North House Folk School

Had a great time at the summer solstice and boat festival. We joined my uncle, who has taken classes here and always enjoys coming back.

We took a highly enjoyable sailboat ride a month ago in July. Our skipper, Bill was interesting to talk with about the area, the lake and the boat. Would do it again, and again and again. Have not taken a class at at the school but I plan to. On a scale from one to ten, the charm factor of the place is an eleven.

This is one of the most wonderful places to take a class in the forgotten arts. It’s located in the heart of Grand Marais, in a beautiful location, and you learn so much about folk arts. I love taking classes here and keep coming back over and over.

Always enjoy exploring the North House Folk School in any season when visiting beautiful Grand Marais on Lake Superior's North Shore. Founded in 1997 by a small handful of locals passionate about traditional craft and cooperative learning, it's always a thrill to revisit and watch the campus grow and change on the cozy shores of Grand Marais. Originally offering Inuit kayak building, Scandinavian bowl carving, and canoe paddle making, the school now hosts over 350 classes and 3,000 students per year and connects students and instructors from all over the state, country, and world, including classes and sailing trips on the Hjørdis, a gorgeous 50’ traditionally-rigged steel schooner. Check it out. You'll be glad you did!

Currently taking the lathe bowl turning class and this place is great! The instructors and staff are helpful and kind. Overall I'm super happy with my experience and I'd recommend taking a class to anyone.

Took the two day course “A Midsommar Feast” with Anna Sharratt. It was absolutely amazing. I learned over a dozen fantastic recipes while also discussing the intersection between food and culture in both Sweden and our own lives. I can’t wait to sign up for my next course at NHFS.

In a world where "art" is being slowly taken over by computers and AI, this school of traditional art and craft is truly a gem that needs to be nourished and supported. Truly something for everyone here to learn and enrich their lives with.

I went to a public community event there in the Fall called Unplugged, complete with a family-friendly concert and crafts for kids. I hope they do this again! They have a lot of programming and we're very friendly to out-of-towners for an event that I expected to be focused mainly for those who are more involved in their classes.

While I haven't personally taken a class here, my aunt raves about their classes. I guess the evidence of their greatness is in how fast they fill up, so plan early! We visited their gift shop in the lovely wooden building on the shore on 9/28/24, which was filled with crafts that local artisans had made (please see pictures, there's too much to list!). I think this would be a great spot to pick up birthday or holiday gifts!

We are SO lucky to have a place like this in MN! To me, this is what Northern Minnesota is all about: enjoying the seasons, celebrating crafts and skills, and connecting with Nordic heritage! I stopped by at the recommendation of a friend, and am SO glad I did. This is such a special place for gathering, shopping, learning, and crafting. Right outside the front door, you'll see a list of their MANY classes and courses that they offer. Take a newspaper-style catalogue of their offerings, and you'll quickly realize that truly anything handy you want to learn, they teach! Want to learn how to finger weave? Build a chair? Make sausage? Make a boat? Bread? Embroidery? Basket-weaving? There are SO many awesome courses here on truly every topic, specializing in ancient traditions and handicrafts. Inside, you can purchase handicrafts (many even made by students of the classes themselves!), books about said skills, and other Nordic heritage related goods and gifts. I told everyone I know about this place, and now my parents can't wait to come up for a cooking class and canoe-making class. I can't recommend this truly special place enough!

Took the sailboat cruise. On a Monday, end of season so that may have been the reason we got the less than amazing captain. He was safe and skilled but literally spent the trip talking about how the other captains have lots of stories or sing sea shanties etc. Ultimately boring and over priced. Office staff are standoffish.

The North House Folk School is a treasure found in northern Minnesota! The school offers a very wide variety of classes all year round, and they are truly invested in keeping these crafts and knowledge of these skills alive. On the campus, the store has a great variety of books, souvenirs, and art for sale. There is a tour available each Saturday afternoon where they will show you around and answer any questions that you have. As a student of a class, you have a very talented instructor who guides you through learning new skills. The school also does a nice job of sharing housing recommendations if you are coming for a class.

Sailboat ride here! They can take up to 6 people at a time on a 50 foot schooner called the Hjordis. We had a blast even though it wasn't really windy. It is $45 a person for an hour and forty five minute ride. The captain explained the workings of the sailboat and two of us even got to help hoist the sails! I highly recommend this experience, but be prepared for cancellations because of weather. We made reservations twice before, but weren't able to go due to fog and/or rain. They error on the side of caution which is reassuring!

This place was really cool. We walked around and saw some stuff going on in the metal shop. Everyone we met was very pleasant and happy to answer any questions that we had.

Love this place! I took a bread baking class and it was absolutely superb. The staff is very friendly and all of the people hanging out on campus just plain cool. Welcoming and interesting. All walks of life can be found at the school. There are tons of classes that I would take there if I had the time. There is a little school store that offers books, supplies, and artists goods. It is a must see when in Grand Marais. If you can take a class, even better! The weekend I was there, there were classes and activities for kids.

On Sat at 9am I went sailing for the 1st time on the Hjordis a 50ft schooner.....Granted I was nervous, but our captain Mae was AWESOME! !! I felt so relaxed. She really knows her stuff and the 2 guys, her shipmates were good as well! Here's to you Mae, Thanks....I shall return! While in Grand Marais you must do this, you will be so happy you did!

Here for a chip carving class. Dropped in at the last minute for this class and learned so much. Judi was a great instructor - very inspiring. I think what I like most is just being able to have dedicated time to work on a project in such a lovely location.

My husband and I sailed last Wednesday. So much better than I expected. I sailed when I was younger but this was first time for John. Very personal since no more than six passengers are allowed. Two young people, Jack and Molly, acting as crew for their training. The captain kept them on track. They will go very far in their futures. Great two hour experience for us. Thank you everyone at the school.

My wife had a 2 day class scheduled. We drove 7 hours to Grand Marais, took 3 days of vacation from work and secured hotel accomidations. After my wife showed up for the 1st day of class she was informed the instructor did not show up. My wife was excited about taking this class for the last 4 months. We were both extremely disappointed.

Hmm - well, we were a bit disappointed with our sailboat ride. It was supposed to be 90 minutes but we were only out for 60 minutes (captain said there was a storm 30 miles to the south as we were pulling in - I get the safety precaution, but the rain didn't start for another hour after we docked). It was nice that they provided dessert, tea and blankets. We did a private sailboat charter in Maine last summer and there was just no comparison. They took us out much further, showed us things, it felt like our own private tour. Now, you can argue that the Hjordis isn't a private charter but our family of five were the only folks on the boat, so... In any case, we would look to do a fishing trip or something else in the future if we want to get out on the lake. For the cost, we did not feel this was a value. It was $55/person. Not recommended.