Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
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…
Must-see attractions in Northern Minnesota
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
Like most of the parks dotting the North Shore, Tettegouche State Park offers fishing, camping, paddling and hiking trails to waterfalls and little lakes,…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
Children will enjoy the up-close-and-personal encounter with the freshwater fish – as well as various reptiles, invertebrates and otters – of the Great…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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,…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
Duluth's main landmark raises its mighty arm to let horn-bellowing ships into port. About 1000 vessels per year glide through.
Northern Minnesota
Tour this mighty 610ft Great Lakes freighter and see what life was like carrying steel from port to port.
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
Northern Minnesota
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…
North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum
Northern Minnesota
The teeny town of Tofte is worth a stop to browse the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum. The twin-gabled red building holds fishing nets, a fishing…
Northern Minnesota
Fun fact: Hibbing was the birthplace of the predecessor of the iconic Greyhound bus line. The museum is housed in a classic art deco–style bus terminal…
Northern Minnesota
The five-story, bluestone, octagonal tower is a defining Duluth monument, located in Enger Park. Terrific views of the harbor and Lake Superior reward…
Grand Portage National Monument
Northern Minnesota
Located beside the Canadian border, this is where the early voyageurs had to carry their canoes around the Pigeon River rapids. It was the center of a far…
Northern Minnesota
The duplex is up a hill a few blocks northeast of downtown. Dylan lived on the top floor until age six, when his family moved inland to Hibbing. It's a…
Northern Minnesota
The library has well-done displays on local boy Bob Dylan and a free walking-tour map (available online, too) that takes you past various sites, like the…
