Downtown Park Rapids made the list of Explore Minnesota's Top 10 Main Streets. Some personal favorite spots: Good Life Cafe (Great coffee and overall place to hang out) Beagle and Wolf Books and Bindery (Books, puzzles and so much more. Grab a coffee at Good Life Cafe and hit the book store.) Molly Poppin's Gourmet Snacks (They have the Best Popcorn!) Necce's Italiano Ristorante (Italian Restuarant - as fancy as Park Rapids gets) The Royal ( Burgers and Pull Tabs) Tin Ceiling (Great antique store)
Itasca State Park Established in 1891, Itasca is Minnesota's oldest state park. Today, the park totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes. Walk across the mighty Mississippi as it starts its winding journey 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Stand under towering pines at Preacher's Grove. Visit the Itasca Indian Cemetery or Wegmann's Cabin, landmarks of centuries gone by. Camp under the stars, or stay the night at the historic Douglas Lodge or cabins. Explore Wilderness Drive past the 2,000-acre Wilderness Sanctuary, one of Minnesota's seven National Natural Landmarks.
Dorset is a miniature version of Downtown Park Rapids. It has a few restuarants (Chicken Coop is highly recommended), an ice cream shop, candle store and a few stores and antique shops. It also has the heartland trail going straight through it. You can spend 30 minutes to 3 hours there and either way it will be a blast.
The Heartland State Trail was one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country. It is a 49 mile, multiple-use trail between Park Rapids and Cass Lake. The trail is located entirely on a level, abandoned, railroad grade, except for a four-mile segment north of Walker which is on a low-volume traffic road. Snowmobiles use the sharply rolling terrain in this area. Both the 27 mile segment between Park Rapids and Walker and the 22 mile segment between Walker and Cass Lake are paved. The Park Rapids to Walker segment also has a second grassy trail for horseback riding and mountain biking. The Heartland State Trail also connects with the Paul Bunyan State Trail system and other regional trail systems.
If you want to take a little treck - Walker is a fun town filled with shopping and dining. We personally love Portage Brewing and have gone to Walker solely for a few beers from there.