The air is getting crisper, the leaves are starting to turn, and teenagers everywhere are lining up for pumpkin spice lattes. While a scenic road trip is always a good idea, one of our favorite ways to revel in the glories of autumn is to set up camp in a town with a big festival calendar, cute B&Bs, mom-and-pop shops galore, and extraordinary access to the great outdoors. What follows are suggestions for seven such small U.S. towns that come alive during fall, with added bonuses like whiskey saloons, rescue lions, and Viking cookery. 

Grand Marais, Minnesota

The crown jewel of Lake Superior’s North Shore, this 1,340-person town is the ultimate fall cornucopia—overflowing with delicious things to eat (cinnamon-sugar rings at World’s Best Donuts, puffy fry bread tacos at Hungry Hippie Tacos), see (the stunning art deco–meets–Cree Indian dining room at Naniboujou Lodge), buy (teak spoons and handsome made-in-Minnesota canoe paddles at Upstate MN), and do (take a printmaking or beginner photography class at the long-running Grand Marais Art Colony).The air is getting crisper, the leaves are starting to turn, and teenagers everywhere are lining up for pumpkin spice lattes. While a scenic road trip is always a good idea, one of our favorite ways to revel in the glories of autumn is to set up camp in a town with a big festival calendar, cute B&Bs, mom-and-pop shops galore, and extraordinary access to the great outdoors. What follows are suggestions for seven such small U.S. towns that come alive during fall, with added bonuses like whiskey saloons, rescue lions, and Viking cookery. 

From September 28 to October 6, the artistically inclined can pop by open studios and galleries during the area’s annualArt Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour. Grand Marais is home to the storied North House Folk School, where visitors sign up for intensive multi-day workshops in timber framing, sweetgrass basketry, open-fire Viking cooking, and more. Base yourself at the ultra-stylized Wunderbar Eatery & Glampground, home to five vintage campers and two telegenic lotus belle tents, for a jumping-off point to explore the many trails of Cook County.

The lung-busting hike to Devil’s Kettle Falls at Judge C.R. Magney State Park will take you the better part of a morning, but the payoff is a mysterious “waterfall to nowhere.” (Which is actually not mysterious anymore; scientists cracked the case in 2017.) At Grand Portage State Park, just shy of the Canadian border, you’ll find the highest waterfall (70 feet) in Minnesota—only this one is far easier to reach. Another must: Make the 30-mile drive out to Poplar Haus, a rustic restaurant, lodge, and craft liquor store off the scenic Gunflint Trail.

From September 28 to October 6, the artistically inclined can pop by open studios and galleries during the area’s annualArt Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour. Grand Marais is home to the storied North House Folk School, where visitors sign up for intensive multi-day workshops in timber framing, sweetgrass basketry, open-fire Viking cooking, and more. Base yourself at the ultra-stylized Wunderbar Eatery & Glampground, home to five vintage campers and two telegenic lotus belle tents, for a jumping-off point to explore the many trails of Cook County.

The lung-busting hike to Devil’s Kettle Falls at Judge C.R. Magney State Park will take you the better part of a morning, but the payoff is a mysterious “waterfall to nowhere.” (Which is actually not mysterious anymore; scientists cracked the case in 2017.) At Grand Portage State Park, just shy of the Canadian border, you’ll find the highest waterfall (70 feet) in Minnesota—only this one is far easier to reach. Another must: Make the 30-mile drive out to Poplar Haus, a rustic restaurant, lodge, and craft liquor store off the scenic Gunflint Trail.

To read the original article and see the other small towns MSN calls "the sweetest", follow this link.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/Travel/tripideas/the-sweetest-us-small-towns-to-visit-this-fall/ar-AAGmib9...