Swans dancing and prancing at Park Rapids. Photo by Marianne Diericks.  Winter’s the best time to watch trumpeter swans By Lisa Meyers McClintick Photo by Marianne Diericks February ranks as one of the best months for viewing trumpeter swans, one of Minnesota’s most graceful and beautiful creatures. They’ve gathered by the thousands along Mississippi River… Read more »

Mark Patten with Duke and Captain at Okontoe’s sleigh rides. Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick. Take a winter ride through lantern-lit forest By Lisa Meyers McClintick Remember the magic of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” movie as Lucy steps into the hushed winter wonderland of Narnia? We’ve found it here in Minnesota, where… Read more »

Mother-daughter mushing Rita and her Stoney Creek dogsled te By Lisa Meyers McClintick For most Minnesota vacationers, dogsledding is one of the most exciting and authentic ways to enjoy the North Shore’s winter scenery. If you have dog lovers in the family, even better. I couldn’t wait to take my 6-year-old twin girls on a… Read more »

I shot this morning moment in front of Lutsen Resort on Minnesota’s North Shore Jan. 16, 2011.

Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick Lake Superior’s daily ice show  Winter visitors to Minnesota’s North Shore come for endless cross-country skiing, the state’s most challenging and extensive downhill runs at Lutsen Mountains, snowshoeing at state parks, snowmobiling through Superior National Forest, and the many laid-back evening concerts. It’s all fun and easily fills a long… Read more »

Cave County Park, Door County, Wis. Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick. Take in the Lake Michigan scenery and enjoy sleigh rides, skiing, wine tasting and more in the blissful quiet of winter. At Door County’s Cave Point Park along Wisconsin’s thumb, Mother Nature cued up new chords on a crisp January morning. Sun warmed the… Read more »

Christmas Market at Germany’s Annaberg-Buchholz in the Erzgebirge. Longing for Light: Ore Mountain miners influence the worldChristmas traditions throughout Minnesota, the U.S. and even the world can be traced back to the woodcarving of miners in need of more income near the border of Germany and Czechoslovakia in the 1800s. They, in particular, craved and… Read more »

If you crave gifts that are unexpected and go up a notch on the cool factor, skip the big retailers. Head to your local museums instead. Museum gift shops celebrate regional artists, authors and local flavor in a ways you won’t get at most stores. By shopping at museums, you’re supporting Minnesota’s cultural scene as… Read more »

Just harvested grains of wild rice. I’m deviating from travel posts to share a few recipes after seeing the huge interest in earlier wild rice posts. One dish become almost as important as turkey and mashed at our family Thanksgivings since friends shared the original recipe in the 1970s. It has since spanned the globe from Hawaii to… Read more »

Canelake’s delightfully old-fashioned Iron Range candy shop. Upper Midwest’s best candy shops It’s a pregnant woman’s fantasy: chocolate-covered dill pickles and even chocolate-covered green olives. How can you not give in to curiosity and give them a try? My mom and I found these savory, strange sweets at Carole Widman’s Candy Company in Fargo, North… Read more »