St Cloud is centrally located in MN and we are just a short trip to a lot of really cool stuff!

St Cloud is centrally located in MN and we are just a short trip to a LOT of really cool stuff!

Heading south about 45 minutes to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul provides the most choices of activities and venues.  The Mall of America, Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves and Wild games, the Science Museum, and a list of favorite dining spots to name a few.  The airport is about an hour and a half from our home. Visiting the Twin Cities usually has the added benefit of seeing one or more relatives living around the metro area.

Duluth is about 2 hours to the northeast on the shore of Lake Superior. This is a favorite spot for events like the Bay Front Blues Festival, and Grandmas Marathon, but on any given day we could drive to Duluth and have lunch at Belissio (italian resturant) and take a drive along the North Shore or simply walk along the lake. We have freinds and family there also. A little further North of Duluth still on the shore of Lake Superior is Grand Marais a beautiful village at the head of the Gunflint Trail, which leads to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The BWCAW is the end of the road, but the beginning of a journey to remember. Bring your camera. 

Taylors Falls is east about an hour and a half and is one beautiful area. The St. Croix River carved it's way through the area and created some of the most picturesque river bluff scenery you will find. Mille Lacs Lake is about an hour away and offers thousands of acres of open water and some great fishing, followed by a trip to the casino if you like. Due north is the Brainard Lakes area (1+hr), southeast the Cold Spring-Richmond Chain of Lakes (20+min), and northwest the Alexandria Area of Lakes (1+hr) or the Detroit Lakes Area(2+hrs), all of which offer water sports as far as the eye can see. You will run out of time and gas before you boat or fish all of these lakes.

For me, fall means hunting, and I am centrally located in Saint Cloud. For pheasant and grouse I can go a few minutes out in the country near St. Cloud or meet my buddies near Lac Qui Parle (2+hrs SW) to combine pheasant and goose. When deer season arrives I travel an hour to hunt with my friends on private land, and a little further to hunt with a different group of friends in a state forest.

We are close to the "big city" and the north woods, in a city large enough that we want for very little. But if you want to go anywhere in Minnesota St. Cloud is a good place to start your journey.