My wife and I both love to travel, but since we had children, traveling has become much more difficult. They still managed to escape, but the distance traveled was shorter and closer to home. I feel like I’ve explored most of Minnesota, but I know there are still plenty of places worth checking out.
Explore Minnesota recently released its annual tourism report highlighting the state’s most popular destinations. Find summer road trip inspiration below.
What is Exploring Minnesota?
The Tourism Council is made up of individuals from various fields of hospitality and tourism. It aims to boost tourism in the state by promoting activities that encourage both domestic and international travel, leading to increased tourist spending, tax revenue and employment opportunities.
Most Visited Places in Minnesota
Explore Minnesota used geolocation data collected from smartphone apps to track 500 points of interest across the state to determine where people are visiting.
Explore Minnesota said tourism is finally back to pre-pandemic levels and outlined popular destinations in each region of the state. Below you can see the most visited locations in each section of the state.
Popular destinations in Northeastern Minnesota
Duluth is a popular Upper Midwest tourist destination located on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota’s Far North.
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Unsurprisingly, downtown Duluth and Canal Park are the most visited areas, accounting for 28% to 26% of trips in the area. Grand Casino-Hinckley follows with 12%, followed by Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which attracts 8% of visitors.
Popular destinations in central Minnesota
In central Minnesota, top spots include Grand Casino at Mille Lacs and Gull Lake, each with 16% of visitors, followed by Mille Lacs Lake at 11%. Breezy Point Resort Golf Course is also a popular destination.
Popular destinations in the Twin Cities
Credit: Google Maps
Credit: Google Maps
In the Twin Cities area, Mall of America leads the way with 29% of visits, followed by Downtown Minneapolis with 12%. Attendance at the Central Mississippi Riverfront, U.S. Bank Stadium and Minnesota State Fairgrounds is 9%, 5% and 5%, respectively. Mystic Lake Casino and Target Field round out the list with 5% and 4% of visitors.
Popular destinations in northwest Minnesota
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In northwestern Minnesota, Lake of the Woods leads the way with 21% of visitors, followed by Leech Lake with 18%. Downtown Bemidji attracts the attention of his 13% of tourists, followed closely by Shooting Star Casino with his 12%.
Popular tourist destinations in southern Minnesota
The most visited locations in southern Minnesota include downtown Rochester, which receives 24% of visitors. It’s probably safe to assume that a lot of people visit the Mayo Clinic, which is not a very fun trip, but in downtown Rochester, it’s a fun trip like Thursday Downtown, which attracts 20,000 to 30,000 people every week in the summer. An event will be held.
Treasure Island Casino was the second most visited location in the area, accounting for 18% of trips. Jackpot Junction Casino receives 10% of tourists, and downtown Mankato and Winona each receive 7% of tourists.
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Gallery credit: Sam Adams
