Fishing, Waterskiing, Biking, Birding and more. This is a relatively inexpensive destination.
I suggest two sections of Minnesota. First, the Brainerd Lakes area. You fly into Minneapolis and have the option of flying (Northwest) to Brainerd or making the 3 hour drive. There are plenty of Dairy Queens on the way. North of Brainerd you will find two large chains of lakes; the Gull Chain and the Whitefish Chain. There are numerous interconnected lakes that you can boat between on these chains. Fishing for bass, walleye, northern and worm-dunking for sunnies is excellent on both chains.
On the Gull chain the best family resort is Grandview (http://www.grandviewlodge.com/) . Regardless of the weather, the children will have a blast. There is an indoor water park just off the large beach. You can rent any type of water craft you wish. Grandview has several of it’s own golf courses. Madden’s www.maddens.com is also a very popular choice. The spa is excellent and it has a great business center. Numerous rearby restuarants are family-friendly. For steaks go via boat or car to the legendary Bar Harbor..which after a few bad years..has great food again and live entertainment. Another wonderful choice is the dining room at Lost Lake Lodge. It is a smaller and more intimate lodging choice as well. For low key dining (pizza, fish and chips, etc.) go to Zorba’s. Zorba’s becomes one of the hottest night spots for adult drinking and dancing on the lakefront after dark.
On the Whitefish chain there are many good family resorts to choose from. They tend to be smaller and more “Northwoods”. I recommend Towering Pines (www.brainerd.com/toweringpines/index.html) and Sunset Knoll (www.sunsetknollresort.com/) both on Lake Bertha/Clamshell. Houseboat rentals can also be wonderful for families. Contact Loveland Resort to book one. (www.sceniclodging.com/loveland/loveland.html) The Bertha Marina-for boat rentals-is nearby and delivers. For eating, take your boat to The Wharf for great burgers and sandwiches. Very inexpensive and good breakfasts are found at the A-Pine in Jenkins. In my opinion there isn’t better fried chicken to be found than at The Olde Milwaulkee Club in Ideal Corners. It also has a pool table, games, and big screen TV for sports. The kids LOVE it! Regardless of where you stay make time to visit one of the local VFW halls on BINGO night. It is a hoot and you’ll have the time of your life. A real slice of life momment. Make sure you check the bottom of your seat to see if you have the lucky paper plate that means you get to be guest bingo caller. FYI: bingo etiquette mandates that regular players get first pick of the cards. You take the ones they don’t want.
For Fishing: Call Walleye Dan. He has several children and knows how to make fishing fun even for the youngest first timers. For adults he’ll hunt down “lunkers” and always finds where the fish are biting. His skill landed him his own newspaper column, radio report and TV show. He’s pretty popular so go to www.walleyedan.com and book early.
The second area I would recommend is Rainy Lake up on the border with Canada. You fly into International Falls. I’d recommend going in mid July to late August for the best weather. Stay at Woody’s or Sha Sha Lodge. Go out fishing with Woody’s Fairly Reliable Fishing Service. Funny name, great people. They’ll direct you to the best dining and activities.