Land of Bunyan
The Minnesota of folklore is the land of the giant woodsman Paul Bunyan, reflecting the fact this is a state gifted with abundant forests. Also blessed with thousands of lakes and plentiful wildlife, the state seems made for the outdoors-loving venturer.

However, for others, the mention of Minnesota conjures new images: the Mall of the Americas or the Guthrie Theatre, its Scandinavian heritage or the Winter Carnival in St. Paul, and more.  Put simply, the state has broad appeal because it combines the charms of Midwestern friendliness, sophisticated cities and vast tracts of untouched nature.

About Minnesota
Historically, the state is the land of French fur trappers, Native American traders and the hardy Swedes who came later to help tame the northern wilderness.  It has broad appeal across travel personality types with the Mall of America and Mystic Lake Casino accounting for much of its centric and authentic middle-of-the-road popularity.  The mall, as the largest retail and entertainment complex in the country, encompasses a seven-acre theme park (Camp Snoopy), a wedding chapel, entertainment venues and hundreds of retail stores.  The Casino at Mystic Lake, about 25 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul, claims to be the second-largest Indian gambling facility in the U.S. and offers a variety of shopping and dining experiences along with gaming.

The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) are large and varied enough to suit travelers who like to sample city life. Long reputed to be among the most livable urban areas in the country, it boasts splendid architecture, both old and new; a cultural feast of art, music and theater; friendly people, and safe, secure streets. This is especially important to authentic and centric visitors. One called this a “model urban environment,” and another said the cities are “sophisticated in a nice midwestern way.”

Fortunately, the world of Paul Bunyan and Babe is still there for the traveler who enjoys breathtaking northern scenery, clean air and lots of freshwater lake activity. Particularly in the state’s northeast section, visitors can imagine they see the same vistas viewed by the early French explorers who paddled up the rivers in search of game, fish and fur. The Mississippi River begins its long journey at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, near Bemidji.

In the southern part of the state, Minnesota turns into prairie country, where the rich black soil produces an abundance of grains, soybeans and “the best sweet corn in the world,” according to one impressed visitor.  Minnesota has real winters, making it a destination with great appeal to those who love winter activities, but less desirable to those who seek warmer climes.

• Rent a cabin on a lake, and indulge in water sports to your heart’s content.

• Go canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which offers more than 1,500 miles of canoe routes and nearly 2,200 designated campsites. It is part of the Superior National Forest, and permits are required to visit. Check www.bwcaw.org.

• Try alpine skiing and snowboarding in Minnesota. Although not noted as a ski destination, the state has at least a score of resorts devoted to the sport.

• Stay at the Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast Inn in Two Harbors. It is a working lighthouse, and as a guest, you would be an assistant lighthouse keeper — this is for real — and deemed a “registered keeper of the light” while staying there.

• Participate in the ice fishing contest or play softball in the snow at the Grumpy Old Men Festival, in February, in Wabasha.

• Choose your bluegrass event: the Winter Bluegrass Weekend in Plymouth, in February or March; the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival in August at St. Cloud; Minnesota Flatpicking Guitar and Duet Championships, in September at the state fair.
Or, attend the Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff, a three-day outdoor music and camping event with performances and workshops, in late spring at St. Cloud.

• Go dogsledding on the trails in the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area. You can drive your own team or share a sled with a partner. Trips start in Ely.

• Compete in the mashed potato wrestling competition — and eat lots of potatoes — at the Potato Days Festival in Barnesville.
Or,  join the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run (5K or 10K) at Icebox Days in International Falls, and take a little time out for the frozen turkey bowling.
Or, for charity, race down a hill in Burnsville carrying a mattress.

• Go whitewater kayaking or rafting on any of many rivers. The number of good choices is mind boggling.

• Other outdoor activities available according to the season include camping, hiking, hunting, rock climbing, snowmobiling, tobogganing, waterskiing.

• Attend a production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

• Visit the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, part of the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. It is described as the world’s largest collection of goodies ever hawked by a quack.
Displayed items you wouldn’t want touching you include a “vibratory chair,” said to cure constipation and improve respiration through violent shaking, and the “orgone energy accumulator,” a box large enough to sit in, said to collect energy that would cure everything from the common cold to sexual dysfunction.

• Step out in winter for some cross-country skiing. There are numerous trails around the state.

• Look for bald eagles. A prime nesting area, with about 180 pairs, is the Chippewa National Forest, but the eagles are also in a number of other parks and wildlife refuges and have been extending their range even to the Twin Cities area.

• Go fishing (with a license) on any number of those thousands of lakes or on the state’s rivers. You will be pleased at how uncrowded Minnesota’s waters are.

• Join the Twin Cities Snowshoe Shuffle in February. Race or walk 5K or 10K.

• In late January/early February, attend the oldest and largest winter festival in the U.S., the St. Paul Winter Carnival, world-famous for its ice palaces, created most winters beginning with the first carnival in 1886.

• In Stillwater, board the Minnesota Zephyr Dinner Train for a return to the glory days of yesteryear (in this case, the 1940s). Dining and saloon cars cross the scenic St. Croix valley while a costumed staff serves an elegant five-course dinner and you are entertained by the strolling Zephyr Cabaret.

• Get married in the wedding chapel at Mall of America.

• Attend the annual traditional powwow honoring the Dakotah in Mankato. The event features dancing, drumming and a moccasin game tournament, and more.

• For the best scenery, drive the roadway hugging Lake Superior in the northeast of the state. Spectacular is the word. (But there are other choices: The state counts 22 designated scenic byways.)

• The community of Mora is a showplace of Swedish culture: shopping, food, architecture. Locals offer a gracious welcome.

• Shop, or just gawk, at the Mall of America in Bloomington outside Minneapolis. It is less than two miles from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, and, since the launch of a light-rail service in December 2004, the airport and mall are only 11 minutes apart.

• Visit the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, home to three rescued eagles that cannot be returned to the wild.

• See a Minnesota Twins baseball game or a Vikings football game, depending on season and your inclination.

• Attend the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul; munch on deep-fried Snickers bars while there.

• Play golf. As incongruous as it may seem, Minneapolis claims it has more golfers than any other city in the U.S..

• In St. Paul, take a Mississippi riverboat sightseeing cruise, operated by Padelford Packet Boat Co., available daily in summer, less frequently for fall-color cruises and other cruises in autumn.

• For history buffs, visit the Northwest Company Fur Post in Pine City, a reconstruction of an early 19th century trading encampment.

• Eat foods made with wild rice, then stock up before heading home. Wild rice, a food native to North America, is especially abundant — and still available in the wild — in the waters of Minnesota.