Explore Minnesota Travel Guide • 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide • Travel North to the Fishing Capital

Anglers Katie Cahn and Kendra Lilley took a trip to the northernmost reaches of Minnesota to fish the Walleye Capital of the World. Along the way, they savored art and folklore, sipped cocktails in convents and saw the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Follow in their footsteps.

Kick off your trip in downtown Minneapolis with a foodie feast fit for an adventurer.

Chef Yia Vang landed on the cover of Bon Appétit by honoring the Hmong dishes of his youth. Sample his entire Union Hmong Kitchen menu with a communal feast that includes a whole fish marinated with lemongrass and grilled in banana leaves, hunks of crispy chicken and mounds of purple sticky rice, rice noodles, fried Brussels sprouts and pickled veggies. For more Hmong flavors, look for Vang’s restaurant Vinai in Northeast Minneapolis or head to St. Paul’s Hmongtown Marketplace, a sprawling open-air food court with more than 100 shops and stalls.

Chef Diane Moua also channels her Hmong upbringing into Diane’s Place, an all-day survey of Southeast Asia in Northeast Minneapolis’ Food Building. Entrepreneur Kieran Folliard (2 GINGERS Irish Whiskey, Kieran’s Irish Pub, The Local) kickstarted the complex in 2014 as an incubator for local artisanal food makers like Baker’s Field Flour & Bread, Lowry Hill Provisions and Alemar Cheese Co.

StevenBe Studio in Minneapolis is more than just a yarn shop; it’s a source of inspiration for needle whisperers in search of satisfying projects. Whether you prefer crocheting or knitting, Berg’s shop — a lynchpin of the DIY craft scene for more than two decades — has a wide range of clothing and toy kits for all skill levels. Keep things simple with a splashy top-down sock or chip away at a chunky sweater. It’s all here alongside spindles of yarn in nearly every color and weight imaginable.

St. Agatha’s Conservatory of Music and Arts was converted into one of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s hippest boutique hotels in 2019: Celeste of St. Paul, a Beaux Arts beauty that boasts 71 rooms and design touches like hand-painted tiles and gorgeous stained-glass windows.

Want to scope it out without spending the night? Swing by the hotel’s cocktail bar for a Bad Habit (tequila, bitter aperitivo, Prosecco and grapefruit) or a heady glass of Deacon Carl’s Holy Water (whiskey, bitters and BroVo Spirits’ vibrant sweet vermouth).

If you’re visiting in the middle of summer, try to catch St. Paul’s annual Water Lantern Festival. Happening toward the end of July, it revolves around the release of rice paper lanterns covered in personal messages and a prevailing sense of positivity.

If you’re not in Phalen Regional Park during its biggest event of the year, it’s still worth exploring. The park features one of St. Paul’s largest lakes, miles of trails and a large-scale replica of an 18th-century pavilion shipped from China.

Changsha — St. Paul’s Chinese sister city — received five Peanuts statues in return for the pavillion, including a version of Lucy in Hmong clothing and Snoopy on a doghouse adorned with two of Minnesota’s favorite things: loons and trees.

In the central Minnesota town of St. Joseph, the family recipes of Chef Mateo Mackbee make his St. Joseph restaurant Krewe feel like it was airlifted from the streets of New Orleans. Start with cast-iron cornbread and creative house cocktails, then indulge in NOLA favorites like crusty po’boys stuffed with Creole-fried catfish or Gulf shrimp, smothered collard greens and comforting bowls of gumbo.

Swing by at lunch to avoid the dinner rush and load up on fresh-baked pastries and pies at Flour & Flower, the small-but-mighty bakery of Krewe co-owner Erin Rae. Matcha chess pie with blueberry bursts, anyone?

About an hour’s drive north of Krewe is the lofty horse statue that beckons road trippers to Old Thyme Trading Post in Motley. A blast from the past, it doubles as a destination for dusted-off vintage discoveries and classic ice cream sundaes, malts, cones and shakes. Highly recommended for everyone from families to “Antiques Roadshow” fans.

Hundreds of thousands of people travel to Itasca State Park every year so they can stand in the humble spot where the Mississippi River begins its 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Minnesota contains more of the Mississippi than any other state, including the river’s most wild stretches. The park’s Mary Gibbs Visitor Center features exhibits on the river’s history right next to the headwaters.

Kodak once declared the iconic statues within Paul Bunyan Park among the country’s most photographed roadside attractions. From the first season of “Fargo” to the opening sequence of “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the beloved Bemidji attraction has made its mark on TV shows and movies over the decades.

The open water fishing on Lake of the Woods is out of this world all year long — even in winter, when ice fishing reigns supreme — but it really hits its stride in the summer.

That’s when resorts like Arnesen’s Rocky Point offer guided charter fishing trips where you can make the most of the lake’s more than 1 million acres. It takes less than 15 minutes to get from Arnesen’s marina to sun-dappled spots with schools of trophy-sized walleyes, saugers, perch and Northern pike.

In the words of Katie and Kendra, it’s “very ocean-y here” and “pretty epic,” making Lake of the Woods one of Minnesota’s many hidden gems.

If you fail to reel in a whopper, you can always stop in Baudette and pose with the 40-foot Willie Walleye statue. In the first week of June, Baudette hosts a festival to celebrate this unofficial mascot – fitting for the Walleye Capital of the World.

The Northwest Angle is considered the furthest point of the lower 48 states that separates the U.S. and Canada. Reachable only by plane, boat, track vehicle or snowmobile (when Lake of the Woods is a frozen wonderland), the Northwest Angle is mostly undeveloped wilderness, with countless plants, trees and animals coexisting peacefully.

Landmarks include the remote Garden Island State Recreation Area and Angle Inlet. The latter is a village full of history buff hits, from a restored log fort used by French fur traders in the 1700s to the Northernmost Point of the Contiguous U.S. marker.

• Distance from MSP Airport to Lake of the Woods: 424 miles (one way, approximate mileage)

• Where to Stay Along the Way: Itasca State Park offers more than 220 campsites as well as cabins, suites and rooms at the historic Douglas Lodge and The Headwaters Inn.

• Where to Stay in Lake of the Woods: The area offers resorts, lodges, campgrounds, sleeper fish houses and more. Browse all the options, including lakefront properties, at lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging.

• Fishing Licenses: Many resorts and guides include fishing licenses as part of their services. To purchase a fishing license separately, visit dnr.state.mn.us.

• Venturing to the Northwest Angle: For information on boat service and other transportation options, go to lakeofthewoodsmn.com/northwest-angle.

• Be on the Lookout: If you’re lucky, you might get to witness the Northern Lights. March, April, September and October are ideal times to catch a glimpse in northern Minnesota.

Explore Minnesota Travel Guide - 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide

Travel North to the Fishing Capital

Things to Do on an Epic Fishing Trip from Minneapolis to Lake of the Woods

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