This Is the Best Free Thing to Do in Minnesota This Summer

Looking for fun without spending a dime? One of Minnesota’s best summer experiences is totally free—and it might just become your new favorite tradition.

The summer of 2025 is already in full swing, and while there are a ton of great things to do here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in the summer, THIS was named the Best Free Thing To Do in Minnesota this summer.

Finding something that's free is pretty attractive these days, right? Many of us are still feeling the pinch of inflation and economic uncertainty that has caused prices to continue to increase here in Minnesota. In fact, according to the report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index (CPI) rose again in May 2025.

'All CPI items rose 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending in May,' the report said, noting that the index for "All items outside of food and energy increased 2.5 percent over the year, while food prices rose 3.2 percent," the report noted. Only energy prices, like gasoline, were down, dropping a slight .7 percent from a year ago.

READ MORE: This Beloved Restaurant is the Best Under-the Radar Steakhouse in Minnesota

So, if your vacation fund is looking a little depleted these days, I happened to stumble upon this handy Country Living list of the 50 Best Free Things You Can Do This Summer. And of course, living here in the North Star State, there are a LOT of cool things you and the family can take part in during the warm weather season that won't be too tough on your budget.

So what IS the best thing you can do for free here in Minnesota? Well, according to Country Living, it’s a trip up to Minnehaha Falls. The site looked at various free places to go from all 50 states. And, according to them, a trip to Minnehaha Falls, located in Minneapolis, less than 90 minutes from Rochester, Mankato, and St. Cloud, is apparently the best free thing you can do this summer in the North Star State.

Explaining WHY it's the best free thing to do, Country Living said, “Few cities can claim that they have a waterfall within city limits. Luckily for Minneapolis, it has Minnehaha Falls Regional Park, complete with a 53-foot waterfall.”

So, yeah, that’s it. Now, I haven't been to Minnehaha Falls, so I guess I’m not all that qualified to offer an opinion on how cool it is. And, I’m certainly not knocking Minnehaha Falls, but instead of this waterfall, it seems to me that a trip up Highway 61 along the North Shore might give you a better view of cool waterfalls to check out.

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For instance, we went hiking at Cascade River State Park, just a few miles south of Grand Marais, Minnesota, a few years ago. And there was no shortage of stunning views, from the trailhead that overlooked the Big Lake They Call Gitch Gumee (that'd be Lake Superior), or this waterfall we encountered:

Gooseberry Falls State Park alone has a pretty spectacular waterfall, not to mention the many falls at Tettegouche State Park, too. (Although, they ARE state parks – so you do have to pay a fee to get in. It’s usually not too expensive, but I guess that rules them both out of a Best Free Thing To Do survey, doesn’t it?)

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