The Chisago Lakes region is about 43 miles and 50 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, and about 39 miles and 45 minutes from downtown St. Paul. That makes Center City, Minnesota one of the closest true lake getaways to the metro — close enough to leave after work on a Friday and be holding a drink by sunset, far enough that it doesn’t feel like a suburb.
Nordic Harbor is a boutique six-room motel, luxury Haus, rooftop bar, and kitchen on the water in Center City. Every overnight stay includes a private 90-minute sauna and cold plunge session. Boat rentals in summer; a heated, glass-enclosed rooftop in winter. It is open year-round.
Quick facts Location: Center City, MN — Chisago Lakes region, Chisago County From Minneapolis: ~43 miles / ~50 minutes From St. Paul: ~39 miles / ~45 minutes From MSP Airport: ~50 miles / ~55 minutes Route: I-35 north → US Highway 8 east Best for: couples, small groups of 2–8, dog-friendly lake trips, sauna and wellness weekends Season: year-round — boating in summer, ice and sauna in winter
Why the Chisago Lakes Works as a Weekend Trip
Most Twin Cities weekend trips ask you to choose between two bad options. Drive two-and-a-half hours to Duluth or Brainerd and spend a meaningful chunk of your weekend in the car. Or stay in the metro, book a downtown hotel, and never quite escape the thing you were trying to escape.
The Chisago Lakes sit in the gap. <mark>You can leave a Minneapolis office at 5:00 on a Friday and be checked in before 6:15.</mark> That single fact reshapes what a weekend can be: two full days instead of one and a half, and no Sunday afternoon spent white-knuckling I-35 back to the cities.
What you get once you’re here:
Water, and a lot of it. The Chisago Lakes chain links a series of connected lakes across Chisago County. Center City itself sits between North Center Lake and South Center Lake — the town is quite literally built on a narrow strip between two bodies of water.
Swedish history that’s actually visible. <mark>Center City, founded in 1851, is recognized as the first permanent Swedish settlement in Minnesota.</mark> The Scandinavian influence isn’t a marketing theme applied after the fact; it’s the reason the towns are named Lindström and Scandia, and it’s why a Nordic-inspired lodge here makes sense in a way it wouldn’t in, say, Rochester.
State parks within twenty minutes. Interstate State Park at Taylors Falls, with its glacial potholes and St. Croix River bluffs, is about 12 miles east. Wild River State Park is roughly 15 miles north.
A real off-season. Plenty of lake towns board up in October. This one doesn’t. Ice fishing, snowshoeing, sauna, and a heated rooftop keep winter legitimately bookable.
Getting Here from the Twin Cities
From Minneapolis (~50 minutes)
Take I-35W north to the I-35 merge, continue north to Forest Lake, then exit onto US Highway 8 eastbound. Follow Highway 8 through Chisago City and Lindström into Center City. Roughly 43 miles door to door.
From St. Paul (~45 minutes)
Take I-35E north through the northeast suburbs to Forest Lake, then US Highway 8 east. About 39 miles. This is the shorter of the two metro routes.
From MSP International Airport (~55 minutes)
Follow I-494 or Highway 5 to I-35E north, then the same Forest Lake → Highway 8 route. Around 50 miles. There is no direct transit service; a rental car or rideshare is the practical option.
From the north metro (~30 minutes)
If you’re starting in Blaine, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes, Forest Lake, or Andover, you’re closer still — Forest Lake to Center City is about 15 miles on Highway 8.
Friday-evening traffic note
The I-35 corridor north out of the metro backs up between roughly 4:00 and 6:00 on Fridays, especially in summer. Leaving at 3:30 or after 6:30 usually saves twenty minutes. Because the trip is short, this matters less than it would on a longer haul — but it’s the difference between arriving relaxed and arriving annoyed.
Related: [The ultimate weekend getaway packing list]
Weekend Getaways by Season
Summer: Boating, Swimming, and Long Evenings
Summer is the obvious season and still the best one. The chain of lakes opens up, the rooftop loses its windows entirely, and Minnesota’s late sunsets — past 9:00 in late June — stretch the days out.
A summer weekend usually looks like: arrive Friday evening, dinner and drinks on the open rooftop. Saturday on a pontoon — a half or full day on the chain, with a swim stop and a sandbar. Saturday evening sauna and cold plunge, then back up to the rooftop. Sunday morning coffee on the water, a short hike at Interstate State Park, and home by early afternoon.
Book early. June through August weekends are the tightest inventory of the year across the whole region.
Related: [First-time pontoon renter’s guide →]
Fall: The Underrated One
The St. Croix Valley color season typically peaks somewhere between late September and mid-October, depending on the year. The bluffs at Taylors Falls turn over first; the lake shorelines follow.
Fall is the sweet spot for value and quiet — the water is still boatable into early October, the crowds have thinned, and the sauna starts to feel less like a novelty and more like the correct response to the weather.
A fall weekend usually looks like: Franconia Sculpture Park on Saturday morning, a bluff hike above the river in the afternoon, sauna at dusk, rooftop after. Sunday drive along the river.
Related: [Fall color guide for the St. Croix Valley →]
Winter: The One People Don’t Expect
This is where the Chisago Lakes separates from most Minnesota lake destinations, which effectively close.
Winter here means ice rinks, snowshoeing, ice fishing on the chain, and a rooftop that gets enclosed in panoramic glass and heated — so you’re watching snow move across a frozen lake from inside a warm room. Add a private sauna and cold plunge session and you have the actual Nordic winter formula: heat, cold, rest, repeat.
A winter weekend usually looks like: arrive Friday, heated rooftop and a cocktail. Saturday snowshoe or ice fish, warm up, sauna session mid-afternoon, long dinner. Sunday slow morning, drive home in daylight.
Winter is the best value season and the easiest weekend to book on short notice.
Related: [Winter rooftop bars in Minnesota →]
Spring: Quiet and Cheap
April and May are the shoulder of the shoulder — mud season, technically. But the trade is real: lowest rates, near-total quiet, and the river running high through the Dalles at Taylors Falls, which is genuinely worth seeing. Bring boots.
Three Weekend Itineraries
The 48-Hour Classic (couples, 2 guests)
Friday
-
- 5:00 — leave the metro
-
- 6:00 — check in, drop bags
-
- 6:30 — rooftop, cocktails, sunset over the lake
-
- 8:00 — dinner from Nordic Kitchen
-
- 9:30 — private sauna and cold plunge session
Saturday
-
- Slow morning, coffee by the water
-
- Late morning — drive east to Taylors Falls; hike Interstate State Park
-
- Lunch in Taylors Falls or back in Lindström
-
- Afternoon — pontoon rental on the chain (summer) or snowshoe / ice fish (winter)
-
- Evening — rooftop, dinner, no plans
Sunday
-
- Breakfast, walk the Center City lakeshore
-
- Stop at Gammelgården Museum in Scandia or the Lindström coffee pot water tower and shops on the way out
-
- Home by early afternoon
Full version: [48-hour Center City itinerary →]
The Group Weekend (4–8 guests)
Book the Nordic Haus — an entire cabin with two queen bedrooms, a bunk room, two baths, and arcade games. Sleeps eight.
Anchor the weekend around one pontoon day (summer) or one long sauna-and-rooftop evening (winter), and leave the rest loose. Groups over-plan lake weekends constantly; the good version has exactly one scheduled thing per day.
Related: [Buyout guide: renting the Haus for a group of eight →] · [Bachelorette weekend itinerary →]
The One-Night Reset (Saturday to Sunday)
Not every getaway needs to be two nights. Drive up Saturday midday, sauna at 4:00, rooftop at 6:00, sleep, leave Sunday after breakfast. Roughly twenty hours away, about ninety minutes of total driving, and it genuinely resets a week.
This is the itinerary to use if you have a dog, small kids, or a Sunday obligation.
Related: [Romantic getaways near Minneapolis that aren’t a downtown hotel →]
Where to Stay
Lodging in the Chisago Lakes region runs from lake cabins and vacation rentals to standard chain motels along Highway 8 in Chisago City and North Branch. What’s scarce is the middle: boutique, designed, on the water, with things to do on-site.
Nordic Harbor covers that gap:
| Rooms | Four single rooms (queen, max 2 guests), two suites (king + pullout queen, max 4) |
| Haus | Entire cabin, 2 queen bedrooms + bunk room, 2 baths, sleeps 8 |
| Included | Private 90-minute sauna and cold plunge session per stay |
| On-site | Rooftop bar, Nordic Kitchen, boat rentals |
| Rooms named for | Acorn Oak, Tranquil Maple, Nordic Spruce, Cedar Shadows, Silver Birch, Arctic Pine |
| Season | Open year-round |
The sauna detail is the one worth underlining, because it’s frequently misunderstood: there are no shared sauna facilities. Every booking receives its own reserved 90-minute slot, private to that party.
[See rooms and rates →] · [See The Nordic Haus →]
Where to Eat and Drink
On-site at Nordic Harbor: Nordic Kitchen serves an elevated, Scandinavian-leaning menu built for both a quick lakeside bite and a sit-down meal with a drink pairing. The Rooftop pours crafted cocktails and a broad beer and wine list, with food options from Jake’s on the Lake.
In the area: Lindström and Chisago City, both a few minutes west on Highway 8, have a cluster of local restaurants, bakeries, and a genuinely Swedish streak — Scandinavian baked goods are not hard to find here. Taylors Falls, twelve miles east, adds river-town options.
Related: [Scandinavian comfort food and how it shows up on our menu →] · [Boat-up dining and where to dock →]
What to Do Nearby Center City
A short list; the full guide is linked below.
-
- Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls — glacial potholes, St. Croix bluff trails, ~12 miles east
-
- Wild River State Park — 18 miles of trails along the river, ~15 miles north
-
- Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer — large-scale outdoor sculpture, free, open daily, ~8 miles east
-
- Gammelgården Museum, Scandia — Swedish immigrant history, seasonal
-
- Lindström — the Swedish coffee pot water tower, Karl Oskar and Kristina statues, Vilhelm Moberg connections
-
- Wild Mountain, Taylors Falls — skiing and tubing in winter, waterpark in summer
-
- Chisago Lakes chain — boating, fishing, swimming, ice fishing
Full guide: [Things to Do in the Chisago Lakes Area →]
How It Compares to Other Twin Cities Weekend Trips
| Destination | Drive from Mpls | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chisago Lakes | ~50 min | Lake access with minimal drive; year-round | Smaller town, fewer restaurants than a river city |
| Stillwater | ~40 min | Main Street shopping, river views | Busy weekends; no lake, no boating |
| Red Wing | ~1 hr 10 min | Bluffs, pottery, Barn Bluff hike | Longer drive; river not lake |
| Brainerd Lakes | ~2 hr 15 min | Big resort infrastructure, golf | Half a day of driving each way |
| Duluth / North Shore | ~2 hr 30 min | Lake Superior, dramatic scenery | Full weekend committed to the drive |
| Downtown Mpls/St. Paul hotel | 0–20 min | Restaurants, nightlife | You never actually leave |
The honest read: if you have three days and a tolerance for driving, the North Shore is spectacular and you should go. If you have two days and want the largest share of them spent somewhere else rather than getting somewhere else, the Chisago Lakes is hard to beat.
What to Pack
Summer: swimsuit, sunscreen, a layer for the boat after sunset, water shoes for rocky shorelines, a cooler if you’re renting a pontoon.
Fall: layers, real shoes for bluff trails, a jacket for the rooftop after dark.
Winter: base layers, insulated boots, a hat you don’t mind losing, a swimsuit (the sauna and plunge are the point), and ice cleats if you plan to walk out on the lake.
Every season: a swimsuit and sandals for the sauna, and less than you think. This is a forty-five-minute drive, not an expedition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is the Chisago Lakes area from Minneapolis? About 43 miles and roughly 50 minutes of driving via I-35 north to US Highway 8 east.
How far is it from St. Paul? About 39 miles and roughly 45 minutes, via I-35E north to Highway 8 east.
What’s the closest lake getaway to the Twin Cities? The Chisago Lakes region is among the closest destinations offering a genuine chain-of-lakes experience — boating, swimming, and fishing — while remaining under an hour from both downtowns.
Is there anything to do there in winter? Yes. Ice fishing, snowshoeing, ice rinks, and skiing at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls, plus Nordic Harbor’s heated glass-enclosed rooftop and private sauna and cold plunge sessions. The region does not close for the season.
Do I need a boat license to rent a pontoon in Minnesota? Minnesota does not require a general boating license for adults, though watercraft operator requirements apply to younger operators. Rental staff walk first-timers through operation before departure. Check current Minnesota DNR rules before your trip.
Is the sauna shared with other guests? No. Each overnight booking at Nordic Harbor receives a private, reserved 90-minute sauna and cold plunge slot. There are no shared facilities.
How many people can stay in the Nordic Haus? Up to eight, across two queen bedrooms and a bunk room, with two bathrooms.
What’s the best time of year to visit? Summer for boating and long evenings; fall for color and quiet; winter for sauna, ice, and the best rates. There is no closed season.
Can you do it as a one-night trip? Easily. The drive is short enough that a Saturday-to-Sunday stay still feels like a real break.
Plan Your Weekend
Two days, forty-five minutes from home, on a lake, with a sauna waiting. Escape to hygge
