Self-Guided Northeast Minneapolis Brewery Tour

Posted on September 30, 2021by volkmanadventures

Northeast Minneapolis is an eclectic area known for its art, restaurants, and – you guessed it – breweries! Minnesota has over 180 breweries, and 33 of them are in Minneapolis, making it a wonderful place to meet up with friends and try something new!

Join us as we take you to five of those breweries on a beautiful summer day. All within 2.9 miles of each other, this makes for the perfect walking (or biking!) tour of the city.

At-A-Glance Stats –
Fair State Brewing Cooperative to Sociable Cider Werks = 0.7 miles
Sociable Cider Werks to Indeed Brewing Company = 0.6 miles
Indeed Brewing Company to Able Seedhouse + Brewery = 0.3 miles
Able Seedhouse + Brewery to HeadFlyer Brewing = 0.9 miles

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

Our first brewery tour stop is Fair State Brewing Cooperative! With 20+ beverage options, this is a great stop to try something new! There’s something here for everyone, especially if your group likes different types of drinks.

Can’t decide which to get? Describe what flavors you like to the amazing bartender, who will perfectly match you with an awesome drink!

I can’t talk about Fair State Brewing without mentioning something that’s really special about them. The co-op was creating with collaboration and giving back in mind. How amazing is that? Here’s a blurb from their website:

“In 2016, we launched our community engagement arm, Fair State Cooperates. Each month we partner with a different nonprofit organization selected by our Member-Owners. In our partnerships, we raise funds through beer sales, awareness through social media, and involvement through volunteerism.”

Our suggestions –
The Roselle (kettle sour with hibiscus)
Big Doinks (IPA)
Fruityboom Frozen Slush (Mango Dreamsicle)
Non-alcoholic cold press

Pro Tip! Bring snacks or food and plan to sit outside in the beer garden!

Sociable Cider Werks

Ready for a cider? Stop number two brings us to Sociable Cider Werks! Here you can choose from 15+ types of beverages, including non-alcoholic options. Be sure to wander around and check out all of the fun vintage bicycles and bicycle parts. The spacious outdoor deck and patio are the perfect place to relax.

Our suggestions –
Squoze (guava)
Pinch Flat (hibiscus rose)
Training Wheels (scrumpy apple)

Pro Tip! Take a Tap Room tour on Saturdays - free if you bring a donation in the form of a canned food item!

Indeed Brewing Company

Welcome to Beerland at Indeed Brewing Company and Taproom! Feel free to wander around and take it all in. There are plenty of seating options both indoors and outdoors – shaded and sunny! Don’t forget to check out the gear shop for some great merch options too.

Our suggestions –
Strawberry Fields (sour)
Day Tripper (pale ale)
Pink Rabbit Pils (pilsner)

Pro Tip! Be hungry and ready for the best chicken you'll ever eat at the onsite food truck, Revival!

Able Seedhouse + Brewery

Note: This brewery has unfortunately now permanently closed.

Stop number four previously brought us to the beautiful Able Seedhouse + Brewery! Their values focused on the environment and the arts, and you could really see and feel that throughout this brewery.

Suggestions were –
Raspberry hibiscus wheat ale
Mosaic Ain’T So (American IPA)
Non-alcoholic Northstar Kombucha (cherry elderberry)

Pro Tip! Onside food truck Animales Barbeque Company is the perfect pairing to Able's amazing beer selection!

Headflyer Brewing

Our last stop on the Northeast Minneapolis Brewery Tour takes us to HeadFlyer Brewing. What a great atmosphere and way to end the day. Chill out on their deck or patio to chat, play a game, or reflect on all of the great places you visited today.

Suggestions –
Oh Baby Baby (kettle sour)
Hawaiian Sophie (pale ale)
Rye-U-Mah (malt forward ale)

Pro Tip! Play a game on their giant, handmade cribbage table!

Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota

Minnesota Winter Bucket List

Posted on January 3, 2021by volkmanadventures

Post updated for 2023

The ULTIMATE winter bucket list

Who else is excited to opt outside this winter? Fresh air and physical movement are so incredibly important to focus on, especially through wintertime when it’s dark early and hard to find motivation. But with this Ultimate Minnesota Winter Bucket List, you won’t find yourself bored this winter!

Below are kid and adult friendly activities! Which are you doing this winter?

What are your favorite outdoor winter activities? Let me know in the comments!

Click here for a free download!

Lists

Staying Entertained while Staying Away

Posted on March 15, 2020by volkmanadventures

As you're aware, our world is going through an interesting time of needing to stay quarantined, clean, and away from each other. This can lead to feelings of isolation and boredom, if you're anything like me. Especially now that spring is starting to appear around parts of North America, outside temperatures are warming up, which is usually when we like to gather and be around each other. But when we can't, what do we do instead? Here are some ideas on how to keep yourself and your family entertained and away from boredom while needing to social distance and "quarantine."

Adults & Teens

Go on a hike (interpretive trails are especially awesome as you get to learn along the way)
Go for a bike ride
Begin or continue journaling
Write that book
Read a book that has been on the shelf for a while
Complete a 1,000+ piece puzzle
Create a bucket list
Paint something
Go camping
Go canoeing
Go birding
Go on a nature walk
Try scrapbooking
Make your own photo scavenger hunt
Bake treats
Make jewelry
Make a wood pallet craft
Make greeting cards
Make a household item like soap or cleaner
Learn a new subject
Organize (i.e. garage, cabinets, drawers, electronic files, etc.)
Create a budget
Tackle that to-do list
Play board games
Learn an instrument
Learn a language
Take a virtual exercise or dance class
Go geocaching
Plant a garden or start seedlings inside
Play virtual charades with a friend on Skype/FaceTime
Go on a picnic
Create a vision board
Go through your clothes to donate
Try a new craft
Have an at-home spa day

Children & Toddlers

Build a fort out of boxes, blankets, pillows, couches
Visit a local trail for a walk (especially an interpretive trail that will have signs to look and learn)
Go on a nature walk to identify leaves, bugs, animals, trees
- For the older children who can be alone: send them on a scavenger hunt
Go on a bike ride
Color or paint boxes (i.e. Amazon boxes)
Color by number and paint by number activities
Create with pipe cleaners and Cheerios
Put pipe cleaners through holes of a colander
Play with Play-doh or modeling clay
Color in coloring books
Play learning games
Play with a sensory tub or sensory table
Read unread books that have been on the shelf
Fingerpaint
Create an at-home treasure hunt
Learn a new word or topic
Learn an instrument
Learn a language
Make a time capsule to open 5 years from now
Craft a sock puppet family and put on a puppet show
Go on a picnic
Make up a dance to your favorite song
Play board games
Put a puzzle together

Thank you for reading! What ideas have you been doing to keep yourself or others entertained during this time? I'd love to learn more and add them to the list!

Itinerary, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

A Snowy Weekend in Crosby, Minnesota

Posted on January 30, 2020by volkmanadventures

Earlier in January (1.17-19.2020), Eric treated me to a mystery weekend getaway. We do this from time to time, where one of us will book a mystery weekend getaway for the other–it’s so fun to see what we each come up with!

The only information given to me ahead of time was to “pack winter appropriate clothes.” Which, naturally, made me feel like we were going downhill skiing. Though he’s done a downhill skiing type of mystery weekend in the past–so what could it be instead? He wouldn’t repeat the same idea, would he? It’s fine if he does, but that would be out of character.

Eric is the type of trip planner who doesn’t like to plan. He usually has a general outline, with a flexible day to day. (I’m very opposite, but working on it.) He booked us at two different locations (I love it!) in the same area, so we could experience everything, but wouldn’t tell me what activities were planned or what type of lodging we had booked.

We heard a few days prior that the weather was about to be snow-pocolypse 2020, so we planned to leave early on Friday, around 12pmish. We are truly blessed to have full-time jobs that allow us to work from the road (or cabin, or hotel, or campsite, or wherever has WiFi). We couldn’t check-in to our first accommodation until 4pm, but we figured we would walk around the area (wherever that was) in the meantime.

Friday, January 17th, 2020

We set off and left our home in the Twin Cities around 12:30pm, and around 12:45pm it started snowing. Just ever so lightly. But as we kept driving northward, the snow got heavier and the fog and ice started making themselves known. Around 2ish hours into the drive, it was hard to see:

Eventually, after another hour or so of white-knuckle driving, we rolled into the cute little town of Crosby. We were greeted by this sign with a serpent, which I’m guessing was designated after their lake–Serpent Lake. Due to the weather and the requirement to drive slow (to, you know, stay alive), we arrived in Crosby at around 3:45pm, just 15 minutes before we could check-in!

At this point, I still had no idea where we were staying. We usually stay at Minnesota State Parks, so my brain was swarming trying to figure out which park was near here. Mille Lacs? No, we passed that. Crow Wing? No, passed that too.

Then I saw the sign: Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (with an arrow pointing in the direction to turn to go there). Then we drove past it. Whaaaat? I realized we weren’t staying at a State Park this time–so strange! So after only a few more minutes of driving, we arrived at our cabin for the night: True North Base Camp. Yay! I had read about True North Base Camp just recently, so I was excited to experience it in person! Easy access, not only easy to drive to, but easy to enter (they have keypads!). We stayed at the first cabin:

They. Are. So cool!

The cabins are heated, but not until you arrive and turn the heater on manually. With that, we turned the heaters on and opted to go back into town to grab some food. First stop: Iron Range Eatery. I had the best vegan tacos, and Eric had the “real tasty” Big Cuyuna Burger. For bevs, I went in for the beautiful and dark Third Street Sugar Shack Maple Stout, and Eric had the Big Axe Brewing Axe Kicker Double IPA. So good.

We then learned there was a brewery nearby. Knowing we would be stuck inside the rest of the night due to the snow, we headed over across the street to Cuyuna Brewing Company. To my surprise, their Flying Finn Russian Imperial Stout does not have lactose in it–win! I ordered that, and Eric ordered the Hazy Hopricot IPA. They were both delicious. Once we had our drinks, we grabbed a table and one of the many games on their game shelf! After playing an hour or so of Trivial Pursuit, we decided we were done losing at the game and wanted to head back to the cabin. Before heading out, we purchased a growler of Cuyuna Brewing’s Mosaic Blueberry Ale.

Back at the cabin, we continued to play some of our favorite two player games. We started with Welcome to Your Perfect Home, moved on to Ganz Schon Clever, and ended with Sagrada. We’ve been sort of binge-playing these games for the past few weeks. Knowing we had plans to be outside for a reservation of sort the next day, we played games until 10pm or so and went to bed.

To be honest, we didn’t sleep well at all. The cabins are beautiful, but due to the heating unit (which was either ON or OFF), we woke up sweating at about 3am, but the floor was still freezing. We shut the heat off at 3am (again, because we could only use on or off), and woke up cold again around 7:30am. So we turned the heat back on. We finally warmed up a little and got out of bed at 8:30am. Due to the weird heat, and the flooring only being a concrete slab (there are two mats to stand on), unfortunately the floor had sweat due to the humidity and got everything that was on the floor wet. If we were to stay again in the winter, we would put things up off the ground at night.

Saturday, January 18th, 2020

Once we got out of bed, we had a quick breakfast, and Eric decided to bundle up and hit the cross-country ski trails. It had snowed for what seemed like two feet overnight, so there was a lot of fluffy stuff to slide around on. Knowing we wouldn’t be back before the 12pm cabin check-out, I stayed at the cabin and packed most of our belongings. The snow was a blessing and curse on this trip. Eric unfortunately wasn’t able to find the cross-country skiing trail and came back to the cabin after about 30-45 minutes. We were happy he was able to scoot around on the skis for a little bit at least though.

After he rested for a few minutes, we bundled back up, and were off! I still didn’t know what we were doing at this point. But we ended up at Cycle Path & Paddle (permanently closed as of 2021), where we rented fat tire bikes! We picked up the bikes and headed toward Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. I had only been dreaming of trying fat tire bikes for years, and now my chance is finally here! Thanks, Eric! The best husband.

We were so excited, we threw on our helmets and hopped on the bikes to ride! We hit the trail and almost immediately quit moving. What. I thought fat tire bikes were made for the snow? Oh, the snow needs to be groomed? Oh. Well then. A couple and their beautiful large dog greeted us a little while later and politely informed us that they had also just learned you can’t go on the trails until they are groomed, which is typically 24-36 hours after snowfall. Bummer. Our bikes were due back at Cycle Path & Paddle before we would get a chance to even take them on the trail!

To make the most of our rental time, we decided to head back into town and bike around there. We put a total of 5ish miles on the bikes, and were totally exhausted. Those are hard to ride! We followed one road from Crosby Memorial Park until we hit a dead end, then followed another road until we somehow found our way downtown. At this point in the day we were ready for lunch, so we stopped (don’t judge us) yet again at Iron Range Eatery. I just couldn’t say no to the tacos–they were calling! Eric tried something new, the carne asada rice bowl. Of course, I ordered the vegan tacos again. Except somehow, even though I ordered the same thing just the day before, they were completely different. Much spicier. Equally as yummy. We both had their amazing bloody Mary’s (or two) before setting off to bike around town some more.

We found ourselves back in the area of Crosby Memorial Park, but instead were in the park next door, Franklin Park. Franklin Park is home to this amazing and massive Sea Serpent. The snow was so deep, but Eric just had to trudge out there for a photo op!

We had been riding around for a few hours at this point, and decided it was time for a short break. Coffee, anyone? Our next stop was the Red Raven bicycle cafe. Eric got a really good looking americano, but I like just plain coffee. This was the perfect stop after an active day of riding. We warmed up with our hot beverages, and decided we were done riding for the day. But first, it was time to check into our next accommodation: the Alley Inn AirBnB. This was a cute studio AirBnB connected to a daycare. Red Raven is directly next door to this AirBnB, so our ride would not have been too far; except, we first needed to bike back to our truck over at Crosby Memorial Park! We detoured first for a little ride onto the lake. Serpent Lake appeared to be a great place for ice fishing, as it was peppered with ice fishing houses throughout. A path was cleared for a few hundred feet, so we biked on that and back before stopping back at the truck.

The Alley Inn was cute, and I can see it being really perfect in the summer. It was quaint to have in the winter as well, but we did run into some unfortunate issues. It was cold. There isn’t a thermostat, so you aren’t able to control the heat. Unfortunately we were there a weekend where temperatures dipped well below freezing, and we were so cold. They do provide two (small) and not super powerful space heaters, which did not warm us up. We each took a hot shower to try to warm up, but once you step out of the shower, it’s very cold again. Then we turned the electric fireplace and both space heaters on, which blew a fuse, so you cannot run all three heat sources at once. Since this was our only issue, I would recommend going to this AirBnB, but would not recommend going when it’s cold.

One we settled in, we decided we were in for the night. It was necessary as we were so tired from biking around all day. We have been wanting to try these “just add water” camping dinners for a while, so we decided tonight was that night! We had the vegetarian chilli, which was just enough for one bowl of chilli for each of us. I’m not sure about Eric, but I was falling asleep while eating dinner at this point. Yet somehow, we decided to turn on Netflix and watch a random series until we fell asleep.

Sunday, January 19th, 2020

The next morning, Eric wanted to get up early to get one last bike ride in before we had to return them to the rental shop. We bundled up and drove back to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area in hopes the trails were groomed so we could spend about an hour on the bikes on their intended trails before returning them. Unfortunately, the trails were not yet done being groomed. Instead of leaving, we decided to switch gears and do some hiking! This means we at least got to spend some time on the Cuyuna trails, even if it wasn’t on a fat tire bike. Hikers are allowed to hike on ungroomed/snowmobile trails during the winter. We followed the snowmobile trail up the hill to overlook Huntington Mine Lake. So pretty with the snow! If it wasn’t so cold, we could have stared out for hours. But our hand warmers were cooling off, so we had to leave. Womp womp.

As we were needing to be back in the Twin Cities earlier in the afternoon, we started heading back home around 11am. This time, it took us longer to get home than it took us to get to Crosby (which we also thought was long)! The roads were pure ice most of the way. We made it home late in the afternoon, but safely.

This was an amazing weekend. A much needed getaway after the holidays! We love getting to explore Minnesota! Our own backyard.

What are your favorite winter activities?
Have you been to the Crosby area?
Where are your favorite winter spots in Minnesota?

Lists, Tips and Tricks

Top 10 In-Flight Essentials

Posted on December 29, 2019by volkmanadventures

Flights can be difficult to be on, especially if you don’t travel often or aren’t a fan of being on a plane. The number one thing you can do for yourself to make the flight more enjoyable is to focus on taking care of yourself! Below are my top 10 in-flight essentials to ensure the best and most relaxing flight experience.

1 - Portable charger

The night before every flight, we charge our portable charging bank. This portable charger has saved us so much grief when we are not only waiting at the airport and all of the charging stations are full, but have also been amazing to have when we’re listening to podcasts, music, or watching shows on our phones or iPad while on the flight. Plus, who doesn’t like to have a fully-charged cell phone when you walk right off that airplane and need to know where to go next?

2 - Headphones/earbuds

OMG. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve taken off and realized I didn’t have my ear buds with. Oh, the humanity! Unless you have a notebook, newspaper, or non-electronic game with, noise cancelling earbuds or headphones are essential to having in-flight peace.

3 - cell phone/tablet plus these apps

It’s sort of a given that you’ll probably have some sort of cell phone or iPad or laptop or something with, so I won’t add that as a specific item; however, I will add that I would be so bored on flights without these apps: Google Play, Podcasts/Podbean, OneNote, Pinterest, The Weather Channel and (of course) Instagram.

4 - Notebook

I love writing. I write notes all the time, every day. Even when nothing requires a note to be written. BUT, how would I remember certain events or plans or memories without writing them down? I do often use the notepad app native to my iPhone, but nothing truly beats a good ‘ole pen and paper to jot down your thoughts. How else do I remember details for my blog posts?

5 - Reusable water bottle

These are great throughout your entire trip and not just on a plane. Trust me. Just went through security? Fill it up! Drank the whole thing mid-flight? Ask a flight attendant to pour some water in there instead of in their plastic disposable cups! Having a reusable water bottle has saved me from feeling parched onboard when you’re waiting for that drink cart to make its way to your seat. Some flights only bring the drink cart by once! In those instances, it’s best to be ready and have a full water bottle 🙂

6 - Travel neck pillow and eye sleep mask

Ready for a nap? If you’re like me, you planned to take the earliest flight known to man, meaning you’re probably exhausted before you even get to your destination! I’ve found an eye sleep mask helps block out enough light to take a great in-flight nap, and having a perfect neck pillow helps avoid that embarrassing neck bob we all do when starting to fall asleep, and keeps your neck comfortable while you are asleep!

But even if you don’t plan to snooze during a flight, I’ve found it to be a major relief to have a neck pillow around my neck so I can relax. Maybe it’s just me and my giraffe neck, but it always tends to feel strained after a couple of hours of sitting on a plane, which tends to put me in a less-than-ideal mood. If not for my neck, I also often use the neck pillow as lumbar support since the seats also don’t support my tall torso. Sometimes being tall has its disadvantages. Will airplanes someday, just maybe, offer lumbar support? One could only wish.

7 - Snacks

I am always feeling snackie! Did you know you can bring snacks (including homemade!) onto a plane? I question this every time I’m planning a trip, and finally started remembering, which has drastically reduced my travel spend! My favorite snacks to bring are Annie’s Friends Bunny Grahams, crackers, and almonds. OMG, I almost forgot to add gum. Your seatmate(s) will thank you. Or you’ll thank yourself when you find out you’re stuck sitting next to someone for six hours who literally must have just eaten a raw onion before stepping on to the plane. Woof.

8 - Lotion

My favorite item to have on-hand (ha, get it?) and in-flight is hand lotion! Nothing makes my hands feel worse than being on an airplane. My friend Taylor gifted me the First Aid Beauty “Ultra Repair Cream” lotion a couple of years ago for Christmas and I have not stopped purchasing it every time it runs out. My favorite is the two ounce tube as it’s conveniently TSA-friendly and fits in the small upper-pocket of my personal item backpack. I apply this lotion probably 4-5 times throughout a flight to ensure my hands stay nice and don’t crack from that dry recycled plane air.

9 - lip moisturizer

Like my hands, my lips tend to constantly feel drier when I’m flying somewhere. Jack Black’s “Intense Therapy Lip Balm” is my absolute favorite. It’s so hydrating, I don’t feel like I need to re-apply every few minutes! It also has SPF 25, making it one of the strongest SPF lip balms around and is super versatile for on the plane and in my purse for visiting even the sunniest of places.

10 - eye drops

The theme here for the last three items is dryness. Is there anything worse than feeling all sorts of dried out and not being able to do anything about it? The last item for hydration is eye drops. I hate dry, itchy eyes from that recycled plane air blowing in your direction all flight. I bring the Target brand (Up & Up) eye drops with me on every flight—it’s easy to just drop some of the solution in before take off and again mid-flight to ensure your eyes don’t get irritated.

A bonus, late addition, thanks to Sarah for the reminder to have – hand sanitizer! This doesn’t really need explaining. With how germy planes are, you want to prevent from getting sick! Another bonus essential in my bag I forgot to add in my original publication, are packets of Emergen-C. Along with hand sanitizer, Emergen-C is in my bag just to ensure that recycled air doesn’t get me sick! Have you ever gotten a cold (or worse *cringes*) from being on an airplane? It’s the worst.

If you’re ever questioning what you can bring onboard, don’t hesitate to Tweet @TSA or download the app on your phone and search items there 🙂

What are some of your favorite items to have in-flight? Share in the comments below!

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Bear Head Lake State Park

Posted on November 14, 2016by volkmanadventures

Eric and I visited Bear Head Lake State Park from July 22-July 24, 2015. This has to be one of our favorite parks by far. The water was so beautiful, so serene. There are so many activities to do, so many things to see, that this park should be toward the top of your “Minnesota State Parks To Visit List,” as it has a little something for everyone.

This park is likely one of the most overnight visitor-friendly parks we have ever stayed at. It has ample camping options, from the traditional drive-in and electric sites, to RV sites, to group camps, to backpack and canoe sites. Also friendly for those who don’t camp in tents or have a camper or RV are the Camper Cabin (houses 5-6 people) and the Guesthouse (houses 10 people) options.

Being a part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area within the Superior National Forest, there are endless opportunities for recreational experiences.

Recreation

With 23 miles of lake shore, Bear Head Lake State Park offers lots of water recreational opportunities especially, including fishing, swimming, boating (max 10 mph), canoeing, and kayaking. On land, this park offers 15 miles of hiking trails, wildlife watching, camping, birding, snowmobiling (1 mile spur connects with the Taconite State Trail), cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and geocaching.

Wildlife

This park is so rich in wildlife you can’t help but sit back and listen to the songs of nature. Great for bird watching, you can find bald eagles, boreal chickadees, pine grosbeaks, red crossbills, and my personal favorite: the loon. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for other woodland creatures large and small, including squirrels, chipmunks, snowshoe hares, white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, and wolves.

Itinerary

Day 1: After checking in to site #73, we set up camp and went on a short hike along the Beach trail. Beach trail is approximately one half mile long (down and back), and is an easy and beautiful trail following the lakeshore. This was a great short walking introduction to the park on our first day here.

After our hike, we went in to check out the town of Ely and have dinner. Growing up, we’ve always heard about “Ely” when people traveled “up north.” Ely (pronounced eelee) is a bustling little outdoor adventure town with quaint shops and restaurants. A town within the Boundary Waters, there are many outfitters and places to rent equipment in the area as well. If you’re considering a visit, be sure to check out the Ten Reasons to Visit Ely, Minnesota.

Day 2: Water day! I feel like we spent all day on or in the water on day 2. The weather was around 81*, making the water the perfect place to be. We set out mid-morning, after breakfast, around 9:00am to set off to paddle the beautiful clear waters of Bear Head Lake.

In total, we maybe only kayaked around three or four miles, but we moseyed around the lake taking in all of the amazing views and unbelievable sounds. THE VIEWS here are just STUNNING. Minnesota may not have mountains or tropical beaches, but these beautiful, layered pine trees along the shore line and in the distance brought out the same excitement and calming affect as mountains or a tropical beach. I could have spent forever floating in my kayak staring at the trees, shoreline, and listening to the loons. Have I ever mentioned how loons are my favorite bird? Their calls are music to my ears.

The water temperature felt so nice that we decided to head back in and go swimming before taking the kayaks back out of the water. I’m not one to spend a lot of time in the water, but this was just what I needed after a hot few hours of kayaking. Bear Head Lake State Park has a nice beach area for folks to go swimming.

Day 3: Day three was spent with the bears! After our morning breakfast bars, we took our usual morning walk around the campground. We planned to leave a little earlier on the last day so we could visit the North American Bear Center, where a friend of Elissa’s was interning for the summer.

According to their website, the North American Bear Center is “dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans.” I learned so much about bears in the two hours we were there than I have in my entire life. There were even resident bears who were to live at the North American Bear Center due to being unable to survive back in the wild on their own. I would highly recommend visiting here if you’re in the area in the summer!

Cost Breakdown

Daily Park Admission: Free as we have a Minnesota State Parks annual pass
Tent site: $23/night
Bear Center visit: $13 per adult
Gas: $50 round trip
Food: $40.50 (approximate total)

Hot Dogs + buns: $5
Nature Valley breakfast bars: $3
Spaghetti-O’s: $1.50
S’mores! $6 for all ingredients
Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)
Meal at restaurant: $25

Gear Brought

2 Necky brand 17′ kayaks
Suisse Sport Wyoming Tent
Glowmaster Twin Burner camp stove
Mess kit
Coleman battery-operated lantern
Sleeping bags & pillows
2 changes of clothes each, including swim suit
Bug spray
Sun block
Tennis shoes & water shoes
More packing tips from the MN DNR

This Park is Good for those who:
…want to hike by a lake
…want to go on a quick weekend getaway
…want to listen to nature
…want to partake in multiple water activities
…want a lot of variety in one park

Misc. Info
Year Established: 1961
Distance from Minneapolis: 244 miles
Temperature: High of 84* | Low of 57*