Description: Grand Marais is the biggest little city on the North Shore Drive once you leave Duluth. It is actually about the middle of Duluth and Thunder Bay (Canada). Grand Marais has a few more things than most of the other cities. There is a small grocery store, small department store, a few restaurants, coffee shop and a few other camping, fishing, and hiking needs stores. There were two places that stood out to me. Those were the little donut shop named best donuts and the department store Ben Franklins.
Best Donuts Best Donuts is a little donut shop on the corner of the street down by the bay. It is a small little portable building that claims to have the best donuts around. I guess with no other competition they can’t be wrong. Hearing that we had to try a donut from Best Donuts we stopped and bought one each. My husband thought they were pretty good. I was not that impressed. In fact a little disappointed. It seems the more people talk something up, the bigger the expectation and then disappointment. The donuts were not bad considering that was the only donut shop in Grand Marais and the other option is convenient store powered donuts. However I did not think they were the best donuts I have ever had.
Ben FranklinsBen Franklins is the little department store located right in front of the bay and right next to the pizza place. Ben Franklin had almost everything you could think of. They had clothes, cosmetics, toys, a few food items, first aid stuff, cosmetics and many other things. For those who need the random or occasional item this would be the place to go. I was so amazed by all the stuff this one little store had.
The closest places to shop are Thunder bay in Canada, which is about 2 hours North of Grand Marais and then Duluth which is 1 ½ hours south. This is the alternative for the surrounding cities that can’t get to either big city fast enough.
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