This fall drive the All American Great River Road to Grand Rapids, Minnesota to get outdoors! In the fall the crowds are less, the weather is cooler (perfect for a sweatshirt), the scenic byways are stunningly beautiful, and there is so many things to do, places to explore, and fun places to stay, shop and eat & drink. This small town is surrounded by over 1 million publicly accessible forest acres to ATV, bike, hike, and hunt. In those 1 million acres is 1,140 area lakes to boat, fish, and paddle in the fall. The mighty Mississippi flows right through downtown Grand Rapids. There are many places to access the Mississippi River: City of Cohasset Fishing Pier, Pokegama Dam Campground, Steamboat Landing, Grand Rapids Library Fishing Pier, Mississippi River Walking Bridge, and Blackberry Landing. Whether you are just looking to sit a while and enjoy watching the river flow by, you want to try to catch a fish on the river, you want to paddle the river, or you are just looking to capture the moment on your phone. The Mississippi River is a travel bucket destination for sure. 

 

Downtown Grand Rapids offers a self-guided historic sites and public art map where you can learn more about the art, the artists, and the buildings that once were in downtown around the Mississippi River. Downtown offers boutique style shops that are locally owned that offer unique and one of a kind items from locally created art to retail finds like clothing, shoes and home decor. Among the shops are fun places to eat & drink, as well as several places to stay. Grand Rapids, MN offers a wide variety of places to stay from in town Hotels, Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, and Vacation Rentals to off the beaten path Resorts and Vacation Rentals that are located on beautiful lakes. Places like Loon’s Landing Resort offers a couple a great Sunday-Thursday stay or a long weekend. This off the beaten path resort is located on Jessie Lake northwest of Grand Rapids. The location is far enough to provide a real escape/getaway, but close enough to town to be convenient to places to eat & drink, places to shop, and area attractions.

 

A large part of being on vacation is experiencing new places to eat & drink. In the Grand Rapids, MN area there is a wide variety of places like where to get the best bar burgers, made from scratch breakfast, homemade wild rice soup, and the best wood fired oven menus. Places like Rapids Brewing Co are the place to go to try a local craft beer flight, craft cocktails, non-alcoholic craft sodas, wood fired oven pizza, and seasonal menu items. Rapids Brewing Co and other area restaurants and bars offer weekly live music and other weekly events. Hotel Rapids + HR Bar & Bistro is another great place to stop in for their made to order breakfast, crepes, seasonal salads and sandwich options, and craft cocktails. 

 

In the fall there are always family fun events and festivals like the Grand Rapids Riverfest, North Star Logging Expo, Klocktoberfest, Bargains are Great on Hwy 38cultural experiences and art exhibits at the MacRosties Center, and live music and performances at the Reif Center. The Judy Garland Museum offers a special VIP Tour every Friday and Saturday for only $12/person, and the Itasca County Historical Society has an Escape Room where you can schedule in advance. For a small town, Grand Rapids has a lot more to offer than most people realize. For more information: www.visitgrandrapids.com/events/calendar

 

Being surrounded by so many public accessible forest acres, there are 2,000 miles of designated trails to ATV, bike, hike, and hunt. The Chippewa National Forest offers the largest public access forest land. Some trails to consider hiking are: Simpson Creek,and Suomi Hills. Some Scenic Byways that run through the Chippewa National Forest are the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway and the Avenue of the Pines Scenic Byway. Both of these are included on the Guided Fall Leaves Tour Map.