Welcome to the North! Read up on our “must-dos” in the Brainerd Lakes Area for the next few short, sweet months that we adore so much in Minnesota. We'll equip you with what to do in stunning Lake Country whether it’s 90 degrees and sunny or a rainy sweatshirt day; there is plenty of fun to go around.
IN THE WOODS:
Bike, Roller Blade, Walk
- The Paul Bunyan Trail | Jenkins to Brainerd
- The Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area | Crosby
- Bike rentals:
- Pequot Pedal to Paddle - Renting Vintage & Classic Bikes on the World Famous Paul Bunyan Trail. Ebikes Coming Soon!
- Up North Bike Rentals New! At the old SchoolHouse in Nisswa
- Red Raven Bike - Cuyuna Lakes local bike shop offering up sales, service and rentals. *Fat tire bikes included!
- Cykel - Fun retail atmosphere, bike rentals for the Cuyuna trails, and service to keep your bikes in working order.
- Crosslake Bikes - offers a Pay-per-Use bike share system in Crosslake.
- Adventure To Go - Bike, paddleboard, kayak, inflatable rentals | Highway 371 and County Road 77 in Nisswa
- Easy Riders Bicycle & Sport Shop - Brainerd | 218-829-5516
- Wild Sun Adventures Guided Tours - Crosby | 218-833-2194
- Breezy Point Rentals - Luxury golf cart rentals in Breezy Point.
Hike
- Veteran's Memorial Walking Trail | Jenkins
- Mayo Lake Nature Preserve - 67 acres! Hiking trails, picnic area, and lookout of Mayo Lake I Pequot Lakes
- Fritz Loven Park - hiking trails, creek, playground, and picnic area | Lake Shore
- Northland Arboretum - 12 miles of hiking | Brainerd
- Crow Wing State Park | over 18 miles of trails through the woods and along the Mississippi River | Brainerd
- Pequot Lakes Paul M Thiede Fire Tower Park - climb this historic water tower with a stunning view of Pequot Lakes + 3,000 ft of walking trails *Check out our Open Door video with footage of the Pequot tower/view from this past fall
Golf
- Breezy Point Resort Courses
- Grand View Lodge
- The Legacy Courses at Cragun’s
- Madden’s Resort
- Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge
- Crosswoods Golf Course
- Cuyuna Rolling Hills Golf Course
- Emily Greens
- Whitefish Golf Club
ON THE WATER:
- Gull Lake Boat Cruises: Day and evening dining, sightseeing cruises and private charters | Lake Shore
- Zorbaz On Gull and The Whitefish Chain. Eat, enjoy their patio, and beach volleyball!
- Brainerd Ski Loons Water Ski Show at Lum Park:
- Sunday, July 18, 5:00 pm, Sunday, August 1, 5:00 pm, Sunday, August 15, 5:00 pm, Wednesday, August 18, 6:30 pm
- Yoga on the deck on Saturday mornings at Moonlite Bay.
- Paddle Board & Kayak Rentals: Wind, Water, and Wheels in Crosslake and Cycle Path & Paddle in Crosby.
- Go Fishing! If you need a guide, local fishing guides Walleye Dan and Nate Berg from Nate Berg Fishing Guides offer different guiding packages.
- Boat Rentals: Lake Fun Rentals, Breezy Point Resort on Pelican, Heath’s Resort on Upper Whitefish, Bertha Boatworks, Dave’s Sportland, Cragun’s on Gull Lake, Boats and Beyond Rentals Nisswa, Wake Life Brainerd.
- Sunset Dinner: Manhattan Beach Lodge | Crosslake, Ernie’s On Gull | Lake Shore
- Camp at one of Upper Whitefish’s islands: Big Island, Little Island, Steamboat
Sunday Fundays 1-4pm at Manhattan’s Tiki Bar at the beach - Mine Pits | Crosby
For the Family
- Paul Bunyan Land Amusement Park | Brainerd
- Safari North Zoo | South of Brainerd
- Northland Kart Kountry | Brainerd
- Pirate’s Cove | Brainerd
- Whistling Wolf & Dark Moon Mini Golf | Crosslake
- Wildflower Yoga for kids and adults on the lawn
- Brainerd Zip-Line Tour | Mount Ski Gull
- Crosslake Craft and Cones | Crosslake
- Chocolate Ox | Crosslake, Nisswa, and Grand View Lodge
- WildWedge Golf & RV Park | Jenkins
- Nisswa Family Fun Waterpark
- Brainerd Splash Pad - work in progress, stay tuned!
- Berry Picking and Fresh Produce: Double T-Acres Nisswa, Wallins Strawberry Farm | Nisswa, Boysnberries Farm | Brainerd
- Serenity Now Alpaca Farm | Jenkins
- Pine River Horseback Riding Stables
Public Beaches:
- Whipple Lake, Baxter
- Pelican Lake, Merrifield
- Crosslake Rec Center
- Serpent Lake, Crosby
- Kater Park, Pine River
- Lum Park/Rice Park, Brainerd
- East Gull Lake Rec Center
RAINY DAYS & SWEATSHIRT WEATHER:
Local Movie Theaters:
- Lakes 12 Theatre | Brainerd
- Sunset Cinema | Jenkins
- Bear Pause Theatre | Hackensack
- The Woods Retro Drive-in Theater | Summer movie series: every Thurs and Friday night starting June 17 - July 23
- We Rock The Spectrum indoor play park | Brainerd
- Crosslake Community Center - Open Gym and Library
- Whitefish Lodge Pool | Crosslake - Pay for guest access
- Americ-Inn | Jenkins - Pay for guest access
- Arrowhead Lodge Waterpark and Recreation Center | Brainerd
- Train Museum | Crosslake
Shopping
- Downtown Nisswa
- Downtown Pequot Lakes
- Town Square Crosslake
- Antique and Thrift Stores Local and Crosby
- Northern Pacific Center - Loco Express Coffee + Boutique, Baby Boutique, Frugal Farmhouse, Goody's Ice Cream/Treats Shop, The Smockstack, Notch8 chow house and drinkery coming soon!
Local History
- Pequot Lakes Historical Society
- Nisswa Area Historical Society
- Crosslake Historical Society Museum
Events
- Stars and Stripes Days | July in Pequot Lakes July 3rd/4th Trailside Park
- Nisswa Freedom Days Celebration | July 3rd at 11am
- Bean Hole Days | July 13th Pequot Lakes Trailside Park
- Fifty Lakes Day June 26, 2021 at 10am-11pm
- Nisswa Turtle Races | Weekly starting in Downtown Nisswa
- Lakes Jam at BIR | Brainerd | June 24th-26th
- Paul Bunyan Extreme Race at Mount Ski Gull | Lake Shore
- Cass County Fair June 24th-27th | Pine River Fairgrounds
- Fireworks: July 3rd Pequot Trailside Park, Crosslake July 3rd at dusk near Sand Island, July 4th Brainerd High School 10:15pm
- Sip n' Savasana Brewery Yoga at Roundhouse Brewery 11:-11:45am Sunday June 13th
Eat & Drink Musts
- Brewery Tours
- 14 Lakes Brewery | Crosslake
- Roundhouse Brewery | Nisswa
- Jack Pine Brewery | Brainerd
- Big Axe | Nisswa
- Cuyuna Brewing Company | Crosby
- Snarky Loon | Jenkins
- Must-Visit Patios
- Gull Lake: Bar Harbor, Ernies on Gull
- Crosslake: Manhattan’s, The Wharf, Moonlite Bay
- Live Music
- Sunday Funday at Manhattan’s Tiki Bar | Crosslake
- Ernie’s on Gull Friday & Saturdays 7-10pm and Sunday’s 1-4pm
- Shiner’s June 12th 5:30pm
- Dos Guys @ Snarky Loon Brewery July 16, 2021 AT 7-9pm
- Sunset Dinners: Manhattan Beach Lodge, Ernie’s on Gull, Bar Harbor, Zorbaz on Gull, Grand View Cantina
- Chocolate Ox | Locations in Crosslake, Downtown Nisswa, Grand View Lodge
- Crosslake Craft and Cones | Ice cream and coffee
- Victual - Crosby (Ice cream and charcuterie to go, patio seating)
Keep us posted on your adventures! We'd love to see you enjoying the Lakes Area.
- Wherever your "Up North" is, we've got you covered!
Posted by Colton Maher on
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