Minnesota Attractions and "Best of Minnesota"

Minnesota Attractions

Top Minnesota Tourist Attractions

Minnesota attractions and best of Minnesota tourist attractions lists will include many destinations you may have heard of. As a lifelong resident of the state, we can also share with you some of Minnesota's little known "hidden gems" that are often missed by visitors to the state.

Your opinion of what are the best Minnesota attractions and destinations will, of course, be shaped by what you want to experience in Minnesota and which of Minnesota's regions will the focus of your visit.

As you browse this site, you will find pages about tourist attactions in Minnesota's cities and towns, top outdoor destinations, adventures and experiences that are seasonal, and lists of the best places in Minnesota to fish, hunt, camp or explore. As well, you can find the best places for a Minnesota family vacation, a Minnesota romantic getaway and so much more!

Below you will find links to some of our family's favorite Minnesota attractions.

Be sure to read through the page links to discover the best of Minnesota's less well known destinations and experiences and those that will lead you to just what you are looking for in Minnesota.

Minnesota's Top Attractions

This list of top Minnesota tourist attractions is in alphabetical order as there is no way to give a rating of "good-better-best" to any of them. In our opinion, none are to be missed. You may have to visit Minnesota many times to see them all. We hope you will.

Banning State Park is located near Sandstone and Askov about 2 hours north of the Twin Cities area. The park is alongside the Kettle River and connects to the Willard Munger State Trail. The park is a haven for birds and wildlife. It is a wonderful spot for camping, biking, hiking, and cross country skiing.

Blue Mounds State Park offers excellent rock climbing opportunities. Mound Lake offers swimming and a picnic area located on shore. There are three campground loops located near a wildlife viewing pond. Campsites also available in the winter. Thirteen miles of winter hiking trails and twenty miles of snowmobile trail are available within 10 miles of the park.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. It is nearly 1.3 million acres in size and extends for nearly 150 miles along the boundary with Canada's Quetico Provincial Park with Voyageurs National Park on the west. You will find more than 1200 miles of canoe routes, 15 hiking trails and approximately 2000 campsites. There is no more attractive spot in Minnesota to experience solitude, challenge and up-close interaction with with nature. A crown jewel of Minnesota attractions.

Canal Park in Duluth Walk along the lakewalk on the shore of Lake Superior.Watch the aerial lift bridge and the ships as they come and go. Lake Superior is known as "Minnesota's inland sea." Take a harbor cruise, enjoy the IMAX theater and visit the Aquarium. Stay in a hotel right in Canal Park and explore the many shops and restuarants.

Forest History Center in Grand Rapids Visit a turn-of-the-century logging camp and watch the camp blacksmith, saw filer, clerk, cook and lumberjacks. Check out "wanigan," a floating cook shack. Sit on the porch of a 1930s Minnesota Forest Service patrolman's cabin and lookout tower. Take a self-guided walk along forest trails. View many interactive exhibits and a multimedia theater show about forest fires and the history of the forest.

Grand Portage National Monument View exhibits at The Heritage Center. Visit three log buildings and four outside areas including an Ojibwe village, the voyageur�s encampment, dock and historic gardens. Watch films and visit the bookstore. Camp or hike the Grand Portage trail to Fort Charlotte. Attend Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow.

The Great River Road The Mississippi river begins its 2,552 mile journey to the sea from its headwaters in Minnesota's Itasca State Park. The Great River Road was established in 1938 as the national parkway of the river. Pilot's Wheel road signs mark its route for nearly 3,000 miles through 10 states.

Harkin Store near New Ulm Minnesota is a historical landmark in southwest Minnesota that has been around since Laura Ingalls Wilder was a little girl. Forty percent of the goods still in the store today have been there since that time. Some of those items are the original medicine bottles, the tobacco cutter and clothing. This was one of the last stops for the steamboats to drop off passengers and supplies before they turned around to head back to St. Paul.

Historic Fort Snelling Right in the center of Minnesota's Twin Cities metropolitan area stands a restored stone fortress that, in the 1820's, was a major military outpost. Costumed guides present a living history program daily during the summer, and on weekends in May, September and October.

Minnesota Attractions continued...

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