Ely Winter Festival 1600 East Sheridan Street, Ely, MN 55731, This annual festival is held in February and offers ten days of fun-filled activities, including snow sculpturing, dog sled rides, snowmobile rides, exhibits, the Mukluk Ball, a variety of great food, and a craft fair., 218-365-6123

Soudan Underground Mine West of Ely, in Tower, MN, Tours are offered of this mine, the first and deepest iron mine in Minnesota, featuring one-hour guided tours that take visitors two thousand four hundred feet below the surface of the ground, and one hundred years into the past, with tours being offered Memorial Day though Labor Day. , 218-753-2245

Sisu Heritage Homestead Tours Thirty miles southwest of Ely, These tours explore actual pioneer homesteads, including homes, saunas, a rare house-barn, and more structures and items that highlight the Finnish heritage that helped shape this area and community.