Discover 8 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bemidji (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Sanford Center, and Lake Bemidji. Also, be sure to include Lake Bemidji State Park in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bemidji (Minnesota).
Table of Contents
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
Statue created in 1936. Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are the names of a pair of large statues of the American folk hero Paul Bunyan and his ox, located in Bemidji, Minnesota. This roadside attraction has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.
Built in 1937 to attract attention of passing motorists, these are similar to such structures as the Benewah Milk Bottle, the Teapot Dome Service Station, or the comparably colossal Dinosaur Park sculptures in South Dakota. These were all built in a period of time when automobile travel became increasingly affordable and popular.
This pair of statues are said by the Kodak Company to be the "second most photographed statues in the United States", behind Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.[1]
Address: 300 Bemidji Ave N, 56601-3109 Bemidji
Sanford Center
Arena in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Sanford Center is a 4,700-seat multi-purpose arena and convention center in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States that opened in October 2010. On October 18, 2010 the venue was renamed from the Bemidji Regional Events Center to the Sanford Center after Sanford Health Systems purchased naming rights for $2 million over ten years.
On Friday, October 15, 2010, the arena began hosting the home games of the Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey and Bemidji State Beavers women's ice hockey teams of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, replacing the aging 2,400-seat John S. Glas Field House.
Beginning with the 2014 season, the arena became home to the Bemidji Axemen of the Indoor Football League. The team was disbanded after the 2015 season.[2]
Address: 1111 Event Center Dr, 56601-3348 Bemidji
Lake Bemidji
Lake in Minnesota. Lake Bemidji is a small glacially-formed lake, approximately 11 square miles in area, in northern Minnesota in the United States. Located less than 50 miles downstream from the source of the Mississippi River, it both receives and is drained by the Mississippi.[3]
Lake Bemidji State Park
State park in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Lake Bemidji State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the north shore of 6,765-acre Lake Bemidji. The northern half of the park preserves a spruce-tamarack bog. A district of National Park Service rustic structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and National Youth Administration in the 1930s is on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is located 5 miles north of the city of Bemidji.[4]
Address: 3401 State Park Rd NE, 56601-8510 Bemidji
David Park House
The David Park House is a historic house in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. It was built from 1936 to 1937 in Streamline Moderne style. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its local significance in the theme of architecture. It was nominated for being one of Minnesota's few outstanding examples of residential Streamline Moderne architecture.
Since 1992 the David Park House has served as offices for the Bemidji State University Alumni & Foundation.[5]
Beltrami County Courthouse
Building in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Beltrami County Courthouse is a historic government building in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. It was erected in 1902 as the seat of government for Beltrami County. District court functions relocated in 1974 to the newly completed Beltrami County Judicial Center immediately to the southwest, and the historic courthouse has been remodeled to house government offices. The old courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture and politics/government. It was nominated for its status in Beltrami County as its long-serving center government and as its most prominent example of public architecture and Beaux-Arts style.[6]
Address: 613 Minnesota Ave NW, Bemidji
Lake Bemidji State Park
Park, Relax in park
Address: 3401 State Park Rd NE, Bemidji
Bemidji Carnegie Library
The Bemidji Carnegie Library is a former library building in Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. It was built as a Carnegie library in 1909 and housed the city's public library until 1961. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its local significance in the themes of architecture and education. It was nominated for being a well-preserved example of a Carnegie library and of public Neoclassical architecture.
The aging and deficient structure was threatened with demolition in the early 21st century, but received a $2.2 million restoration in 2019. The city of Bemidji now rents out the main floor as an event venue while leasing space in the basement as offices.[7]