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Grand Hinckley RV Resort Hinckley, Minnesota |
Spotlight: Hinckley
Gaming, golfing and exploration greet visitors to this vibrant Minnesota town
The tiny city of Hinckley, Minnesota, is a popular stop-off point between Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Duluth. Among its most popular attractions is the Grand Casino Hinckley, which boasts a wide array of slots, table games and video poker. Also popular is the Hinckley Fire Museum and an enormous antiques mall that spans over 10,000 square feet.
The area where Hinckley now stands was once a stronghold of the Ojibwe Indians, who traded furs in the region. The area was later settled by Europeans, who were enticed by the large white-pine forests that blanketed the surroundings. In 1869, the first sawmill was built, and the railroad reached the town in the same year, paving the way for Hinckley’s future as a major center of logging in the region. For the next two decades, Hinckley boomed as a logging town. In 1894, a tragic fire took the lives of over 400 residents and destroyed over 300,000 acres, but the town recovered in grand style, and today the Hinckley Fire Museum pays homage to the victims.
Blackjack and Buffets
Today, Hinckley is a stopping-off point for exploring attractions in the region, but the little town has a few of its own points of interest that are worth checking out. It’s best known for the Grand Casino. This large casino has lots of gaming and entertainment options, and you’ll find an events and convention center on-site that regularly hosts concerts and events. Recent performers have included the likes of Travis Tritt and ZZ Top. Select from a variety of restaurants in the casino. The casino also offers a buffet with all kinds of meats along with salads, seafood specialties, and a great selection of desserts.
Bring your golf bag, because Hinckley’s Grand National Golf Club provides a beautiful 18-hole course with lush fairways and challenging hazards.
Matt Seefeldt
Birding and Banning
Other attractions in the region include Banning State Park, near Sandstone. It’s a great place for kayaking and thrill seekers can try out the rapids at Dragon’s Tooth, Mother’s Delight, Blueberry Slide, and the forebodingly named Hell’s Gate. There are also plenty of hiking trails along with drive-in boat launches, opportunities for fishing, and both camping and RV sites.
Birders will want to pay a visit to the Audubon Center of the North Woods, which offers lots of interesting programs for children and adults. Every June, the center hosts a “Birding Bonanza Weekend,” a weekend-long birding festival packed with opportunities to see the natural habitats of some of the park’s many species of avians.
The 34,000-acre St. Croix State Park, Minnesota’s largest state park, has two major rivers flowing through it: the Saint Croix River and the Kettle River, both of which are great for fishing and canoeing.