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December 29, 2016
Best of winterHere are 20 great ways to savor the chilly season.
There's a reason why winter is the favorite season of many photographers — it's gorgeous. You've seen this region's icicle-draped sea caves, volcanic Great Lakes waves and dancing northern lights on social media. Now get out there and enjoy the scenery yourselves. Snowshoe up frozen river canyons, barrel through the woods behind a team of huskies and go to bock festivals at breweries. Learn to ice fish, track wolves and look for bald eagles. Or be like the Danes, who regularly land on top of the World Happiness Index. In winter, they enjoy hygge — the cozy well-being felt by lighting candles, sitting in front of crackling fires and having warm drinks with friends. Try that yourselves, or go to the new Hygge Festival in Grand Marais in February. Winter is fun! Here are our picks for the best things to do this year. Best bets for the weekendFollow up fireworks with bonfires and candlelight.
The Christmas rush is over, and it's time to enjoy winter. There's enough snow for skiing, snowshoeing and tubing, and enough cold for ice castles in Stillwater, Minn., and the Wisconsin Dells. Minnesota's North Shore reports good cross-country skiing, and all of the downhill areas are open. If you're an alpine beginner, learn to ski in Michigan, where a $35 lesson, rental, and lift package is good at 26 ski areas in January. In the forests, you can ski or snowshoe by candlelight every weekend from now through February. This year, even Mackinac Island is hosting three Twilight Turtle Treks by lantern light. If you haven't yet made plans for New Year's Eve, take a look at our 10 great ways to celebrate. But don't celebrate too hard. On New Year's Day, there are lots of naturalist-guided First Day Hikes: nine in Minnesota, 12 in Wisconsin and 26 in Iowa. Michigan is holding four Shoe Year's Hikes. Then, think about summer. If you want a cheap beach vacation, reserve now in Michigan state parks, especially the very popular, 100 percent reservable parks with Lake Michigan beaches (there's a six-month window). And did you know you can camp in Chicago suburbs? Reservations open Jan. 3 for cabins and campsites at forest preserves in Oak Forest, Palatine, Northbrook, Willow Springs and South Holland, which have rustic as well as heated and air-conditioned cabins plus climbing walls, free weekend programs and gear rental. This will be our last newsletter. Remember, all the information you need is on the website, including the Events Calendar and the trip-planning page, where you can find stories by category or location. We keep everything updated. You also can bookmark our site or add it to the home screen on your iPhone or Android phone. Thanks for reading! — Beth and Torsten Next weekendIce is a playground for climbing, sliding and fishing.
Ice Festival in Sandstone, Minn. There are ice-climbing and winter camping clinics, a chili cook-off, door prizes and use of demo gear in Sandstone Ice Park. Jan. 6-8. Bald Eagle Days in Rock Island, Ill. At the Quad Cities Expo Center, there's an environmental fair, with flying demonstrations by eagles, hawks and owls and many other events. Jan. 6-8. Breezy Point Ice Fest in Breezy Point, Minn. This Brainerd Lakes resort village celebrates with horse-drawn sleigh rides, snow golf, ice fishing, an ice slide and fireworks. Jan. 6-7. Winter Festival in La Farge, Wis. Visit the Kickapoo Valley Reserve for horse-drawn wagon rides, guided snowshoe and ice-cave hikes, winter games and a sled-dog race. Jan. 7. For more, see our Events Calendar.
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