Downtown Grand Marais has been hit by major early winter lake storms going back to the turn of the 20^th century. In the spirit of the Storm Season🌊, we asked local historian and seasonal Information Center guru, Dan Helmerson, to share some of his favorite stormy season photos and stories he could find from the Cook County Historical Society. We hope you'll enjoy this photographic journey through history. 

 

Topics: Winter, Art, History & Culture, Lake Superior

In honor of this wonderful season, we’ve compiled a list of 19 awesome springtime adventures you won’t want to miss.

Topics: Events, Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Scenic Drives, Summer, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors, Northern Lights & Night Sky, BWCAW, Lake Superior

The pristine waters. The dramatic, glacially-carved landscape. The seemingly unending wilderness. A trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is a chance to set technology aside and spend days on end out in the elements. Maybe you’ve been wanting to take your family camping in the BWCAW for years but haven’t taken the leap quite yet. Maybe you’re a seasoned BWCAW veteran thinking about taking your little ones in for the first time. Maybe you fall somewhere in-between.

No matter your experience level, a trip into the BWCAW will challenge your family to slow down, work together and to enjoy life’s simplest pleasures. This is the year you transform your family into a Boundary Waters family.

Topics: Events, Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Summer, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Kids & Family, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors

Our Top 5 Fun Summer Activities

Although we love Cook County all year round, there’s something inherently special about summer up north. Its sunny and warm (but not too warm, thanks Lake Superior!). It’s peaceful, but there are lots of things to do. We have hundreds of thousands of visitors in Cook County every summer, but somehow, there’s room for everyone to breathe. Everyone can do their own thing and find fun summer activities to experience and enjoy.

Topics: Events, Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Summer, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Kids & Family, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors

How to harvest the perfect Christmas tree in the Superior National Forest

Have you ever harvested your own Christmas tree from the forest? If you are someone who likes to choose your own adventure and drink hot chocolate from a thermos while wearing a festive flannel - Christmas tree hunting is for you! For as little as $5 you can embark on a memory filled adventure out into the forest to find the perfect Balsam fir tree.

What you’ll need to make your outing successful:

Topics: Winter, Art, History & Culture, Kids & Family, Outdoors

When was the last time you #wokeupnorth? Waking up in Cook County, is the best way to enter a upnorth state-of-mind. How do you know you've #wokeupnorth?  You'll experience symtoms such as a heightened awareness of nature, a finer appreciation of the beauty around you and a restorative feeling that lingers after you leave.  

Topics: Art, History & Culture

With an abundance of outdoor activities, historical museums and dining & entertainment options, there’s an adventure for everyone in Cook County all year round. Cook County really comes to life in summer when days are longer and temperatures are warmer. From kayaking on Lake Superior to fishing along the Gunflint Trail, there’s so much to see and do this summer in Cook County. It’ll be Labor Day before you know it, so we whittled the list down to 10 essential summer activities.

Topics: Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Scenic Drives, Summer, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Kids & Family, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors

Talking Tourism with Linda Jurek - Hygge and the DMO Life

I love traveling.  It doesn’t matter if I’m driving a local backroad that I’ve never encountered before or if I’m in Duluth waiting for my plane to taxi down the runway and take me away.  I’m writing this blog from Chicago’s O’Hara.  I just eavesdropped on an entire conversation of a young couple and a dad returning from a ski trip to the Canadian Rockies.  Oh how I wanted to tell them to go to Lutsen.  : )

Topics: Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Scenic Drives, Summer, Winter, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Kids & Family, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors

Happy Holidays from Visit Cook County!

Topics: Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Scenic Drives, Summer, Winter, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Kids & Family, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors

Even Pokemon goes on vacation.

At first when I saw someone running around Grand Marais looking at their phone, I assumed they were just trying to find a WiFi connection, make a call, or escape a cloud of mosquitos. Upon further inspection, I discovered that in fact, I happened to be standing amidst a gathering of pokemon awaiting capture. Turns out even PokemonGo knows how to vacation right!

Topics: Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Summer, Art, History & Culture, Grand Portage, Lutsen Tofte Schroeder, Outdoors