Labor Day Plans? Check out Minnesota State Parks and Trails Big Bog State Recreation Area!

Labor Day Plans? Check out Minnesota State Parks and Trails Big Bog State Recreation Area!

Photo: Lara L. Villavaso

Minnesota State Parks and Trails: Still making plans for Labor Day weekend?

Many campsites are now available – and even a few of our very popular camper cabins at Big Bog State Recreation Area.
Available camping reservations for three nights over Labor Day weekend (9/1- 9/3) include:
*700+ non-electric drive-in campsites — state parks with 10+ open drive-in sites include Beaver Creek Valley, Franz Jevne, Mille Lacs Kathio, Myre-Big Island, Sakatah Lake, St. Croix.
*140+ equestrian campsites — state parks with 10+ equestrian sites open include Wild River, Forestville/Mystery Cave, Fort Ridgley
*90+ drive-in electric campsites — state parks with 10+ electric sites open include Blue Mounds, Hayes Lake, Lake Bronson and more!
*80+ cart-in, walk-in, and backpack campsites

Park Highlights

Book your trip today!

Location

55716 HWY 72 NE
Waskish, MN 56685

location map

Directions

Area maps
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A Perfect Day of Eating in Grand Marais, Minnesota

 

Marc Heu Paris Macaroons – St. Paul, MN

Marc Heu Paris Macaroons – St. Paul, MN

Everybody knows the iconic French macaron, but have you tried them in flavors like Yuzu Lime and Dark Chocolate Passionfruit?

Have these beautiful, bite-sized pastries catered for your next event.

Check out our full menu and contact us!

About

Pastry Shop

Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris is a pastry shop and online store located in Saint Paul, MN, specializing in French pastries, desserts, wedding cakes and catering.

Mission

The Mission of Marc Heu Pâtisserie, Paris is to create a magical experience that will transport you to Paris with every delightful bite of our luscious, elegant and artistic French pastries.

Values

Offering pastries made with only the highest quality ingredients found in the world.

Artistry

Uniting the highest standard of French artistry and craftsmanship with inspiration drawn from global flavors, to create the most delectable and beautiful pastries.

Growing

Teaching our customers about the history, tradition and evolution of French pastries with every visit.

A Perfect Day of Eating in Grand Marais, Minnesota

A Perfect Day of Eating in Grand Marais, Minnesota

Dockside Fish & Seafood Market in Grand Marais. The Fishermans’ Daughter

Doughnuts, maple cream sodas, and whitefish fresh from the lake

Marais, one of the furthest-flung towns on Lake Superior’s glittering North Shore, is also one of its best places to eat and drink. This harbor town is at its most vibrant in the summer, when purple flox blooms all along Highway 61, seasonal shops and restaurants reopen, and the sun warms the lake to (barely) swimmable temperatures. Grand Marais is a popular weekend destination, yes, at a manageable four-hour drive from the Twin Cities, but it never loses its small-town feel, which is rooted in its past as a fur trading station, logging town, and neighbor to a thriving Ojibwe village, and its present as a tight-knit community and art hub. There’s a bounty of great places to eat in Grand Marais, but here’s a guide to cramming five can’t-miss spots into one day.


8 a.m. Doughnuts at World’s Best Donuts

Two shelves stacked with trays of various cake and glazed doughnuts.
World’s Best Donuts almost always has a long line, but it’s worth the wait.
 World’s Best Donuts
Face-in-hole viking cutouts on a small patio in front of a small red building with a service window and white trim.
The tiny lakeside shop. 
World’s Best Donuts

The maple-glazed Long Johns, cinnamon rolls, and raspberry jelly Bismarcks at World’s Best Donuts, a Grand Marais staple since 1969, are tempting. But the real gems are the simple cake doughnuts, which balance a reliably moist, not-too-sweet inside with coatings of cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, or thick chocolate glaze. The best move is to buy a dozen to share — made fresh every morning, they’re served hot in brown paper bags. Be prepared to wait on weekend mornings, but the line moves fairly fast. 10 Wisconsin St, Grand Marais, MN, 55604


9 a.m. An omelet at at Blue Water Café

A storefront with windows and glass door and a blue awning that says “Blue Water Cafe.”
Blue Water Cafe, a downtown Grand Marais classic.
 Blue Water Cafe

Blue Water is a classic small-town diner near the water’s edge. Favorites here include the hefty Wild Country omelet, stuffed with turkey, bacon, and vegetables and drizzled with hollandaise; the near-perfect hash browns; and the homemade pies, which range from tart rhubarb to cinnamon peach. These breakfasts will fuel a day out kayaking or hiking up the nearby Kadunce River. 20 West Wisconsin St, Grand Marais, MN, 55604


1 p.m. Lunch at the Fisherman’s Daughter

A cup of yellow bisque soup on a blue plate on a wooden table next to a leafy green plant.
The Fisherman’s Daughter is just next door to the Angry Trout Cafe.
 The Fisherman’s Daughter
A round blue plate of cheese curds covered in buffalo sauce and drizzled with ranch.
Buffalo cheese curds. 
The Fisherman’s Daughter

The Fisherman’s Daughter, the sunny cafe tucked inside Dockside Fish Market on the south end of Grand Marais, taps into Lake Superior’s freshwater bounty, serving wild-caught fish by the pound — not to mention piping hot fish and chips. The cafe also serves light cafe fare, from lobster salad and deli sandwiches to rhubarb cheesecake. Don’t miss the maple bacon cheese curds. 418 MN-61, Grand Marais, MN, 55604


5 p.m. Happy hour at Voyageur Brewing Company

A hand holding a small glass of beer beneath three beer taps.
Voyageur Brewing’s rooftop overlooks the lake. 
Voyageur Brewing Company

Voyageur Brewing Company is one of the newer breweries on the North Shore — it opened in 2015 on the heels of Castle Danger Brewing, Bent Paddle, and Canal Park Brewing during the craft beer boom. The big, sunny taproom and rooftop deck have lovely views of the harbor. The beer list breaks down each brew by hops and flavor components, ranging from an herbal Northern Drift pale ale to a silky Palisade porter. From the food menu, go for the cheese curds and wings, both served with a smoky raspberry chipotle sauce. 233 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais, MN, 55604


7:30 p.m. A fresh fish dinner at the Angry Trout Cafe

A wooden building with a deck stretching across a waterfront against a blue sky.
The waterside deck at the Angry Trout.

Angry Trout Cafe

Angry Trout Cafe leans into classic Northwoods flavors — think salads topped with blueberries; tart cranberry horseradish compote spread on smoked whitefish; hand-harvested wild rice; and maple cream sodas made with pure syrup and soda water. The fish here, of course, is fresh-caught from Superior, and the patio is a lovely place to watch the moon rise over the harbor. Pack a sweater for the chilly evening breeze off the lake. 408 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais, MN, 55604

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Minnesota Renaissance Festival Celebrates Its 52nd Season! – Shakopee, MN

Minneapolis Ranked the No. 1 Most Bikeable Large City in USA!

Minneapolis Ranked the No. 1 Most Bikeable Large City in USA!

BringMeTheNews: Minneapolis is the most bikeable large city in the United States, according to a new ranking by PeopleForBikes.

Moving up 31 spots from last year’s ranking, the city topped other cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and Portland. St. Paul also made the top 10 at seventh overall in the large cities list.

The nonprofit PeopleForBikes compiles its annual lists through a “data-driven program that evaluates, identifies, and compares the best global cities and towns for bicycling.” It ranks different levels of nearly 1,500 cities — large, medium and small — taking into account the quality of life for cyclists in accessing places such as homes, jobs, trails and parks, retail stores, grocery stores, hospitals, and public transportation.

The average score for a U.S. city is 27, according to the rankings.

The third-largest city in the state, Rochester, ranked 153rd overall in the medium category with a score of 37. Also in the medium category is Minnesota’s fourth-most populated city, Bloomington, which ranked 466th overall with a network score of 15.

Here’s a look at each category of cities, followed by the ranking received. Small cities have a population less than 50,000; medium cities between 50,000 to 300,000; and larger cities have more than 300,000.

Large

  1. Minneapolis: 68
  2. San Francisco: 63
  3. Seattle: 62
  4. Philadelphia: 57
  5. Portland: 56
  6. New York City: 55
  7. St. Paul: 51
  8. Washington, D.C.: 45
  9. Milwaukee: 45
  10. Detroit: 42

Medium

  1. Davis, California: 77
  2. Ankeny, Iowa: 74
  3. Berkeley, California: 72
  4. Boulder, Colorado: 68
  5. Corvallis, Oregon: 63
  6. Hoboken, New Jersey: 62
  7. Plainfield, New Jersey: 61
  8. Ames, Iowa: 61
  9. La Crosse, Wisconsin: 59
  10. Longmont, Colorado: 59

Small

  1. Provincetown, Massachusetts: 88
  2. Crested Butte, Colorado: 87
  3. Blue Diamond, Nevada: 85
  4. Murdock, Nebraska: 84
  5. Ashland, Wisconsin: 80
  6. Jackson, Wyoming: 79
  7. Aspen, Colorado: 75
  8. Shorewood, Wisconsin: 74
  9. Ashland, Oregon: 70
  10. Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania: 69

You can search to see how your city ranked here.

“EcoCounter data show that ridership growth in the state outpaced the rest of the Midwest region,” PeopleForBikes said in the rankings.

According to the data, smaller cities show a trend of having greater scores than larger cities, as do medium-sized cities in comparison to larger ones. The best ranking for a city goes to Provincetown, Mass., with an 88 overall score. PeopleForBikes says cities that score 80-100 “indicate that most common destinations are accessible by safe, comfortable bike routes that serve people of all ages and abilities.”

Black Fashion Week MN: Avant Garden 2023 – Minneapolis, MN

Black Fashion Week MN: Avant Garden 2023 – Minneapolis, MN

Kameron Herndon; Garment design by House of KLynn, worn by Bigoa Daniel; Stylists: Naomi Crocker and Andrew Bogard.

For one night only, the Walker will be transformed into an entirely new world.

Black Fashion Week MN: Join us as we’re transported to a shining final frontier complete with dancing, dining, cocktails, and general delight during this year’s benefit. This is an event you won’t want to miss: Avant Garden features nonstop fashion inspiration and DJ sets from headliner Vagabon (plus local DJs Tricky Miki and Dub Minus).

Event

Saturday, September 23rd, 5:00 pm – Miidnight

Tickets

Proceeds sustain the Walker’s mission to empower people to experience the transformative possibilities of the art and ideas of our time and to imagine the world in new ways.

Location

Walker Art Center

725 Vineland Place

 Minneapolis, MN

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