benefits to booking Early
There are many benefits to booking your summer vacation early. One of them is that you get to choose from peak season dates. Because Grand Rapids, Minnesota is a going to the lake summer vacation destination, peak season are the months of June-August. A lot of properties will require a full week stay during this peak season. Each lodging property will determine their overnight stay requirements during peak season. Another reason to book early is being up north in peak season to enjoy the lakes and trails. And another reason is during peak season all of the historic sites and area attractions are open during peak season. Grand Rapids, Minnesota is the perfect summer vacation destination for individuals, couples and families. Read more to learn all about booking your summer vacation in Grand Rapids this year.
Summer Vacation in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
There are advantages to booking your summer vacation early. Winter is the perfect time to book your summer vacation up north in Minnesota. If you are looking for a June-August date to vacation at a “lake destination” it is advised to book early because those are peak summer vacation months; and they book early. Grand Rapids, Minnesota is know as the outdoor mecca of the north for the surrounding 1 million publicly accessible forest acres, and 1,140 area lakes that offer beautiful lake clarity, and 2,000 miles of designated trails. The dates of peak summer season have changed over the years as adults work schedules have become more unpredictable, and children’s extra curricular activities schedules have become very full. That is why booking early will help you get the perfect date that works for you and your loved ones. Many lodging properties have minimum night stays during peak season, so you will want to be sure to check with each property on their guidelines.
what to expect peak summer season
Not every Grand Rapids lodging property will fill up 100% during peak season, but weekends will fill up first. Be mindful that because this is peak summer season, properties may require a minimum stay, and some will require a full week. Some properties will have a partial week or long weekend options, so you will want to check with individual properties to see what their policy is. Booking your summer vacation early will ensure you will get the dates that work the best for you and your loved ones. In town Hotels and Motels will be more full in the summer, especially on the weekends, but during mid-week they tend to have some openings. Minnesota Vacation Rentals, Minnesota Resorts, Air BnB’s, and Bed and Breakfasts will fill up faster during peak summer season (June-August) because they do not have the number of lodging rooms like resorts and hotels/motels.
With Grand Rapids, Minnesota being a northern Minnesota lake destination, you can expect more people in downtown, at historic and area attraction sites, on the trails, at boat landings, and at places to eat & drink. However, Grand Rapids, Minnesota is still an off-the-beaten path destination located in north central Minnesota. You could say a ‘hidden gem of the north’ so the crowds are much smaller than Duluth or Brainerd. There are a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities on our lakes and trails, and the fun places to eat & drink are located outside of the city center, where there are less crowds.
Taking vacation in the summer peak season is a great time to be up north. The water clarity in the summer is brilliant and some would say we have some of the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. The forests are a bright vivid green, and the wildlife is alive with song birds, birds of prey, deer, racoon, fox and more active and out for viewing. There are 1,140 area lakes that are full of a wide variety of fish to catch. There is a designated trail for all types of outdoor recreation from ATV/OHV, biking, hiking, and mountain biking. There are small lakes, rivers and reclaimed mining pit lakes that are perfect for paddling sports. Grand Rapids is the outdoor mecca of the north with over 1 million publicly accessible forest acres surrounding it. And there are lots of indoor things to do on inclement weather days (like rain) from the many fun places to eat & drink, historic and area attractions, cultural experiences, public art and galleries, and boutique style shops. This charming small lake town offers everyone a little bit of something – a mix of outdoor nature and indoor fun things to do for all ages.
advantages to booking a vacation early or late peak season
There are advantages to booking your summer vacation early. Winter is the perfect time to book your summer vacation up north in Minnesota. Do you have a hard time to get everyone’s schedules to coincide to book a summer vacation? Try taking a look at early and late summer peak dates. For some properties, early peak summer dates are considered May and early June. And late peak summer dates are considered end of August to early September.
Lake destinations like Grand Rapids, Minnesota fill up fast for peak season (middle of June through middle of August). In the past, peak season typically been defined as Memorial Day to Labor Day. With changing family schedules (tight work schedules and kids extra curricular schedules) it can be hard to get dates that work for everyone for a full week of summer vacation. And, after Labor Day the availability tends to increase, rates decrease, and September is a beautiful time of year to be up north in Minnesota. There are less crowds, less people at the boat landings, fall fishing is good, the leaves are changing into yellow, orange and red, and the temperatures are warm enough for short leaves during the day and sweatshirt by the fire at night.
The other advantages to booking a vacation early is if you like to travel with fiddo, there are only certain properties that allow pets, and these properties often have a maximum number of rooms or cabins that they open up to pets. When you book your summer vacation early then you can first pick. Many properties allow returning customers to re-book the same week for the following year as well. So, check on this opportunity when you book.
Top Summer Things To Do in Grand Rapids
If you are looking for an up north Minnesota summer vacation, then Grand Rapids is a place you should definitely consider. Here is a top summer things to do in Grand Rapids, Minnesota list:
- Get Outdoors – even if you are not an outdoorsy person, the lakes and trails in norther Minnesota have a way of helping to put life into perspective and relaxes you.
- Have a Campfire and Smore’s – now this has to be a going to the lake or going up north summer things to do – think outside of the box and try some new recipes – roasted marshmallow, banana, chocolate and hazelnut spread and graham crackers or roasted marshmallow, slices apples, any nut butter and graham crackers.
- Paddle the Mississippi River – if you do not have paddle equipment and safety gear, no worries: Paddle Hoppers and R&R Rental offer rentals, sales and service.
- Go Fishing – with over 1,140 lakes there are a lot of opportunity to fish in the Grand Rapids, MN area. In Grand Rapids there are many fishing piers where you only need a fishing pole, reel, line, a hook and bait. There is a fishing pier at Crystal Lake (by Itasca Fairgrounds), Tioga Beach Fishing Pier, Mississippi River Fishing Pier (behind the library), and Pokegama Dam (fish from shore on the Mississippi River) are all locations to consider.
- Take a Hike – a couple of places to consider are Legion Trail (at the Reif Center), Tioga Recreation Area (stay to the right of the bike trails or take the haul roads, and the Chippewa National Forest: Suomi Hills (located on the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway) and Simpson Creek (located at Cut Foot Sioux Visitor Center).
- Bike – in Grand Rapids you will find two world-class bike systems. Tioga Recreation Area which is a premiere multi-level mountain bike system that overlooks Pokegama Lake and Tioga Pit Lake. And there is Mesabi Trail which is the longest paved bike trail in Minnesota that runs from the Mississippi in Grand Rapids to the Boundary Waters in Ely.
- Tour Historic Sites – Grand Rapids offers a wide variety of historic places to visit. The Forest History Center, the Itasca County Historical Society, and the Judy Garland Museum are three located within the city limits of Grand Rapids. Take a self-guided Grand Rapids Art & Historic Site Tour.
- Discover Beautiful Art, Cultural Experiences, and Live Performances – The MacRostie Art Center, the artists in Old Central School and the Grand Rapids Arts came together to create First Friday Art Walk. The Reif Center has created a summer live performace schedule
- Enjoy fun places to Eat & Drink – another perk of being on vacation is going out to eat. Food and Drink are two of the most enjoyable things about being on vacation. Take in the locally owned places that are unique to Grand Rapids – craft breweries (Klockow Brewing & Rapids Brewing), a Minnesota Winery (Smoke on the Water), a MN Wine Bar (UnWined Up North), the famous Sammy’s Pizza, and the places where the locals go: Forest Lake Restaurant, Pickled Loon, Timberlake Restaurant, Bear Creek Pizza, Florio’s, Cedar Creek Grille, Pokegama Grill, Dotties, and Zorbaz).
- Reconnect, Relax and Recharge -a large part of going on vacation in northern Minnesota is slowing down, and taking in the simple things in life Coming together with loved one’s in Minnesota’s nature has a way of putting things into perspective and appreciating the time spent together.
Now that you understand the advantages to booking your summer vacation early, check out the Grand Rapids Visitor Guide to get inspiration for things to do and see while on vacation in Grand Rapids. You can also view all 37 lodging properties that range from in town Hotels, and Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, Bed & Breakfasts, and Vacation Rentals to Minnesota Family Resorts and Vacation Rentals that are located on beautiful area lakes.
View Grand Rapids Visitor Guide HERE.
View Grand Rapids Lodging Properties HERE.
