Home >  Do It Now >  Winter >  Readers say Ely is the coolest town

Other stories in "Winter"

• The chocolate cure
  As winter drags on, drown your sorrows with sweets.
• Vacations for the brain
  Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
• Following the Beargrease
  The 2011 North Shore sled-dog marathon was one of the most exciting in years.
• The best of 2010 . . . and 2011
  Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
• Volunteering on Lake Superior
  Be keeper of the light or a modern voyageur.
• Bargains for beginners
  Free or cut-rate ski and snowboard packages make it easy to learn.
• How to make ice luminaries
  With homemade lanterns, make your front walk sparkle.
• Walking on ice
  To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
• Cheap winter retreats
  Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
• A peek into an inn
  During holidays, B&Bs in five tourist towns open for tours.
• Holiday house calls
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Sightseeing by bicycle
  This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
• Serious reservations
  Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.
• Best bets in ski country
  Trails in the south bask in snow; a hostel reopens in state forest.
• Skiing in the city
  On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
• Magic under the moon
  In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
• A very merry city
  At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.
• All eyes on eagles
  In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.

Readers say Ely is the coolest town

It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.

The north-woods Minnesota town of Ely has won the readers' choice category of Budget Travel magazine's annual "America's Coolest Small Town'' contest.

Ely, on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, left the competition in the dust, earning 118,899 votes. Cloverdale, Calif., placed second with 74,399 votes.

Readers voted from February until polls closed May 9. Editors may or may not include the readers' choices in their September "Coolest Towns'' issue.

Brevard, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains, placed third in the voting. It was followed by the beach town of Saugatuck, Mich.; Kennett Square, Pa.; the beach town of Bandon, Ore.; Cuero, Texas; Nyack, N.Y.; Medicine Park, Okla.; and the Door County village of Egg Harbor, which earned 7,517 votes.

Last updated on May 31, 2010