🛶 Minnesota

About Minnesota

🏛 Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Minnesota earns its state motto — L'Étoile du Nord (Star of the North) — with a quality of life, natural environment, and cultural life that consistently place it at or near the top of national liveability rankings. The land of 10,000 lakes (there are actually 11,842 lakes over 10 acres) and the boundary waters wilderness offer some of the finest freshwater recreation in the world, while Minneapolis-Saint Paul have quietly built a cultural and culinary scene that rivals cities twice their size.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the most visited wilderness area in the United States — more than a million acres of boreal forest and 1,000 lakes along the Canadian border, accessible only by canoe or foot, with no roads and no motors (mostly). It offers the rarest travel experience available in the lower 48: genuine wilderness immersion, where you paddle your own canoe between portages, fish for walleye and bass in lakes that see almost no other visitors, and camp on island sites under skies dark enough to see the aurora borealis on clear winter nights. Entry permits are required (recreation.gov); prime summer weekends book out months ahead. The experience — physical, demanding, and extraordinarily beautiful — is unlike anything available in more celebrated national parks.

Minneapolis has become one of America's most culturally significant mid-sized cities, driven by its extraordinary arts infrastructure. The Walker Art Center and its Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (home of Claes Oldenburg's giant Spoonbridge and Cherry) is one of the finest contemporary art museums in the country. The Guthrie Theater, on the Mississippi riverfront, is one of America's most respected regional theaters — its 'Endless Bridge' cantilever over the river offers remarkable views of the river and historic Mill District. The James Beard Award-winning restaurant scene (Spoon and Stable, Bachelor Farmer, Travail, and dozens more) and the craft brewing culture (more breweries per capita than most US cities) make the Twin Cities a serious culinary destination.

Prince Rogers Nelson grew up in Minneapolis and stayed here his entire career — Paisley Park, his recording studio and home in Chanhassen, is open for tours and remains a pilgrimage site for music lovers worldwide. The Duluth Canal Park, at the western tip of Lake Superior, offers the remarkable spectacle of ore freighters passing under the aerial lift bridge at eye level — the world's largest freshwater port by volume handled.

Don't Miss

Top Activities

Tags