Family Friendly Vacation
A spring break road trip to northern Minnesota is a great getaway for the entire family. In Minnesota cabin fever has a way of creeping in regardless of the winter season conditions. A road trip up north for spring break is the perfect way to take a spring break with the family.
Cozy Lodging
There is a wide variety of cozy lodging options from conveniently in town Hotels, Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, and Vacation Rentals that are close to historic sites, downtown, live entertainment, and fun places to eat & drink. There are Minnesota Resorts and Vacation Rentals that offer lodge rooms, cabins, and condos that are located on beautiful area lakes and near the trails, and fun places to eat & drink. View Grand Rapids Lodging Options.
Explore the Outdoors
Being outdoors while on spring break in northern Minnesota is the perfect way to spend time together as a family. Exploring Minnesota’s nature is a kid-friendly activity where you can hike, bike, fish or ATV/OHV (starting May 1, 2024). There are a wide variety of trails to enjoy on over 1 million publicly accessible forest acres in the Chippewa National Forest, UPM Blandin Forest, George Washington State Forest, and Scenic State Park. Some of our favorite trails are Tioga Recreation Area where you can mountain bike on over 25 miles of multi-level, single track trails. You can also fish from the fishing piers on Pokegama Lake or fish from shore on Tioga Pit. Ardent Bicycles offer mountain bike rentals. You can bicycle on the Mesabi Trail which is the longest paved trail in Minnesota offering over 165 miles from Grand Rapids to Ely. Remember to purchase your Mesabi Trail pass before bicycling on the trail. Hiking in the Chippewa National Forest on the Simpson Creek Trail, Suomi Hills Trail or on the Legion Trail in Grand Rapids. The Thistledew ATV Trail and Blue Ox ATV Trail both open April 1, 2024, and then the rest of the 200+ miles of ATV Trails in Itasca County open May 1 and May 17, 2024. If you are looking for rentals consider McCarrolls Offroad. And then if the water warms up enough paddling on the Mississippi River (if the river is at normal or low levels), paddling on the Tioga Pit, or LuRue Pit (again using caution paddling early season – check with Paddle Hoppers (paddling sales and rentals). Find more about Outdoor Recreation in the Grand Rapids area.
Kid Friendly Attractions
Letting the kids have fun is a big part of spring break with the family. There are several kid friendly area attractions in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. There is the Children’s Discovery Center and Judy Garland Museum that share a building. The Children’s Discovery Museum is perfect for children aged toddlers to tweens. The Judy Garland Museum has the largest collection of eclectic Judy Garland memorabilia that is perfect for all ages. The Itasca County Historical Museum allows you to step back in time to learn about Minnesota history in the Grand Rapids area. They also host an Escape Room that is perfect for ages 9 to adults. MacRostie Arts Center offers two art galleries with monthly featured exhibits, a art gift shop, and they also offer art classes, and you can check out their art suitcase so you can create art together while on spring break. You can take a self-guided Grand Rapids Art and History Tour downtown. You can let the kids play at the music park and walk across the Mississippi river on the walking bridge next to the library. Then there is two bowling alleys: Thunder Alley XL in Grand Rapids and Blueberry Bowl in Deer River. View more family attractions.
Fun Places To Eat & Drink
Going out to eat is a wonderful part of being on vacation, and being on spring break is no different. Grand Rapids offers a wide variety of places to eat & drink, and all of them are kid friendly. From our locally owned craft breweries: Klockow Brewing and Rapids Brewing, local wine bar: Unwined Up North, and the new winery: Smoke on the Water. Places where the locals have been eating for generations like Forest Lake Restaurant, Sammy’s Pizza, Sportsman Café, Antler Lodge, Timberwolf Inn, and Florio’s Tavern. Then there are the places on the lake like Pickled Loon Saloon and Zorbaz. And then there are culinary cuisine like Fuji, El Potro, Mucho Sio, and LaTequila. Find Kid Friendly Places to Eat in the Grand Rapids, MN area.
Family Friendly Entertainment
Kids like to be entertained just like adults do. The Reif Center offers family friendly live performances in their 600+ seat state of the art theater. Their regular season runs September to May. They offer approximately 6 performances a month. Then there is live music, art classes and other events that are fun for the entire family. Make sure to check out the Events Calendar before arriving.