Brainerd Lakes Area Where Minnesota memories are made
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here is no better destination than the Brainerd lakes area to enjoy the great outdoors with all the comforts of home, to be closer to all that nature can provide — sparkling water bodies and 2,000 miles of shoreland amid tall pines, with hundreds of miles of bicycle, walking, jogging and snowmobile trails. There are deep mine pit lakes for a quiet kayak ride or scuba dive, lakes and rivers for fishing and recreation.
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Cuyuna Pump Track
offers more than 2,000 feet of continuous circuit of dirt rollers, berms and jumps for a variety of skill levels with tent and RV campsites, pavilion and playground and all near the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails. “This pump track is a hidden gem in the Cuyuna area,” Lindsay Leet wrote in a review. “With loads of dirt trails, hills, mounds and more tucked into a relatively small area, it offers lots of opportunity for practice and fun.” For more information, go to ci.cuyuna.mn.us/pump-track.
Load up the bike (or rent one) to try the Cuyuna Range mountain bike trails, then take a break in an area coffee shop or eatery. The area has 45 resorts and more than 400 holes of golf, plus a zip line. Or camp and see the glorious Milky Way, away from city lights. While nature and the outdoor experience are the stars here, that’s not the only attraction. Visit historic homesteads in area parks — from early settlements to the nearby boyhood home of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh — along with local history museums and art galleries. But the area offers so much more, from Brainerd-Baxter to Pine River, Pequot Lakes to Crosslake, Crosby to Pillager, there are unique experiences available, whether walking on a nature trail or shopping along a main street. With numerous festivals and events all year long, a visitor can be as active as they want to be or simply relax with a book at the beach. The Brainerd micropolitan offers diverse shopping, theater productions and world-class summer music fests with everything from bluegrass to symphonic orchestra to opera, and a regional airport with commercial and general aviation. Go to visitbrainerd.com and explorebrainerdlakes. com/events for more information and calendars of events.
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GIVE A BREWERIES TOUR A TASTE The Brainerd area is home to several craft beer options with local brews. Make it a daylong outing by visiting Jack Pine Brewery’s tap house in Baxter, Big Axe Brewing Co. in Nisswa, 14 Lakes Brewery in Crosslake, Cuyuna Brewing Co. in Crosby, the Roundhouse Brewery in Nisswa, Block North Brew Pub in Aitkin and Starry Eyed Brewing in Little Falls and Snarky Loon Brewing Co. in Jenkins. In Brainerd, 5 Rocks Distilling Co. offers a microdistrillery. Also venture to the Dennis Drummond Wine Co. near Brainerd with wine tasting, retail, a bistro and wedding venue.
