Sep 16 2008
A lakeside haven: Excelsior, MN
I’ve always been surprised when I drive through the towns surrounding Lake Minnetonka. They seem to have a different feel to them–not suburban, not rural, but like a resort town. I’ve always enjoyed driving these twisting, turning routes because it’s like I went far away without crossing the state line.
I wasn’t entirely surprised, then, when we ventured off Highway 7 into downtown Excelsior, Minnesota. Within a few blocks, we were off the busy road and into a quaint downtown area with unique shops, interesting restaurants, and a main street that leads right up to the lake. People everywhere were walking and biking, with friends, alone, with pets.
It reminded me a lot of a smaller-scale Mackinac Island or Bar Harbor, Maine, with breezes coming off the lake, people wandering in and out of stores, and restaurant patios filled with people enjoying the day.
Banners across the street advertised “Girls’ Nights Out” throughout the summer, which I’m going to recommend to my friends as a nice outing in the future.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this area. All it took was a turn off the beaten path.
Do you know of any great places that the main roads have passed by? I’d love to hear about them!
i don’t live there but i love the lakes in MN. my grandmother lives in minnetonka. before he died, my grandfather along with my father, brother and i spent many many memories fishing on lake minnetonka. i love it there!
I love places like that. We traveled to Nova Scotia in June (for family reasons, husband’s family research), and we didn’t stay in Yarmouth or Halifax. We stayed in a little cottag in Lockporte, a tiny town on the Atlantic. It was perfect.
I wish I could help you but I don’t know of any “out of the way” places that are cool enough to recommend. But, I did want to stop by and say thanks for your advice on Twitter. I am still thinking about it…
Kelly, thanks for sharing your memories.
Daisy, Lockporte sounds perfect!
Jennifer, thanks for stopping by. If you think of an interesting place, be sure to let me know.
Great blog/website! What caught my attention is your twiiter – about your child’s eczema. I totally get that! My son had it something horrible! I found an all-natural product that totally cured it (no more itching for my sweet boy!). Your website here is full of great info! Great luck to you – maybe i will catch you on twitter!
www. twitter.com/tarastorch
You’ve made me homesick for little lakeside town in Clarksville, Virginia. You described it perfectly.
Karen
http://parentinghelpme.com
I think there are quite a few things like this in southeastern Minnesota as well. They’re just not quite as accommodating to tourists this time of year, but I’m going to revisit and blog them over the coming summer. Provided the cost of gas stays reasonable!
[...] wrote before about our trip to Excelsior, and how delighted we were to venture into town instead of buzzing by on the main road. While we [...]
[...] I took my children on an outing to a town we usually bypass on the highway, and it was a delight. Excelsior, Minnesota, several miles west of Minneapolis, sits on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, and a walk down its [...]
[...] but had never been there before. I was surprised at how easy it was to get to; like other things in Excelsior, it’s off the highway but not by much. We got there quite early, so we took the kids for a [...]