It’s Time to Plan for Your Fall Get-Away

I can’t believe our fall season is just around the corner! I’m sure that if I looked back at previous blogs I’d say that line in every single late-August-early-September blog. I know that school supplies have been out since July but I’ve mostly ignored them because it was still summer.  Fall was a loooooong way off in my mind. But today I realize that I can’t tell myself that anymore. The girls start their fall sports practice on Monday and we’ve already spent a small fortune on back-to-school clothes. I guess summer will come to an end whether we are ready or not!

The good thing about the end of summer is that it marks the beginning of fall in Minnesota! Fall at Wildwood is quieter than the summer season and more peaceful. Autumn colors provide a breathtaking backdrop for scenic rides by car, motorcycle, ATV or bicycle. Fall fishermen feel that they have Bass Lake all to themselves and those who choose to unplug and relax find peace and quiet are their most likely companions. In short – fall in Minnesota is beautiful! Come on up any time before the end of October and get a FREE NIGHT after you stay 3. Call us at 218-328-5858 or email for details.

Here are a few other ideas of Things to Do on a fall getaway at Wildwood:

The Reif Center is a local treasure! We are so lucky to have an organization dedicated to “stimulating arts in northern Minnesota” in our community. Check out the amazing list of upcoming events. A Reif performance is a great addition to a stay at Wildwood and thanks to our Hot Lodging partnership with the Reif Center our guests get the lowest ticket price available!

Shop (Hop) ’til you drop! Like many small communities our area has an abundance of unique shopping opportunities. Gift shops and art galleries as well as retail and vintage shops abound offering lots of treasures to take home from vacation. The Vintage North Shops is a group of local Vintage/Collectibles & Gift Shops of Grand Rapids & Bovey who have teamed up to offer the absolute best shopping. Periodically they host a Shop Hop that is a ton of fun.  Their next Hop is October 12th & 13th – don’t miss it!

The Forest History Center is a year round favorite among our guests! At the FHS you can “discover the past, present, and future of Minnesota’s forests through guided tours of a 1900s era logging camp and hands-on environmental learning programs.” There’s always something interesting on the Forest History Center Calendar of Events and it’s close to the resort so visiting doesn’t have to take up your whole day.

The Visit Grand Rapids Calendar of Events is always a great site to visit for area information and a Calendar of Events. You’ll find information about art classes through Macrostie Art Center, live music at area locations and fun community events. Don’t come north without checking out the Visit Grand Rapids Calendar of Events.

Enjoy these last beautiful days of summer…
Kim & Jay

 

7 Things to Consider While Planning Your Minnesota Family Reunion

Anyone who has ever planned a large group vacation or outing will tell you there are some pitfalls to being the planner. The family reunion planner has an even greater degree of difficulty because it’s…well…family. 🙂 Jay and I are starting our 20th season at Wildwood Resort! That’s a lot of spent observing the average American family on vacation. As a result, we’ve developed some opinions about what works and what doesn’t when planning a group vacation to a Minnesota family resort. We share them hoping that it makes planning your family reunion or group vacation a little easier.

(1) Start early – Most Minnesota resorts book a year in advance during the prime summer months. It’s a good idea to contact the properties in which you have an interest to see what their booking policy is so you know how far in advance to plan. It’s also a good idea to speak with those properties about when they usually have multiple cabin openings. At Wildwood we have a very regular clientele that stay through the prime summer so we do not very often have multiple cabin openings in July. As you begin planning ask the properties if there is a time of year you should target if you are looking to book multiple cabins.

(2) Choose the right property – Make sure that you take time to consider what your group wants and needs from a lodging property. Make sure that the resort you choose caters to the type of vacation in which you are interested. For example, do not choose a fishing camp on Lake of the Woods that caters to anglers if you are going to have littles along who need playgrounds, a beach and kids’ activities. Or don’t book a MN resort that caters to families if your group is looking for a quiet get-away without kids screaming on the beach! Consider a resort’s proximity to shopping, restaurants, medical care and other wants/needs of the group before booking. Make sure you know about any special needs present in the group such as pet-free accommodations or handicap-accessible lodging. If you have campers in your group then look for a resort that offers both cabins and a campground.

(3) Leave your options open – It’s a good idea to have a few properties picked out as possible vacation destinations rather than zeroing in on just one. It’s hard enough to sync up calendars! So if you are also fixed on one specific resort for your family reunion your options are further limited.

(4) Pick your target dates ahead of time – I always feel badly for the person doing the planning for a family reunion. Family schedules today are hectic so if there are multiple families with kids involved then things get dicey! Decide as a group what length of vacation you are seeking. For example, many Minnesota resorts book by the week in the summer so if you are looking for a long weekend in July just know that it might be a harder order to fill. Ask each of the families involved in your group vacation to give you multiple dates that will work for them so you have the most options possible. Keep in mind that if the intended group is very large then it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find dates that work for every single family you’d like included. Know that at some point you may have to choose dates that exclude some people just to keep the plan for your family reunion moving forward.

(5) Know your budget – There are many things that impact the price of a resort vacation including location, time of year, type of accommodations, and length of stay. For most resorts in Minnesota the end of June through the first or second week of August are prime rate weeks. That’s because demand for MN summer vacations are the highest at that time of year. If you’re planning a group fishing trip to a lake that’s well-known for great Minnesota fishing then rates might be highest at Opener than they would be in mid-July. Most importantly, know what price range your group wants to be in and try to keep that in mind as you plan. Savings can often be found by families sharing a cabin and preparing meals rather than eating out or buying a dining plan or by booking your stay during off-peak vacation time.

(6) Time of year matters – Think about what is most important to the vacationers in your group and pick your vacation time accordingly. For example, if your group is mostly adults who want to catch fish then target early spring or fall to get great fishing and more affordable rates. If your group is looking for traditional family summer vacation then target end-of-June through the beginning of August and know that you likely will pay top dollar for peak vacation time.

(7) Plan for some space – I love my family completely. Because we don’t live near each other we often spend family vacations together. That means that we’re usually together for many days at a time including travel time. Because we aren’t together regularly negotiating through vacation weeks spent in close quarters can get interesting! We see the same thing in our families who vacation at Wildwood. Sometimes the group is made up of “Friday night friends” who usually do something together on the weekend but have never spent a lot of time together. Other groups are made up of families who don’t generally live in each other’s pockets so in both situations there can be tension. Encourage your group to be honest about expectations and the need for space. Sometimes the opportunity to have your own cabin and escape the group dynamic for a while is all you need to be able to cope for a week. While it’s tempting to share a cabin to save money it can cost you on the personal side in terms of lack of privacy.

Hopefully you picked up a tip or two from our list that will help you plan your next family vacation or group vacation! We love our life at Wildwood because we get a lot of joy providing the place where Minnesota family vacations happen. If you are still hoping to get your family or friends together this summer we do still have some June and July openings that might fit the bill. We’d love for you to check us out if you haven’t already!

Bring on summer!!
Kim & Jay

Grab Your Girlfriends and Head North!

Today is April 12th and it snowed last night. :'( Usually we are gearing up for Minnesota Fishing Opener and talking about family vacations to Wildwood. But today Jay got the plow truck out and cleared the drive. Wow. Waking up to snow was a low blow to our Spring Fever!

I’m tempted to sit in my office and pout today but I’m not going to do that. Know why? Because in spite of Mother Nature’s temper tantrum I’m looking forward to spending this weekend relaxing with girlfriends. Several local friends have been doing a weekend girlfriend get-away at Wildwood for a few years now. It’s amazing how much fun it is to let go of normal life for a weekend.

For just a day or so we step out of my roles as “Mom” and “Wife” and I’m just a girl hanging out with friends. We talk A LOT and laugh even more. While we paint nails (always over newspaper!! I’m still a resorter while I’m there!) we catch up on each others’ lives and stuff our faces with way too many good snacks. We usually have a couple of massage therapists come out to the resort and every year we do a craft of some kind. This year we are even thinking of participating in a local Shop Hop that is happening in Grand Rapids. Mostly we just take a little time to recharge our batteries and I’m always surprised how rested I am after our weekend together.

 

Last December several of us also got together and did a Christmas baking weekend. Since the kitchen isn’t where I shine I didn’t bake but I did do a lot of dishes and quite a bit of taste-testing. We talked and laughed and shared recipes while helping each other get the holiday baking done. We even had an ugly sweater contest! Best of all at the end of our cookie-baking weekend we all ended up with several dozen holiday-party-ready treats! Jay is really hoping we will do the holiday baking weekend again but I’d also like to try a freezer meal weekend. Imagine walking away from a friend weekend with a month of dinners already prepared!

No matter what size group I’d like to invite you and your girls to head on up to Wildwood! We’re still offering our Girlfriend Getaway Package through the end of this month but even if you don’t stay with us take some time with friends for resting, reconnecting and recharging!

Have a Great Weekend!
Kim

 

There’s More to Life Than Just Ice Fishing (No, Really!)

 

I was sitting here earlier on Superbowl Sunday looking out at a bright, beautiful winter day. It was so pretty out there that it made my heart hurt. But it was also so cold out there that it would have made my skin hurt! Winter in Minnesota ain’t for sissies, as all those Superbowl visitors will attest – but winter at Wildwood can be.

I’m a fair weather fisherman. I like to ice fish after Jay has gone out and set up the house (right on top of a big school of sunnies), drilled the holes and gotten it nice and toasty in there. I like to eat snacks in a t-shirt while I watch the Vexlar even though I have no idea what the heck that thing is showing me. Green lights are fish but yellow lights aren’t?  Whatever. So I understand the legions of people out there who think sitting on a frozen lake in sub-zero temperatures doesn’t sound like a good time.

But what so many of those Superbowl-visiting, Minnesota-experiencing celebrities found out this last week is that winter in Minnesota is awesome! Ice fishing is FUN even when the bite is slow. Why? Because it’s always a great time when you do something outside of your ordinary, daily routine with people you really like hanging with. It’s time away from your chores and normal life and, in our family, those are the times we connect the most with our kids. Taking a break from normal life with “your people” is more than a luxury – it’s a necessity!

Ice fishing at Wildwood doesn’t have to be of the traditional variety. Bring the family and spend time playing cards at the dining room table after a day on the lake. Or pull the kids’ sled on the lake behind the snowmobile. Build a snow fort next to the ice shack or spend part of a day on the snowmobile trails or x-ski trails. Just do SOMETHING. Take a break and come north to play outside or relax or reconnect. We make our living encouraging people to vacation with us. That is a fact. However, this little pep talk is as much an endorsement for winter recreation and relaxation as it is for our ice fishing resort. Come north and stay with us – we’d love to see you! Or stay closer to home but either way find some family fun in the midst of your winter. I’m positive that you won’t be sorry!

Jay says we can’t call ourselves an ice fishing resort without an ice fishing report on our blog so here it is: Fishing hasn’t been as hot as earlier this winter but guests are still catching enough fish for a fish fry and who doesn’t like fresh fish even in the winter?! The best bite still comes in the hours around dusk and fish have been hanging out in 15-18′ feet of water. We’ve seen some nice crappie and bluegills caught this winter, and it’s been a pure joy seeing the faces of our young anglers as they tell us their story of reeling in the big one.  We have a plowed road out to the “fishing grounds” for our guests making travel easy and worry free.

We’ve not had any measurable snow in the last 10 days so that’s a bit disappointing. However, snowmobile trails are still all rated as fair to good in our area. The DNR’s snowfall totals show that it won’t take much snow to make our trails excellent so let’s all keep doing the snow dance so we can ride our sleds a bit more before spring! You can see snowmobile trail conditions as well as x-ski trail reports on the DNR’s website.

It sounds like the x-ski trail conditions are good! I suppose the few inches we’ve had lately has kept trail ski-able. Our area ski club, Northern Light Nordic Ski Club, does a great job of keeping fresh x-ski trail reports on their site so check it out!

Get outside and have some fun this week!
Kim & Jay

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Current Conditions at Wildwood Resort

Happy New Year! Among our wishes for the New Year is our hope that you and your family are healthy and happy, that work is steady, the kids are good and that you find some time for recreation this winter. So far it’s been bitterly cold so I think we all deserve a little fun!

Snowmobiling at Wildwood

Before living here I never would have guessed that conditions have to be just right for making good ice in northern Minnesota. Ideally we need lots of cold weather early (without snow) to freeze up the lakes and swamps. We definitely got cold temps early this year but they came with a weird weather pattern that also included warm days. That meant lots of freeze and thaw while the lakes were icing over and it created some dangerous ice conditions! After a bitterly cold 2 weeks we are happy that we’ve been rewarded with good ice on Bass Lake and frozen swamps in the woods. Now we just need the snow. We have about 5 inches or so around our place and need another 6! Some of the snowmobile clubs up north like the Marcell SnowDrifters and Swampsiders have been out grooming but conditions are not good. We are enjoying some balmy (27 degrees!!) temps today have some snow in our forecast so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that Mother Nature gets generous with the white stuff. “Like” our Facebook page to see the latest updates on snowmobile trail conditions.

Ice Fishing at Wildwood

Here’s Jay’s take on ice fishing on Bass Lake: We have finally gotten safe enough ice for lake travel with the recent arctic temperatures. It’s amazing how quickly a lake can make ice with temperatures approaching -30 and that’s without wind chill! Ice thickness is close to 18 inches and getting thicker by the day. Fishermen are now navigating the lake with trucks and travel is quite easy with less than 6 inches of snow on top. I got the opportunity to fish for the first time this winter over the Christmas holiday with my father in-law who was here visiting. To help ease the cabin fever we ventured out one afternoon when the temperature had finally inched above zero and set up in 17-18 feet of water. We fished that afternoon from 3:00 until dark and were pleasantly surprised with how many fish we caught considering how cold it had been the previous few days. Several of our guests staying with us here at the resort over New Year’s also ventured out to fish in the cold and reported good success with nice sunnies and some big crappie. Guests in this last weekend (Jan. 6th) found the fishing a little slower but they were also fishing in seriously cold temperatures. Talk about die-hards!!

Cross-Country Skiing at Wildwood

Many of our guests are avid x-skiiers and we had some hearty souls hit the trails last week during our frigid period. They found the trails adequate if a little icy. (and cold!) The Northern Lights Nordic Ski Club does an outstanding job of promoting and caring for the x-ski trails in our area and they provide trail updates, maps and info on their website. From the trail reports on their site it sounds like some trails have been groomed but snow is thin. Again – we need snow!!!

Winter in the North Woods

I know it sounds crazy but if you can force yourself outside to experience it there is something really neat about -30 actual temp and a wind chill around -46. Cold like that makes the metal on our back door burn the skin when you touch it, boiling water turns to mist when thrown in the air and plastic bags shatter after being left outside. Our car is a beast in the winter and rarely acts up in the cold but New Year’s Eve morning I had to run to pick up one of the girls. After driving it for an hour the engine’s temperature gauge arrow hadn’t moved off of “Are you Kidding??!?!?” In spite of all that for some reason on a cold, cold night the stars seem brighter and clearer and the stillness of winter more intense. It’s an amazing phenomenon but you don’t have to experience it from the back of a snowmobile or in an ice house. It’s perfectly acceptable to stay indoors and experience it through the window while standing by the fireplace! Many guests come to Wildwood to just relax and spend time with friends or family. We have lots of groups that come up to scrapbook or quilt and we even had our first ever Christmas Cookie Exchange weekend in December. I’ll blog about that in the future but for now I will say it was very FUN and the holiday treats that we got from that weekend were pretty great! Lastly, don’t forget that The Reif Center brings some big name acts to our small, northern town and our guests get the lowest ticket price offered through our Theater Packages. (Pam Tillis is coming in March!)

Whatever your interests we’d love to help you combat cabin fever this winter with a warm and comfortable stay in one of our cabins. Check our availability and contact us today!

Stay warm out there!
Kim & Jay

Sharing the Love at Wildwood Resort!

Back in August I asked our Facebook fans to tell us their favorite things about Wildwood. As usual, our people came through in a BIG way and as I look back at their responses and pictures they shared I can’t help the big smile on my face. Seriously, our guests are just the best ever!!

So here it is – our list of the Top 10 Things Guests Love About Wildwood Resort:

1. SUNSETS– I probably could have guessed that this would top the list since most of our guests confess to having thousands of photos of the setting sun. Since we face the west we have a front row seat for some of God’s most amazing masterpieces. Sometimes they are awe-inspiring with vibrant, warm colors and at other times they are washed in cool, vivid colors that are peaceful and serene. Partly cloudy skies often make them more dramatic and something as odd as the Canadian wildfires can turn them blood red. Each one is a work of art!

2. FAMILY TIME – There’s something special about a Minnesota family vacation. It’s not a like a week-long car ride to the Black Hills and it’s not like an active-every-minute trip to Disney. It’s an experience as individual as the families that head north and as unique as the Minnesota resort at which you stay. Our families come in all shapes, sizes and colors and some are families-by-choice rather than blood relatives. But one thing remains the same across all of them – time spent together is treasured.

 

 

3. FISHING– We’ve seen all kinds of fishermen in our time here. Some are novice and some are expert. Some fish for dinner and some fish for sport. But ALL of them fish for the love of being out on the lake, for the thrill of “the big one” and for the tale that’s told long after vacation is over!

 

 

 

 

 

4. CABINS– When we bought Wildwood in 1999 we had 9 traditional, summer cabins and a dream of making Wildwood a year round Minnesota resort. I’m not sure that we really believed we would make that dream a reality! But here we are almost 20 years later with everything for which we hoped. We love being able to welcome guests year round into cabins that we hope feel like their home “Up North.”

 

 

5. CAMPFIRES – What would a night by the lake be without a campfire?! I love the smell of  a campfire and based on the Facebook votes for this “favorite thing” I’m clearly not alone. We go through a lot of firewood (says Jay!) in a summer but I think the results of this poll indicate that he should just keep splitting and stacking that wood. Summer is only 7 months away….

 

 

 

 

6. MEMORIES & TRADITIONS – The older we get the more we appreciate #6 on this list. Many of our guests have been vacationing at Wildwood for decades and we love to hear their stories. But don’t think reminiscing is just for those with significant birthdays behind them. Even the resort kids love to talk about vacation friends they’ve met, epic waterskiing fails and the big fish that live on in their memories. And don’t even get me started on the kids’ traditions –  one year I tried to make something other than goulash for the weekly potluck and I was almost run off the property! There is power in our past experiences and we savor sweet memories through stories, photos and, hopefully, annual visits back to to the source.

 

 

 

 

7. PLAYING ON BASS LAKE – There’s an 1960s Wildwood postcard that I love because it shows guests on the beach under a blue sky with wooden docks and flat-bottom boats in the background. I often wish I could step into old photos like that one and experience the resort as it was 60 years ago. The setting would be different and the cars & clothing would be a hoot but I’m sure that it would all feel strangely familiar because in all the years between then and now the important things haven’t changed. The sun still beats down from an impossibly blue sky while families play and relax by the lake. While time marches on it’s good that some things stay the same!

 

 

 

8. PEACE– Whenever people compliment us on the beauty and peace they find here I always say the same thing: it’s really got nothing to do with us. There is simply a peace here that originates with the Creator.

 

 

 

 

 

9. TRAILS– We have lots of people that come here year round to enjoy the amazing trails in our area. There are hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails and ATV trails. The Mesabi Bike Trail stretches from Grand Rapids to Ely with 120 miles (of the 155 total miles) paved. The trail is used not only by bikers but also by walkers, runners and skaters! Add to that the many hiking trails in Itasca County and it’s clear that we’re right smack in the middle of an explorer’s paradise.

10. KIDS’ ACTIVITIES – This one is a fav of mine, too. Between mid-June and mid-August we offer supervised kids’ activities. The activities are headed up by a fun and creative leader who spends a few hours each summer week with our resort kids playing, crafting and, of course, face painting!

 

 

 

 

There you have it! The 10 best things about Wildwood Resort as reported by the people who know best – our guests! There is no better group of people on the planet than those who stay with us. Through their love of this place they remind us to appreciate our life at Wildwood. We’re so blessed!

Many thanks to all our Facebookers who contributed to this blog!
Kim & Jay

Move over, Summer.  There’s a new season in town…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but summer is almost over. The back-to-school retailers would have you believe summer is over in mid-July when they start pushing you to buy folders and No. 2 pencils. However, by this time of year it really is true….summer is moving on out and fall in Minnesota is on the horizon!

1.  Fall Colors

   Minnesota fall color tours are the prime reason most folks head north in the fall. Mother Nature puts on a pretty spectacular show using a backdrop of pines to set off the blazing red, yellow and orange of Autumn. Peak colors in our area usually happen sometime between mid-September and the first week of October. We’re seeing leaves change already so if I had to guess today I’d say peak colors will be earlier this year rather than later.

2. Fall Fishing

   

   Bass Lake is a great destination for fishing in the fall. I say that partly because it’s the only time Jay and I get to spend a good amount of time on the lake! However, with the kids in school the lakes are a little quieter and so is Wildwood and as the lake temperature falls and the fish move into their fall feeding pattern it can be some of the best fishing of the year!

3. Family & Friends

   In the summer our main focus is providing the perfect resort at which families can spend their Minnesota summer vacation. In the off-season our focus turns to providing relaxing weekends for folks to spend time with family and friends. Life is busy but a weekend away allows you to relax, reconnect and refresh the soul. We invite you to find that here with us!

4. Forge New Ground

   Minnesota bird-watchers, hikers, hunters and ATV enthusiasts alike can tell you about the magnificent forests that cover Itasca County. There are thousands of miles of trails available for you to explore whether you like to do it with camera in hand or from the comfort of your side-by-side!

5. Fulfill Your Plans

   

   Okay…is one is a bit of a stretch only because I was trying to stick with the “f” theme I had going. 🙂 Do you scrapbook? Quilt? Craft? Our off-season rates and flexible availability make it easy to grab a group of your best girls and head north for a weekend of getting stuff done! Knock out that graduation scrapbook or finish up that t-shirt quilt. We have the perfect setting for fun with your friends while you catch up on a year’s worth of projects!

Our availability is online and we’d love for you to check our openings and then make plans to visit us this fall!
Kim & Jay

Top 5 Reasons to Vacation at a Minnesota Family Resort

VACATION – It might seem obvious but not everyone vacations. Sometimes you truly can’t afford the time off. However, for most of us it really is possible to sneak away for even a few days at a time. Jay and I often forego a winter vacation because we can’t afford it or the girls are too busy or the resort is too busy, etc. The truth is, however, that we CAN carve time out to spend time with just our kids. It’s really the only time our kids get all of our attention. And when I think of those precious times that we have left home for a vacation I realize those are the memories that really stick out as priceless! Minnesota family resorts are the perfect place to spend a week or even a few days just relaxing and enjoying blue sky and some lake time. Many resorts (like ours this next week!) have last minute openings and will accommodate shorter-than-usual stays in those circumstances. Check out Wildwood Resort’s Hot Deals or our Wildwood Facebook page to see what our last minute specials might be but also seek out sites like local CVBs (VisitGrandRapids.com) , local Chambers of Commerce (Grand Rapids, MN Chamber of Commerce) and even ExploreMinnesota.com to find last minute get-away deals.

CLOSE TO HOME – Keeping it “local” is often a good way to capitalize on precious days off. Travel time cuts into your “relaxing” time so try to look into Minnesota resorts that are close to your home. Again sites like ExploreMinnesota.com and Minnesota-Resorts.com offer great ways to do a localized or regional search for a place to stay that’s close to home!

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE – Not everyone likes to troll around the lake looking for walleye for a fish fry. And not everyone likes to lie on a sandy beach and soak up some summer sunshine. The greatest thing about Minnesota resort vacations is that there is literally a resort for everyone. You can find classic resorts with classic, seasonal cabins; mom-and-pop resorts with updated cabins and modern amenities as well as full-service resorts with restaurants and golf courses. No matter what your idea of vacationing I guarantee you can find a resort that fits you and your family!

EXPLORE THIS GREAT STATE – We belong to a state resort organization and each year at our fall conference we visit a different part of the state. At each location event organizers try to find something unique to do in that area. It always astounds me how many beautiful, interesting, educational and FUN things there are to do in each unique part of Minnesota. In the Grand Rapids, MN area we always like to promote the Forest History Center and the Judy Garland Museum. Folks can visit the Lost Forty to tour an “old forest” with HUGE trees or head west an hour to see the Mississippi headwaters. Our Area Attractions page lists lots of great ideas for stuff to do in our area and most Minnesota resorts do the same on their websites. Take some time to explore museums, local cultural sites, natural wonders as well as the shops and restaurants in the area. Sometimes those are the most unexpectedly awesome parts of vacation!

CONNECTIONS – Obviously family vacation is about making connections with family and friends-who-are-family. However, the most amazing thing that Jay and I get to witness each summer is the connections made between our cabin families. Sometimes it’s the adults who make a connection that lasts decades. We have many guests who have made connections during their Wildwood vacation that have turned into life-long friendships. We’ve watched kids develop really beautiful vacation friendships that grow deeper year-after-year with each week they spend together at Wildwood. Jay and I are so blessed to live this life with our guests. Our connection to those who stay with us is a gift that we don’t take for granted!

We still have some July openings. That’s prime Minnesota summer vacation time! Call us at 218-328-5858 or email us for more information!

Happy Vacationing!

Kim & Jay

 

 

It’s Not Too Late to Plan a Minnesota Summer Vacation

Minnesota summer vacation season is well underway at Wildwood Resort! We have kids laughing on the playground and playing in the lake on the SUPs and hydro-bikes. We’ve kicked off Monday night potlucks and twice weekly kids’ activities. The fish are biting (especially the walleye) and the sun is shining (most days) so we are in our happy place!

Traditionally we have few July openings. However, as families get busier the vacation planning gets more spur-of-the-moment! If you haven’t yet planned something for July I’m happy to tell you that it’s not too late. We had a last minute cancellation that opened up Tamarack Lodge for the week of July 1st and White Oak Lodge & White Pine Lodge for the week of July 8th. Book a 1 week stay in any of those cabins in either of those weeks and save $1000! We will also take nightly stays for $300/night.(Minimum of 3 nights)  We have Aspen Lodge open the weeks of July 22nd and July 29th. Aspen Lodge is rarely open and definitely not in the summer so take advantage of the opportunity to spend prime summer vacation weeks in our most popular cabin! Check out our Hot Deals on the Rates page for more information.

The walleye bite has been really good on Bass Lake for the last 2 weeks or so. We’ve seen some big fish! The sunny bite has also been good and they spawned out this year so that’s a plus. There have been years in recent history when they didn’t spawn and we hate to see that. Northern have been active and we’ve seen some nice largemouth bass. Overall, the bite has been really good!

Even if you don’t end up staying at Wildwood Resort this summer I encourage you to look into a Minnesota family resort vacation. A good friend and long-time guest just gave us a beautiful sign that reads: “The days are long but the years are short.” While the sign means to say something meaningful about the passage of a time it also is a pretty darn accurate family vacation wish: May your days on vacation be long and the year in between them short!

See ya on the lake!
Kim & Jay

Who’s Ready to Fish?!

It’s once again that magical time in Minnesota where thoughts turn to live bait and fishing tackle.  Tasks involve putting new line on the fishing poles and digging out the life jackets.  Plans center around weekends Up North & family vacation after school gets out.  Men and women who love to fish are dreaming with eyes wide open about catching The Big One. (Maybe this is the year!) Minnesota Fishing Opener is this weekend and it’s shaping up to be a sweet one.  No sleet! No ice on the lakes!  Just warm sun and the smell of fish guts – what could be better?

 

Fishing Opener in the resorter world brings a mix of horror and happy. It’s horrifying to think of the ridiculous number of back-breaking chores that have to be done before people show up.  But there’s happiness at the thought of welcoming back our guests and watching them enjoy their rest. For Jay and I the Fishing Opener is not usually a busy weekend so we will keep cleaning and fixing right on through it.  In spite of that the great thing about Opener is that it rips the seal off of a shiny, new summer season. It always feels like a little like Christmas morning!  Soon our people will come back and bring stories from their year.  They take a full breath of fresh air at a place they feel is pretty magical then they ask us about our families and the eagles next door. Some will be crazy excited at the thought of fishing Bass Lake and burning campfires at night. It’s refreshing for us to be reminded about why we work so hard to get ready.  It’s because to our guests we are the keepers of Wildwood and their memories here.  We are caretakers of the Minnesota family vacation and we hold space for people on our little slice of heaven. So this weekend  I vow to shake off my backache and  ignore the to-do list. I’m going to fill my lungs with fresh air and check up on the eagles next door.  Maybe we’ll even wet a line or two.  We hope you get to do the same. Welcome back, Minnesota Summer, we missed you!

See ya on the lake!
Kim & Jay

P.S. We still have some prime summer weeks open for the coming summer! If you haven’t already booked your Minnesota summer vacation we hope you will consider a stay with us. Check our availability and let us know if you have any questions!