How We Create Our Content

Explore Minnesota Tourism is the state’s official tourism office. Our job is to help travelers discover Minnesota — not to sell them anything. 

The large majority of the content on this site, including destination guides, itineraries, seasonal round-ups, “best of” lists, and travel tips, is written and selected by our editorial team based on what genuinely helps travelers plan a great trip. 

No business or destination can pay to be featured in our editorial content, influence how it’s written, or improve its placement in a ranking or list.

Here’s how to tell the difference between various forms of content on ExploreMinnesota.com:

Editorial

What It Means: Independently researched and written by the Explore Minnesota editorial team. No business or destination pays for inclusion, influence, or a better mention.

How You'll Know: No sponsorship label. May carry an “Editorially Independent” note.

Sponsored Content

What It Means: An article written and paid for by a tourism partner. The partner controls the message; our editorial team does not write, edit, or approve it.

How You'll Know: Labeled “Sponsored Content” or “Paid Partnership” at the top of the article.

Advertising 

What It Means: Banner ads, native ads, and newsletter placements purchased by tourism partners.

How You'll Know: Labeled “Advertisement” or set apart in a clearly separated ad unit.

Business & Event Listings 

What It Means: Basic listing info (name, address, hours, description) submitted by Minnesota tourism businesses. Free listings are open to any qualifying business. Some partners pay for “Featured” placement, which affects sort order only — never the listing content or accuracy.

How You'll Know: Listings appear in directories and search results; “Featured” listings are marked as such.

We can’t cover every business, event, or attraction in Minnesota, and we don’t rank every option. Our editorial choices are guided by:

Statewide Balance 

Representing all of Minnesota’s tourism regions, not just the most heavily marketed ones.

Traveler Relevance

Seasonality, current events, and what visitors are actually searching for and asking us about.

On-the-Ground Knowledge 

Staff visits and firsthand reporting, supplemented by input from regional tourism partners, destination marketing organizations, and local convention and visitors bureaus.

Accuracy and Timeliness 

Information is checked against the source at the time of publication and reviewed on a regular basis.

Newsworthiness 

Openings, closings, anniversaries, and other developments travelers would want to know about.

Being included in an Explore Minnesota editorial article or guide is never for sale. A business’s advertising spend, sponsorship, or membership status has no bearing on whether or how it’s covered editorially.

When content is paid for, we say so — clearly, near the top, not buried in fine print. Depending on the type of content, you’ll see a label such as “Sponsored Content,” “In Partnership With [Partner Name],” “Advertisement,” or “Featured Listing.” These labels follow FTC guidance on online advertising disclosure.

Paid placement never changes the facts, ratings, or descriptions in our independent editorial content elsewhere on the site.

Minnesota’s tourism industry changes constantly — businesses open, close, change hours, or change hands. We review editorial content on a regular basis and update or remove information we find to be outdated. If you spot something that’s out of date or incorrect, we want to hear about it.

If you have questions about how a specific piece of content was created, or you’d like to flag something for correction, contact us at [email protected].