Photo by David Bowman
Gunflint Lodge
A sunset viewing at Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters.
Before an all-inclusive vacay to Cancun was just a pop-up ad away. Before you could rent somebody’s well-appointed beach home in Aruba via PayPal. Before any of the luxuries of modern travel—or air conditioning—there were hot summers spent on the cool lakes of northern Minnesota. As early as the 1890s, family-owned summer resorts began dotting the state’s shorelines. They’d start as cabins, fishing shacks, or homesteads, but would evolve. Nine holes here. Eighteen more there. A cottage here, a main lodge there. In their own way, the families who started these resorts just kept making their little slice of Minnesota a little bit better and a little bit bigger. Many of these stalwarts persist today as throwback, everything-under-the-sun escapes where fams can ditch their routines and dive headlong into good old-fashioned Minnesota summertime. This is an ode to some of those storied resorts. Grab your family and go to one. We’ll be right there with you.
Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge
A bucolic Bay Lake family affair.
Gunflint Lodge
An oasis for outdoorsmen waaaaay up north.
Grand View Lodge
Nisswa's natty grand dame.
Madden’s on Gull Lake
A little slice of the Catskills on Gull Lake.
Ludlow’s Island Resort
Lake Vermilion's rustic island hideaway.
Lodge Living: Cabin-Inspired Decor
Some more of our favorite ideas and products to keep the lodge fires burning at home.
More Iconic Minnesota Resorts Worth a Visit
Even more quintessential Minnesota resorts worthy of a summer getaway.
