The North Star State is one of America’s most underrated destinations. Its biggest city, Minneapolis, is home to one of the nation’s most popular theater scenes, Michelin-starred restaurants, and must-see cultural attractions, but even smaller towns in Minnesota like Rochester offer oodles of local art, music, and food. Outdoors, you’ll find water, water everywhere: The Land of 10,000 Lakes is no exaggeration, since there are over 10,000 inland lakes, plus access to Lake Superior to the north and the Boundary Waters, one of the nation’s last great wild places. With all this in mind, there are so many places to explore and things to do in Minnesota.
Summer is the high season for Minnesota, with out-of-school crowds flocking to the state’s lakes (and lake towns) to cool off by the waterside. Of course, spring and fall also offer comfortable temperatures, with autumn bringing along the state’s dazzling fall foliage. But if it’s uncrowded snowshoe and snowmobile trails and fantastic ice fishing you’re after, visit between January and March. Just remember your scarf.
Minnesota is a huge state—about 87,000 square miles (225,000 square kilometers). If you’re going beyond Minneapolis–St. Paul, you’ll want your own vehicle; like most American states, the Land of 10,000 Lakes was built for highway travel. It’s roughly 400 miles (640 kilometers) top to bottom, so if you’re planning on exploring from the more urban south to the forested north, reserve plenty of time for getting around.
Don’t fall for the assumption that Minneapolis–St. Paul is the state’s only hot spot of culture. Rochester buzzes with great restaurants and attractions, enriched by a diverse immigrant population. Grand Marais, on the state’s North Shore, is an unlikely, eclectic arts enclave bursting with studios and galleries. Duluth is also becoming an outdoor mecca, rivaling cities like Boulder, with some fascinating turn-of-the-century attractions like Glensheen Mansion.
