One Day In Grand Marais, Minnesota
Travel USA || Tags: USA ||Inside: What to do in Grand Marais; Where to eat in Grand Marais; why you should visit Northern Minnesota.
On my recent trip to Thunder Bay, my best friend and I drove about an hour and a half into Northern Minnesota to Grand Marais, such a cute little town of about 1300 people.
Grand Marais is located on Lake Superior, so it gives the town a coastal feel, while also feeling midwestern. There are so many things to do, you can easily spend a day soaking it all in. I would definitely add this stop into any Northern Minnesota road trip!
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Things To Do In Grand Marais, Minnesota
Shopping
We parked in the center of town and started walking. There are so many cute stores to stop into; we particularly loved White Pine North (15 W Wisconsin St) because they had so many flavors of coffee! We spent lots of time picking our favorite flavor to bring home, or you can get a cup to go! Sadly White Pine North was destroyed by fire on April 14th 2020. We hope they rebuild soon
One of our other favorites was Joy & Co, part antique store, and part art store, there’s something for everyone here, and we spent a lot of time looking at everything. Upstate MN is a modern art and home store, so many awesome home goods that are really different from what you find in other stores.
Nature
After some shopping we walked the waterfront. I love the vibe of Northern Minnesota; Lake Superior gives you a coastal feeling while also getting that Midwestern rustic atmosphere. On the waterfront there is a beach where many families were playing. We walked the Artist Point Trail, a short walk on a break wall in the harbor to the lighthouse at the end. It was hard to believe for this east coast girl that we were on a lake and not the ocean!
Where To Eat in Grand Marais
We ate a late lunch at the famous Sven and Ole’s. It’s a must stop in Grand Marais. Our pizza was fantastic and they had lots of options!
My best friend had lured me to Grand Marais with the promise of the World’s Best Donuts, sadly they were closed already when we went for our dessert, so I will have to take her word for it until I get back! But the reviews look awesome so you should check it out for me in the meantime!
Best Hidden Gem in Grand Marais
Right down from the Worlds Best Donuts, we stumbled upon Drury Lane Bookstore. An adorable historic building houses several rooms of books, including lots of local writers. I could definitely spend an afternoon perusing the shelves here.
Grand Portage State Park
If you’re headed to Canada like I was, or just up for a 45 minute road trip, I would suggest checking out Grand Portage State Park for a little hike, and you’ll get to see Minnesota’s highest waterfall! The High Falls trail is a short 1 mile loop to see the highest waterfall, and it is easily accessible with a wheelchair or for those with mobility difficulties. A longer 5 mile hike to see Middle Falls is more challenging and will take you a few hours.
Read more about what to do in Thunder Bay, Ontario, just over the border from Grand Portage State Park!
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Final Thoughts
I hope you will stop in Grand Marais if you’re ever in the area! I can’t wait to get back. Let me know how those donuts are 😉
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16 responses to “One Day In Grand Marais, Minnesota”
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Lovely blog post! I’ve never traveled to upstate Minnesota but it’s not THAT far from Chicago, so I might have to plan a road trip there! (Especially because all I’ve seen in MN is Minneapolis but I’m sure there’s a lot more to witness!) I’ll reference back to this post once I do go!
It’s not too far! Would be a lovely weekend trip for you 🙂
I’m always surprised how massive some of those lakes are in the US. It looks like to ocean. Thanks for sharing this, I have a few friends from Minnesota but I’d never seen what it looks like until now.
They are so big!! Minnesota is an underrated destination in my opinion!
What a lovely town! And the food looks amazing! I would love to visit and hopefully I am able to try the world’s best donuts 😉
I’m all about the food!
I’ve been to Thunderbay before and there’s next to nothing to do there so a mini trip to Northern Minnesota sounds like it’d be a perfect getaway adventure! I mean, come on, those donuts alone are calling my name!
haha! I wonder if I can get them to fedex me some donuts if I show them this blog post!
I had never heard of Grand Marais, up until now! While I can’t eat the pizza or donuts, unfortunately, I’m all about that bookstore! It looks ADORABLE! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I LOVED the bookstore! I could have spent hours in there.
Great post! Ive never been in Minnesota before but it seems like a lovely place! That Lake Superior looks so calm and peaceful! Perfect to sit down near by and relax! And that book shop look so cute! Hopefully one day I can visit this pretty place!
It is such a calm lake! And very clean! Such a lovely place to spend a day
What a cute place to spend the day. I haven’t spent much time in Minnesota outside of Minneapolis. I love quaint, little towns so exploring Grand Marais would be right up my alley.
Yes if you’re ever back in Minnesota it’s a great place to spend the day!
As a Canadian I feel a certain connection to Minnesotans 😉 this town feels so quaint and I know I’d have enough to do with that bookstore alone!
One of my favourite things to visit in a new place is bookstores. I think you really get the local vibe from a locally-owned book store! Great post!