Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
MOA is in Bloomington next to the airport, not Minneapolis. People love to bash the mall, but I always enjoyed going there in the past, until a certain faction began stabbing people and throwing little kids over balconies. Only been once since the latter incident and you better believe I held onto my kids tight with a watchful eye. MOA is what it's advertised as - a mall on steroids, with a ton of neat food choices....I even used to stop off at Cowboy Jacks for a beer at the bar on my way home when I worked in Edina occasionally. The amusement park is cool and there's an excellent aquarium on the bottom level. It's a place I would still definitely recommend for a first time tourist, but with the way things have been in the TC metro the past year I would make it a point to be diligent about my surroundings at all times. Because it's such a major attraction with the associated huge crowds there's always the potential for trouble.
I took the fam to Fargo so we too could "claim" North Dakota last year. There's just not much up there and there are so many better drives/destinations you could do. Southeastern Minnesota, for instance, is one of the best kept secrets anywhere in the country. The bluff country along the Mississippi is incredibly beautiful and so I highly recommend the drive on 61 from Red Wing down to La Crosse, WI if it's scenery you seek. That's river country, mind you.....there aren't many actual lakes down that way at all, which surprises people unfamiliar with the area in correlation with Minnesota's "10,000 Lakes" moniker. SE Minnesota and a large portion of western Wisconsin actually resemble the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri if you're familiar with that part of the country. The best (most numerous and biggest) inland lake experiences will primarily be north and west of the MSP metro. My personal favorite inland lake regions are the Alexandria vicinity, the Brainerd Lakes area and the Boundary waters up by Canada. Even so, there are a lot of beautiful lake chains within the TC metro, too....such as the Lindstrom vicinity in Chisago County and the Minnetonka area just west of Minneapolis. That said, I haven't even scratched the surface as far as seeing the rest of this states inland lake offerings. I've seen a good bit for only being here 4 years, though.
Duluth is one of the nations great harbor towns and not to be missed. I have never worried about crime there for even an instant. I was just there to take my son aboard the William A Irvin, which is a retired freighter converted into a museum. I've always found the shipping industry to be fascinating and we love to watch the boats go in and out of harbor down at Canal Park. Duluth is just a gorgeous city and the Lake Superior water views are breathtaking. Beyond that the North Shore is more of the same all the way to the Canadian border. We actually went up to Grand Marais and back to the south side of the TC metro (Lakeville) in one day a few years back.
Btw, I spent much of my childhood in the Houston metro. You will love the natural beauty of Minnesota coming from a spot like that. Unfortunately, we've been mired in a Texas-like heat wave the past couple weeks, but it looks like it's finally starting to break. This is usually a very comfortable place in the summer, aside from the legions of bugs that will decorate your windshield almost instantly when you drive. Gotta watch out for the wildlife, too.....there's just so much of it they can't help but make there way onto the roads eventually.
Wherever you wind up going, enjoy Minnesota! We've had a rough past year as everyone knows by now, but no matter how crazy things get politically, this will always be one of the most beautiful states in the US and that will never change, thank the Lord.
Last edited by Tyryztoll; 06-15-2021 at 08:28 PM..
Thinking of visiting Minnesota this summer. Not planning to spend much time in Minneapolis other than Mall of America. Mostly wanted to do an outdoor trip, visit Fargo to claim "North Dakota" and maybe spend some time on Lake Superior.
Some of my travel party are very concerned about crime in Minnesota and think anything in Minneapolis or Duluth is unsafe. I'm from Houston, TX so I don't think it's worse than that but I'm not familiar with Minnesota at all. Wanted a break from the heat and see some good scenery, as well as popping into North Dakota.
MOA is in Bloomington next to the airport, not Minneapolis. People love to bash the mall, but I always enjoyed going there in the past, until a certain faction began stabbing people and throwing little kids over balconies. Only been once since the latter incident and you better believe I held onto my kids tight with a watchful eye. MOA is what it's advertised as - a mall on steroids, with a ton of neat food choices....I even used to stop off at Cowboy Jacks for a beer at the bar on my way home when I worked in Edina occasionally. The amusement park is cool and there's an excellent aquarium on the bottom level. It's a place I would still definitely recommend for a first time tourist, but with the way things have been in the TC metro the past year I would make it a point to be diligent about my surroundings at all times. Because it's such a major attraction with the associated huge crowds there's always the potential for trouble.
I took the fam to Fargo so we too could "claim" North Dakota last year. There's just not much up there and there are so many better drives/destinations you could do. Southeastern Minnesota, for instance, is one of the best kept secrets anywhere in the country. The bluff country along the Mississippi is incredibly beautiful and so I highly recommend the drive on 61 from Red Wing down to La Crosse, WI if it's scenery you seek. That's river country, mind you.....there aren't many actual lakes down that way at all, which surprises people unfamiliar with the area in correlation with Minnesota's "10,000 Lakes" moniker. SE Minnesota and a large portion of western Wisconsin actually resemble the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri if you're familiar with that part of the country. The best (most numerous and biggest) inland lake experiences will primarily be north and west of the MSP metro. My personal favorite inland lake regions are the Alexandria vicinity, the Brainerd Lakes area and the Boundary waters up by Canada. Even so, there are a lot of beautiful lake chains within the TC metro, too....such as the Lindstrom vicinity in Chisago County and the Minnetonka area just west of Minneapolis. That said, I haven't even scratched the surface as far as seeing the rest of this states inland lake offerings. I've seen a good bit for only being here 4 years, though.
Duluth is one of the nations great harbor towns and not to be missed. I have never worried about crime there for even an instant. I was just there to take my son aboard the William A Irvin, which is a retired freighter converted into a museum. I've always found the shipping industry to be fascinating and we love to watch the boats go in and out of harbor down at Canal Park. Duluth is just a gorgeous city and the Lake Superior water views are breathtaking. Beyond that the North Shore is more of the same all the way to the Canadian border. We actually went up to Grand Marais and back to the south side of the TC metro (Lakeville) in one day a few years back.
Btw, I spent much of my childhood in the Houston metro. You will love the natural beauty of Minnesota coming from a spot like that. Unfortunately, we've been mired in a Texas-like heat wave the past couple weeks, but it looks like it's finally starting to break. This is usually a very comfortable place in the summer, aside from the legions of bugs that will decorate your windshield almost instantly when you drive. Gotta watch out for the wildlife, too.....there's just so much of it they can't help but make there way onto the roads eventually.
Wherever you wind up going, enjoy Minnesota! We've had a rough past year as everyone knows by now, but no matter how crazy things get politically, this will always be one of the most beautiful states in the US and that will never change, thank the Lord.
The bluff country of southeastern Minnesota/western Wisconsin/northeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River is wonderful. I echo Tyryztoll's recommendation to head down that way and follow the river along Highway 61 from La Crosse up to Red Wing.
Duluth - and north of Duluth along the North Shore (Highway 61, again) - is also a must-see in the summer. The fun stuff north of Duluth begins north of Two Harbors. If you are thinking of heading as far as Grand Marais and staying overnight there, you will want to book in advance - there is little there and what is there fills up well in advance, probably even moreso this summer.
The bluff country of southeastern Minnesota/western Wisconsin/northeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River is wonderful. I echo Tyryztoll's recommendation to head down that way and follow the river along Highway 61 from La Crosse up to Red Wing.
Duluth - and north of Duluth along the North Shore (Highway 61, again) - is also a must-see in the summer. The fun stuff north of Duluth begins north of Two Harbors. If you are thinking of heading as far as Grand Marais and staying overnight there, you will want to book in advance - there is little there and what is there fills up well in advance, probably even moreso this summer.
Take old highway 61 or scenic route when leaving Duluth towards Two Harbors rather then the expressway. Another thing I always do when heading up the shore is take all backroads to Grand Marais, The Grade is a super scenic. It’s all gravel, your phone won’t work either, but then again it won’t work on much of the arrowhead area.
Sounds like you plan to cover a lot of ground! You'll be fine as long as you use common sense. Doesn't sound like you'll be hanging out anywhere risky or in the wee hours of the morning. Don't leave valuables in your car--and lock it.
I have heard the Boundary Waters are really nice. My dad has been up there several times. He is an avid outdoors/fisherman.
I would love to visit(actually move to MN) again. We went to MOA. It's massive so wear good walking shoes. We ate at Twin City Grill and the food was really good. If you have kids they will love it. Our daughter had a great time riding all the rides.
Let me just say this about my recent travels to Minnesota along I-694 and I-94.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE the level of road construction going on in the Twin Cities all the way through St. Cloud. It was like nothing I've seen anywhere else. It appears that the metro area is playing infrastructure catch up too late, otherwise I can't really comprehend the insanity of it all and the completely hazardous and dangerous merges (due to the construction), and the well known lack of people not being able to merge in the Cities.
Last edited by GraniteStater; 06-17-2021 at 12:24 PM..
Let me just say this about my recent travels to Minnesota along I-694 and I-94.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE the level of road construction going on in the Twin Cities all the way through St. Cloud. It was like nothing I've seen anywhere else. It appears that the metro area is playing infrastructure catch up too late, otherwise I can't really comprehend the insanity of it all and the completely hazardous and dangerous merges (due to the construction), and the well known lack of people not being able to merge in the Cities.
Egads - I came through there last weekend. That construction zone is as bad as it gets. I'm going to utilize the Highway 10 route to get up north the rest of the summer or until that zone is complete. Just as bad as the 35W construction that changes on a daily basis.
It wouldn't be summer without Road Construction... I just wish they could have gotten a whole lot more done during the Covid-Summer last year.
It wouldn't be summer without Road Construction... I just wish they could have gotten a whole lot more done during the Covid-Summer last year.
What's that old joke about Minnesota? Oh yeah, the four season climate: Winter, Winter, Winter, and Road Construction (aka Bad Sledding).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
