A local’s guide to the top 12 most scenic views in Minnesota – waterfalls, lakes, rivers, bluffs, skylines, and more.
The top 16 winter hikes in Minnesota – ranked
A local’s guide to the top 16 winter hikes in Minnesota – ranked! From waterfall trails to winter wonderlands to sunset hikes, this list of the best winter hikes in Minnesota offers hiking trails for all levels.
Best winter hikes in and near the Twin Cities, MN
A local’s guide to the best winter hikes in and near the Twin Cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Also includes winter hiking safety tips and links to top-ranking winter hiking outside the Twin Cities.
Best things to do in Minnesota: Nutcracker Museum
Minnesota is home to the third-largest nutcracker museum in the world. Located in small-town Luverne, MN, the Rock County History Center showcases more than 5,000 nutcrackers. And this nutcracker museum collection is on display year-round.
Top holiday events in Minneapolis and St. Paul
A local’s guide to the best holiday festivals and Christmas events in the Twin Cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul. From a million Christmas lights at GLOW Holiday Festival to the iconic Holidazzle in Minneapolis to the live performance of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater. Updated for 2023
Guide to scenic Beaver Creek Valley State Park in MN
Beaver Creek Valley State Park in Caledonia, Minn. offers easy to moderate hikes for spectacular views of trees, streams, valleys, and bluffs. And is located in a geological area known as the Blufflands Landscape Region and Driftless Area (meaning that it was untouched by most recent glaciers). When the glaciers melted, however, the torrential water created beautiful ravines, gorges, and valleys.
Local’s guide to Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota
Knocking on the door of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota features 4,000 acres, a beautiful 675-acre lake with a beach and lots of fishing, easy to moderate hikes, towering pine trees dating back to the late 1800s, and rocky landscapes.
Best kid-friendly sunflower field in the Twin Cities, MN
A local’s guide to the best kid-friendly sunflower field in the Twin Cities: Joyer Adventure Farm in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. Take a hayride to the sunflower fields, pick your own sunflowers and enjoy the ropes course, sandbox, big slide, pedal trike races, a maze, barnyard of animals, and more.
A local’s guide to Banning State Park in Minnesota
Banning State Park in Sandstone, Minn. features 17 miles of scenic hiking trails, the beautiful Kettle River and rapids for kayakers and paddlers, quarry ruins, rock climbing / bouldering, two waterfalls, and more.
A local’s guide to Afton State Park in Minnesota
Afton State Park is one of the best state parks in Minnesota. Set along the St. Croix River, it offers more than 20 miles of hiking trails in the summer and 12 miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails in the winter.
