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State Bucket List
Minnesota's 10,000 lakes are not a marketing slogan -- they're a paddling network that stretches from the Twin Cities to the Canadian border. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one million acres of interconnected lakes and portage trails where motors are banned and the silence is genuine. Voyageurs National Park, 40% water, holds walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass in cold, clear lakes that feel like a different country.
Red Wing, perched beneath limestone bluffs where the Mississippi River bends, is one of the most complete small-town weekends in the Midwest. New Ulm's German heritage -- Schell's Brewery has been pouring since 1860 -- makes it a food and culture destination unlike anything else in the region.
These five Minnesota adventures span paddling, fishing, small-town culture, and food -- all drawn from Outdoor Taste + Tour's reporting across the North Star State.
One million acres of interconnected lakes and portage trails on the Minnesota-Canada border. No motors, no roads - just you, a canoe, and a wilderness that feels genuinely untouched.
Voyageurs is 40% water - a maze of interconnected lakes on the Canadian border where walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass thrive in cold, clear water. Houseboat camping puts you right on the fish.
Red Wing sits beneath dramatic limestone bluffs where the Mississippi River bends. The historic downtown, Red Wing Shoes factory, and Barn Bluff hiking trail make it one of the most complete small-town weekends in the Midwest.
Founded in 1860, August Schell Brewing Company is the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the US. The grounds include a deer park, museum, and rose garden - and the beer is excellent.
New Ulm is the most German city in America - a place where the glockenspiel plays at noon, the bratwurst is made in-house, and Schell's Brewery has been pouring since before the Civil War.
In-depth articles for every adventure on this list that has an OTT guide.
Minnesota Travel Guides
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