The Iron Range is the mini melting pot of Minnesota. Immigrants from more than 40 countries settled here in the 19th century, joining the population of Native Americans already in the region. Mining was a driving force here for many years. The Iron Range (or simply “the Range,” as locals call it) is the birthplace of several notable people, not least of whom is Bob Dylan.
To See and Do
Minnesota Discovery Center (218-254-7959 or 1-800-372-6437; mndiscoverycenter.com), 1005 Discovery Drive, Chisholm. Open Tues.–Sun. Adults $9; seniors 62 and older and military members $8; children 3–17 $5; children 2 and under free. Admission is free for everyone on Thurs. after 3 p.m. The Minnesota Discovery Center is a wonderful stop for visitors to the Iron Range. The grounds themselves are beautiful (and frequently used for weddings and receptions). An indoor museum details the Iron Range’s extensive history and hosts traveling exhibits, while a trolley takes visitors to the Glen Location, a former mining town where people can explore the historical buildings. Heritage Park includes a series of re-created pioneer homes.
Greyhound Bus Museum (218-263-5814; greyhoundbusmuseum.org), 1201 Greyhound Boulevard, Hibbing. Open daily mid-May–Sept.; open by request for groups in the off-season. Adults $5; senior citizens $4; students $2; children 6–12 $1; children under 6 free; $10 for families and $3 per person for tour groups. Documents the development of the US bus industry from its days as a single vehicle in Hibbing to the current national route.
US Hockey Hall of Fame (218-744-5167 or 1-800-443-7825; ushockeyhall.com), 801 Hat Trick Avenue, Eveleth. Open daily Memorial Day–Labor Day; Fri.–Sun. Labor Day–Memorial Day. Adults $8; seniors 55 and older and students 13–17 $7; children 6–12 $6; children under 6 free. A must-see for hockey fans—and the Iron Range tends to have a lot of local hockey fans—the hall of fame includes memorabilia not just from local hockey teams, but also from national events, including the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic team and the 1998 women’s gold-medal Olympic team.
Finnish Heritage Homestead Tours (218-984-2084; embarrass.org), MN 135 and County Route 21, Embarrass. Open Thurs.–Sat. at 1 p.m., Memorial Day–Labor Day. Adults $6; $5 per person for large groups or senior citizens; children 12 and under free. This three-hour guided tour to the small town of Embarrass illustrates the Finnish part of Minnesota’s history. Handcrafted log structures, antique farm and weaving machinery, and a gift shop are all part of the tour.
Bob Dylan’s Childhood Home, 2425 Dylan Drive, Hibbing. While it’s not open for tours, fans of Bob Dylan can drive by the childhood home on the renamed street.
Paulucci Space Theatre (218-262-6720; facebook.com/paulicci), 1502 E. 23rd Street, Hibbing. Hours and admission vary. A 3D IMAX screen shows films about space and planets.
Forest History Center (218-327-4482 or 1-888-727-8386; mnhs.org/foresthistory), 2609 County Route 76, Grand Rapids. Open Tues.–Sat. Jun.–early Sept. Cross-country ski trails open daily in winter. Adults $10; seniors 65 and older, military members and veterans, and college students $8; children 5–17 $6; children under 5 free. The Forest History Center has a visitor center and a re-created turn-of-the-20th-century logging camp with costumed characters for guides. Visitors can board a floating cook shack, climb a 100-foot fire tower, and crawl through a decayed log while learning about Minnesota’s logging history. A trail system takes visitors through the forest and along the Mississippi River.
THE JUDY GARLAND MUSEUM
The Judy Garland Museum (218-327-9276 or 1-800-664-5839; judygarlandmuseum.com), 2727 S. Pokegama Avenue, Grand Rapids. Open daily 10–5, Memorial Day–Sept. 30; Fri. and Sat. 10–5, Oct.–Mar.; Mon.–Sat. 10–5, Apr.–Memorial Day. Admission is $8 for those older than age one; under age one is free. Admission includes the Children’s Discovery Museum. Judy Garland was born in Minnesota in 1922 and spent her first four years here. The home she lived in has been moved from its original street to a location on US 169, a busy highway across from Home Depot, which detracts slightly from the house’s charm. The house has been lovingly restored with considerable attention to detail, and the curators have procured a wide variety of artifacts, including the carriage Dorothy rode in upon her arrival at Oz. The museum did have a pair of ruby slippers which were stolen in 2005. They were finally found in 2018, but since the investigation is ongoing, the shoes have not (at the time of this writing) been returned to the museum. The museum hosts an annual Judy Garland Festival (see Special Events), which draws visitors from all over the country.
Children’s Discovery Museum (218-326-1900 or 1-866-236-5437; cdmkids.org), 2727 US 169 S., Grand Rapids. Open daily mid-May–Sept.; Fri. and Sat. 10–5, Oct.–mid-May, as well as selected “school’s out” days. Admission is $10 for those 2 and older; under 2 is free. Admission includes the Judy Garland Museum. This hands-on children’s museum includes a kid-sized town, a river forest with talking tree (but a friendlier tree than the ones encountered by Dorothy on her way to Oz), a “Dino Dig,” and an art room.
Green Space and Outdoor Activities
Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site, 7343 Bodas Road, Eveleth. A wooded 5-acre site is the memorial to Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone and the other travelers who died when their plane crashed near this site in 2002. Trails are lined with boulders naming the victims and interpretive signs explaining Wellstone’s work and legacy.
Hill Annex Mine State Park (218-247-7215 or 1-866-856-2757; dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/hill_annex_mine/index.html), 880 Gary Street, Calumet. Open daily 9–5, year-round; tours given Wed.–Sun. and on holidays in summer. Tours are adults $10; children 5–12 $6; children under 5 free. This area was mined for 65 years, ending in 1978, and can now be explored during the summer months by taking one of three guided tours—a mine tour, a boat tour, and fossil hunt.
Lodging
BED-AND-BREAKFASTS 
Mitchell-Tappan House (218-288-4972; mitchell-tappanhouse.com), 2125 E. 4th Avenue, Hibbing. Built in 1897 for a mine superintendent, the Mitchell-Tappan House was moved, as many Hibbing houses were, in the early 1920s when it was discovered that ore ran right underneath it. Today this bed-and-breakfast has one room and one suite with private baths, plus cozy common areas. Full breakfast is included. Rates start at $110.
HOTELS 
AmericInn Lodge & Suites (218-208-0230; americinn.com), 5480 Mountain Iron Drive, Virginia. This member of the AmericInn chain provides a solid, reliable choice, with hotel rooms and suites (some with fireplaces), an indoor pool, and daily continental breakfast. Rates start at $107.
Chisholm Inn & Suites (218-254-2000 or 1-877-255-3156; chisholminn.com), 501 Iron Drive, Chisholm. Similar to the AmericInn, the Chisholm Inn offers hotel rooms and suites, and breakfast is included for guests. Larger rooms offer whirlpool baths. The hotel also has an indoor pool and sauna. Rates start at $95.
Quality Inn & Suites (218-749-1000 or 1-866-430-2692; hotelsone.com), 502 Chestnut Street, Virginia. Located in downtown Virginia, the rooms all overlook the indoor pool area, which includes a whirlpool and sauna. A buffet breakfast is served each morning. Rates start at $99.
Hibbing Park Hotel and Suites (218-262-3481 or 1-800-262-3481; hibbingparkhotel.com), 1402 E. Howard Street, Hibbing. One of Hibbing’s nicest hotels, the Hibbing Park has 120 rooms and suites, as well as an indoor pool. The hotel was recently renovated, and the rooms have been updated. The hotel’s restaurant, Grandma’s in the Park (see Where to Eat), is similar to the Duluth-area Grandma’s. Rates start at $79.
Where to Eat
EATING OUT Grandma’s in the Park (218-262-3047; hibbingparkhotel.com), 1402 E. Howard Street, Hibbing. Open daily for lunch and dinner. While not a direct branch of the Duluth Grandma’s restaurants, this dining spot, in the Hibbing Park Hotel (see Lodging), is related and has a similar menu, complete with ribs, pasta, steak, and fish. Moderate/expensive.
A&W Drive In (218-229-2240), 103 S. Main Street, Aurora. Open daily for lunch and dinner, mid-May–mid-Sept., weather permitting. An honest-to-goodness drive-in restaurant, A&W serves you your burgers and fries in your car so you can eat it on the spot. Be sure to order a big frosty mug of root beer. Inexpensive.
Adventures (218-741-7151; adventuresrestaurants.com), 5475 Mountain Iron Drive, Virginia. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Typical entrées include burgers, sandwiches, salads, and pasta; walleye sandwiches and wild rice meat loaf are great choices. Moderate.
Grandma’s Saloon & Grill (218-749-1960; grandmasrestaurants.com), 1302 S. 12th Avenue, Virginia. Open daily for lunch and dinner. One of the Duluth Grandma’s Restaurants family, this branch, like its Duluth siblings, provides reliablegrill food and a sturdy drink menu. Moderate.
Special Events
February: Laskianen Finnish Sliding Festival (218-229-2813; ironrange.org), Aurora. The first weekend of February brings this annual celebration of Scandinavian—particularly Finnish—traditions. The two-day event includes a ball, sleigh and carriage ride, special dinners, and, of course, sliding.
June: Land of the Loon Festival (218-749-5555; landoftheloonfestival.com), Virginia. Taking place annually the third weekend of June, Land of the Loon bills itself as a multicultural arts and crafts festival. The two-day festival offers a parade, more than 300 vendors, live music, and a kid’s area with a petting zoo and face painting. A variety of food (German, Finnish, Mexican, Greek, and Cuban, among others) is available for sale.
Judy Garland Festival (1-800-664-5839; judygarlandmuseum.com), Grand Rapids. The Judy Garland Museum (see To See and Do) sponsors this annual festival, which occurs in late June, after Garland’s birth date (June 10). It’s a popular event, attracting visitors from around the United States, so plan ahead if you’d like to attend. The festival has previously included speakers on Judy Garland, informal sing-alongs, screenings of popular Garland movies, a gala dinner and fundraiser, a collector’s exchange, a seminar on the dangers of drug use, and occasional visits from the actors who portrayed some of the Munchkins. There’s an adjacent Wizard of Oz Festival at the children’s museum next door.