The crowds and bugs have vanished, the air is crisp and the trees are showing off their fall colors. Whether you take a long weekend or day trips, the Mississippi region offers not just natural attractions, but also history, culture and the delights of big cities and small towns. From north to south, here are some highlights.

ITASCA STATE PARK

Walking across the l5 rocks that mark the headwaters of the Mississippi River is a rite of passage for generations of Minnesotans and a must-see destination for more than a half million annual visitors from around the world. Minnesota’s oldest state park, established in 1891, is 22 miles north of Park Rapids.

One of the best views of the headwaters is from the lake where the small stream begins. The Chester Charles II excursion boat offers twohour naturalist narrated tours of Lake Itasca. Boat tours run Fridays-Sundays at 1 p.m. through October 3 (www.lakeitascatours.com). Canoes, kayaks, fishing boats and pontoons are available through mid-October (www.itascasports.com).

Nearby, the town of Bemidji showcases its wealth of visual, performance and literary artists during First City of Arts: STUDIO CRUISE, from October 21-23. The event offers the public a unique opportunity to interact with 25 artists at work in studios that are tucked in the surrounding woods. Evening performances of theater and music will also be featured (www.visitbemidji.com).

GRAND RAPIDS

Northeast from Itasca State Park, Grand Rapid’s Forest History Center offers visitors a look back a century ago when some 20,000 lumberjacks were logging Minnesota’s white pine forests and floating the logs to sawmills along the Mississippi River.

A 1900 recreated logging camp on the riverbank comes alive in the summer with livinghistory characters; the museum and self-guided trails are open year round, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special event on December 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., celebrates Christmas in the logging camp, with lumberjacks cutting big timber (www.mnhs.org/places/sites/fhc).

AITKIN AND CROSBY

Stretch your legs and test your nerves on the 25 miles of mountain bike trails that scale the abandoned mining pits at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Crosby.

Carved along the sides of 250 feet slag piles, the single-track trails overlook crystal clear mine pit lakes. Completed in June, the trails are drawing enthusiasts from across the country, even from states with genuine mountains (www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/cuyuna_co untry/maps.html). Bring your bike or rent one from Cycle Path & Paddle in Crosby (www.cyclepathpaddle.com).

Fifteen minutes away, the population of Aitkin explodes the day after Thanksgiving for the World Famous Fish House Parade. The outlandish and lavishly outfitted ice fish houses, loaded on trailers and pick-up trucks, parade through town on their way to the 365 frozen lakes surrounding this rural community. Locals say the parade was “spawned from a keen sense of humor sharpened by dry Scandinavian wit and hardened by long Minnesota winters” (www.aitkin.com).

LAKE MILLE LACS

The water of this iconic Minnesota lake drains into the Rum River on its way to the Mississippi. Learn about the area’s original inhabitants at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post. The tribe settled here in the mid-1700s, drawn by the abundance of fish on what is now the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation.

Visitors can learn about tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and the Ojibwe Nation’s rich history in Minnesota. The museum offers demonstrations of traditional cooking, birch-bark basketry and beadwork. The complex is open 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. , Tuesday to Saturday through October 29 (www.mnhs.org/places/sites/mlim).

BRAINERD

Straddling the Mississippi River, Brainerd is a great jumping off point for a leisurely autumn canoe outing. Launch your canoe or kayak at Kiwanis Park near the College Drive Bridge. The three-hour paddle to Crow Wing State Park offers brilliant fall colors as the river cuts through the woods on its way downstream. Be on the lookout for loons, bald eagles, great blue heron and deer. Your stopping point is marked by Crow Wing State Park’s dock and boat landing, which is at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing River.

At the park, explore the site of a bloody battle between the Dakota and Ojibwa Indians in 1768 and the ruins of Old Crow Wing, one of the most populous Minnesota towns in 1850 (www.dnr.state.mn.us/stateparks/crowwing) . Canoe rentals and shuttle service are available (www.easyridersbikes.com).

CAMP RIPLEY

Civil War buffs will want to check out a major new exhibit at the Minnesota Military Museum located on the grounds of Camp Ripley, a sprawling military training center on the Mississippi just north of Little Falls. “Minnesota’s Two Civil Wars” depicts the state’s participation in the Civil War and the 1862 Dakota war. Original artifacts include the tattered remnant of the First Minnesota’s regiment flag that flew at Gettysburg, personal mementos, heavy wool uniforms and rudimentary medical supplies. Open daily in September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; open Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. October through April (www.mnmilitarymuseum.org).

Nearby, visit the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh, which is on the banks of the Mississippi just south of Little Falls. Visitors can see the aviator’s 1906 home with original furnishings and artifacts. The adjacent center hosts exhibits on Lindbergh’s life and accomplishments. Pre-arranged group tours are available in September and October (www.mnhs.org/places/sites/lh).

ST. CLOUD AREA

The Munsinger Gardens date back to the 1930’s and feature WPA-constructed paths and growing areas with 14 acres of informal garden and tall pines. The adjacent Clemens Gardens offers a collection of six formal gardens dominated by the tallest fountain in a Minnesota public garden. Both Gardens dazzle from late spring deep into fall (www.munsingerclemens.com).

Just 1,200 feet south of the gardens consider floating along the only section of the Mississippi that’s designated “Wild and Scenic” in Minnesota. The stretch from St. Cloud to Anoka was added to the DNR’s program in 1976 and boasts a vast array of wildlife and a shallow bottom—perfect for fishing and sunbathing on sandbars. Bring your canoe or kayak or rent one and get a shuttle from Clear Waters Outfitting Company in Clearwater (www.cwoutfitting.com).

TAYLORS FALLS

Interstate State Park near Taylors Falls boasts a network of hiking trails overlooking the St. Croix River valley’s spectacular geology. Marvel at the towering river bluffs and unique glacial potholes carved in hard basaltic rock by the turbulent river. With names like Bottomless Pit and Devil’s Parlor, the enormous holes and distinct glacial deposits attract geology geeks from around the world (www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/interstate).

TWIN CITIES

The Mississippi goes metro when it bisects Minneapolis from St. Paul. Enjoy the view of the Mississippi’s only true waterfall, St. Anthony Falls, from the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. Then head across the street to the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flourmill, now Mill City Museum. Don’t miss the “Flour Tower” guided tour on a freight elevator that stops on eight floors, where you’ll see historic machinery and film clips with voiceover narration from former mill workers (www.millcitymuseum.org). The Mill City Farmers Market offers a wide variety of local produce and prepared foods as well as an art market Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October l5.

Downriver in St. Paul, explore historic Fort Snelling, which is situated at the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Costumed guides portray life here in 1827; open Saturdays through October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Special evening programs include “Fort Snelling After Dark,” an opportunity to learn the fort’s shadowy side and participate in a historic court martial to decide the fate of a Fort Snelling soldier (www.historicfortsnelling.org).

AFTON

Follow the St. Croix River downstream to the Apple Festival at Afton Apple Orchard during the first three weekends in October. Pick apples and enjoy live music, hayrides, corn mazes and fresh apple cider (www.aftonapple.com).

WINONA

Founded by a steamboat captain in 1851, the city of Winona nestles between high limestone bluffs and the Mississippi River. The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, on the riverbank, is a gem of a museum that showcases art inspired by water, including works by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh as well as many of the world’s most important marine artists. Current exhibitions include “America’s Great Rivers” featuring recently acquired photographs by Ansel Adam and “Flow” a collection of oils, watercolors, sculpture, prints and photographs (www.minnesotamarineart.org).

After taking in the art, see how people lived and worked in the fur-trading era at the Big Muddy River Rendezvous, Oct. 11-16, at the Prairie Island Campground in Winona. You can also celebrate all things Polish at the annual Wmaczne Jablka (“Apple Day”) festival October 8 with music, art and food at the Polish Cultural Institute (www.visitwinona.com/events).

MAIDEN ROCK, STOCKHOLM, PEPIN, WISCONSIN

The Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin, the 26- mile stretch of the Mississippi created by the delta of the Chippewa River, offers not only gorgeous vistas of the bluff-lined shores but also charming towns that are home to the artisans who have flocked to this region. The Harbor View Café in Pepin is an institution unto itself, serving upscale comfort food in a cozy, wood-paneled salon. It’s so popular that it can get away with taking no reservations and not accepting credit cards, so arrive early (www.harborviewpepin.com). IQ