Romantic Getaway

Looking for a way to really WHOW your valentine this year? Book a winter romantic getaway to Grand Rapids, Minnesota this year. Let’s be honest, winters get long in Minnesota, and a winter getaway to Grand Rapids, MN is the perfect way to kick cabin fever and reconnect with your loved one .. You will find warm and cozy lodging, fun places to eat & drink, boutique style shops, historic attractions, cultural experiences and live entertainment, and an abundance of winter trails and lakes to explore in a remote setting to seek rest, relax and reconnect together. Find more Winter Things To Do.

Warm & Cozy Lodging

Grand Rapids, Minnesota has a wide variety of warm and cozy places to stay in the winter. There are in town Hotels, Motels and Bed & Breakfasts that are located near the shops, restaurants and in town trails. There are Minnesota Resorts that are open year-round and provide you with a fireplace cabin that is perfect for two. And then there are Vacation Rentals that are located both in town and on area lakes. Find more Places to Stay in Grand Rapids.

Fun Places to Eat & Drink

You will find a wide variety of places to eat & drink in the Grand Rapids, MN area. You will find locally owned craft breweries and local winery that offer weekly live music and other entertainment and in-house wood fired oven menu and order in and food trucks on site. Then there are the local places that offer the best bar burgers, best pizza in Minnesota, and restaurants with chef cuisine inspired menus. Whether you choose an upscale dining atmosphere or a more casual laid back place where you can be entertained by a performance or the view; the choice is yours. Find more Places to Eat & Drink.

Outdoor Recreation

With over 1 million acres of publicly accessible forest land in the area with over 2,000 miles of trails and 1,400 lakes; any outdoor recreation you are interested in, you can experience it in Grand Rapids. Head north to experience winter wonderland outdoor recreation mecca of the north! Mt Itasca Winter Sports Center is a place where you can always find snow to downhill ski, snowboard, cross country ski, and snow tube. Mt Itasca offers weekend winter fun for all ages. They offer on site rentals and a concession for food and beverage. In addition to Mt Itasca, you can enjoy over 200KM of cross country ski trails, over 3 00 miles of snowmobile trails, and lots of forest land to snowshoe. The Minnesota State famous Taconite Snowmobile Trail that runs from the Grand Rapids to the Iron Range. Whatever winter outdoor recreation you like to enjoy or would like to try, you can do it here.Come enjoy a winter wonderland in Minnesota’s nature. View more Winter Outdoor Recreation and view the Ice Fishing and Trail Conditions.In

Entertaining Historic Attractions

Looking for indoor places this winter, the Judy Garland Museum offers VIP tours of exclusive Judy Garland memorabilia that is not open to everyone in the museum. Judy Garland was born in Grand Rapids (aka Frances Ethel Gumm) in 1922. Enjoy hundreds of Judy Garland memorabilia and step back in time to the home she grew up in. The Itasca County Historical Society offers a free will donation museum that showcases Minnesota historic artifacts that were found in the Grand Rapids, MN area. Some of their exhibits are: Veterans Memorial, Mississippi River Room, and Doughboy Escape Room; requires an appointment. If you are looking for a way to experience the forest in the winter, the winter horse drawn sleigh rides at the Forest History Center are awesome. Experience the winter wonderland in Minnesota’s nature. And when you are in town you need to stop downtown and take a self-guided tour of Old Central School. Find more about Historic Sites in the Grand Rapids, MN area.

Live Entertainment and Art & Cultural Experiences

There is weekly nightlife in Grand Rapids, Minnesota at a variety of places like The Reif Performing Arts Center, craft breweries, local winery, area attractions, and in downtown Grand Rapids. The MacRostie Art Center offers several galleries, monthly exhibits, and art classes and programs. Each month there are new art exhibits in the Giinawind Creative Space, Minnesota Gallery and the MacRostie Art Gallery. While downtown you can also take a self-guided Grand Rapids Art & Historic Sites Tour. For more information View the Events Calendar to see what is coming up for events, programs, and entertainment in the Grand Rapids, Minnesota area.

Book Your Winter Romantic Getaway

Now that you have seen that Grand Rapids, Minnesota is a great place to take a Winter Romantic Getaway, now is the time to Book! Check out our Book>Direct listings to help you find the perfect place to stay. Book NOW!

Low Snow Winter Things To Do

Grand Rapids, Minnesota is a great winter getaway. Here is a Top 10 Low Snow Things To Do in Grand Rapids Minnesota this winter. Just because mother nature doesn’t give us the snow depths needed for snowmobiling, doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do. Here in northern Minnesota, there is always things to do in the winter – snow or no snow! You will find an abundance of low snow outdoor activities to enjoy as well as fun indoor activities.

#1: Ice Fishing

Ice Fishing – There are 1,400 lakes in the greater Grand Rapids, MN area. The smaller lakes north of Grand Rapids are great places to catch panfish like crappies, bluegills, and perch. Some lakes to consider are Sand, Round, and Bass lakes. All of these lakes offer public boat accesses that make it easy to walk out onto the lake. Some of the larger lakes that have public boat accesses where you can walk out and some you can four-wheeler and snowmobile from are Bowstring, Lake Winnibigoshish, Pokegama and Trout. On these lakes you will catch panfish (crappie, bluegill and perch), as well as walleye, northern pike, and trout. Read the weekly Ice Fishing Report.

Resource: MN DNR Lake Finder

#2: Cross-Country Skiing

Cross-Country Skiing – The Northern Lights Nordic Ski Association helps maintain approximately 200KM of cross-country ski trails in Itasca County. The Northern Lights Nordic Ski Club maintains seven trails: (Legion, Sugar Hills, Robin Baker Blueberry, Amen Lake, Suomi Hills, Trout Lake, and Mount Itasca). There is a base of anywhere from 4-8 inches which has allowed for packing, rolled and fethered with some trails being considered for setting tracks. A reminder is that you will need to purchase a MN Ski Pass to ski on these trails. Resource: Northern Lights Nordic Ski Association

#3: Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing – With over 1 million publicly accessible forest acres around the Grand Rapids, MN area, even a low snow provides for a snowshoeing opportunity. The Chippewa National Forest and Tioga Recreation Area two great places to snowshoe. The City of Cohasset Park & Recreation offer FREE snowshoe hikes throughout the winter where snowshoes are provided Ardent Bicycles in Grand Rapids offer snowshoe rentals. Resource: City of Cohasset Park & Recreation

#4: Downhill Skiing, Snowboarding and Snow Tubing

Mt Itasca Winter Sports Center in Coleraine is only a 15 minute drive east of Grand Rapids. This facility makes snow, so there is no need to worry of the snow conditions. They offer a chairlift for downhill skiing and snowboarding, and a hill designated for snowtubing. They provide rentals on site and a concession and public area to warm up. They also groom trails for cross country skiing. Resources: Mt Itasca

#5: Fun Places to Eat & Drink

Grand Rapids, Minnesota offers a wide variety of places to eat & drink. These locally owned establishments offer Northwoods cuisine to chef inspired menu’s. Try a flight of locally crafted beer at one of the breweries. Try the smash burgers at one of the bar/grills that are located off the trails. Try the locally owned restaurant where the locals go. Enjoy the dining by the fireplace that overlooks a frozen lake. Taste the best pizza in Minnesota. Resources: Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Deer River Chamber of Commerce.

#6: Weekly Live Entertainment

This small town offers entertainment of a much larger town! This is in part to local breweries, bars and restaurants providing weekly live music and other types of entertainment, and our hidden gem of a theater. The Reif Performing Arts Center hosts 10-15 live performances a month in their 700 seat theater. They host Broadway style performances, concerts and comedy shows during their performance season of September to May. Then in the summer months they provide off site concerts in area communities, on Pokegama Lake, and other park like settings. Resource: Check out the Reif Center upcoming performances and Events Calendar for the great Grand Rapids, MN ar

#7: Historic Sites

Grand Rapids is a diverse community that supports the arts and Minnesota history. MacRostie Art Center is located in historic downtown Grand Rapids. They offer art classes, host two art galleries that change exhibits monthly, and a gift shop where they sell local artists and Minnesota artists work. The new Giinawind Creative Space at MacRostie Art Center is a gathering place for the creative community, an opportunity for cultural connections, and a catalyst for community development through the arts. You can also take a self-guided art and historic walk through downtown Grand Rapids. There are several historic attractions where you can discover Minnesota history like the Judy Garland Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the Itasca County Historical Society, and the Forest History Center. All of these museums are welcoming to everyone and all ages. This is an opportunity to explore new historic sites and learn more about Minnesota’s history.

#8: Beautiful Art & Cultural Experiences

While you are visiting the MacRostie Art Center, you have to spend time in the Giinawind Creative Space. The Giinawind Creative Space is a gathering place for the creative community, an opportunity for cultural connections, and a catalyst for community development through the arts. Enjoy the beautifully created art and attend cultural experiential events in the Giinawind Creative Space. Giinawind is an Ojibwemowin inclusive pronoun that means we/us and. It was chosen for the name of this program because it reflects the vision for a space that centers Indigenous art and artists while welcoming the whole community.

#9: Boutique Style Shops

In historic downtown you will find locally owned boutique style shops that offer one of a kind items like home decor, gift, jewelry, locally created art, stained glass, furniture, clothing, and so much more! While downtown you will want to take a self-guided tour of Old Central School. And take a self-guided tour of the Grand Rapids Art & Historic Site that are located south of the Mississippi River that flows right through downtown.

#10: Warm & Cozy Lodging

In Grand Rapids, Minnesota you will find a wide variety of warm and cozy places to stay. In town Hotels, Motels, Vacation Rentals and Bed and Breakfasts are conveniently located near places to shop, eat & drink, and in town trails, and the golf course. The Minnesota Resorts are located on beautiful lakes and situated in more remote locations while still offer close by facilities to eat & drink, get gas, and shop. The Vacation Lake Rentals are located on pristine area lakes and offer you full home amenities and 1-5 bedrooms. Many of the properties offer fireplaces and fireplace suites to cuddle up by after you experience our winter wonderland. The wide variety of warm and cozy lodging, gives you many opportunities to come to northern Minnesota during a low snow winter season. Resource: Book Your Lodging

Start your planning now by viewing the interactive Grand Rapids Visitor’s Guide, and viewing the Winter Page which will highlight top things to do in the winter, winter resources, and trail conditions and ice fishing reports. Start Planning HERE.

Places to Stay

Hotels

Resorts

Vacation Rentals

Bed & Breakfasts

Camping

Things To Do

Trip Ideas

Events

Food & Drink

Explore the Outdoors

Fishing

Maps & More

ATV/OHV

Winter Romantic Getaway to Grand Rapids Minnesota