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Last weekend I had the pleasure of loading up my SUV and taking a road trip to Grand Marais, Minnesota. Grand Marais is a small town on Lake Superior, just 40 miles south of the Canadian border. If you love the outdoorsy life, then this place is right up your alley! However, you don't have to necessarily "rough it" while you're here...
Lucky me, I unexpectedly chose to discover Grand Marais on their greatest weekend out of the year: Fisherman's Picnic! It was funny because all the locals I talked to weren't the biggest fans (lots of crazy children running around the streets and tons of traffic), but I was completely a fan! I stayed at a small, cozy cabin right on the shore of Lake Superior, and just a 2 minute bike ride into town... it was PERFECT for this golden girl 😃
The view of my backyard for the weekend 😍
Lake Superior is the biggest of the Great Lakes, but is also the largest fresh body of water in the world. Soooo you can only imagine that my tummy was very happy while I was there 🐠🐟! But, I'll touch on food later. For now, I want to share some of the gorgeous views from town featuring sailboats ⚓️ and lighthouses that date back to the 1920s.
The station’s light and fog bell commenced operation on September 1, 1885, and Joseph Mayhew served as the first keeper.
Downtown Grand Marais is quite quaint; I stumbled upon a couple restaurants that served fresh Lake Superior fish and sourced most of their menu locally. After dinner, you could find me at a great rooftop bar, Gunflint Tavern, that offered a perfect view of the lake and served their own beer from their brewery downstairs.
Harbor House Grille featured homemade soups, salads, and AWESOMELY prepared salmon and white fish. Their maple bacon crème brûlée was to die for 😋 ...don't forget to order one of their specialty cocktails, like the rhubarb vodka lemonade!
Maple bacon crème brûlée and vanilla bean ice cream dessert. Don't worry if it's a little chilly out, you can snuggle up in one of the red fleece blankets offered to all guests.
The Harbor House Grille has one of the best patios in town!
The Angry Trout Cafe offered a very cozy, lodge-y atmosphere. This was my favorite meal I had in Grand Marais: grilled white fish, wild rice, and a side salad with homemade maple mustard dressing!
You can order a homemade Gun Flint Tavern beer, or try one from Bent Paddle Brewing Co. located a couple hours south of Grand Marais in Duluth, MN.
So far I've covered food, sight-seeing, and the best place in town for a beer... I'd like to tell you a little bit about the unique shopping and stores in town. You HAVE to buy some saltwater taffy and FUDGE while you're in Grand Marais. But, you should also make sure to stop into the Sivertson Gallery. Some of the most unique paintings, sculptures, and jewelry I have seen are located right in this little art gallery off Main Street. Sivertson Gallery is a destination for art on the North Shore of Lake Superior, exhibiting the work of over 60 regional artists in addition to Canadian Inuit and Alaskan native art.
This 'lil guy is made of ancient wooly mammoth ivory. Designed by Catrin Lovett of Bering Sea Designs 🐻 (Click photo for product info)
If you're looking for a more "remote" lodging option by Grand Marais, you can head over to the historic Naniboujou Lodge just 15 miles out of town. The Naniboujou Lodge is a resort and restaurant that dates back to 1927. It was built as part of a private club on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The resort is surrounded by magnificent, densely-forested land providing endless hunting possibilities and bountiful, clear lakes that are truly a fisherman's dream.
Probably the most impressive aspect inside the lodge is the wondrously painted 30 x 80 foot dining room.
The largest stone fireplace in the state of Minnesota dominates the west end of the dining room. It was built by a local Swedish stonemason named Carlson out of 200 tons of native rock. Standing some twenty feet high, the fireplace continues to be a showpiece, warming and welcoming the guests of Naniboujou.
Grand Marais is a great destination any season of the year. Besides eating, drinking, and sightseeing, I was able to do a lot of hiking... I even spotted a great Gray Wolf one day that totally gave me goosebumps 😱 He was checking out the nearby beaver pond, but quickly scurried away once he saw me pulling out my camera, damnit!
Well, I think I covered most of my travels with you. There's always so much I just can't fit into one single post... and there's some things that I just can't share with everyone, but would love for you to go experience yourself! 😃 That's all for now... as always, I hope you enjoyed this golden girl's travels. Later!
-Golden Girl