Our home state is beautiful year-round, but there are many amazing places to see in Minnesota this summer! The following are a few for you to consider exploring if you have not already done so:
1. A fun place to visit is Minnesota’s Largest CANDY store. It is located at 20430 Johnson Memorial Dr, Jordan, MN 55352. The store has been nominated to the Minnesota’s best list. They have a huge selection of all different types of candies, including some international selections. Besides candy they also carry 20 types of flavored popcorn, 124 flavors of teas, a selection of pasta and honey, fresh baked pies and strudel, sodas, jams, jellies, puzzles and more! The ceilings are decorated with superheroes, characters from Frozen, minions and other characters. They are open mid-May through November. They do not accept credit cards, just cash or check.
2. Lark Toy store is located at 63604 170th Ave, Kellogg, MN 55945. Besides many kinds of toys displayed in an interesting way, they also have a carousel, a gallery of retro trinkets, mini golf course and a café. This store has won many awards for best toy store and coolest toy store. They were even featured in the Oprah magazine. The store is family owned and operated. They are open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. If you stop by, you can even meet their llamas, Francis, Irving, George, Meg and Calvin!
If the outdoors and hiking are what interest you there are many beautiful places in Minnesota to explore:
3. Tettegouche State Park is at 5702 Highway 61, Silver Bay, MN 55614. They have miles of hiking trails, waterfalls, wildlife/Peregrine Falcons, camping, rock climbing and cross-country skiing. They have amazing views of Lake Superior. Overall a beautiful park!
William O’Brien State Park is located at 16821 O’Brien Trail N, Marine on St Croix, MN. This Park has hiking trails that go through rolling glacial terrain, areas bordering rivers and other bodies of water, restored oak savanna, wooded areas and bogs. The park is located only one hour from the Twin Cities. Kids can join the junior park naturalist program where they will learn about bugs, birds, plants and other critters. There are free activity booklets that can be filled out to earn a patch.
4. Duluth is a fun place to visit with a variety of things to see and do. You can go out to Park Point recreation area where you can hike to the end of the point. The hike includes miles of beach and forest paths through old growth pines. Check out the lift bridge and watch large ships enter the harbor. You can explore the Great Lakes Aquarium which is a hands-on experience. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum allows you to go into the trains and explore. There is also a model train exhibit. If you enjoy driving, take the scenic highway 61 north of Duluth. If you go up to Two Harbors you can get delicious pies from Betty’s Pie Shop.
5. Ely, MN is a town that has interesting places to explore. The Dorothy Molter Museum is all about a woman who lived alone for 56 years on an island and made her own root beer. You can travel the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with thousands of miles of canoe routes, wooded islands, canyons and cliffs. The International Wolf Center allows people to watch a live wolf pack through large windows and provides much information about wolves. The North American Bear Center is interesting and educational.
These are just a sampling of some of the interesting places to go in MN. If you decide to check any of these out, I hope you have an amazing visit!