If you're a longtime Minnesota local, or new to the area, you'll be interested in checking out some of Minnesota's Best Attractions.

Rainy Lake is the Gateway to Voyageurs National Park, which has been recognized in the Top 10 Best Minnesota Attractions. Want to bump Voyageurs up on the list? Vote now!

Among the top five greatest places to visit include Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St. Paul, the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, the National Eagle Center in Wabasha and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona.

Still have some vacation time to use up? Great! Check out Canal Park in Duluth, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, North SHore Scenic Drive and Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan.

No matter where you are, as long as you're in Minnesota--we're pretty excited! Comment below with your favorite Minnesota Attraction!

Rainy Lake has an excellent reputation in the Minnesota walleye fishing world. Mid-May through June you can find the walleye in shallower areas, near the weed beds and rocky shorelines, where they are foraging for the bait fish. That’s also where the smallmouth bass are likely to be and aggressive northern pike will be near the weedy edges of the shallower bays. All in all, there’s a good chance to encounter a school of crappie too. You could fill up with four species on Rainy Lake and are welcome to try. The Minnesota Walleye opener May 13, 2017 make it all legal.

Voyageurs National Park and the United State Coast Guard Lamplighters have completed buoy placement within the Park Boundaries. Voyageurs National Park encourages boaters to use caution due to low water levels. Hazards that are not typically visible or marked may be exposed.

Meanwhile, Voyageurs has announced their summer hours and the start of the interpretive programs and boat tours. Through May 27th, the Rainy Lake Visitor Center will be open Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:30 PM. On Sunday, May 28, 2017 it will be open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Boat tours and Ranger-led interpretive programs will begin on May 25th.

People are getting out on the hiking trails and finding songbirds, small mammals and other active wildlife easier to spot as the leaves are just starting to come in. In a week or two, the forest will be a dense green.

Our area ATV trails are also getting some use, the trails were open to travel on April 1, 2017 but don’t usually start seeing heavier traffic until the trails have had a chance to dry in the lower spots. Koochiching, St. Louis and Itasca County are all very ATV friendly. In our tri-county region there are thousands of miles of legal, safe, marked trails to ride.

We are ready to answer any questions you might have, contact information is listed at the bottom of the web pages on this site. If you’d like to get a regular update on our area recreation and events, subscribe to the e-newsletter, that option is also at the footer of this page.

The ice is off of Rainy Lake and Rainy River is attracting anglers. The River attraction is the catch-and-release sturgeon season, pulling in one of these monster sized fish is quite a thrill. However, anglers on the lake and the river can also fish for northern pike, smallmouth bass and crappie.

In the meantime, signs of spring and summer are popping up everywhere, things such as wildflowers, mushrooms, songbirds and more. This is the time of year Ruffed Grouse are drumming and American woodcock are peenting. These are fairly noticeable breeding activities that come with spring.

Whitetail deer are browsing where they can get to new growth pushing out from damp areas well exposed to the sunlight, like the southern exposure of a ditch. Keep your eyes open while traveling our highways. It will be a month or more, but soon does will be giving birth to their fawns.

Us humans are stirring more as well. This past weekend a group of 80 ATV’s toured through the western part of Koochiching County. Bike riders are getting out on the bike paths joined by roller bladers.

It won’t be long before summer vacations start, and if you haven’t planned your outing, you should. We have information on Voyageurs National Park, accommodations ranging from Houseboats to Vacation Cottages to convenient motels near restaurants. Things to do both within and outside of the Park. If you’d like some information, just go to the bottom of the page and access our order form. We can also answer your questions by phone or email, those options are also listed at the bottom of the page.