Brainerd pulled me in with its fresh northern air and a rhythm that was part small-town nostalgia, part wild outdoor energy. There’s a feeling here—of cabins warmed by campfires, of long bike rides that end in lake swims, of ice cream cones dripping down your wrist in the summer heat. I came looking for nature and quiet, but what I found was something more: a place that lives in motion and memory. I remember coasting through the woods on my bike, wind in my ears, thinking, "This is what it means to breathe deep and feel free."
Best Things to Do in Brainerd, MN
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Gliding Through Pine-Scented Silence on the Paul Bunyan State Trail
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Wild Encounters at Safari North Wildlife Park
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Soaking Up the Stillness at Gull Lake
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Chasing Thunder at Brainerd International Raceway
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Flying Downhill at Mount Ski Gull
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Letting the Horizon Stretch at Mille Lacs Lake
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Wandering in Green at Northland Arboretum
Ernie’s on Gull
Sunset Sips at Ernie’s on Gull
Jump to a Spot...
- • Gliding Through Pine-Scented Silence on the Paul Bunyan State Trail
- • Wild Encounters at Safari North Wildlife Park
- • Soaking Up the Stillness at Gull Lake
- • Chasing Thunder at Brainerd International Raceway
- • Flying Downhill at Mount Ski Gull
- • Letting the Horizon Stretch at Mille Lacs Lake
- • Wandering in Green at Northland Arboretum
- • Sunset Sips at Ernie’s on Gull