2025-12-15 09:55:56
Katie and Kendra's first trip to the Walleye Capital of the World™ (Lake of the Woods) took the South Carolina-based anglers on a whirlwind tour of Minnesota.
GREATER MINNESOTA GOURMET
On the way to walleye country, Katie and Kendra swung through St. Joseph to check out the burgeoning culinary scene. There, James Beard nominated Chef Mateo Mackbee manages to make his renowned restaurant, Krewe, feel like it was airlifted straight from the streets of New Orleans. Start off strong with cast-iron cornbread and creative house cocktails like a funky Old Fashioned made with ume plum whisky and yuzu bitters. The rest of the menu is full of NOLA favorites like crusty po’boys stuffed with Creolefried catfish or Gulf shrimp the size of golf balls; and smothered collard greens cut with caramelized onion and smoked turkey leg. “This place is my favorite restaurant, always of all time. Ever!” Katie boldly proclaimed.
WADE ACROSS THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
“I’m seriously so excited to see the headwaters” Kendra interjected. The iconic Mississippi River gets it start from the pristine waters of Lake Itasca and winds its way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. The headwaters are located in Minnesota’s oldest state park and are easy to wade across and especially enjoyable in warm summer months. Enjoy historic lodges, hike through virgin pine, and paddle the wild shoreline of Lake Itasca.
CATCH A WALLEYE AT THE NORTHERNMOST POINT
In the words of Katie and Kendra, it’s both “very ocean-y here” and “pretty epic;” Lake of the Woods is truly one of the many gems hiding in plain sight in Minnesota. Local fishing guides can help you fish for “Minnesota Gold” (a.k.a. walleye, the state fish), and while you are there, grab a boat to ferry across to the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the contiguous United States.
Check out the rest of Katie and Kendra’s epic trip, including a stay at Celeste, a former Convent turned boutique hotel; sample Hmong cuisine and peruse the Hmongtown Marketplace in St. Paul; take selfies with iconic roadside statues Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji and stop back in Minneapolis- St. Paul to enjoy urban lakes or events like WaterFest at Lake Phalen.
“It's very ocean-y here.”
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