Photo:  Donovan Reese/Getty Images

By Carly Ross of KDLH Radio - May 8, 2019

We all know that the entire state of Minnesota is great for lakes. We aren't called the Land of 10,000 Lakes for nothing! But Thrillist just put together a list of some of the best lake towns to travel to in the entire country and two Minnesota towns made the list.

First up we have Ely, MN. Of course, Ely made the list because that's where the gateway to the Boundary Waters is located! In the Thrillist article, Bruce Northam from American Detour talks about how simple everything is in Ely.

"Folks opt to wear mukluks ... and baseball caps. Excepting a few plastic-roof joints, most of Ely’s log-cabinish food establishments serve fresh-caught fish ... and locally grown rice."

The next Minnesota lake town on the list is Grand Marais, MN. 

Writing about Grand Marais, Matt Melzer says, "Right, so you're probably not gonna be doing much swimming in the generally frigid waters of Lake Superior, even in August -- but if all you wanted to do was swim, you'd be looking at beaches. Not lake towns. There's more to a lake town than showing off your scissor kick, and Grand Marais offers the full outdoorsy spectrum of canoeing, hiking, fishing, camping, rock climbing, and even birdwatching (for all you voyeurs who like to spy on birds).

On top of the active stuff you'd expect, this town of 1,400 has some fantastic dining (like Sven & Ole's Pizza and World's Best Donuts) and a vibrant arts scene that might surprise you. No trip to Grand Marais is complete without taking a walk down to the lighthouse at Artists’ Point, a small peninsula perfect for snapping the kind of Sutro-filtered Instagrams that'll get you hidden from your friends' feeds."

The full list of the best lake towns in the US has 23 different towns on it. You can check out the full list HERE!

To read the original article and see related reporting, follow this link to the KDHL Radio website. https://kdhlradio.com/two-minnesota-towns-named-some-of-the-best-lake-towns-in-the-country/