Where Minnesotans want to spend their summer, according to our poll
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
As a staycation destination, one corner of Minnesota reigns — shall we say — Superior.
The big picture: More than 70% of nearly 1,000 Axios Twin Cities readers who took our survey picked northeast Minnesota — including the North Shore, Iron Range and Boundary Waters — as their ideal in-state summer vacation destination.
Our poll was inspired by X user @TonyLiebert, who drew this map and then asked the region where you would vacation.
- The catch: You couldn't leave the zone you picked for two weeks.
🧭 What you're saying: "Northeast MN is a magical place," Sami H. tells us — one of dozens of respondents who praise the region's parks, fishing, canoeing, wild beauty and the "natural A/C" of the Great Lakes.
- "I really struggle with the summer heat," wrote Guinevere C., "so the idea of spending two weeks near Lake Superior really appeals to me. Ideally, I would spend the whole time camping!"
- "It's not summer if you can't enjoy coffee on a 45º morning on a Lake Superior beach, and then hot dogs on the same beach on a 90º evening! All hail Gitchi-Gami!" sings Christopher T.
- "Two weeks of slices of pie from Betty's wouldn't hurt!" adds Sara C.
👣 Plus: "No-brainer," Ben K. writes. Northeast Minnesota's forests are "where all the cool stuff is: wolves, moose, sasquatch, etc."
🎣 Yes, but: "Sure, Duluth and on north is awesome," says Andrew, "but save that for the fall color tour … Nothing beats the Brainerd Lakes area in the summertime."
- Steve W. would spend two weeks "shredding the red" at Cuyuna's mountain biking trails.
🌄 The other side: A passionate minority stood up for southeast Minnesota's Driftless area, with its rolling hills and Mississippi River bluffs, caves, and charming towns.
- 🌴 "Winona is the Miami of Minnesota," Patrick K. (boldly) asserts.
🙅♂️ The intrigue: A handful of Twin Cities respondents say they would prefer a pure staycation in the metro.
- But among the roughly 25% of survey-takers who live in Greater Minnesota, just one says they'd want to vacation in the Cities. (They also overwhelmingly picked the Arrowhead.)
🤷 Kyle's thought bubble: Stirring the pot was probably the point, but the zones @TonyLiebert's map draws are somewhat arbitrary.
- Maybe Bemidji truly belongs in Brainerd's region — or the Boundary Waters or Iron Range deserve their own zones. Let the debating continue.
❤️ The bottom line: Wherever you pick, it's hard to go wrong.