Classic Northwoods Vacation
This blog article will highlight what a Grand Rapids, MN Resort Experience is like. Escape for a classic northwoods vacation in northern Minnesota. Grand Rapids, MN is a year-round vacation destination that offers small town charm, an abundance of outdoor recreation, cultural and historic attractions, seasonal festivals and weekly events, boutique style shops, and fun places to eat & drink.
Selecting a Resort Cabin for your short-term lodging offers you on site amenities, the opportunity to meet new people, a cozy and clean cabin with a wide variety of spaces to gather together and create memories, and beautiful nature views.
Resort On Site Amenities
The Grand Rapids, MN resorts offer a wide variety of on site amenities. Most MN resorts that are located on water offer dock slips, a beach, chairs, tables, and water toys for guests to utilize. Resorts offer a lodge that offers grocery items for sale, gift, clothing and vacation souvenirs, and sometimes ice cream and novelties. And then shared outdoor space; from campfire rings, grills, and screened in porches and decks. In addition there is an abundance of nature surrounding the resort with many green spaces, mixed hardwood and pine tree forests, dirt roads and trails.
Cabins are well stocked with kitchen dishes, pots and pans, utensils, appliances, living room furniture, comfy beds, pillows, and bedding. Some resorts include towels, soap, shampoo, etc. and some do not, so make sure you check before your arrival to know what is included and what is not.
Some Grand Rapids, MN resorts offer other on site amenities like activities for adults and kids. Some resorts have weekly shared events like potlucks, sunset cruises, lawn yoga, and more. Again, check with your resort before your arrival to know what is offered. You can search for the onsite amenities that you desire below.
Meet New People
One of the best experiences of staying at a MN Resort is meeting new people that are also staying at the same resort. Meeting people while at the beach, meeting people at your daily walk through the resort, or even meeting new people while fishing off the dock.
Guests come from all over the Midwest to vacation in the Grand Rapids, MN area. Guests have shared that they have become friends with people they met for the first time while on vacation at a Grand Rapids, MN area resort. Find Grand Rapids, MN Resort Cabins below.
Abundance of Water Recreation
Another great experience while staying at a Grand Rapids, MN resort cabin is the abundance of outdoor recreation that is located right out the cabins front door or deck. Being located on a lake, river, or near them presents the opportunity for water sports like boating, fishing, paddling, swimming, and all of the boat fun. With over 1,100 area lakes, staying in a Grand Rapids, MN resort cabin allows you the freedom to be on the water every day.
There is a wide variety of fishing species to catch on Grand Rapids, MN area lakes: panfish (crappies, bluegills, and perch), walleye, northern pike, musky, and trout. The MN DNR lake finder is a great way to enter in Itasca County in the search field and discover all of the area lakes and the type of fish they have to offer, depths, and boat landing information. See the link button below.
Paddling sports is a fun way to get an up close and personal experience in the water. The Grand Rapids, MN area lakes are some of the cleanest and clearest in the nation. Paddling gives you a opportunity to view the underwater world from your kayak, canoe or stand up paddle board. From the fish and plant life to the occasional turtle swimming by to ducks, geese and loons swimming near by.
Boating is another great way to experience the area lakes. Whether you are looking to take a slow pontoon cruise or you are looking to pull the kids behind on the tube; the abundance of area lakes allows your Grand Rapids, MN resort vacation to be a memorable one on the water. Discover more below.
Abundance of Trails & Outdoor Recreation
There are over 1M publicly accessible forest acres surrounding Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and within there are 2,000 miles of designated trails. Whatever outdoor recreation activity you enjoy or would like to try – you can do it here!
There is the Mesabi Trail, Tioga Recreation Area, and Legion Trail to bike. The Mesabi Trail is the longest paved trail in Minnesota that runs from Grand Rapids to Ely, Minnesota. This trail crosses around old mine reclaimed areas, active mine areas, around tamarack bogs, and through mixed hardwood and pine forests. The Tioga Recreation Area is a professionally built multi level single-track mountain bike trail system that wraps around 300+acres and two lakes; which makes it perfect for the entire family. Legion Trail offers 160 acres right in the heart of the city limits of Grand Rapids, MN next to the Reif Center. It offers several trail activity options: single track mountain biking, hiking, and in the winter cross country skiing.
For places to hike, there are many! Within the Chippewa National Forest we suggest you try: Simpson Creek, Joyce Estates, Lost Forty, and Suomi Hills. Several of the Northern Lights Nordic Ski Association Ski Trails are mowed in the summer which makes them a great option for hiking as well.
Another great trail recreation opportunity is ATV/OHV. There are 300+ designated ATV trails in the greater Grand Rapids, Minnesota and Itasca County area. The longest trail section is the B&B ATV Trail that runs from Talmoon to Balsam, Minnesota; a mix of straight forest roads and mixed hardwood and pine forest ATV trails that wind around lakes and rivers. The closest ATV trail to downtown Grand Rapids is the UPM Blandin ATV Trail which is located just 9 miles south.
There are three 18-hole championship golf courses located on beautiful northern MN lakes within 25 minutes of downtown Grand Rapids.
Whatever type of outdoor recreation you would like to enjoy, a Grand Rapids, Minnesota Resort Experience is the perfect vacation to get out into nature to enjoy the trails. Discover more below.
Eat & Drink Together
Another great asset of a Grand Rapids, MN Resort Experience is the opportunity to come together to eat & drink. Resort cabins allow you to make your own meals together. When was the last time that the entire family came together to create a meal? Resort cabins offer kitchenettes to full stocked kitchens so you can do just that – come together. A MN resort vacation allows you to take the time to slow down and come together around the dining table or picnic table. There is something very special in multi-generations coming together to make meals; making memories that last forever.
And then the Grand Rapids, and Itasca County area offer a wide variety of places to eat out too. Eating out is a large part of being on vacation; let someone else wait on you, serve you, and clean up after you. The area bars, grills, breweries, and restaurants are ready to serve you and your loved ones. Enjoy the places that the locals like to dine, or try one of the new fine dining options downtown, and the breweries are family and pet friendly.
The Grand Rapids, Minnesota area maybe small, but they offer much charm and also a wide variety of places to eat & drink. Discover more below.
What to do on a inclement day?
Mother nature doesn’t always give us beautiful blue bird days, so that is when you gather up your loved ones that are with you on a MN resort experience and head to town. There are several cultural and historic sites to discover and learn more about Minnesota’s history, cultural experiences, and interesting artifacts.
Step back in time at the Forest History Center where you can enjoy a horse drawn trolley ride through a 1900’s logging camp, around the Mississippi River, and back to the interpretive center where you can discover about forestry in Minnesota. There are over 18 different activities you can take part in at the Forest History Center. They are open Wednesday through Saturday each week in the summer months.
The Itasca County Historical Society offers a free museum full of historic artifacts like a wooly mammoth tusk, Judy Garland memorabilia, the veterans exhibit, and the Mississippi River Room exhibit. You can also purchase tickets to the Escape Room which is perfect for tweens to adults. Make sure to check out their gift shop on your way out; they offer Grand Rapids, MN souvenir and other unique gift items.
The Judy Garland Museum & Children’s Discovery Museum is located under one roof which makes it convenient. Let the kids (age toddler to tweens) play with the youth sized exhibits that are educational and fun. The Judy Garland Museum offers the largest Judy Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia exhibits in the Midwest. You can also purchase tickets to the VIP tour on Friday’s and Saturday’s where you will learn all of the juicy details about the stolen ruby red slippers. Walk through Judy’s home that has been preserved back to 1920’s when Judy’s family would have lived there. And don’t forget to stop through the gift shop on your way back to the resort.
The Edge of the Wilderness Discovery Center is a great way to get in a scenic drive to Marcell (approximately 35 miles north) that has rolling hills and curvy corners, and runs between hardwood and pine forests, and along beautiful area lakes. There are road side rest areas, restaurants, and gas stations along the route.
Shopping is another fun thing to do on an inclement weather day. Downtown offers a wide variety of small locally owned boutiques that offer one of a kind items like local art, and unique decor, clothing, shoes, jewelry, furniture, and more. You will also find several other retail stores, restaurants, a brewery, a grocery store, flower shops, and the Old Central School. The Old Central School was built in the 1890’s and houses many retail and service businesses. The second floor exhibit stations show and describe the transition from a school house to commercial business offerings.
FAQ's About Grand Rapids, Itasca County, Minnesota Area
Traveling To: The best way to get to Grand Rapids, Minnesota from the Minneapolis and suburbs is Interstate 94 to Hwy 101 (Rogers exit) to Hwy 169 through Elk River and north all the way to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The best way to get to Grand Rapids, Minnesota from St Paul and suburbs is taking 35E north to Moose Lake exit and then take Hwy 27, to Hwy 73, to Hwy 2 west into Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Both of these routes vary from 3-4 hours. Taking the Great River Road is a scenic route where you will discover some interesting historic sites, landmarks, and scenic wayside rests along the way.
What To Pack: You will want to check in with your Grand Rapids, MN area resort to see what is included in the cabin to see if you need to bring towels, shampoo, soap, etc. Then pack layers. May, June, September are cooler peak season months where you will need a jacket and or sweatshirt in the morning and evening. July and August are the hot months of the peak season where swimsuits, shorts and t-shirt is what you will live in around the resort. Grand Rapids, Minnesota is an northwood’s laid back community where business casual means jeans and a nice shirt. And in the summer months shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops or sandals is regular attire around town. Having some sort of rain gear is good to have because you just never know when mother nature decides to change her mind (even if the forecast doesn’t call for rain). And then bug spray, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a couple of shoe options (sandals/flip flops, and walking shoes) are good ideas to pack as well. But, don’t worry, Grand Rapids, Minnesota has a wide variety of big box retail stores, locally owned hardware, outdoor gear stores, bait shops and grocery stores if you forgot something.
Something for all ages: A lot of times a Minnesota Resort Experience vacation is taken together with multiple generations. We know that it is hard to find things to all ages, so we created a page just for Family Friendly vacation options. Most all of our area restaurants are family-friendly; every family can decide for themselves on what family-friendly means to them. We do have several upscale (farm to table and Chef inspired restaurants), and all of them are welcoming and inviting to everyone. View Family Friendly Opportunities. At Visit Grand Rapids, our job is to create resources for visitors to get more out of their vacation, and for people looking for an up north getaway to see what the Grand Rapids, Itasca County, Minnesota area has to offer.