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Minnesota trivia

Minnesota trivia for the drive: 25 questions with answers about Lake Itasca, the North Shore, loons, walleye, Paul Bunyan and the Twin Cities. Every answer is hidden until you tap Show answer.

In Duluth, a bridge's whole roadway rises straight up to let ships pass. What's it called?

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Tap the card or swipe for the next question. Arrow keys work too.

A Minnesota drive is mostly trees, water and small towns, with a lake around nearly every bend. This deck is built for that: questions about the loon, the walleye and wild rice, the headwaters of the Mississippi, and the lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Up the North Shore on Highway 61

The classic Minnesota road trip starts in Duluth and follows Highway 61 northeast along Lake Superior toward Canada. On the way you pass Split Rock Lighthouse on its cliff, a string of state parks with waterfalls, and the harbor town of Grand Marais.

Save these questions for this drive:

  • The Bob Dylan question. The shore road you’re on is still called Highway 61.
  • Split Rock Lighthouse, ideally asked while it’s in view.
  • The Lake Superior agate. Agate hunters walk the rocky beaches along this shore, so a stop at a pull-off turns the answer into a scavenger hunt.

The Paul Bunyan route north

Heading to lake country from the Twin Cities, you can reach Bemidji in about four hours. The statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox stand on the shore of Lake Bemidji, and Itasca State Park, where the Mississippi starts, is about 30 miles southwest. One day covers two of the deck’s most famous answers.

A northern kind of trivia

Some questions here only make sense this far north. The Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the lower 48, is reachable by road only through Canada. Voyageurs National Park is named for fur traders who crossed these lakes by canoe. Ask those two when someone in the back seat claims there’s nothing out here.

Three Minnesota facts that aren’t in the deck

  • Minnesota’s state drink is milk.
  • Charles Schulz, who drew Peanuts, was born in Minneapolis.
  • The monarch butterfly is the state butterfly. Monarchs pass through Minnesota on their long migration to Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

What is Minnesota famous for?

Lakes, mostly: the license plates say 10,000 of them, and the real count of large lakes is higher. It's also where the Mississippi River starts, at Lake Itasca, and home to the Mall of America and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Can you really walk across the Mississippi River in Minnesota?

Yes. At Lake Itasca State Park, the river starts as a shallow stream flowing out of the lake, and you can cross it on a line of stepping stones. Kids who answer that deck question usually want to go try it.

What's a good Minnesota trivia question for kids?

Ask what the state bird is (the common loon) and then what it sounds like. On a lake at dusk you might hear the answer. Paul Bunyan's giant blue ox, Babe, is another easy win.

More state trivia