Minnesota has long been known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, a nickname that appears on the state’s commemorative quarter and license plates, not to mention the 10,000 Lakes Music Festival each year in Detroit Lakes.
Too bad the "10,000" part is a white lie. Minnesota actually has even more lakes—11,842, plus the Mississippi and several other noteworthy rivers.
These facts make Minnesota a natural if you like to be around, on, in or even under the water, says John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism in St. Paul.
"Minnesota is known for its outdoor resources. We also have [meeting] facilities on the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior."
Twin Cities Metro
Minneapolis is Minnesota’s largest city and, with neighboring St. Paul, occupies several bends along the Mississippi River. Its 22 lakes include five in the Chain of Lakes, which are surrounded by parks and trails, a rose garden, a peace garden and a bandshell. Visitors can rent canoes, paddleboats or kayaks, while cross-country skiing, ice skating and ice fishing are popular during winter.
Back on the Mississippi, the architecturally stunning Guthrie Theater is an excellent smaller venue that overlooks the river, providing a dramatic meeting of air and water. (Walk 175 feet out onto the Guthrie’s cantilevered "endless bridge" and you’ll probably agree.)
Just upstream is the Mill City Museum, dedicated to Minneapolis’ long run as the world’s top grain-milling city. The museum covers Minneapolis history and is "much more fun than you’d think," says Kristen Montag, marketing communication manager at Meet Minneapolis, who recommends seeing the movie Minneapolis in Nineteen Minutes Flat, riding up a grain elevator and checking out panoramic views of St. Anthony Falls and the famed Stone Arch Bridge.
Mobile Entertainment uses the trails of the 50-mile Grand River National Scenic Byway for Segway tours along the river.
In addition, Nicollet Island offers gardens, terraces and the Nicollet Island Pavilion. Slightly upstream is Boom Island Park, well suited for outdoor events and boat tours.
St. Paul is the state capital and its riverbanks are lined with restaurants, pavilions, museums and beer gardens.
"The majority of activity in St. Paul is river-based, not lake-based," says Adam Johnson, vice president of marketing at the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Authority, adding nonetheless that Lake Como is home to the Como Zoo (the country’s oldest free zoo) and the beautiful Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, which share an elegant 65,000-square-foot visitor center.
The convention-oriented Saint Paul River Centre is on a five-story bluff overlooking the Mississippi, as are the adjacent Science Museum of Minnesota and Mississippi River Center.
To the southwest is Harriet Island Regional Park, scene of outdoor festivals ranging from the Irish Fair and Taste of Minnesota to the recent Red Bull Flugtag ("flight festival"), where teams ran homemade aircraft off a high platform to (hopefully) glide over the river.
Harriet Island is also the departure point for Padelford Packet Boat Company cruises and home to the Covington Inn, a floating bed-and-breakfast.
Bloomington is famous for the Mall of America but Heather Proskey, marketing and events coordinator at the Bloomington CVB, likes to talk about the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a 14,000-acre stretch along the Minnesota River. Its landscape includes wetlands, oak savannah and floodplain forest, while its solar-powered visitor center features an auditorium and classrooms.
"It’s a peaceful area in the hustle and bustle of the city," Proskey says, adding that Normandale Lake Park has a bandshell and banquet facilities.
Minneapolis North consists of Maple Grove as well as Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, which adjoin the Mississippi. This river access shows up clearly along numerous walking and biking trails, and visitors can also relax and picnic on Islands of Peace Regional Park, or fish in the Mississippi. Visit Minneapolis North can also coordinate winter ice fishing tournaments on nearby Lake Minnetonka.
North-Central/Western Minnesota
Brainerd and Baxter are at the center of hundreds of square miles of lakes created during the last Ice Age. Comfortable hotels and resorts have sprung up to serve sportsmen, and popular choices include the Grandview Lodge, Cragun’s Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake, Madden’s on Gull Lake, Breezy Point Resort and Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge in Deerwood, all of which have event space.
The area offers many beautiful state parks, including Crow Wing State Park, Cross Lake Recreation Area and Gull Lake Recreation Area.
Asked about water recreation, Gretchen Ennis, tourism director at the Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce points to ice fishing and scuba diving, as well as cross-country skiing and downhill skiing.
St. Cloud bills itself as "Granite Country, USA," and this meeting point of the Sauk and Mississippi rivers features many opportunities for canoeing and kayaking through Clear Waters Outfitting Company and St. Cloud State University’s rental shop, Outdoor Endeavors.
Along Interstate 94 toward Fargo, Alexandria is a resort-filled tourism center that enjoys yearly apple and grape festivals in addition to lake-centered sports, with more than 300 lakes in the region. Its largely rural character and scenic beauty make it ideal for retreats, as demonstrated by venues such as Kapalo Retreats, Mount Carmel Ministries and Friends Forever Retreat.
Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center is one of the area’s top meetings-ready properties, with a location on Lake Darling, a waterpark and a full-service marina. Among the many activities available are boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing.
North of Alexandria, Thumper Pond Resort in Ottertail is another popular group retreat with plenty of outdoor recreational pursuits.
Grand Rapids lies northwest of Duluth and between Trout Lake and Bass Lake, among many others, so freshwater fishing is a major draw. The area’s meetings-friendly properties include Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge, Wendigo Lodge, Golf & Convention Center and Timberlake Lodge. Similarly, Lake of the Woods bills itself as the "Walleye Capital of the World" and opportunities for fishing abound.
Bemidji is located at the edge of the Chippewa National Forest and surrounded by about 30 lakes, roughly 400 miles of snowmobile trails and nearly 100 miles of cross-country ski trails. The Bemidji Regional Event Center is set to open in October.
Northeastern Minnesota
Situated on Lake Superior, Duluth is backed by hilly parks and fronted by gorgeous views of the world’s largest freshwater lake—so large that it makes winters warmer and summers cooler. Outside magazine has named Duluth one its Great Outside Towns, and Julie Johnson, senior sales manager at Visit Duluth, says Lake Superior is just one reason for the honor.
"We’re also known for our vast number of trails providing soft adventure all the way up to very advanced adventure depending on whether you want to do white-water rafting or kayaking—and depending on whether you want to do waterfalls."
Less-strenuous activities include chartering Lake Superior fishing boats or taking the North Shore Scenic Railroad on customized tours of the lakeshore and inland forests.
Major meeting venues include the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center plus hotels such the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview, Inn on Lake Superior and Sheraton Duluth Hotel.
While Ely may be the "Dogsledding Capital of the World," it’s probably the "Canoeing Capital" as well. That’s because its location within Superior National Forest makes it the natural starting point for adventures in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the "Disney World of paddling." Meetings-friendly properties include Grand Ely Lodge Resort & Conference Center.
Southern Minnesota
Rochester is famous for the Mayo Clinic, now in its 21st year as a US News & World Report best American hospital. Mayo Civic Center is positioned within a Z-shaped bend of the Zumbro River, which flanks it on two sides and provides a beautiful setting for an 11-acre city park (complete with bandshell and amphitheater).
Just upstream, Silver Lake enjoys a traditional park setting and offers shelters for outdoor gatherings, plus paddleboats and canoeing.
Mankato and North Mankato are located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth rivers, and bill themselves as a "little Twin Cities." Waterborne activities such as canoeing are easily accomplished since surrounding Blue Earth County has more miles of river than any Minnesota county, while trails line the Minnesota River and connect with the city’s new Riverfront Park.
Paul D. Kretkowski writes frequently about travel, food and sports.
