Lodgings in Lanesboro
Welcome mats multiply as visitors descend on this southeast Minnesota hamlet.
© Beth Gauper
The 1892 Scandinavian Inn is one of many B&Bs in Victorian-era homes.
Before the Root River State Trail was built, the only places to stay in Lanesboro were some small hunters' cabins near the city park.
That was before there was anything to do in the isolated village besides hunt and fish. Now Lanesboro is the recreational and
cultural capital of southeast Minnesota, with a new theater, an arts center and 60 miles of paved bicycle trails.
With visitors pouring in, Lanesboro also has become the bed-and-breakfast capital of the Minnesota, with more B&Bs than any other town, plus several small inns.
And they're still not enough for everyone who wants to visit on beautiful weekends in summer and fall.
When I first visited Lanesboro in 1990 and stayed at the Carrolton Country Inn, it was the only one of the three inns that allowed children. In 1994, when I stayed with my sister at Mrs. B's, it was the only place that had a room with two beds.
Now there are lots of choices for everyone — families, friends, honeymooners, singles.
All over town, there are innkeepers who couldn't resist the call of this bluff-country burg.
At the Thompson House, I met Kathy Culbertson, who already was in love with Lanesboro when she met her husband Robert, who grew up there but had moved to Wisconsin.
"He thought I was so crazy,'' she said. "You know, if you grow up here, you don't see the attraction.'' But Robert always had admired the 1872 Italianate house across from his childhood home, so they bought it, restored it and opened it as a bed-and-breakfast.
I met triathlete Bonnie Handmacher, who first visited Lanesboro in 1990 as part of a bicycling tour group.
"After the bike trip, I was addicted,'' Handmacher said. "I'd hop in my car on the weekends and go — I was living
in Chicago then, but five hours was nothing.''
She'd stay at O'Leary's, and when it went up for sale, she bought it and got herself transferred to the Twin Cities. She's cut her drive in half and has her own B&B to stay in on weekends.
©
The 1897 Habberstad House B&B was built by a Norwegian immigrant who became a banker.
Tastes in lodgings are highly personal. The same piles of pillows one person wants to torch are someone else's decorating
coup.
People who like lots of antiques and Victoriana may like the Historic Scanlan House. People who prefer log cabins can find them at Cedar Valley Resort along the Root River.
Two of the poshest inns, the Berwood Hill and Inn at Sacred Clay, are in romantic settings outside town.
In town, the Cottage House Inn and Green Gables are good places to go with children or friends, since they have rooms with
two beds.
They're also especially good values in the off season, along with Stone Mill Suites, which often offers specials. Several
inns offer discounts to members of Minnesota Public
Radio.
Some inns offer extra privacy, such as the Habberstad House, which has a carriage house, and the Belle Rive, which has just
one room.
With so many places to choose from, staying overnight in Lanesboro is an adventure. Now, the only challenge is getting a reservation.
Trip Tips: Lodgings in Lanesboro
Most places have two-night minimums on weekends in summer, and some in winter.
Reserve far in advance for summer and fall weekends. Prices drop steeply in winter, especially at the small inns; at the B&Bs, you may have to ask for a deal. Every inn is bicycle-friendly.
For details and an availability search, check the Lanesboro lodgings page.
For more about Lanesboro, see The belle of bluff country.
Anna V's B&B is a 1908 Queen Anne with four rooms, near downtown.
507-467-2686.
The two Art Lofts on Parkway Avenue downtown sleep six and have kitchens and handsome living areas. They're operated by the art center, 507-467-2446.
Belle Rive B&B is on the north edge of downtown, overlooking the river and bluff, and has one room with private deck. Micky Cook and Jim Martin, 507-467-2407.
© Beth Gauper
Berwood Hill Inn sits on a ridge outside town.
Berwood Hill Inn, a renovated 1870s farmhouse with five guest rooms, sits on a ridge four miles outside Lanesboro and has a lovely view of the countryside from its landscaped grounds. The interior looks like a magazine spread. 800-803-6748.
Brewster's Red Hotel is in an 1870s building, right off the trail downtown. It has three apartments and studio with kitchen. Six pleasant rooms, three with two beds, have cable but no common rooms. It also rents a cottage. Mark Brewster, 507-467-2999.
Cedar Valley Resort is just east of Lanesboro in
Whalan, right on the Root River. Eight cabins, some with gas fireplaces, have three to six bedrooms, and two can be combined
to sleep up to 40 people.
There are different rates for peak season, weekday stays in May and September-October and from November through April.
507-467-9000.
Coffee Street Inn is a pet-friendly motel/inn
downtown that has seven rooms, one with two beds, and two suites that have kitchen and double whirlpool, one with three
bedrooms.
There's a garden patio with gas grill. Deb Danielson, 507-467-2674.
Cottage House Inn, a modern inn across from the
Commonweal Theatre, always is a good bet. It has 14 simple but attractive rooms, seven with two beds.
A large, hot breakfast is extra. Proprietors are Lynn and Marilyn Bunge. 800-944-0099.
Fillmore House B&B, a 1912 foursquare on the
south end of town, has three rooms. Brian Luna, 651-269-7648.
Green Gables Inn, a newer motel with a
sunken stone patio and back yard that goes to the river, is a nice place to stay with children. It has 15 attractive rooms,
most with two beds, one with kitchen and one-disabled accessible.
A bridal suite has gas fireplace, whirlpool and kitchen. Jackie Rehm, 800-818-4225.
1898 Inn, formerly the Galligan House, is a homey
turn-of-the-century Victorian with two rooms. Maggie Molyneaux. 507-696-4750.
Habberstad House B&B is an 1897 Queen Anne with
six attractive, window-lined rooms, three with two-person whirlpools.
The Amish Suite has two double beds, and the Carriage House has a private entrance, galley kitchen, whirlpool and gas fireplace. Nancy and Dave Huisenga. 507-467-3560.
© Beth Gauper
Cottage House Inn is across the street from Commonweal Theatre.
Hillcrest Hide-Away is a 1927 Craftsman bungalow on
the hill above downtown, with four comfortable rooms and suites, three with sofa beds. Marv and Carol Eggert.
800-697-9902.
Inn at Sacred Clay Farm is a five-room inn built in 2001 on 100 acres two miles south of Lanesboro. It has one room with an extra sofa bed, and three with double whirlpools. The Loft also has a fireplace. Sandy and Fred Kiel. 866-326-8618.
James A. Thompson House is an 1872 Italianate house next to the river, with airy common rooms decorated with antiques and folk art and four old-fashioned but attractive rooms. The Maid's Room, with its view of the dam waterfall, is especially nice. Kathy and Robert Culbertson. 507-467-2253.
Marquee Suites, next to the St. Mane Theatre on Parkway Avenue, includes two
suites with kitchen and living room. One suite has one bedroom and sleeps five; the other has two bedrooms and sleeps eight.
507-467-3474.
Mrs. B's B&B, an 1870 stone commercial building right on
the river downtown, has nine small but attractive rooms.
Breakfast is served at small tables for those who like early-morning privacy. Terry and Ginger Neuman. 800-657-4710.
O'Leary's B&B is a 1910 Victorian with Arts and
Crafts interior accents. It has five simple but attractive rooms, one with twin beds and one with a king, and there's a loft
room children love (children over 10 are welcome).
Breakfast is a continental buffet. Open weekends only. Proprietor Bonnie Handmacher is a triathlete and dispenses advice on running and bicycling routes, 507-467-3737.
Scanlan House B&B is a classic 1889 Victorian with decor that B&B aficionados enjoy. It has four rooms, two with gas fireplace stoves and three with double whirlpools, and three suites, all with gas fireplaces and double whirlpools. 800-944-2158.
© Beth Gauper
Mrs. B's B&B was a pioneer when it opened in 1983.
Scandinavian Inn is an 1892 Queen Anne with five
small but attractive rooms. A very fine breakfast is included, and common rooms include a rooftop gazebo.
One room has a private balcony and a dumbwaiter, through which the innkeepers send breakfast. Peter Torkelson and Vicki
Chambard Torkelson. 507-467-4500.
Stone Mill Suites is a 1885 former poultry-processing plant downtown, at the end of Parkway Avenue. It has seven suites with double whirlpool and/or fireplace stove. One has four beds, one has two, one has a mini-kitchen and one is disabled-accessible.
All rooms have mini-fridges. A continental breakfast is included. 866-897-8663.
Camping
Municipal sites at Sylvan Park, on the river, are
first-come, first-served. Hot showers are $1 in the adjoining community center.
Across Parkway Avenue, the Riverview campground has more sites above the dam. The two campgrounds have 60 tent sites, $15, and 43 camper sites, $25.
Old Barn Resort is right off the trail, at Isinours
Junction, and has a three-season heated pool, restaurant and 18-hole golf course. The campground is open from April through
October.
Old Barn also has a hostel with three rooms with up to 16 bunks and one with two beds.
Bicycles, canoes, kayaks and inner tubes are rented on-site through Little River General Store. 800-552-2512.
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