Monday, October 12, 2026 · Fall color
Places worth pulling off the highway for.
Reviews, recipes, road trips and the Lord of the Flyovers column, from the North Shore to the Apostle Islands. I visit in person. When a place hosts me, the review says so, and paying never changes a review.
First review lands soon. Start with a town.
Explore by town
- Bayfield, WIThe jumping-off town for the Apostle Islands, with orchards on the hill above it.
- Ely, MNThe last town before the Boundary Waters, with a main corner that stays open all year.
- Grand Marais, MNAn artists' harbor town on the North Shore, two hours past Duluth.
Also listed
- Cannon Falls, MN · 1 place: Pachyderm Studios Sponsored
- Northfield, MN · 1 place: Twin Cities Shuttle Sponsored
- White Lake, WI · 1 place: Bear Paw Outdoor Adventure Resort Sponsored
New on the map
Ely, MN
- Piragis Northwoods Company Ely, MN · Added Oct 12Permits, a Kevlar canoe and a route into the Boundary Waters, all from the same counter on Central Avenue since 1979.
218-365-6745105 N. Central Ave, Ely, MN 55731piragis.com
- Northern Grounds Ely, MN · Added Oct 12Coffee roasted a few doors down, and by its own count the biggest wine-by-the-glass list north of the Twin Cities.
218-235-61252 W. Sheridan St., Ely, MN 55731thenortherngrounds.com
Grand Marais, MN
- Naniboujou Lodge & Restaurant Grand Marais, MN · Added Oct 12The dining room fireplace is more than 20 feet tall and built from over 200 tons of Lake Superior stone.
218-387-268820 Naniboujou Trail, Grand Marais, MN 55604naniboujou.com
- Voyageur Brewing Company Grand Marais, MN · Added Oct 12Beer brewed with Lake Superior water, poured on a deck that looks straight out at the Grand Marais harbor.
218-387-3163233 West Highway 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604voyageurbrewing.com
- Sivertson Gallery Grand Marais, MN · Added Oct 12It started in 1980 as a basement gallery run by artists, and now hangs Lake Superior painters next to Inuit and Arctic work.
218-387-249114 Wisconsin St., Grand Marais, MN 55604sivertson.com
Bayfield, WI
Openings & closings
- OpenedQab Qab Pan-Asian Deli
- ClosedBurntside Lodge