So, what is there to see in MN? (visiting question) (Minneapolis: rental car, rental)

[Unknown Memory]

My Mom has some extra travel credit from her airline membership so I'm thinking of maybe visiting your state for vacation/visiting purpose. Either MN or Chicago (or maybe Wisconsin Dells)? I don't know really. The northern middle part of the country (paritcularily, your area) is one place, I have never been to before out of everywhere else in the U.S.

So, I thought maybe asking you guys what is good to see up there and what to stay away from is the best way to start off my state-visit search??

I know the "Mall of America" is going to pop in somewhere so don't worry... ^^; That's already on my empty list. (I already live in a "mall of America" so I'll probably just be there to check out your indoor amusement park. Hehehhe...) That is, of course, if I do decide on MN.

Any tips would be appreciative! Thank you! ^_^

[gweilo845]

Hi, that is a pretty open-ended question, if you can give some more particulars, people might be able to help you more - like what's your budget, what you like to do on vacation, what time of the year will you be here, will you have a car, etc.

[uptown_urbanist]

I know people love it, but the Mall of America would be on my don't bother list. It's just a big mall.

What time of year are you thinking of visiting? That's going to make a big difference. If soon - as in late August/early September the MN State Fair is definitely worth visiting. It's one of the biggest in the country, and is a weird mix of anything and everything MN. People from all over the state come, and it's great for people watching. It's very Midwestern. There's nothing like it on the East Coast.

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have a lot of fun things to do, depending on your interests. Stone Arch Bridge and the surrounding area in Minneapolis is a great intro to the Mississippi riverfront (industrial-turned-bustling neighborhood). Check out Uptown and Lake Calhoun for an urban lake experience.

If you have time to leave the metro area consider heading north to Duluth and Lake Superior.

[demtion35]

For sure first thing head up North to the Duluth Northern Minnesota area for the visit. Why spend hard earned peace and quiet time around a bunch of hustle and bustle?

[Cruz Azul Guy]

We drove through Wisconsin Dells on the way back from Chicago this weekend. It is a town of 2300 people with like 6 water parks. Only waste a trip there if you REALLY like waterparks. I highly recommend Chicago if you've never been there. I agree that if you decide on Minnesota and are not into the Mall of America it'd be a good idea to spend a day or two in Duluth. Otherwise there's alot of cool stuff to see and do in the Twin Cities area as well.

[Unknown Memory]

Ok, thank you for all your responses! ^^; The credit thing expires in October so this month is probably the only good time to go (for me, at least).

MN State Fair, eh? Sounds interesting. I love exploring the regional food in various places so there's going to be a lot of that, right? *starry eyes*

Duluth and Stone Arch Bridge sounds like places perfect for picture taking. (And must be pretty?)

Budget wise? We're middle class/upper middle class spending type people who are trying to save on money in some cases. So, I'm pretty sure we can handle it. (Although, my Mom must be loaded or something. >__> I swear...)

As for rental car, I don't know if we'll have that, but I know we should get one in order to not be limited. Time spent in MN would probably be a week to less than a week.

How far is it to go up to Chicago (from say, Minneapolis)?

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Unknown Memory

Ok, thank you for all your responses! ^^; The credit thing expires in October so this month is probably the only good time to go (for me, at least).

MN State Fair, eh? Sounds interesting. I love exploring the regional food in various places so there's going to be a lot of that, right? *starry eyes*

Duluth and Stone Arch Bridge sounds like places perfect for picture taking. (And must be pretty?)

Budget wise? We're middle class/upper middle class spending type people who are trying to save on money in some cases. So, I'm pretty sure we can handle it. (Although, my Mom must be loaded or something. >__> I swear...)

As for rental car, I don't know if we'll have that, but I know we should get one in order to not be limited. Time spent in MN would probably be a week to less than a week.

How far is it to go up to Chicago (from say, Minneapolis)?

Chicago is roughly a seven hours' drive from Minneapolis.

A good week in Minnesota starting in Minneapolis:

1. Spend a few days in Minneapolis. If the State Fair's in town, definitely visit that. Otherwise, Minneapolis isn't really a tourist-oriented area, but there are a few things worth seeing: the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Walker Art Museum (though you have the Met and MoMA respectively in New York); the St. Paul Cathedral; and the State Capitol. Walk around a bit downtown and check out the Skyways. Or rent a bike and ride the Grand Rounds and other parts of Minneapolis's excellent bike infrastructure (aside from Portland, it's one of the biggest biking cities in the country). Tourists love the Mall of America; I personally don't like it, since it's basically a really huge mall, like others have said.

2. Drive up I-35 to Duluth. Absolutely beautiful city. Make sure you drive down Skyline Parkway, perhaps in its entirety. Hike up Ely's Peak; though it's not really a full-blown "mountain" (well, maybe by NJ standards...), the views are amazing and the cliffs fun.

3. From Duluth, continue up 61 along the North Shore, a very scenic drive. The Superior Hiking Trail runs through several of the state parks (Tettegouche, Split Rock, etc.). Split Rock is probably the most dependable and best introduction. You can see info about the trail here:

Superior Hiking Trail Association

Try seeing what radio stations you can get once far up the North Shore (Grand Marais area) - without "scanning", but using the dial. You'll be amazed that many, if not most of them come more than 80 miles across the lake from Michigan and Wisconsin.

You can rent cabins, etc. right on the lake.

4. On the way back, take Hwy 1 (National Forest Road) to get an idea of how sparsely populated the northeastern quarter of Minnesota is. Stop for lunch in little Ely. Pass back through 169 and 53 back on to 35.

OR spend less time in the North Shore (while still passing by) and spend a few days canoeing in the Boundary Waters / Voyageurs National Park. There are several outfitters in Ely, which is the gateway to the BWCA.

5. If you're going to Chicago next, instead of taking the standard interstate route directly from Minneapolis, drive along the Mississippi River on US 61. Red Wing is a nice town, as is La Crosse (WI). You can turn on to I-90 in the La Crosse / La Crescent area on the way to Chicago. Chicago is probably a 5-6 hour drive from there.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

This last weekend I drove from my house in South Minneapolis into Chicago in 6 hours. In all honesty I don't really recommend it. The next time we go to Chicago it'll be on a plane.

[ET_MTB]

tvdxer, great post. I have been living in MN for a couple years now (originally from southern NY). We just recently took a vacation in Duluth and has a great time. You may just have listed the itinerary for our family vacation for next year.

[uptown_urbanist]

Yes, the MN State Fair is certainly the place to go for regional food. Besides the oh-so-popular food on sticks, there's everything from mini-doughnuts to church supper halls to all-you-can-drink-milk to sweet corn to - well, there's a lot of food, from the standard fair options to more specific upper Midwest stuff (or the simply weird).

There's also a big walk-in rotating glass refrigerator case where dairy royalty - the daughters of dairy farmers who win the Princess Kay of the Milky Way pageant, and serve as as ambassadors for the state dairy industry (the princess and her attendants) - sit as they have their busts sculpted out of butter. Visitors don't get to eat the butter (they get to bring them home after the fair, and I think I read many host pancake breakfasts, etc. where they use the butter) but it's an interesting Midwestern food-related tradition.