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Last call for lake breaks

Waning days of summer a good time to snatch a few more days of vacation.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, there's nothing better than a week at the lake.

Lazy afternoons on the beach, boat rides, marshmallow roasts, catching strings of sunnies — it's pure essence of summer.

But summer — or vacation, anyway — doesn't last long. And while there's nothing better than a week on a lake, a few days can be just as good.

Since peak season ends in mid-August, when many schoolchildren have to get home for sports and band practice, many lake resorts drop their one-week minimum for stays. They also drop their rates, meaning that anyone who can sneak away for a few days enjoys a good deal as well as weather that's still good. And while lakeside inns and B&Bs don't lower their rates, it's easier to find rooms in them for last-minute getaways.

The best late-summer escape I ever had was at Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge on Lake Bemidji. It was only Aug. 11, but already the weeknight deals had begun, so after dropping off my son at Concordia Language Villages, Torsten and I went there for a mini-break.

Spread along the northwest shore of Lake Bemidji, Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge was started by a local logger in 1915. In the freewheeling 1920s, it catered to the carriage trade; guests came from Texas and Oklahoma and often brought chauffeurs and maids.

Today, the resort still has a feel of old-fashioned gentility, and its 1921 white-frame lodge still is the center of activity. After dinner in downtown Bemidji, we checked in, dropped our bags and borrowed tennis racquets and balls from the friendly young women at the desk.

We played on the resort courts until it was too dark to see, then walked along the tree-shaded beach, settling into chairs to watch a fat orange moon rise across the lake. In the indoor pool complex, we sat in the hot tub and swam until it closed, then went back to the beach.

Returning to the lodge, we noticed specials advertised in the bar, but no one was there, so we went upstairs to a room flooded with moonlight.

Early the next morning, we heard loons calling from the lake. In the dining room, a smiling young waitress served us a Denver omelet, pancakes, eggs, hash browns and fruit cup, included in the room rate. Our table was next to the picture windows that line the dining room, and we watched children playing in the deck pool.

On the beach, the sand felt warm between my toes, and I was tempted to stretch out with a good book. Instead, we rented mountain bikes from the boathouse attendant and rode around the lake to Lake Bemidji State Park, passing its beach and boat launches on our way to the Paul Bunyan State Trail.

The first five miles of the paved trail wind down the east side of Lake Bemidji, crossing the Mississippi as it leaves the lake and begins its journey south. Near the trestle bridge over the river, we watched loons bobbing in the rushes, and a deer let me get so close I thought it wanted a handout.

Back at Birchmont Lodge, things had picked up. Children were playing, adults were sunning on inflatable rafts, and waiters were serving drinks to people sitting under umbrellas by the pool.

Affordable fun

It nearly killed us to leave, but we had a meeting that night in the Twin Cities. We hadn't known how much we would like Birchmont Lodge and its low-key, comfortable atmosphere.

And for our little break, we paid less than $75; it would have been even less if we could have stayed two nights. Villas and cottages are quite a bit more, but we liked our lodge room; it was small and a little scuffed, but with such a pretty view of the lake from the picture window, who's looking at the room?

Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge still has great midweek deals in late August, the best value I've found so far in this region. It includes not only a hot made-to-order breakfast but also use of tennis courts, canoes, kayaks and Sunfish sailboats; rates to rent bikes and motorboats are very reasonable.

Other resorts and inns also are offering good deals. In my book, though, any room that's available on a lake in summer is a good deal. It's a good thing to book one and support your local resort proprietor, who likely could make a lot more money by selling his or her land to a single rich person for a second home than by renting 10 cottages to middle-class families for vacations.

Many stay in the business because they've built relationships with their guests and they like the lifestyle. Still, land values and taxes continue to rise, and every year, dozens of family-owned lake resorts are replaced by million-dollar cottages.

Some day, there will be only a few resorts for the rest of us. So, let's help keep them in business today.

Trip Tips: Short stays on lakes

If you have a favorite resort or know of one you would like to try, check its Web site to see if it offers partial-week stays and other deals. Many show availability online. If you don't know where to stay, check the Minnesota tourism site, www.exploreminnesota.com, and Wisconsin site, www.travelwisconsin.com.

At smaller resorts, rates drop across the board in mid-August. Larger and more expensive resorts, which offer short stays all summer long, usually do not drop rates for late-summer weekends, but they offer good deals for midweek stays. B&Bs often offer lower midweek rates year-round.

Here are a few suggestions for late-summer lake getaways:

Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge, Bemidji, Minn.: Run by the Ruttger family since 1936, it has an excellent location, between lovely Lake Bemidji State Park and downtown Bemidji, with its restaurants and Paul Bunyan Playhouse. Cottages are spread out along a long, sandy lakefront studded with trees. Check for Hot Deals on its Web site; 1-888-788-8437, www.ruttger.com.

Stout's Lodge, Mikana, Wis.: This 1915 resort on a 26-acre island in western Wisconsin has lots of character. All the rooms are very attractive; guests can choose northwoods new or period furnishings. Weekend rates are $169-$229 per night for two, including a breakfast of breads, muffins, cereal and fruit served in the dining room, which also serves lunch and dinner; midweek rates through season's closing in October are 25 percent off. Use of tennis courts, canoes, kayaks and water bikes is included.

It's $25 extra for each person older than 14, and a Sunday-night stay in addition to Friday and Saturday is half-price. Call 1-715-354-3646, www.stoutslodge.com.

Northern Inn, Spicer, Minn.: If you like beach life, this is the place to stay. It's across the street from the big, busy County Park 4 beach on Green Lake, as well as Melvin's on the Lake restaurant. It's a standard-issue hotel, but rooms are nice and there's an indoor pool. Until mid-August, rooms are $80-$120; then rates drop to $70-$100 for midweek stays. Call 1-800-941-0423, www.northerninn.com.

Minnesota B&Bs: In Underwood, near Fergus Falls, guests at Aloft in the Pines can swim off the dock in Pickerel Lake. There are three rooms in the large, modern log house, $75-$95, including tax. Call 1-888-457-6301.

Near Battle Lake, Xanadu Island B&B has a small beach on Elbow Lake. Five rooms in the 1920 lodge go for $95-$155, and three cottages for $125-$150. Call 1-800-396-9043, www.xanadu.cc.

For other Minnesota inns on lakes, call 651-438-7499, www.minnesotabedandbreakfasts.org.

Wisconsin B&Bs: I've stayed in all four of the inns below and can recommend them all.

Near Bayfield, the Island View B&B is right on Lake Superior, which should be swimmable in late August. Two suites have private entrances and decks, $135, and a hot breakfast is delivered to the door. Call 1-888-309-5307, www.islandviewbandb.com.

In the woods of northeast Wisconsin, Lakeside B&B is a very comfortable inn on Fisher Lake, with canoes and paddleboats for guests' use. Eight rooms are $85-$100. Call 1-715-528-3259, www.northern-destinations.com/lakeside.

Near the busy resort town of Minoqua, Whitehaven B&B occupies a quiet spot on Whitefish Lake. Guests can swim or use a canoe or paddleboat; four rooms go for $99-$175. Call 1-715-356-9097, www.whitehavenbandb.com.

Near Eagle River, the Inn at Pinewood B&B is on the shore of private Carpenter Lake and has a sandy beach and canoes, kayaks, a motorboat and pontoon boat for rent. Eight rooms, all with king-size beds and many with additional twins, go for $104-$154, and a three-bedroom home next door is $265-$290. Call 1-715-477-2377, www.inn-at-pinewood.com.

For other B&Bs, call 1-715-539-9222 or use the amenity search at www.wbba.org to look for inns with beaches.

Last updated on July 14, 2008