The northern half of Minnesota is as rife with group-friendly resorts and year-round outdoor activities as Napa is with wineries or Virginia is with Civil War sites.
Indeed, throughout the top half of the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," planners will find numerous resorts that act as group retreats complete with meeting space, rustic accommodations and picturesque landscapes.
North Central Minnesota
Home of the Paul Bunyan National Scenic Byway, the Brainerd Lakes area encompasses approximately 60 miles of unique neighborhoods that come together to form a single destination community, according to Gretchen Ennis, tourism director at the Brainerd Lakes Area COC.
The area is home to 465 lakes that are perfect for fishing, swimming and other waterborne activities; dozens of golf courses; trails, including the Paul Bunyan Trail, ideal for horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and biking; various museums; attractions such as waterparks, racetracks and mini golf courses; and plenty of shopping and dining options.
The region also has a wealth of properties for groups.
Grand View Lodge opened its new conference and events center, Gull Lake Center, less than one year ago, with 30,000 square feet of function space.
"Meeting planners tell us that their most successful meetings have taken place at Grand View Lodge because their attendees tend to be more focused, relaxed and attentive," says Scott Fischburg, vice president of sales at the property. "Team building, whether through fun outdoor contests, golf on one of our four PGA-rated courses or spa services, puts attendees in a totally focused mindset."
Team-building activities are also available at Madden’s on Gull Lake, according to Kathy Reichenbach, marketing director at the property.
"Situated on 1,000 acres and over a mile of scenic Gull Lake shoreline, popular group activities include beach parties and cookouts, and team building on our spacious grounds and on the lake," she says.
Sue Maroney-Smith, director of sales at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge, explains the resort is located on a nice lake that offers a serene setting for groups.
"We have a variety of accommodations to satisfy all budgets and wishes," she adds.
Also included on the long list of group-friendly area properties are Breezy Point Resort, Whitefish Lodge and Suites, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Cragun’s Resort and Hotel on Gull Lake, which offers meeting and exhibit space, a spa and a numerous recreational activities, including golf.
Popular group activities in the area, Ennis says, include catered meetings and functions aboard the Mississippi Belle paddlewheel boat, which is located at Breezy Point Resort; tours of the Northland Arboretum; and outings at Brainerd International Raceway.
Alexandria, which features a full-service winery, historic shopping districts, over 300 lakes and unique museums and attractions, according to Coni McKay, executive director at the Alexandria Lakes Area COC, is a unique and special destination for groups of any size.
"‘Minnesota Nice’ hospitality still exists in Alexandria, with a rich tradition of welcoming guests," she says. "Accommodations range from full-service conference centers and resorts to intimate bed-and-breakfasts or retreat centers."
Among the group properties in and around Alexandria are Viking Bay Resort and Lodge, Holiday Inn Conference Center and Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center.
According to Jeff Wild, general manager at Arrowwood, planners are thrilled with the property’s year-round recreational amenities, including the Big Splash Indoor Waterpark; golf at the new Atikwa 18-hole championship course; horseback riding; fishing; waterskiing; snowmobiling; and cross-country skiing.
"In addition to our 200 guest rooms and suites, our 16 new luxury three- and four-bedroom townhomes offer planners additional freedoms and flexibility for VIPs, social gatherings or corporate get-togethers," Wild says.
Off-site venues that work well with groups meeting in Alexandria include Carlos Creek Winery, Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum and Runestone Museum.
McKay adds that attendees enjoy tours at Tastefully Simple, a home-grown entrepreneurial gourmet food company, geocaching in a state park for buried treasure, shopping in historic downtown and curling.
"Groups love to hit the ice and learn how to perform this Olympic sport," she says.
The north central portion of the state is also home to several more properties that welcome group business, including Grand Casino Hinckley, Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Thumper Pond Resort.
Brad Stevens, general manager at Thumper Pond, says the property is situated on 250 acres in Ottertail and nestled among 90,000 pine trees.
"The Lakes Room conference center features a wall of natural-light windows overlooking Katy Pond and the 18th fairway of Thumper Pond Golf Course," he says, adding the golf course has been voted a Minnesota "Must Play" by Golf magazine.
Northwest Minnesota
Bemidji, known as the "First City on the Mississippi," is idyllically situated in northern Minnesota near Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park and the Chippewa National Forest. Plus, according to Denelle Cauble, executive director at Visit Bemidji, 400 fishing lakes are within 25 miles, and over 400 miles of snowmobile trails and nearly 100 miles of cross-country ski trails are located in close proximity to Bemidji.
The area also boasts several group-friendly properties, including the new Bemidji Regional Event Center, which is on track to open in October with a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, four 1,000-square-foot meeting rooms and a 4,000-seat arena; Holiday Inn Express Conference Center; Northern Inn Hotel and Suites; Hampton Inn and Suites; and Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge.
Situated on Lake Bemidji, Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge dates back to 1915 and has been in the Ruttger family since 1937, says Randy Ruttger, the property’s president and owner.
"We offer rustic cottage and lodge accommodations—not too rustic, we do have a AAA Three Diamond rating—at an affordable price," he says, adding the property boasts meeting rooms, a dining room, a full bar, tennis courts, an indoor pool, rental boats and nearby golf. "Groups like the casual atmosphere in the old lodge; there aren’t a lot of lodges left like this in Minnesota."
After the meeting in Bemidji, regardless of the season, groups will enjoy a number of outdoor recreational pursuits, according to Cauble.
"In the summer you can walk the shores of Lake Bemidji, enjoy a local festival, golf, fish, canoe, hike, bike or just watch a beautiful sunset over the water," she says. "When the snow falls, ride miles and miles of Minnesota snowmobile trails, cross-country ski, downhill ski, snowshoe or take in an event at the Bemidji Curling Club."
Meanwhile, the Leech Lake area has "that up-north relaxed getaway feeling" that groups often seek, with many of its lodging and conference centers right on the shores of one of the largest lakes in Minnesota, according to Cindy Wannarka, executive director at the Leech Lake Area COC.
Surrounded by the Chippewa National Forest, the area abounds with wildlife and outdoor recreational activities.
"This area offers wonderful year-round fishing opportunities, whether the fishing guide takes you out on the 112,000 acres of Leech Lake in his boat or sets you up in a comfortable ice fish house," Wannarka says, adding that if the group isn’t into fishing, there is always something fun to do, including outings to the Eelpout Festival in February, summer music festivals and beautiful golf courses.
Area properties that cater to groups include the Northern Lights Casino, featuring a 105-room hotel and 9,000-square-foot event center, and Chase on the Lake.
"We sit on the shores of Minnesota’s fourth-largest lake, giving our guests complete access to all the lake amenities such as world-class fishing, sailing and boating," says Patty Kealy, director of sales at Chase on the Lake, adding that unlike other resorts, it’s located only one block away from the charming lakeside town of Walker.
Several other group-friendly properties call Northwest Minnesota home, including Seven Clans Casino Red Lake, which opened in December with an events center, hotel, and dining and shopping options, and the Shooting Star Casino, Hotel and Event Center.
Northeast Minnesota
Duluth’s naturally beautiful setting is what really sets it apart. It’s a resort city with spectacular views of Lake Superior at any angle, according to Julie Johnson, senior sales manager at Visit Duluth.
"We have the amenities of a city, but you still feel like you are away from it all," she says, citing the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, Great Lakes Aquarium and Vista Fleet cruises on Lake Superior, three popular attractions that double as off-site gathering options, as well as Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Ballet.
Area properties that welcome group business include Inn on Lake Superior; Edgewater Resort and Waterpark, Hotel and Conference Center; Black Bear Casino Resort, featuring the Otter Creek Event Center and an 18-hole championship golf course; and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), which is scheduled to open a brand-new LEED-certified arena in December.
"The DECC will offer more space for meeting groups, larger trade shows, sporting events and major entertainers," Johnson says, adding the Duluth International Airport is in phase one of a new terminal project that will allow for more flights to and from the area.
Regina Frase, director of sales at Duluth’s newest lakeshore property, Canal Park Lodge, says the lodge boasts meeting space, a swimming pool, a fitness center and a beautiful lakeside setting.
"We are also within walking distance of many shops and restaurants in Canal Park," she says.
North of Duluth, the town of Ely is famous for canoeing opportunities in the unspoiled Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as well as its location near the Superior National Forest.
The Grand Ely Lodge Resort and Conference Center is a top group choice. The resort features year-round activities, including hiking, biking, canoeing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.
Northeast Minnesota’s other standby properties include Bluefin Bay Resort on Lake Superior, Caribou Highlands Lodge, Fortune Bay Resort Casino, Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Resort, the Lodge at Giants Ridge and Holiday Inn Express Mountain Iron, which is adding a 10,000-square-foot conference and event center that should be open by the fall.
—Carolyn Blackburn would very much enjoy resort-hopping throughout the northern half of Minnesota.
