Help Me Plan a Trip From Minneapolis Around Better Weather

Minneapolis looks like ~79°F this weekend. Houghton (70°F) and Thunder Bay (70°F) look meaningfully cooler for a real Plan B.

By Travel With YouGee

Today through Sunday

Houghton, Michigan

°F · Live via Google Weather

Today

75°F/ 57°F

Sunny

10% chance ·

Thu

73°F/ 56°F

Sunny

5% chance ·

Fri

69°F/ 58°F

Mostly cloudy

15% chance · 0.01 in

Sat

73°F/ 57°F

Cloudy

15% chance · 0.01 in

Sun

76°F/ 57°F

Partly sunny

15% chance · 0.00 in

Minneapolis at ~79°F versus Houghton (70°F): that gap is the decision.

The question

Where can I go this weekend that's cooler than Minneapolis?

Versus home

Home-area weekend high sits near 79°F. Here’s how the shortlist compares:

PlaceWeekend highvs home
Houghton70°F9° cooler
Thunder Bay70°F9° cooler
Mackinac Island69°F9° cooler
Muskoka71°F8° cooler
Peterborough74°Fsimilar

Weekend comparison

DestinationHighRainMatchTravel
Houghton, Michigan70°F0.13"99%~269 mi drive
Thunder Bay, Ontario70°F0.17"99%~302 mi drive
Mackinac Island, Michigan69°F0.10"99%~424 mi
Muskoka, Ontario71°F0.17"99%~678 mi
Peterborough, Ontario74°F0.10"99%~736 mi

Weekend shortlist

1. Houghton, Michigan

Houghton in Michigan is one of the clearer matches for golf weather on this weekend’s board — a 70°F high and 56°F low with only light rain on the books (~0.13 in).

Call it a hidden gem or a familiar favorite — either way, the point is the outlook. Travelers trying to find your perfect weather for 2026-08-15 – 2026-08-16 should shortlist Houghton before the hotter or wetter options crowd the tab.

Use it as a concrete recommendation: fly or drive for golf weather, keep an eye on updates, and treat 70°F as your planning anchor — not a vague “nice weather somewhere.”

Things to do

2. Thunder Bay, Ontario

Rank 2 isn’t a trophy — it’s a forecast fit. Thunder Bay (Ontario) lands near 70°F with only light rain on the books (~0.17 in), which is exactly the band people want for dry, mild course days.

What makes Thunder Bay useful isn’t hype; it’s timing. For 2026-08-15 – 2026-08-16, it reads like a place where you can help plan a short getaway around dry, mild course days and still have a backup café if a cloud shows up.

Bottom line for Thunder Bay: it’s on this list because it supports current recommendations for dry, mild course days, not because it always trends on social. That’s the difference between a real weather guide and a postcard.

Things to do

3. Mackinac Island, Michigan

Mackinac Island in Michigan is one of the clearer matches for golf weather on this weekend’s board — a 69°F high and 57°F low with only light rain on the books (~0.10 in).

What makes Mackinac Island useful isn’t hype; it’s timing. For 2026-08-15 – 2026-08-16, it reads like a place where you can help plan a short getaway around dry, mild course days and still have a backup café if a cloud shows up.

Bottom line for Mackinac Island: it’s on this list because it supports current recommendations for dry, mild course days, not because it always trends on social. That’s the difference between a real weather guide and a postcard.

Things to do

4. Muskoka, Ontario

71°F high · 0.17" rain · ~678 mi

5. Peterborough, Ontario

74°F high · 0.10" rain · ~736 mi

Bottom line

Houghton leads this weekend's board. Use the comparison table if you need a Plan B.

Keep planning


Updated August 10, 2026. Not a substitute for local advisories.

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