Finland is an unincorporated community of around 200 people in Lake County.

This tiny village boasts a post office, a gas station, a handful of other businesses, and a really nice town park.

There’s even a local history museum where you can learn more about the community and its roots.

It’s an awesome place to visit during any season, but given it’s location, it’s particularly stunning when the leaves begin to change over to their fall colors.

George Crosby Manitou State Park, which is just east of Finland, is an excellent place for a little autumn tree bathing. Crosby Manitou is a designated wilderness park, so it’s mostly undeveloped: no gift shop, no plumbing, and no crowds.

Another nearby option, just west of Finland, is Tettegouche State Park. One of the jewels of the state park system, Tettegouche has all the amenities that Crosby Manitou lacks, as well as spectacular, rugged scenery.

Don’t limit yourself to the state parks, though. Stretch your legs out and enjoy a moderate hike on a section of the Superior Hiking Trail.

Be sure to eat at one of the eateries in Finland.

The most famous close encounter with a UFO in Minnesota took place in 1979.

Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson was on patrol around 2 a.m. in August 1979.

When Johnson regained consciousness, he had suffered some minor injuries, his car was damaged, and he had “welders burn” around his eyes.

But 14 years before the Val Johnson incident, another Minnesota sheriff’s deputy had a close encounter.

The witnesses watched the object through a pair of binoculars, and Strauch was able to snap a photo of it with a camera he had along in the car.

At least one other witness in the area saw the object that night. Strauch, a military veteran, wrote a letter to the Air Force describing the incident and enclosed prints of the photos he took.

But folks did notice. There were the Congressional hearing and report. And 30 years later, in the mid-1990s, Lunar Models even released a plastic UFO model based on Strauch’s description of the UFO.

The Old-Growth Forest Network is a non-profit that identifies old growth forests in the United States and works to raise awareness about them and their importance by connecting and educating people with nature.

The sanctuary sits on 1,600 acres of Lake Itasca shoreline within Itasca State Park.

Among the trees in the sanctuary are some of the oldest and tallest examples of red and white pines in the state.

The other Minnesota addition to the Old-Growth Forest Network is the Lost 40 SNA.

The 114-acre forest was famously spared from logging by a surveying error.

As a consequence, it's home to some of the oldest and largest red and white pine trees in Minnesota.

The loop trail in the Lost 40 is a short, easy hike, and a trek to this spot should be on every Minnesotan's bucket list.

A German immigrant family built Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in a pine forest outside Stillwater, Minnesota, and opened its doors to the public in 1966.

The Gasthaus has been a local and regional favorite that has remained true to its German roots - while winning the hearts and stomachs of loyal customers - ever since.

The interior of the Gasthaus is designed in the style of a traditional Bavarian hunting lodge.

A glance at the menu, or at the plates in the dining room reveals the Gasthaus’s adherence to the traditional flavors of the Old Country.

Don’t worry - there’s all sorts of sausage to cater to your wurst tendencies.

In warmer months, the Beiergarten is the place to be.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter hosts one of the biggest - and my personal favorite - Oktoberfest celebrations in the Twin Cities metro.

And dressing in traditional Bavarian garb isn’t limited to employees and Oktoberfest guests at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter.

The small town of Ely, in far northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border, is best known as a jumping off point for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

You’ll find outfitters, realtors, coffee shops, bars, bakeries, and Steiger Mukluks in the town.

It’s also home to one of my favorite hidden gem restaurants in Minnesota, Ely Steak House.

A local favorite for more than a quarter century, the cozy restaurant and bar sports a classic lodge ambiance adorned with Up North decor.

You’ll find a good selection of wine and beer, including plenty of local options, as well as classic and craft cocktails, from the bar.

Entrees are served with soup or salad, as well as a choice of potato.

I always get the au gratins, myself, and when I visit with a friend, I try and talk them into splitting the Delmonico for two with me.

And ALWAYS get the steak mushrooms!

It’s not all steak, though - you’ll find plenty of other options on the menu, like fish and seafood.

Ely Steak House even makes a darn tasty (and quite large) burger.

Fort Snelling State Park is located on the border of Minneapolis and St. Paul, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

Pike Island/Wita Tanka lies at the very point of confluence in the river.

An easy 3.9-mile trail traces the circumference of the island, along both rivers.

But it takes you through the forested bottomlands of this riverine ecosystem.

You'll have occasion to walk along the shores of both rivers, the Mississippi and the Minnesota, while admiring the storied and historic waterways.

This unique environment is a habitat that a wide variety of wildlife - from eagles and egrets, bullfrongs and beavers, to snapping turtles, deer, owls, and river otters - calls home.

This place has a long natural and native history. However, by 1820, the United States had built a military outpost at Bdote that eventually came to be known as Fort Snelling.

Over the last two centuries, the intertwined histories of the peoples who have occupied this place, and the rivers that form it, have made it, perhaps, the most historically significant slice of landscape in Minnesota.

The town of Deerwood is located in Crow Wing County, between Mille Lacs Lake and Brainerd.

While some on the water activities, swimming and waterskiing, may drop off a bit when the weather gets cooler, folks keep coming to the area in the autumn.

With its many forest-lined lakes, it's a fantastic place to come for fall foliage.

The miles of trails at Cuyuna Country keep folks coming for the recreation opportunities.

Hiking, offroading, mountain biking, paddling, and fishing are all popular fall activities up here.

Personally, I like to time my fall trips to Deerwood with the weekend-long Oktoberfest celebration at the venerable Ruttger's Bay Lake Resort.

It's a pretty big deal. Thousands of folks come to Deerwood and to Ruttger's for the event.

So, dust off your dirndl or lederhosen, loosen up your stein-holding arm, and be sure to get your tickets well in advance of the celebration.

When fall rolls around, folks flock to the North Shore of Lake Superior for some early season foliage adoration.

Nearby Cascade River State Park also offers some incredible fall foliage views.

The birches, aspens, and tamaracks along Lake Superior gild its shore with gold.

While you're tree bathing in the area, make this lakeside cabin your home for the weekend.

The interior is gorgeous and well-appointed with all the modern amenities you could want.

Every detail in this cabin is immaculate, right down to the main bath.

But the Lake Superior views are the star of the show.

On the cabin's lakeside, all you'll see is incredible water views all the way to the horizon.

Frontenac State Park sits on the bluffs above and along the Mississippi River, between Red Wing and Lake City, at the head of Lake Pepin.

Its mixed hardwood and bottomland forests make for a gorgeous combination of colors come fall.

Factor in the views out across the Mississippi to the bluffs of Wisconsin and down the valley for miles, and you'll have foliage and water views all the way to the horizon.

Even the park's prairies get in on the autumn action with crimsons and golds.

Walking beneath the forest canopy is like bathing in scarlet and saffron light, the leaves crunching beneath your feet, an earthy tang in your nostrils.

This 2.7-mile trail is moderately challenging due to some bluff scrambles and elevation gain, but it's so lovely in the fall that you may not even notice.

Band Box opened in 1939 as part of a chain of hamburger stands that expanded in the mid-20th century.

In September 2023, however, it reopened its doors and intimate dining area to customers.

In true short-order style, all the food is prepped in full view of the counter, which folks fill as they wait patiently, sipping coffee or a Coke, for their favorite comfort fare.

True to its diner identity, Band Box is known for its generous breakfast plates and face-sized pancakes.

It's also famous for massive omelets, sometimes whimsically decorated to the delight of diners.

And Band Box Diner has not forgotten its roots.