Does anyone go to Minnesota Lake Resorts anymore? (Brainerd, Detroit Lakes: apartment, credit)

[Refugee56]

A man I work for is always talking about his youth growing up in Minnesota and spending a week or two at a resort north of Brainard on White Fish Lake. He said everyone packed into a small cottage without a phone, airconditioning, television or heat and spent the week visiting local attractions, fishing, swimming, and hiking.

Other than no TV, radio and TV, these were the days before the Internet and cell phones.

I wonder if any of these basic places even exist anymore. It seems like the modern world would send the families to more exotic locations with more modern services. Does the old fashioned lake resort in Northern Minnesota even exist anymore?

[knke0402]

Yes, they do, but are few and far between.
Much of the Brainerd Lakes area is becoming quite Gentrified. Meaning, many of the old, typical resorts of the past our now being sold to single developers that raze the small cabins and build one giant mansion. This is happening on lakes all over the state, as lakeshore property is becoming harder and harder for the little people to enjoy.
Its now gotten to the point where people have their homes in the cities that are half the size of their "Lake Home" "up north"...
the resort i stay at in Brainerd is the same. It used to be old, rugged nasty cabins, which i thought were great, heck, you get up at 6 am, go fishing, come back, eat some breakfast, then hit the lake for the entire afternoon for skiing, swimming, tubing, then get back and fire up the grill and pound some beers, then off to the bon fire pit with the crew and talk and laugh until late and go pass out in the cabin.

now we have cable, wireless internet there, all the cabins are being redone...
its not fun anymore. I mean come on, if you're cabin is too nice it means youre spending too much time in it. My #1 goal when i go up north: not wear a shirt all weekend, and only be inside when im sleeping.
who needs internet at the cabin? have we become that dependent of technology? its pathetic. My cell phone doesnt leave my car when i get up north until i get home.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Refugee56

A man I work for is always talking about his youth growing up in Minnesota and spending a week or two at a resort north of Brainard on White Fish Lake. He said everyone packed into a small cottage without a phone, airconditioning, television or heat and spent the week visiting local attractions, fishing, swimming, and hiking.

Other than no TV, radio and TV, these were the days before the Internet and cell phones.

I wonder if any of these basic places even exist anymore. It seems like the modern world would send the families to more exotic locations with more modern services. Does the old fashioned lake resort in Northern Minnesota even exist anymore?

There are still cabins/resorts like you describe and I believe cabin time is still a big part of the MN lifestyle. Just look at weekend traffic during the summer . Some of them have added phones and wireless Interent for guests that need to be connected. Unfortunantly many people are forced to be on call for work, or must be available in a pinch. As a result, some resorts have added these features.

As far as many of them disappearing, this is true as well. Property Values are going up and that also pushes taxes up. Taxes hurt existing resort owners, and property values make it nearly impossible to purchase a resort and keep things as they are.

If credit dries up, or interest rates shoot up, we may see the trend of individual owned lake property diminish and prices could drop back towards reality.

[Alaskagrl]

There are quite a few resorts in Northern Minnesota that are still kind of "old fashioned" although many of them have modern amenities like Internet, Jacuzzis, etc.

I used to work at a fantastic family-style (think Meatballs but much nicer accomodations) resort in Ely, MN. I won't name it so no one accuses me of advertising but it was fantastic. Little trails through the woods, fish cleaning houses, and 9 or 10 cabins--everything from extended family size to romantic couple rustic to apartment style with a Jacuzzi tub inside. Right on a beautiful lake and they rented fishing boats too. No phones/internet in the cabins at that time, though they had internet at the main house.

Couple of the best years of my life were spent there--great memories of partying with all the "staff" and starry nights. There were other resorts similar but not boasting the same fantastic location...so they are out there but maybe a dying breed for the reasons already mentioned by Clifford.

I learned of the 9-11 tragedy there one morning as I woke up in my travel trailer housing, preparing to work with visitors that day. A few guys were in the Boundary Waters and didn't know anything about it until a week after it happened--talk about shell-shocked. But I digress

later

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Alaskagrl

There are quite a few resorts in Northern Minnesota that are still kind of "old fashioned" although many of them have modern amenities like Internet, Jacuzzis, etc.

I used to work at a fantastic family-style (think Meatballs but much nicer accomodations) resort in Ely, MN. I won't name it so no one accuses me of advertising but it was fantastic. Little trails through the woods, fish cleaning houses, and 9 or 10 cabins--everything from extended family size to romantic couple rustic to apartment style with a Jacuzzi tub inside. Right on a beautiful lake and they rented fishing boats too. No phones/internet in the cabins at that time, though they had internet at the main house.

Couple of the best years of my life were spent there--great memories of partying with all the "staff" and starry nights. There were other resorts similar but not boasting the same fantastic location...so they are out there but maybe a dying breed for the reasons already mentioned by Clifford.

I learned of the 9-11 tragedy there one morning as I woke up in my travel trailer housing, preparing to work with visitors that day. A few guys were in the Boundary Waters and didn't know anything about it until a week after it happened--talk about shell-shocked. But I digress

later

I was at staying on Burntside on 911. I built a cabin just east of Ely 3 years ago. Not on a lake, just a little cabin in the woods.

[Alaskagrl]

Heheh...then I'm SURE you know the resort I'm talking about. It's where a river meets a bigger lake--can't remember the freakin' names now--and NOW I feel old!

Hope you love your cabin--I'd love to have a cabin there someday, even just a hunting shack. From what I hear, it's few and far between for opportunity for that--lots of city folk buying up lakeshore as fast as they can.

[dutchinnd]

Yes, they still exist, but farther away from the typical resort cities. Farther west, Detroit Lakes is undergoing a similar phenomenon to Brainerd/Baxter/Gull Lake/Nisswa, but not quite as extensive. There still are some great family-owned small resorts in the Park Rapids/Nevis/Akeley area, but the pressures of property taxes are felt there too.
We've done the archetypal MN lake cabin vacation for several years--our boys absolutely love every minute of it.

[asitshouldbe]

Originally Posted by Refugee56

A man I work for is always talking about his youth growing up in Minnesota and spending a week or two at a resort north of Brainard on White Fish Lake. He said everyone packed into a small cottage without a phone, airconditioning, television or heat and spent the week visiting local attractions, fishing, swimming, and hiking.

Other than no TV, radio and TV, these were the days before the Internet and cell phones.

I wonder if any of these basic places even exist anymore. It seems like the modern world would send the families to more exotic locations with more modern services. Does the old fashioned lake resort in Northern Minnesota even exist anymore?

There are plenty of lake homes without internet service. I have relatives with lake places and know several people with them. Most people have air and phone and tv but not internet and they only have heat in the four season homes. You are describing 1950 or so. My grandparents had a place like that, no inside toilet either. It was alot of fun, we did not have all vidoe games and internet to compete with. We swam, fished, went skiing, boating, had bonfires, shot the 22 at cans. Went down to the lodge and played pool and pinball, hung out with other kids in the area. When they upgraded their place we went up in the winter and we snowmobiled and went ice fishing.

[bobbbyy]

Check out Cedar Lake in Aitkin, MN. A resort that shall remain nameless is exactly what you are looking for.

[slamont61]

The Evergreen Family Resort on Big Sand Lake in the Park Rapids area is just such a place. It's run by a couple for almost 50 years and they have never put in Televisions in their cabins. I'm not even sure they have phones. The 18 cabins are booked all summer long and many guests are children or grand childeren of previous guests. They won't put in TVs because they don't want people to pay all that money to sit in there and watch TV, there are plenty of places elsewhere that they can do exactly that.

The resort is BEAUTIFUL and well kept. All cabins are beach front and sit in wooded wonderlands. The resort also has a nine hole par 3 golf coarse. Splendid beauty for all to behold, no TV no internet nothing.