Wing's walkable, photogenic cliff over the Mississippi has drawn pleasure-seekers since the town's earliest days.

Red Wing's wide menu of museums includes ski jumping, pottery, and even a museum dedicated to the role of Red Wing boots in American life. The latter museum features an enormous 16-foot-tall, 20-foot-long men's boot built for the company's 100-year anniversary in 2005.

Winona

Fans of Hollywood films might find this town name familiar. Like Owatonna, Winona takes its name from a Native American princess. This town along the Mississippi River considers itself "the Midwest's best autumn playground," given its many attractions each fall. At the Garvin Heights Outlook, travelers can catch Minnesota's explosive fall colors in full effect. Winona puts on other dynamic festivals and cultural events year-round. Fun fact: given the town's history as a center of wealth, many of its finer homes have Tiffany's stained glass. Some have called the town the "stained glass capital of the United States."

Winona's cultural gamut includes the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and the Polish Cultural Institute and Museum. For movie buffs, this town is the inspiration for actress Winona Ryder's first name; she was born right here in town in 1971.

Ely

Ely, a quintessential Boundary Waters village, sits in Minnesota's northeast, near the Canadian border. Its local pronunciation is "EE-lee," and the place at one time drew industrialists and mining professionals to the Iron Range mining activities. Today, Ely is a point of departure for campers, fishermen, and other outdoors fans looking to explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which boasts more than one million acres of forests and natural lakes.

Modern Ely also beckons visitors to its quaint downtown, with its many historic buildings along the main drag, Sheridan Street. The town also offers a robust choice of camping and adventure outfitters. The Ely-Winton History Museum displays artifacts tied to the region's natural and human histories, with an emphasis on objects from the region's Ojibwe tribe. Ely's Folk School further upholds the traditions of local residents, from snowshoe weaving to birch-bark canoe making.

Head to Spots Like These For a Taste of Vacationland Minnesota

As these towns show, Minnesota's abundant inspiration for vacation ideas has drawn visitors from in and outside the state for generations. From adventure hubs like Brainerd and Ely and naturally splendid places like Grand Marais and Pipestone to cultural hot spots like Chanhassen, Owatonna, and Winona, Minnesota's charming places offer elements of interest to even the most hard-to-please travelers. The state's natural beauty has earned it the fitting nickname, Land of a Thousand Lakes. And there may be just as many aspects of culture to draw the tourist in. Whatever the reason, and no matter the season, Minnesota's vacation options are always impressive.