I go into nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. John Burroughs A trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) had been on my bucket list since college. So you can imagine my excitement when I had the opportunity to go with my best friend and her family this year. They had all been to the BWCA a few times, so I knew I was in good hands as a first-timer to this remote wilderness up north. For my readers not from Minnesota or the Midwest, the BWCA helps make up what our state is known for – The land of 10,000 lakes. The wilderness area has over 1M acres within the ..read more

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve jumped onto Airbnb with excitement, looking to discover a new, cozy cabin to add to the ever-growing list of spots I’ve been meaning to check out in my home state. In fact, I started a Minnesota cabin wishlist on Airbnb about a year ago, so I could easily reference these great finds when I have a moment to get away for a long weekend. But instead of just having them sit in my Minnesota cabin Airbnb wishlist, I thought I’d share the love with you so we can enjoy some of these cozy places together. As I slowly work my way through booking these, I’ll be sure t ..read more

As Minnesota starts to warm up, I’m on a mission to visit places in my home state that I’ve never been to. Recently, that has included the Ely/Boundary Waters area and the North Shore. Both are beloved places here in Minnesota and yet places that I had never been to up until now. I started with Ely back in April, and early May was dedicated to the North Shore. So here we are! I love researching and preplanning for trips. I find that it helps me to get a sense of the area and what options are available for things to do. So, a few weeks before my North Shore weekend, I started figuring out what ..read more

Believe it or not, I had never been to Ely, Minnesota before this trip. I don’t know what took me so long to get up there, but I’m so happy that I finally did. I knew I was going to love it before I even got there. How, you might ask? Well, it’s one of the entryways in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), which is an incredibly remote and beautiful area within the Superior National Forest that a lot of Minnesotans are fond of. So I knew going into it that the area surrounding Ely was going to be that fantastic combination of clear blue waters and green pine trees that I love. I d ..read more

I wanted to call this blog post ‘Adventures in Taylors Falls’, but I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t have enough content quite yet to officially create a travel guide. I have more exploring of the area that needs to happen before I’d be able to put something together that I feel good about. Instead, I thought my recent visit could be a nice addition to my ‘Charming Minnesota Towns‘ series. Part One focused on a few charmers in the River Bluff region of southeast Minnesota. This included Red Wing, Wabasha, and Winona. For Part Two of the series, I’m focusing on two charming cities a bit n ..read more

For the last couple of years, my family has been going up to Nisswa, Minnesota. Each August, we take time off from work to enjoy a week at Grand View Lodge. It’s been a summer staple for us as we lay low in a cabin or cottage and enjoy everything that the resort has to offer. As you’ll see from the link above, I’ve already written up a review of the lodge. This time, however, I wanted to extend it to Nisswa and the surrounding area. I was able to do much more exploring on this trip, which is why I wanted to create another post for my blog, in case one of you Minnesota travelers (or visitors ..read more

There’s nothing that brings back childhood delight like a treehouse, am I right? This past year, as I’ve been exploring my home state, I’ve been on the hunt for charming towns and unique abodes that are worthy of a long weekend stay. After scouring online roundups, Google searches, and Airbnb, I finally found a dreamy place to stay – A treehouse! Believe it or not, an overnight treehouse is hard to find. This one is considered the only legal overnight stay treehouse in the metro area. So you can imagine, when I stumbled upon it, I was quite excited! It’s a hidden gem. It’s located at the edge ..read more

I have fond memories of going up north as a kid. Each summer, my family would spend a long weekend at one of the resorts around the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota. Imagine swimming, boating, golfing, go-karting, antiquing, and quality family time. But when my sisters and I left for college, we stopped making our annual trip. Life got busy, years passed, and memories faded. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that my family was finally planning a trip back this summer. All of my childhood memories came rushing back and I promptly started jotting down everything that I remembered ..read more

To be honest, I had never heard of Lanesboro before. It was only through a random article on the ‘cutest towns in America’ that I first discovered it. And man, I’m so glad I did, because I fell in love with it. Lanesboro is a charming little town (pop. 754) that is nestled in the beautiful Root River Valley. Like River Bluff country, the drive through the Root River Valley is quite lovely. I could have driven around for a few hours if time would have let me. Stay up to date on all my travels by following me on Instagram. But alas, I didn’t get into town until early afternoon, so, unfortunate ..read more

One of the things that I took home with me from California was a want to explore more. When I moved back to Minnesota, I realized that outside of the Twin Cities and a few surrounding areas, I hadn’t really explored my home state very much. Last fall, I visited Duluth and Stillwater. Well, known (and loved) cities in Minnesota and absolutely recommended if you haven’t been. But this summer, I’m all about exploring some of those smaller, quaint cities around the state. Because who doesn’t love a little small-town charm? There are quite a few of them (not complaining), so it will take me a bit t ..read more