An Eclectic Sampling of the Iron Range
From Itineraries Minnesota Fall Issue 2007
This sample itinerary can be customized for anytime of the year. You’ll find it at coordinates Tower L-6, Soudan L-6, Biwabik L-7, Gilbert L-7, Virginia K-7 & Chisholm J-7 on the 2008 Annual Group Travel Map distributed in the Fall 2007 issue of Itineraries Minnesota Magazine
DAY ONE
10 am – 12 pm
Start off the morning in Nett Lake at the Bois Forte Band Indian Heritage Center. Fast becoming a main northern Minnesota attraction, Bois Forte invites visitors to explore the birch bark dwelling, or “tipi,” on the grounds and follow a trail that leads to the remains of an 1866 gold mine.
12 – 1 pm
Lunch is served at the Tamarack Restaurant inside Fortune Bay Casino. The cozy Tamarack offers a full menu, as well as a spectacular weekend buffet.
1 – 5 pm
Descend 2,341 feet below ground in the Soudan Underground Mine. Once down in the mine, guests take a rail car and hear stories of the mining days while exploring the dry house, drill shop, and engine house. What’s next is your choice: Take an historic tour of the mine itself, or a more physics-based tour focused on the science and engineering lab within.
5 – 6:30 pm
In Biwabik, out-of-towners should be sure to take a snapshot with the world’s largest authentic looking hockey stick…107 feet tall. It will give you an interesting story to tell, and even better scrapbook page. Your group hasn’t finished snapping photos just yet, because they’ll also want to grab a picture when they visit “Honk the Moose.” A statue of that beloved children’s book character stands in the town square to celebrate its author, Phil Stong.
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Some say The Whistling Bird Café in Gilbert qualifies as one of the most unique finds in northern Minnesota. The atmosphere is straight out of the east keys…and so is the food. The specialties are award-winning Caribbean cuisine, Jamaican jerk meats, tropical drinks and fresh seafood dishes, as well as traditional American fare.
7:30 pm
Settle in for the night at the AmericInn in Virginia, only a short drive from Gilbert, where the rooms are the cleanest around and feature and in-room coffee makers.
DAY TWO
10 – 11 am
Wake up and enjoy a complimentary INN-hanced continental breakfast from the AmericInn.
11 am – 2 pm
Discover first-hand what taconite mining is all about at Chisholm’s Ironworld Discovery Center. Sit down to a genuine miners lunch before you take the afternoon to tour the museum, meander through the trolley, or stop by the “Monsters of the Deep” exhibit. The Heritage Park trails have a re-created pioneer homestead with living history interpreters.
For more information or to customize this sample itinerary for your group contact your tour operator or Iron Range Tourism, 800-777-8497.
