Screen porch
There is also a recreation pass available that gives guests access to non-motorized watercraft at the marina, activities at the tennis & croquet club, lawn games, bikes, pickleball and more. Plus, guests can play golf on The Social 9, Madden’ s 9-hole course.
More information is available online at Maddens. com
Cragun’ s Resort, which is also on Gull Lake, has cabins available for rent as well. There are lakeview cabins, hilltop cabins and cabins situated steps from the beach.
Available with a lake view are two-, three-, fiveand six-bedroom cabins. The hillside cabins have two, three, four, five and six bedrooms. The beachfront cabins have one, two and three
bedrooms. There is also a seven-bedroom villa available for rent.
More information can be found at Craguns. com / lodging
Another option for the cabin experience can be found at Black Pine Beach Resort on Pig Lake, which is between Cross Lake and Pequot Lakes. The resort’ s official address is 10732 County Road 16, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472.
The resort features 14 cabins on an 8-acre site that borders Pig Lake. The resort can sleep up to 120 people per night. Available are cabins ranging in size from two bedrooms with one bathroom to six bedrooms with three bathrooms. Some of the cabins are lakefront. Others are set back a bit in the woods.
“ All of our cabins are fully stocked with dishes and everything you need to cook a meal. Plus, there are charcoal grills outside of the cabins,” said Jackie Novitsky, who co-owns the resort with her husband, Jeff. The couple and their children live on site.
The Novitskys are the fourth owners of the resort established in 1939.“ We have owned the place for the past two years. The previous owners were here for 46 years,” she said, and added that there are plenty of guests they’ ve gotten to know very well, like Claire Hoyum, 75, of St. Paul.
Camp ICan Cuyuna
“ My son was seven years old the first time we went, and he is now forty-four, so I’ ve been vacationing here for 38 years,” she said. Among the resort’ s many draws for Hoyum, how well it has been maintained over the years, and the people.
“ The personalities of the people we’ ve met over the years are top notch,” she said.“ I also especially enjoy the effect spending time by the water has on a person. It is so relaxing!”
Hoyum’ s son never really took to it when he was young, but a lot of other children who have spent time at the Black Pine Beach Resort have really enjoyed spending time at an attraction on the property built by one of the previous owners. There is a secret garden in the woods that is full of fairies and gnomes that will write letters back to the kids who leave notes for them.
“ The kids like it because they can go in there and have an adventure but not get lost. It’ s just a loop through the woods. A lot of times parents will let even the little ones do it on their own,” said Novitsky.
BE SURE TO STOP OFF AT THE EXPLORE BRAINERD LAKES WELCOME CENTER While there will of course be plenty to do at the place you stay, many people will also want to explore the region during their vacation. So, when you first arrive in town it would be a great idea to stop off at the Explore Brainerd Lakes Welcome Center, which is located at 7393 State Highway 371, Brainerd, MN 56401.
“ We’ re right on 371 between Baxter and Little Falls. We have a full gift shop with everything you might need while experiencing the Brainerd Lakes area. Plus, all the things you may have forgotten or didn’ t know you needed,” said Jess Vogt, Welcome Center Manager, Brainerd Chamber of Commerce.
Hours for the gift shop are Monday through Friday, 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. Saturday hours are 1 p. m. to 3 p. m. The Welcome Center building, which houses plenty of brochures and maps, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
8 2025 | destinationupnorth. com