The ice was cracking beneath me and it was my first time on a frozen Minnesota lake in 1999!

My boyfriend at the time (now husband), a Minnesota native, was teasing this Minnesota first-timer with the “ice is cracking” joke.

I soon realized the ice was over 20 inches thick, and even though we were in a pickup truck, we weren’t going to fall through the ice, lol!

That night we camped on the frozen lake inside a fish house. I’ll always remember the incredible night sky we could see over the ice in the frozen remoteness of northern Minnesota. It was truly incredible!

On that same trip, we traveled to Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior to ski at Lutsen Mountains. On the way down the North Shore Scenic Drive from Lutsen to Duluth, we stopped to explore the frozen Gooseberry Falls.

I was just introduced to a whole new world that I never knew existed!

My boyfriend said, “Wouldn’t it be great to live here?” I said, “Hell no!”

I said no because the North Shore seemed so far away from “civilization.” The closest Walmart is 2 hours away! And…it’s too cold. It was 20 below during our visit! I mean…who could actually live here?

But the entire experience changed my worldview.

The experience of frozen lakes, millions of stars, Lake Superior, piles of snow, a frozen waterfall, small remote towns, incredible natural beauty, and extreme cold was surreal. Certainly different from the brown winters, interstate highways, and shopping malls that I was used to.

I was now in tune with the exotic feeling of intoxication by natural beauty!

That is what I experienced in rural Northern Minnesota.

Fast forward to 2024 and we’re celebrating 20 years of living here on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior! Funny how that happens!

When I moved here in 2004, I had no idea I would become your tour guide for the North Shore!

A career in tourism marketing (that started in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania) flourished on the North Shore. Tourism is an important and prevalent industry here.

After nearly 15 years of experience in the local tourism industry, I had the opportunity to take over publishing the North Shore Explorer guide (it was established as the North Shore Visitor guide in about 1995). It is the Official Guide to the North Shore Scenic Drive.

Through publishing the North Shore Explorer guide and blog, and as a social media influencer, I have the privilege and the honor of showing you the best things to see and do on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. I get to be your tour guide to help you discover the peace, adventure, and positivity found in this very special place in northern Minnesota.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to provide resources to visitors, support businesses and the local economy, and share the message of peace, adventure, and positivity in the outdoors.

One of the most important things I’ve learned by living in rural northern Minnesota is that:

When you take the time to explore beautiful, natural places, you are also discovering something within yourself. When you’re in nature, the energy shifts to a greater awareness – that there’s more to life than your daily grind. 

By inviting visitors into our communities through responsible tourism, we can show others how to enjoy, appreciate, and care for our natural spaces so we can all continue to find peace, adventure, and positivity in the outdoors.

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Melissa is the principal of Do North Marketing located in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Follow North Shore Explorer on Facebook, Instagram, and on the website NorthShoreExplorerMN.com. Order a copy of the North Shore Explorer guide for home delivery, or pick one up for free at any Explore Minnesota Welcome Center, or tourism hot spot in Duluth and Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior.

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