A Guide to Grand Marais, Minnesota

A Local's Complete Guide to Grand Marais, Minnesota

10/28/2022

Grand Marais is a small town in Cook County, Minnesota. Known for family friendly festivals, celebrating the arts, and just for being a cute town in general, Grand Marais is located on the North Shore of Lake Superior - about 2 hours north of Duluth, Minnesota. Grand Marais has long been a favorite of ours, and is often very crowded during the summer months. We highly recommend going in the early summer, or spring and fall seasons to avoid the crowds. The only downside to visiting during the off season is many restaurants and shops close by mid-October.

Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are our favorite websites and resources to help you plan an incredible trip.

For flights, we recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to your destination.

Car rentals comparisons are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you if you're heading somewhere international!

We always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, we always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required), and always use NordVPN to stay safe while connecting to different wifi connections.

For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick, especially for tours in Asia.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my packing list for your international or domestic travels.

Where to Stay in Grand Marais (Including Campgrounds)

Personally, we’ve only ever camped when visiting - at the Grand Marais Campground & Marina - as we typically take a day trip here from somewhere else along the North Shore. However, if you’re looking for an adventure and don’t mind driving a bit, we highly recommend staying on the Gunflint Trail with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters - this was our most recent visit and we absolutely loved it! If you’re looking to stay somewhere along the North Shore, we’ve previously stayed at Cascade Lodge once and Lamb’s Resort (also camping) many times, and can personally recommend the two.

Otherwise, if you’re looking for places to stay specific to Grand Marais, you actually have quite a few options :

The Mangy Moose - these cabin like rooms have lots of amenities and they're the top recommended place to stay!
Best Western Plus Superior Inn - beautiful rooms & common areas, plus right on the lakefront!
Cascade Vacation Rentals - they have a wide array of lodging available to rent throughout the North Shore, including plenty of places in Grand Marais
East Bay Suites - also located right on the shores of Lake Superior, they have plenty of options
The Mayhew Inn - this boutique lodging option is located right next to the restaurants and shops downtown

Our Favorite Tours on the North Shore :
- Two Harbors Kayaking Tour
- North Shore Helicopter Ride
- Paddleboard Day Rental

Grand Marais Best Places to Eat

One of our favorite things to do in Grand Marais is to try all the local restaurants, believe me there are more than you think. Unfortunately, one of our all time favorites - Sven & Oles’ Pizza - has closed down a majority of it's hours, but if you're lucky enough you'll still be able to catch it open!

Our other personal favorites :

Sydney's Frozen Custard & Wood Fired Pizza - like their name says, great pizza and ice cream!
Hungry Hippie Tacos - awesome flatbread tacos!
Voyageur Brewing - great snacks and drinks (they also have a kombucha option)!
Beth's Fudge & Gifts - you can't go wrong with fudge ;)
World's Best Donuts - self explanatory, go early to have the most options still available!
Java Moose - great local coffee shop!

Top Things to Do in the Grand Marais Area

Although the town of Grand Marais is on the smaller side, there is so much to do and explore in the area! Our current favorite is getting out on the Gunflint Trail to hike! Otherwise, read on for some other options near Grand Marais!

Visit a local Fish Market - The Fisherman's Daughter at Dockside Fishing Market
Go Mini Golfing at Put n Pets Mini Golf
Head out on a Guided Fly Fishing Trip with Fly Box
Go Shopping - there are plenty of cute shops on the main streets in town like The Sweetwater Co, North 61, Gunflint Mercantile & Candy Company, The Big Lake, and the always classic Ben Franklins (this might be the last one around)
Check out the Cook County Museum or the Gunflint Ranger Station
Go Hiking - we always love making our way out to the Grand Marais Lighthouse at Artists' Point and Falls Waterfall just out of town! Or you could try checking out the Pincushion Mountain Trail System that connects to the Superior Hiking Trail!
Have a Picnic - you can either stay right on the beaches in town or head out of town to the Cut Face Creek Wayside Rest Area