dining

There are some great places to dine in the area, and we would love to recommended some of our favorites!

The Angry Trout Café specialize in fresh fish caught that morning on the big lake, but if fish is not your favorite there are plenty other items to chose from. For some of the finest dining in the area, head to The Strand at Lutsen Resort. The newly remodeled dining room is so beautiful, the walk in wine room now offers the largest selection of wine in the state, and the seasonal dinner menu is truly remarkable. To top it all off the dining room looks out over Lake Superior.

Folks just LOVE Sven and Ole’s Pizza; it’s a must if you’re in Grand Marais, but if you love a thin crust, hand-tossed artisan pizza, Sydney’s Woodfire Pizza is the place for you. They have frozen custard that will knock your socks off, too!

For locally brewed beer and excellent small plates you should definitely try Voyageur Brewing Company. The Gunflint Tavern has some great eats, locally and regionally brewed beers and almost always has live music.

activities

There is so much to see and do in this area! A great resource is the Visit Cook County events page. There is live music almost every day somewhere in Cook County so be sure to check the schedule while you are here! You can also reference Visit Cook County for biking maps, Fall color drives, snowmobile trails, XC ski trails and Snowshoeing trails.

One of our favorite pastimes is hiking, and there is almost an endless amount of hiking trails to explore. This printable hiking guide is a great way to choose what hikes would be best for you. A couple of our favorites are the Temperance River hike, Cascade State Park (just a couple miles from the cottages), and the Oberg Mountain Loop. If you are able to rise and shine to meet the sun, we highly recommend a short but steep hike that puts you on top of White Sky Rock where you can watch the sun rise over Caribou Lake.

We also LOVE getting out biking on the trails! If you are visiting and didn’t bring a bike along with you, perhaps renting a bike would be fun! You can check out Sawtooth Outfitters for bike rentals in Tofte.

If you would like to try an ebike you should check out North Shore eBikes to reserve a bike while you’re here! eBikes pedal, handle, and typically look like a standard bike but have the benefits of electric assist, which requires less overall energy exertion, and allows for the rider to travel longer and at faster speeds with ease.

drinks

If it’s a classic cocktail you crave, or perhaps something new and unique, here are a few great spots to go to: Bluefin Bay in Tofte which has an incredible view of Lake Superior from the bar, an excellent wine list and some really great small plates to accompany your cocktails. Papa Charlie’s which is on the ski hill and has a beautiful view of Moose Mountain as well as lots of live music. It is also a great place to catch a game on one of the many large screen televisions.

For locally brewed beer, you should be sure to try the Sawtooth Mountain Pale Ale at Gunflint Tavern. It’s a favorite in our house! Of course Voyageur Brewing Company has some great beer to choose from as well, and the food they have created (often with their beer in it) is excellent! Moguls Grille and Taproom has a really nice selection of Minnesota brews, and is another great place to catch whatever game it is you may be hoping to watch.

Art & music

Cook County has a VIBRANT art scene, which were are incredibly grateful for. There is live music regularly and it is scattered all over our sprawling county. Check out www.visitcookcounty.com/events/ for the up-to-date calendar of shows.

If you’re looking to peruse the visual arts, you are in for a treat! Here are a few of our favorites:

The North Country- Gallery & Gifts is located right here on our property! Having just opened in May 0f 2021 it is a new addition for us. It’s a wonderul place to explore local and regional art, gifts, kids and baby items, books, apparel and more!

The Big Lake in downtown Grand Marais is the sweetest little place! An approachable art gallery and gift shop, with a focus on some really great local and regional art, with the most welcoming and sweet owner and staff.

Sivertson Gallery also in Grand Marais, Sivertson’s is a staple in the community, celebrating it’s 40th year this year! They have a wide range of mediums on display, and really something for everyone. The gallery reflects Lake Superior’s beauty, environment, history, and people—and includes the unique regions of far north Alaska and Canada.

Betsy Bowen Gallery & Studios located just up the hill in Grand Marais, tucked into a former historic Lutheran church with plenty of room for the presses and woodblock prints. Betsy shares this space with other Artist who have their works on display as well.

Upstate MN offers contemporary items created by small makers, designers and artists from Minnesota and beyond.  Housewares, gifts, artwork and personal accessories presented with a goal of representing this beautiful region through materials and tones in a modern way. They may also have the most friendly and sweet shop owner ever in the history of shops. Stop in to see the beautiful items, you’ll be sure to come away with a fun story about Kris, too!