I'm a sucker for the historical society sites and this is no exception. They have some great…read moredisplays in the building and the tour of the fort was informative. The staff was friendly and quite tolerant of curious children. We had the tour to ourselves when we went so had no issues hearing and asking questions. Afterwards we took some trails down by the river and back to the building. Their t-shirts were cute and cheap so we bought one for each member of the family.

The North West Company Fur Post is located west of Pine City proper off of Exit 169. It is an…read moreofficial museum of the Minnesota Historical Society. Apparently, a local farmer found remnants of a fur trading post on his land and contacted the Canadian branch of the North West Trading Company, to get the official plans; and from there, a complete replica of the fur trading post was built. In the interpretive center, the story was told from the perspectives of the Native peoples who hunted and skinned the pelts; the British traders who brought together goods from all throughout the world to trade for the fur they wanted, and the French-Canadian Voyageurs who were the brawn behind the whole apparatus. The story also doesn't shy away from the fact that several intermarraiges took place and how they were resolved for the wives and children when the overseers left their posts and married within the church. (Apparently intermarraige was frowned upon by the Hudson Bay company but allowed and even encouraged by the North West Company and the XY Company whch they acquired). From the museum, we were led out by a person reenacting the Native perspective. She showed us the various animal pelts caught at the post, and how the Native people travelled a 100-mile radius throughout the seasons to fish in summer, hunt and trap in fall, survive the winter, and obtain sugar bush in the spring. She then led us down the path to the fur trading post, explaining room by room, how the post was run, from the youngest 14-year old voyageurs to the junior accountants to the post managers. It was amazing how many moving parts there were in the fur trade, and how the business was run down to every little detail. There is a chance to walk down to the river, or go on a 1/2 mile nature walk. Events also take place at the post all year long -- there are even snowshoes hanging for winter events. It was a very interesting museum and a year-round event center. It is certainly worth the detour if you want something to do in the area.

Great food! Great service! Friendly staff! Great view of Mille Lacs lake across the road…read more Definitely want to come back!

Interesting content- native made items and descriptions. Helpful and informative staff. I enjoyed…read morethe guided presentation of native life in the different seasons.

The museum itself is amazing. The woodworker was truly talented and it is hard to believe that…read moreanyone could do such beautiful life sized work. Our group of 4 was greatly impressed with his talent. The experience would have deserved a 5 star if it had not been for the woman at the front desk who said she was married to the nephew of the sculptor. She was terribly rude to us and continued to belittle us and shame us if we were not listening to her and looking her in the eye while she told us what we were about to see in the museum. After we toured the museum I came out to ask her a few more questions and again she shamed me by saying "You don't read, do you?" That tone continued and still she ranted about the rudeness that we exhibited when she was talking to us. She was the one that was rude. It is too bad that the museum does not have someone at the front desk that is more welcoming and kindhearted. With that being said, I still would recommend the museum, but if this woman is at the front desk, be ware! She is negatively impact on the beauty of the man's work.

If you have an interest in the unusual or cutting edge, depending on your perspective, then by all…read moremeans visit the only remaining whaleback ship which worked the Great Lakes. The visitor is led around in a group which usually leave by the top of the hour. For myself, my knees became weak when we viewed the triple expansion compound engine. One note, the ship no longer sits w/i the water. The tour guide had been at this job for 10 yrs and it definitely showed.

Jacob gave us our tour and this young man was amazing. He was so well educated on the boat ad could…read moreanswer any questions we had. Thanks for a great tour!

Amazing aquarium that's great for family and kids…read more I go every year when my kids are on spring break.

I was looking for something in my reviews and saw my old 2 star review and since we went again this…read moreweek I thought I better update. And yeah, the experience has drastically changed! Now is it 5 stars when compared to the Shedd in Chicago? No. But it is definitely 5 star for a smaller aquarium in Duluth. Kids are now 16 & 13,13. We spent two hours wandering around. Loved touching the jellyfish and sturgeon. Exhibits were expanded and the addition of salt water creatures was nice. They have a Quiet Room which was a nice sensory/Autism addition but it was just an empty room with chairs so that could use some modifications but it was still nice to see it as an option. Gift shop is huge and had lots of merch. $7.99 for a magnet but it was a nice magnet! Kids play area with the tree is still chaotic but now it doesn't matter to me ;). They did add another play area with a boat and behind that there were toys and books by a big window. Much easier to contain kids there. Also a big water play area. They have done so much with the aquarium and it was a good time.

Normally when I visit my in-laws in Lindstrom, we don't get out much. I decided it would be nice…read moreto venture out more this trip. I wandered into this chamber of commerce / information center to see what there was to do around here. I was greeted by a friendly woman who gave me the 2009 Official Chisago Lakes Visitors Guide, some brochures of local attractions (like the Ironhorse Central Railroad Museum) and other places worth checking out. She recommended Paradise Park, which was off-the-charts amazing. I'm glad I found this information center, since it made me realize we didn't need to go to the Twin Cities to find fun stuff to do.