Minnesota: Whether you’re a nature person, art lover, or a shopaholic, Minnesota has you covered! Home to America’s largest shopping mall, the Mall of America, and the awe-inspiring sculpture garden; Minnesota has a lot to keep you entertained! Here is my Minnesota travel guide, outlining the major attractions in Minnesota! 

To make it easy for you to navigate the content, I have organized my Minnesota travel guide into two sections. (1) A brief introduction to Minnesota, a little history, some geography, commute, and weather. (2) Major Minnesota attractions, if you wish, you can skip the introduction and move on to the next section, Minnesota Attractions. 

History: Minnesota was added to the union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The name of the state came from the Minnesota River, named so by the Dakota Sioux, the Dakota word “mnishota” means “cloudy” or “milky water.” The nickname of the state, The North Star State, evolved from the State Motto L’Etoile du Nord or “Star of the North.” Minnesota is also called the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” and matter of fact, there are 11,842 lakes in Minnesota. Interestingly, Minnesota also has at least 91 different lakes named “Long Lake!” 

Geography: Minnesota is bordered by Canada on the north and by Iowa on the south. On the east, Minnesota is bordered by Lake Superior and by Wisconsin. On the west is North and South Dakota. Most of Minnesota is covered by the rolling plains, formed when glaciers moved over the area.

Getting There

Flight: Minneapolis-St. Paul Intl. Airport (MSP), Rochester International Airport (RST) and Duluth International Airport (DLH) are the major airports in Minnesota, MSP being the most popular and economical.

Drive: If you live in any of the neighboring states, you could easily drive to Minnesota.

Train: Amtrak offers a rail service called Empire Builder connecting – Chicago, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Spokane, and Portland/Seattle, stopping at St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN – Union Depot (MSP).