Brainerd offers a range of ways to spend your stay: art, local history on foot, and trails. The Franklin Arts Center is home to several unique art galleries. Downtown, the Brainerd Public Library and the Brainerd History Group offer a step-by-step walking tour of the city’s history. For hiking and trails, there is the Northland Arboretum, with more than 20 miles of hiking trails, as well as the paved Paul Bunyan Trail between Brainerd and Bemidji. So your trip planning can start with a simple question: Would you like to focus mainly on art, a historic walking tour, or the trails?

Art with different focuses

The art offerings differ in their format. With several unique art galleries, the Franklin Arts Center is a gallery-focused option. The Crossing Arts Alliance in downtown Brainerd offers art classes, exhibitions and events. If you plan to include art, you can decide whether galleries, classes and events are important to your stay. Check the dates of any classes and events you want to consider in advance so you can plan this part of your trip around specific dates. A class offers a chance to engage with art yourself, while an exhibition focuses on viewing displayed works; the two can therefore shape your itinerary in different ways.

Local history on foot

The Brainerd Public Library and the Brainerd History Group offer a step-by-step walking tour of local history through downtown. This offers a different focus from galleries, classes or exhibitions: it combines a historical perspective with a walk through downtown. If you want to make the tour a firm part of your plans, check in advance whether it is offered on your travel dates. As a standalone activity, it clearly sets the city’s history apart from the art offerings.

Hiking trails and a paved trail

The trail options also have distinct features. The Northland Arboretum in Brainerd has more than 20 miles of hiking trails. The Paul Bunyan Trail, by contrast, is a paved route between Brainerd and Bemidji. The Arboretum offers a network of hiking trails at a named location, while the Paul Bunyan Trail is a paved route between two cities. For your itinerary, these answer two different questions: Would you like to set aside time for the Arboretum’s trail network, or are you interested in a trail connecting Brainerd and Bemidji? If you plan to include the Paul Bunyan Trail, check the route relevant to your plans.

Find hotels to suit your travel plans

If several themes matter to you, decide which offering will be the deciding factor and treat the others as additional options.

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For the broader travel overview: Crow Wing County.