Duluth is 2.5 hours away from Grand View and is one of our favorite places to visit. Duluth sits right on Lake Superior and has beautiful views and places to visit that would make for a perfect day trip. Our favorites things to do here are driving down canal park to look for ducks in the bay, stopping at Fitgers and of course getting a drink at Bent Paddle. If you’re looking for sights, the scenic byway off 61 drives north alongside Lake Superior with multiple pull offs to walk the beaches or just get a great view. We were staying at a cabin along the byway when we got engaged and one of these beaches is where we had a beautiful great gray owl fly up to us.

Another great option is Itasca State Park, which is 1.5 hours from Grand View. The headwaters of the Mississippi are located here, an amazing experience for anyone but especially so for those of us who are used to seeing and living along the mighty Mississippi down south. You can walk across and even swim at the headwaters. Itasca also has a ton of wildlife viewing opportunities and great hikes.

Roundhouse brewing in Nisswa is only 5 minutes away from Grand View Lodge and was one of Liz and Zach’s favorite locations to hang out at while Liz was living in Brainerd for her loon position. South of Brainerd is Crow Wing State park, where our engagement photos were taken and a great place to go to get out in nature for the day. There are also tons of fun family activities nearby, like go karts, mini golf and the Safari North wildlife park all within 30 miles of Grand View Lodge.