Must-see attractions in Northern Minnesota

This is the most visited spot on the entire North Shore. The shiner itself is a state historic site with a separate admission fee. Guided tours are…

The vast Chippewa National Forest covers a large swath of the north-central part of the state. It's a protected wilderness that offers visitors the chance…

Like most of the parks dotting the North Shore, Tettegouche State Park offers fishing, camping, paddling and hiking trails to waterfalls and little lakes,…

The directors here claim this 39-room mansion, built on a 12-acre estate, is the most-visited home in the Midwest. Whether that's true or not, a visit…

The five cascades, scenic gorge and easy trails draw carloads of visitors to Gooseberry Falls State Park. Several cool stone and log buildings, built by…

It's only from this breathtaking viewpoint about 2 miles north of central Hibbing that you begin to grasp the sheer scale of mining operations in these…

Magney State Park is a beauty. Hiking to Devil’s Kettle, the famous falls where the Brule River splits around a huge rock, is a must. Half of the flow…

This is Minnesota's oldest and deepest iron ore mine. Ore was worked continuously here from 1882 to when the mine closed in 1962. The tour includes a deep…

You'll need to take a tour to see the park. On the 1½-hour mine tour, a bus takes you around the open-pit operation where 64 million tons of iron ore were…

Itasca State Park is an area highlight. You can walk across the tiny headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, which is pretty wild. Wade in the knee…

Children will enjoy the up-close-and-personal encounter with the freshwater fish – as well as various reptiles, invertebrates and otters – of the Great…

This is a lakefront sweet spot with a rose garden, replica of Leif's Viking ship and free outdoor movies each Friday night in summer. Take the Lakewalk…

The eponymous waterway at Temperance River State Park belies its moderate name and roars through a narrow, twisting gorge. The scene is easy to get to,…

Minnesota's only operating lighthouse rises up over Agate Bay. The 1892 fog-buster sticks to a rhythm – 0.4-second flash, 4.6 seconds of darkness, 0.4…

Located next to the Aerial Lift Bridge, the center has computer screens inside that tell what time the big ships will be sailing through. Cool model boats…

Duluth's main landmark raises its mighty arm to let horn-bellowing ships into port. About 1000 vessels per year glide through.

Tour this mighty 610ft Great Lakes freighter and see what life was like carrying steel from port to port.

Badass Dorothy Molter lived for 56 years in a cabin in the Boundary Waters' midst, 18 miles from the nearest road. Dorothy paddled, hiked, fished, skied…

The Zimmerman family called this colorful two-story, wood-framed 'Mediterranean Modern' house, a few blocks off of central E Howard St, home after moving…

It sits 600ft above Lake Superior and provides a grand view, especially between mid-August and November, when 94,000 raptors swing by as part of the…