Minnesota Part 2

Sometimes Minnesota winters just get the best of us

Hello, and welcome back to Nomad Dad Life!

We’re going to continue with our adventure around the land of 10,000 lakes. We will move away from rural West Central Minnesota, where we finished last time, and head to a couple more areas in greater Minnesota. Now not every place we have been has been good; at the end of each state I’ll post a place or 2 that we probably won’t be going back to for one reason or another. It doesn’t mean they are places to avoid. We just either didn’t have a good experience there or would rather spend our money elsewhere.

St. Cloud

One of my favorite things is food, specifically breakfast food. So we will start this post off with the most important meal of the day! There is no bad time for breakfast in my opinion. Nelson Bros Restaurant and Bakery is my go-to for breakfast when I’m in the area. Not only do they serve an amazing breakfast, but they also have an amazing selection of baked goods and local meat products you can bring home! It’s located right off Interstate 94 in Clearwater so it makes for an easy stop when traveling between St. Cloud and Twin Cities.

One place we went to multiple times while we were in St. Cloud was the Community Center at Maple Grove. It’s closer to the Minneapolis area instead of St. Cloud, but it’s only about 45 minutes away. The Community Center has pretty much everything you need to keep your kids busy and let them burn off some energy. There is a large indoor playground, swimming pools, gyms, ice arenas, skate park, and a teen center. The teen center is for grades 6-12. It has pool, air hockey, and a big screen TV to watch movies or play video games. The indoor play area is enough to keep the kids busy for hours. It is multiple stories with different levels for them to climb and explore.

Enjoying the outdoors

Minnesota Whitetail, nowhere near my deer stand

St. Cloud has many options for outdoor activities. There are plenty of parks, trails, lakes and rivers around the area. Or plenty of breweries with outdoor seating if that is your preferred outdoor activity! Lake George is a popular place, particularly in the summer. It has a walking path around the lake, plenty of benches, and paddleboats to rent. Most Wednesdays during the summer there are free concerts for people to enjoy. The concerts start at 5 with the featured artist starting at 6:30, and they go until 9. During winter months the lake is cleared of snow for an ice skating rink.

Beaver Island Trail is another popular place in the summer and fall. It’s a paved trail that runs along the Mississippi River. It does get busier in the fall when the leaves change colors. Quarry Park and Nature Preserve is another popular spot around the area. It’s a 684-acre park that has 20 former granite quarries. There are miles of trails that make navigating the park easy, and they are used by snowshoers and cross country skiers in the winter.

There are two quarries that are used for swimming, one with the sand beach and shorter jumping cliffs. The other has higher cliffs for jumping off and plenty of area to lounge around the quarry. There are also quarries for fishing, scuba diving, and rock climbing. The trails lead to multiple amazing viewpoints. If golf is more your thing, there are 19 courses within a 20 mile radius of St. Cloud.

Food and Drink

Arkyn thinking he’s funny trying to cook his own breakfast.

There are many local restaurants and breweries in the area to refuel after a day of activities. Granite City and Mongos are two of our favorites when we are in the area. Granite City offers an amazing brunch on Sundays. If you are in the area you aren’t going to want to miss it. It has build-your-own stations for omelet, Benedict, or breakfast sandwich, carving table for slow roasted prime rib, and chef specials that offer something different every week, a Bloody Mary bar, and infinite mimosas.

Mongos is a great place for the whole family and for picky eaters. You get to choose all your ingredients for your meal. Load up your bowl with whatever noodles, vegetables, meat and sauce, or seasoning you want. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, you bring it over to the grill and watch it get cooked. Our kids really enjoyed this as the chefs try to show off and do fun things for the kids while they are waiting for it to cook.

Duluth

Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth is another popular Minnesota city. It is located about 2.5 hours from Minneapolis. There is no shortage of things to do in Duluth. The most popular part is Canal Park. There are many shops, restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and hotels in the area. Watch the ships come into harbor and under the aerial lift bridge. It’s the only lift-span bridge design of its kind in the world, and it’s a true feat of engineering.

Bentleyville takes over Bayfront Festival Park from the middle of November through Christmas. This is a holiday tour of lights that has over 5 million Christmas lights! There is more than just Christmas lights here. They have visits with Santa, campfires, and hot chocolate and popcorn stands. Bayfront is just a short walk from Canal Park, making it easy to find.

Another place to check out when you are around Canal Park is the Great Lakes Aquarium. The 62,000 square foot aquarium is one of the few in the United States that focus predominantly on freshwater species. It houses 205 different species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.

Getting Away

When you need a break from people and crowds, take a drive along Lake Superior on the Minnesota North Shore Scenic Drive. This 154 mile drive from Duluth to the Canadian Border is the perfect getaway from city life. There are many places to stop along the journey to enjoy nature, good food, or a cold beverage of your choosing.

Split Rock lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls are two of the more popular stops along the drive. After 30 ships were wrecked in 1905, construction was started on the Split Rock lighthouse. It was completed in 1910 and was decommissioned in 1969 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gooseberry Falls is a state park that consists of five waterwalls, miles of hiking trails, and a beach to relax and enjoy the weather.

Outdoor activities of all sorts are popular in Duluth and there are plenty of places to explore. Duluth is full of history you can learn about some it at one of their many museums, including one on a retired Great Lakes freighter. Hiking trails are plentiful around the area, as are golf courses, 16 within 20 miles of Duluth. Fishing is, of course, popular in this area as well.

Ending The Day

One place to stop by and relax at is Vikre Distillery. They use local and organic products when available and get their water from Lake Superior. The offer a good variety of gin, whiskey and other spirits. They have a limited menu of snack options but do allow takeout from neighboring restaurants. The tables are small, as they are designed for cocktails and conversation.

Overall, Duluth offers a lot of variety and you should have no problem finding something you enjoy doing in the area. The next post will finish up Minnesota with the Metro area before finally getting into our actual travels around the country. Please follow our journey on social media click an icon below!