How to spend a weekend in Lutsen
Fun Fact: The name “Lutsen,” commemorates the 1632 Battle of Lutzen in Saxony, where Sweden’s King Gustavus Adolphus was killed during the Thirty Years' War.
As always, the Holiday season has come and gone to way too fast. This Christmas we opted to skip the international travel and explore our own backyard (perhaps a recession indicator). What’s better than a ski trip to the Alps? You guessed it - Lutsen, Minnesota, or as some call it, The North Shore. Just one hour South of Canada, Lutsen was the farthest North we’d ventured in our home state and, with just three days to spare, we hit the ground running to explore this new frontier.
The Drive
Lutsen is a small town a mere four hours north of Minneapolis, and once you hit Duluth the drive is beautiful and boasts views of the Lake Superior coastline. It’s almost like driving along the Amalfi Coast!
Pro tip- there were plenty of gas stations along the way so no need to worry too much about running out of gas.
Our one recommendation would be to pack a cooler. Keeping in mind that we would be in a more remote area, we made sure to pack enough provisions for the duration of our stay. We found the grocery stores were surprisingly well stocked but much more expensive than in the cities and lacking some specialty items (don’t worry our martinis didn’t suffer). Also depending on where you’re staying, the stores are in the town center which can be anywhere from a 10-30 minute drive to where most rentals are.
Stay
Toria found the cutest Airbnb for our stay. At first we were a little nervous as the place was described to us as a converted shipping container, but boy were we mistaken. The place was so cool and felt very hi-tech. From the heated floors to the lovely gas fireplace, it was so perfect and so cozy. Covered in windows the views were amazing, and though there was another cabin down the road it felt serene and remote. With two bedrooms it was the perfect amount of space for four adults and 2 dogs. Extra perk that it was dog friendly and had a fenced in area for easy access to the bathroom (for the dogs of course).
After a day of skiing, this fireplace was the cherry on top, and we spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch (with cocktails and wine) watching Christmas movies and playing games.
Food
Located in Grand Marais, we stopped at the cutest restaurant, The Fisherman’s Daughter, for dinner. As the name might suggest it’s a seafood eatery right on the water. We didn’t get a chance to sit outside, but the inside was just a cute and welcoming.
It doubles as a cafe and seafood market that mostly specializes in smoked fish. We wanted to try everything on the menu but limited ourselves to the cheese curds, a fish sandwich, and the fish and chips plate. All were delicious.
Not only was the food good but the drinks were good as well. Serving up local pours, we were able to try beer from Voyageur Brewing Company and wine from North Shore Winery. Lauren was a little nervous about the red blend but was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and how quickly it went down The beer was great as well and both had brick and mortars not far from the restaurant.
Activities
In Minnesota, Lutsen is known for its outdoor activities- hiking in the Summer and skiing in the Winter. We opted for the latter and had a blast hitting the slopes at Lutsen Mountains. The mountain was just a ten minute drive away from the Airbnb and for a holiday it wasn’t too busy, which we loved and we were able to take advantage of the extra space on the mountains. A day pass ran us around $80 without any rentals, which would have been an additional $60. Definitely not a cheap activity but we’d recommend if you’re looking for decent skiing in the area.
In addition to hiking and skiing, there are numerous scenic views overlooking Lake Superior in all it’s beauty.
Overall Lutsen was a wonderful adventure and we would definitely recommend a visit for anyone wanting to get out of the city and enjoy a little nature. Totally worth the drive!
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