LAKE MINNETONKA
LAKE MINNETONKA
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
Wayzata: A destination with small-town charm
The lakeside city of Wayzata has long been known for having small-town character while also being a destination city for tourists and neighbors alike.
The scenic community, whose name is derived from a Lakota phrase meaning“ North Shore,” is home to around 4,400 residents and is a popular destination for visitors looking to boat, shop or dine at the city’ s many popular restaurants.
A selection of specialty shops also keeps people coming back to Wayzata. From home and garden suppliers, boutique clothing shops, bakeries, coffee houses, ice cream parlors and a variety of other businesses, an entire day can easily be spent exploring the Lake Street and Wayzata Boulevard business districts.
Events also draw in visitors throughout the year. Since 1984, thousands have headed to Wayzata for the Chilly Open, a unique frozen golf outing on Lake Minnetonka.
The longest-running community event in Wayzata is James J. Hill Days. More information on the festival appears elsewhere in this guide.
Wayzata has always been a city that’ s given great consideration to its relationship with Lake Minnetonka.
The city is actively working to breathe new life into its lakefront through the Panoway on Wayzata Bay project. Formerly known as Lake Effect, the multi-year initiative is aimed at creating public space and improving access to and along the water’ s edge.
The city’ s downtown Lake Street received a massive overhaul in 2020 with the widening of the road from Broadway Avenue to Barry Avenue and the conversion of a municipal parking lot into a new plaza park.
By July 2023, phase two of the project began with the ecological restoration of the lake edge and the construction of a lakewalk that stretches from the Wayzata Depot to the Broadway docks. The lakewalk officially opened July 13, 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the addition to Wayzata’ s lakefront.
The final phase of Panoway includes an environmental education center within the historic Section Foreman House and the creation of an eco-park outside of the building. More information on the Panoway initiative appears elsewhere in this guide.
Wayzata is also home to the first hotel on Lake Minnetonka in more than 50 years. The 92-room boutique hotel opened in 2017 in the Promenade of Wayzata, the largest redevelopment project in the city’ s history.
The Hotel Landing also includes condos, a two-story restaurant, a spa and retail space.
Info: wayzata. org
LAKE MINNETONKA | COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025 | 11