Six ready-to-drive Minnesota plans, each with road time measured between every stop, a day total, a clock for when you arrive and a numbered map. Pick a region, then drop the Optional stops you do not need.
The road times are measured; the time at each stop, Essential or Optional, and the arrival clock are our own estimates and are labelled on every page. Stops are historic sites from our open dataset, the same rows as Historic Sites.
- Twin Cities Weekend
- St. Croix Valley
- Duluth and the North Shore
- Minnesota River Valley
- Iron Range
- Central Minnesota
- What We Could Not Confirm
- 6Itineraries
- 35Stops, Each Pinned on a Map
- 10Days Planned
- 26 h 50 minRoad Time Measured
Pick an Itinerary
- Twin Cities MetroTwin Cities Weekend: Capitol, Mills and Fort SnellingStatehouse, railroad money, flour milling and a frontier fort.2 days, 10 stops, 41 min of measured road time (14 mi).Open the Plan →
- St. Croix Valley & East CentralThe St. Croix Valley: Stillwater, Marine and Taylors FallsLumber-era river towns, a sawmill ruin and Swedish settlement.1 day, 5 stops, 2 h 23 min of measured road time (103 mi).Open the Plan →
- Duluth & North ShoreDuluth and the North Shore: Two Days on Lake SuperiorShips, rails, a mansion, a lighthouse and a trading post.2 days, 6 stops, 6 h 52 min of measured road time (304 mi).Open the Plan →
- Minnesota River Valley & PrairielandsThe Minnesota River Valley: Treaties, New Ulm and The 1862 WarTreaty sites, a German river town and the US-Dakota War of 1862.2 days, 8 stops, 6 h 23 min of measured road time (266 mi).Open the Plan →
- Iron Range & VoyageursThe Iron Range: Mines, Miners and a Forest VillageUnderground iron mining, immigrant stories and logging camp life.2 days, 3 stops, 4 h 52 min of measured road time (222 mi).Open the Plan →
- Central Lakes & St. CloudCentral Minnesota: Farm, Flight and Mille LacsA pioneer farm, an aviator’s boyhood home and Ojibwe history.1 day, 3 stops, 5 h 39 min of measured road time (245 mi).Open the Plan →
How Every Itinerary Is Built
- Road time and miles between each pair of stops, measured with OpenStreetMap routing, no live traffic.
- Time on site, Essential or Optional, and an arrival clock from a 9:00 a.m. start: our estimates, labelled on each stop.
- A Day at a Glance line with visiting time plus road time and a Long Day note above nine hours.
- A numbered map for each day with every stop pinned, and the stop’s hours and admission as its operator states them.
Where The Itineraries Do Not Go Yet
There is no Boundary Waters, Voyageurs, Red River Valley or Southeast Minnesota itinerary yet: our historic sites dataset lists too few drivable stops there to plan a day. Those regions are on the events calendar and the drive times page.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Time on site, Essential or Optional and arrival clocks are our estimates, not operator figures.
- Road times have no traffic, closures, tolls, parking or ferries.
- Opening hours are copied from the operator and not checked against each arrival time; confirm before you go.
- Dog and child rules, accessibility and some prices are not confirmed; ask the operator.
More Ways to Plan
Related: Plan a Visit, Things To Do, Historic Sites, Destinations, Drive Times, Venues.
Questions People Ask
Which Minnesota itinerary should I start with?
For a first trip the two-day Twin Cities plan has the shortest drives. For a single day by car from Saint Paul, the St. Croix Valley is the nearest. The North Shore, Iron Range and Minnesota River Valley plans have long drives between stops.
Are the drive times accurate?
They are measured road times from OpenStreetMap routing without traffic. Real drives run longer at busy hours, and ferries are not included.
Sources
- Stops, hours and admission: Minnesota historic sites (CSV).
- Road times: OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, run on November 1, 2026.
- Checked November 1, 2026 by It’s Minnesota. Cite this page: It’s Minnesota (https://itsminnesota.com/itineraries/), checked November 1, 2026. Free to quote with a link.