Fun things to do/see between Duluth and Minneapolis (Rochester: house, college)

[cookiequeen2006]

We are travelling and like to check all those neat little places/stops...like the Fudge Shop in Grand Marais and the huge adirondack chairs somewhere before Two Harbors. So what are some places/things to do as we drive from Duluth to Minnepolis?
We are going in 2 weeks, please help.

[knke0402]

Two Harbors and Grand Marais are way north of Duluth, and not between MPLS and DLTH. I think you know that. Either way, take nyquil, slam it, and wake up when you get to duluth, because there isnt much youll miss. Maybe Grand Casino or Big Bear Casino are your best bets.

[newcastle]

You're probably familiar with Duluth, but if you stop for a bite to eat. Try Va Bene, a little Italian bistro down by Fitgers. Great gelato ice cream!

On the way to Minneapolis, there are not too many fun things to do and see. Moose Lake has a neat state park and geological museum of I-35. A little further south you will find Hinkley with the Fires of 1918 museum and Grand Casino. Might get lucky!

North Branch has outlet malls, Pine City has a Northwest Fur trade outpst museum. Then Taylors falls is neat with a scenic overlook and river bluff country.

By then, you will just want tog et to Minneapolis. I make the drive several times a month for work; I could do it in my sleep!

[fromupthere]

I personally recommend indulging in a caramel roll at Tobie's in Hinckley. Yummy!!

[JenLee]

If you were going during any other season, the Northwest Company Fur Post is a wonderful place to go. It's only open in the winter for special events, however (check it out here: http://events.mnhs.org/calendar/inde...nueID=7&bhcp=1)

If you do stop at Hinkley, definitely check out the Hinkley Fire Museum; then go to the cemetery and read a few tombstones there for those that perished in the fire.

Instead of taking the "boring" I-35 interstate, take the St. Croix Scenic Byway and spend a day visiting Stillwater, and the Gammelgarden Swedish pioneer museum in Scandia, the Marine Mill ruins, the 1855 Folsom House in Taylors Falls, plus the 5 state parks along the way (and also Hinkley and Pine City).

Call the MN tourism dep't. for more info (1-888-TOURISM= 1-888-868-7476) Mon-Fri between 8A and 4P and you might be talking with my daughter!

Seriously, there are a lot of neat things to see and do in this state and that particular drive can be fast (2 1/2 hours legally on I-35) or it can take all day. I've done it both ways; but have always enjoyed the off-the-beaten-path journeys more than the quick trips.

Oh, and BTW, I love Tobie's whichever way I travel there! I've run into old friends there (from here in the Cities) when I hadn't seen them in over a year here in the Cities!

[john cleary]

we are driving from st louis mo to miniapolis mn at the end of june--would like to "stop and smell the roses" on the way any suggestions

[gearedtowardssalad]

Many great trout streams along that way, if you fish.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by john cleary

we are driving from st louis mo to miniapolis mn at the end of june--would like to "stop and smell the roses" on the way any suggestions

We drive from the Minneapolis area to O'Fallon a couple times/year. There are a few routes you can take. We generally go 35W to Mason City, IA, down to Cedar Rapids and through Hannibal. There is a fun little apple orchard outside of Mason City that we like to stop at. Hannibal has plenty to do there with the Mark Twain tours (take the cave tour if you have not). There isn't much in Iowa along this route.

We have also taken Hwy 52 out of MN. Along this route you have easy access to towns like Red Wing and Northfield that are worth a couple hours. Northfield has a fun downtown area and the Carleton College campus is worth walking around. You could also stop in Rochester, MN and visit the Mayo Clinic museum. Again, once you get to Iowa, there isn't much to do.

[susieJD]

My favorite eatery in Duluth is "Pick Wicks". Great old time feelings, woodwork, servce and great food. Duluth has a great train museum, zoo and aquarium. You also might want to check the Daily Shipping News to see what freighters are coming and going. There are great things to see and do there.

Susie

[SpaceGhost79]

I just spent the weekend in Duluth traveling over from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Went hiking with my dogs at Jay Cooke State Park just south of Duluth. Beautiful place and hope I can come back in the fall when the colors turn. If you got some time and good weather, hike a trail along the river.

But I gotta ask... are the ticks always that bad in the area? So far this spring in Marquette (Mich.) one of my dogs has had one tick and the other four. In one day at Jay Cooke (meaning a pair of two hour hikes then back to camp in Duluth), I picked three ticks off my legs, one tick off one dog, and my other dog had over 20 ticks on him (not an exaggeration) My fault for not having any tick protection on him, but he's the one who has only had one tick over here in Marquette. He was on leash the whole time and never went off trail. I thought he might get a few ticks, but never did I expect anything like that. My other dog had tick spray on her a few weeks ago... I guess it works! Thankfully none of them bit in to him so they were easy to remove, but every time I thought I got them all another one would pop out somewhere, so it certainly was a pain to deal with. Ick.