Travel Notes: North America: Minnesota Travel Notes

Also known as the North Star State, Minnesota has 'Land of 10,000 Lakes' on it's license plates.

The state capital of Minnesota is St. Paul.

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Around Minnesota, Bloomington, Duluth, Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji, Map of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota Municipalities, Minnesota Parks, Minnesota Travel Guides, Saint Paul.

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Map of Minnesota - with TravelNotes Hotel Guide

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About Minnesota:
Find out more about Minnesota before you travel there. Order tourist brochures and look at where you'd like to stay.

Saint Paul

Saint Paul is twinned with Minneapolis, across the Mississippi. The Twin Cities are often referred together as Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Saint Paul is the slightly older of the two cities; founded as a settlement near Fort Snelling, on the east side of the curving Mississippi.

Summit Avenue stretches from the Mississippi to the capitol and has many Victorian houses attributed to railroad money.

St. Paul's Cathedral, overlooking the capitol, is a scaled down version of St Peter's in Rome.

The Twin Cities have an abundance of theatres and galleries, and thousands of lakes in the metropolitan area. There are many open-air performances in the summer, so why not sit on the grass and have a lakeside picnic.

Accommodation in Saint Paul

Hotels in Saint Paul, Minnesota:
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Minneapolis

Minneapolis is a transport, hub with the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport south of the city.

With so many lakes around Minneapolis, water city, it makes sense to hire a bike and explore some of them.

On the Mississippi itself you can visit St Anthony Falls and Upper Locks. Further downstream, Minnehaha Park affords a view of Minnehaha Falls.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Centre are two of the county's leading galleries.

Accommodation in Minneapolis

Hotels in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
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Around Minnesota

Minnesota is named after the Minnesota River; a Sioux phrase for cloudy water.

States neighbouring Minnesota are: Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Minnesota also borders Canada.

Minnesota Lakes

Officially, there are 11,842 lakes in Minnesota, of 10 acres or larger in size. Add to these all the small lakes and the actual number of lakes in Minnesota is much higher. The largest lake within the state of Minnesota is Red Lake, in the north.

Minnesota Lake Finder:
The Lake Finder contains data for more than 4,500 lakes and rivers throughout Minnesota, including: lake surveys, lake depth maps, lake water quality data and lake water clarity data (from the Pollution Control Agency), satellite-based water clarity information (from the University of Minnesota), lake notes, and fish consumption advice (from the Department of Health).

Minnesota also has shores on Lake Superior, in the north-east; and Lake of the Woods, along the border with Canada.

Explore Minnesota:
Like four states within a state, Minnesota’s regions have their own individual charm, geography and assortment of adventures.

Duluth

Duluth shares a harbour, at the head of the Great Lakes system, with Superior in Wisconsin. The Great Lakes are linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the St Lawrence Seaway.

It gets mighty cold up here in winter, but in the milder months it becomes something of a tourist gateway to the wilderness of northern Minnesota.

Accommodation in Minneapolis

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Minnesota Parks

Voyageurs National Park

Named after the French-Canadian fur traders who travelled through the region by boat, you are invited to do the same.

Paddling the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park:
With more than 30 lakes here you are advised to get out of the car and take to the paddle. Many fish in these waters contain mercury though, so forget the rod and line.

Itasca State Park

Itasca State Park is 20 miles north of Park Rapids or 38 miles south of Bemidji, on U.S. Hwy 71.

Itasca State Park:
Established in 1891, Itasca is Minnesota's oldest state park. The park totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes.

Mississippi Headwaters Hostel:
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the log craftsmanship and stonework make the structure an outstanding example of early twentieth century rustic architecture. The hostel is on the main park drive, approximately 4 miles north of the east/south entrance contact station.

Lake Bemidji

Lake Bemidji State Park:
Approximately 230 miles from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. The park is located in Beltrami County in the North Central West Tourism Region, about 5 miles north of Bemidji.

Visit Bemidji:
From world renowned statues and architecture listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to ancient earth mounds and burial grounds, the past takes an interesting turn in Bemidji.

Bloomington

Ten miles outside of Minneapolis is the Mall of America, the largest retail and entertainment complex in the United States.

This monument to consumerism has become a tourist attraction in its own right. No entrance fee, but you'll probably spend when you're there all the same.

Minnesota Municipalities