Travel Minnesota: The Truth

I live in Minnesota, so when I hear that people from far away (i.e. beyond the neighboring states) are interested in visiting Minnesota, I have two reactions.  First of all, I'm shocked.  And secondly, I'm beyond proud.

Why am I shocked? I grew up all over Minnesota.  I was born in the Red River Valley (Northwest), we lived on the prairie, we lived in the North Shore region, we lived near "the lakes" region, and I've lived in the Twin Cities for a long time now.  Except for the southern part of the state, it's fair to say, I know my state pretty well.  And since I know it so well, I forget that it's cool. (Kind of like when you've been married for a while and you forget how awesome your husband is--not that would ever happen with us of course, ahem!)

Then, I remember how cool it really is (much like your husband).  And oh, is it cool!  When that happens, I become supremely proud.  No, you are right.   Minnesota doesn't have Disney World or Disneyland or Universal Studios or Six Flags or Kings Island.  We don't even have the Wisconsin Dells--it would be a big strange to have the Wisconsin Dells in Minnesota, don't you think?--or the Black Hills. 

image courtesy of llamoore

What we do have is a lot of nature.  We are known as the land of 10,000 lakes.  But that isn't completely accurate.  We actually have more lakes than just a mere 10,000.

And now, I must reveal the TRUTH to you, my dear readers:  Wisconsin has approximately as many lakes as Minnesota does.  Maybe a few less, but nothing to scoff at.  I believe Iowa has a lot of lakes, too (don't quote me on that, I could be very wrong), but I do know that Minnesota isn't unique in the vast surplus of lake water. 

However, let not that stop you from visiting our fine state!  Our state is unique as the NORTH shore of Lake Superior runs along our border.  We share the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Lake of the Woods with Canada.  The Mississippi River's headwaters begin in our state and you can WALK across it!  We have fantastic state parks to camp in.  Many even have camping cabins to rent so all you need to do bring your sleeping bags--no need to haul your shelter. We are diverse.  You will find river towns and mining towns and prairie towns and even the big city in our state.

And the big city (actually citIES!) is full of culture.  It's nothing to scoff at.  Minneapolis and St. Paul are meccas of places for art, theatre, music, and dining.

We are quite proud of ourselves even if we do say boat and goat with weird Minnesota accents! 

As the year progresses, I will be sharing with you more in depth about our awesome state!