Jerry Vinter & family are so lovely & provide such a unique experience! Restored local buildings…read moremoved to their farm, antique shops throughout, farm animals to visit, arrange a horse & buggy ride, arrange a school house experience, arrange a farm hand experience, maybe fresh eggs, maybe fresh baked goods. We brought home our best (tuxedo) kitten, who did not want to be a farm cat, 12 years ago

Ten stars on a scale of 5!!! This place is truly a one-of-a-kind and an incredible and very…read morememorable experience. Our family of six spent a totally enjoyable four-plus hours this past Sunday at Jerry Hiltner's Vintage Village Antiques in rural Osakis, Minnesota (population 1,750). "Rural" takes on new meaning out here on the dirt roads of northwestern Minnesota where the only facilities on this site are a pair of outhouses. Jerry offers tours and field trips of the "Village" by appointment 7 days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Pre-scheduled visits for small groups include a Thanksgiving-like candlelight dinner for a modest fee per person. We enjoyed walking through a half dozen buildings on the property including a vintage school room, a small church, a blacksmith shop and a few vintage structures filled to the brim with interesting antiques and collectibles for sale. The highlight of our afternoon was an incredible home-cooked, family-style Chicken Dinner with all the fixins in the candle-lit dining room of the site's turn-of-the-century farmhouse. Jerry is the gregarious owner and host, as well as chief cook and bottle washer of this awesome village of vintage buildings that he relocated to this bucolic site. He is a chef with a life-long passion for antiques and all things antiquarian. Jerry's passion and good-natured love of life is immediately felt as you meet this country gentleman. After our magnificent dinner, Jerry capped off our visit by giving us a buggy ride through the fields in a vintage Amish-style carriage pulled by a smart nine year old Filly. What a day we had at the "Farm". For me, it was like stepping back in time and into a snapshot of life a hundred years ago. Thank you Jerry for your incredible Minnesotan hospitality. Without question...10 stars on a scale of 5!

My family and I have been going To Mt. Carmel since my kids were barely in elementary school. Mt…read more Carmel is a beautiful family Bible camp on a large chunk of shoreline on Lake Carlos 4 miles north of Alexandria, Mn. A great swimming beach- diving dock, kayaks, canoes and a pontoon boat are there; kids are supervised by a lifeguard and there is a campfire ring as well as a sauna. No extra fees for using boats- or anything for that matter! We were looking for a Christian Camp with multiple programs for all ages and let me tell you, Mt. Carmel has something for everyone. There are Worship services in the morning and evening, Bible discussion groups, activites for the kids including crafts, games, movies- you name it. There is a gorgeous brand new Chapel overlooking Lake Carlos, and a beautiful lodge- plus 30 cabins and cottages. Mt. Carmel is one of the hidden gems in Minnesota that begs to be discovered. You can go there, be at peace, let your kids do their own thing and not have to worry about their safety or what they are doing. Their counselors are college students with a strong commitment to Faith and genuinely love teaching and being with children. This place is so wonderful- you can literally do all of the programs or do none of them. There is no pressure to participate, but you'll want to. Many of the guests have been going for generations, and there are just as many new guests who are discovering this sanctuary from the pressures of the world. The accomodations range from cottages, rustic cabins, remodled cabins, brand new cabins, RV sites and luxurious lodge rooms. A family of four can spend a week there for well under $1700, and that's with a top-tiered lodge room WITH FOOD! Cabins and cottages are less expensive and have a wonderful charm of a forgotten Minnesota. The food plans here are variable- you can go no food, some meals or full plan, which is what we do- breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks. There are a few special nights like a Hoedown or an ethnic buffet.' The food here is spectacular. Entrees range from grilled ribs and chicken to homemade lasagna to pizza to tatortot hotdish! Every lunch and dinner had homemade bread or rolls. Theres also a healthy salad bar and special diet considerations are available. My kids are a bit picky and they ate everything. They now have free WiFi too. Please treat yourself or your family to a week or weekend at Mt. Carmel- they are now open year-round for vacations, retreats and even business meetings. We have made many friends there and are so grateful we "took a chance". We usually do the same things- same restaurants, etc. This is now our most anticipated destination of our year! There is one bad thing about Mt. Carmel- my kids cry when we leave. That's quickly extinguished by the Dairy Queen in Alexandria on the way home.

my name is john daehlin. the first time i went to mt carmel was in 1964 thru 1976. it is ths one…read moreof the best memories and times of my life. which i still think and dream about today..the old cabins with the bunk beds. horse shoes with the older men, soft ball, i learned to swim at the beach. the boat house and buliding at the tennis court. i was allowed to help pick up the garbage from the dinning hall and all over the camp with the old tractor and wagon.fuel it up with the old 1920's glass gas pump....ring the dinner bell..chapel with rev bloomqist......the people were great....and being a mulatto never had an issue of being different. i am sure it is still a great place for the family.....

My husband and I enjoyed our little cabin on Lake Victoria. It was steps from the shore and had…read moremany docks for fishing, tying up your boat or jumping in for a swim. The beach was shallow and great for small children who love to play in the water. We enjoyed the kayaks and paddle boards available for guests and I even did a few bounces on the water trampoline (I had to try it!). The cabin was modern and tastefully decorated. It had everything we needed for a four day get-away. Raj was on-site, answered text messages promptly and made our stay enjoyable. I would 100% recommend Lake Victoria Resort.

This charming "cabin" is gorgeous on the inside, has a beautiful modern touches and amenities…read moreincluding a portable sauna on one particular weekend that I stayed. Gorgeous views of Lake Carlos and walking distance to charming Alex...

The owners of Lake Le Homme Dieu B&B have no decent courtesy or respect for their neighbors. During…read morea storm in June 2013 their dock, which is not fully secured down, was blown off its frame and continued down shore. The dock was made up of large, maybe 4x4 ft. pieces reminiscent of pallets. These pieces, after being blown down shore, came to smash upon my father's small fishing boat which was tied to our dock. Our boat had been weathering the storm just fine, as we all were watching it from the window with flashlights, until the dock pieces began to hit it. The dock pieces caused severe damage to my father's boat, as well as tipping it starboard until it started taking in water. It sank. We spent a full day bailing and trying to recover his fishing equipment. We even spent part of that day helping the owners of the B&B recover their dock pieces. In the end, they offered no apology, no help - not even a bilge pump - to my father in return. I even wrote them a letter explaining how their dock ruined our boat, as well as our vacation, and they never responded. For shame. Don't support their business. Also, they have something against dogs.

Great place to camp. We stayed here with our granddaughters on a cross country trip. They have a…read morenice pool that my granddaughters used The hosts were very friendly and helpful.

Lovely place to camp and owned and operated by some really sweet, down to earth people…read more If you're from the city, I recommend bringing some bug spray, but overall it was a really pleasant time. There is a pond with paddle boats that you can check out and a swimming pool with a water slide. The little store is well stocked with camping essentials and the bathrooms are very clean and well attended. The laundry room is also well kept and the WiFi is excellent. In fact, there are multiple servers you can get on. If you're looking for an inexpensive campground near Garfield, Minnesota, check this place out!

We've been vacationing in the Alexandria lakes area for 10 years, and this was hands-down one of…read moreour favorite family trips. We came for a big family reunion with 16 of us--grandparents, parents, and grandkids--and it was one of those places where everyone could actually be together without ever feeling crowded. The beach might be the best we've found in the area. It's sandy with a shallow, gradual entry that was perfect for the kids, while the grandparents could sit on the deck or beach and still be right in the middle of everything. The panoramic views of Lake Miltona are incredible, especially at sunset. The new walkout Sandbar Suite was a huge hit. It has beautiful log-frame beds, lake views from both windows, and you can literally walk straight out the door onto the sand. Having that extra space downstairs was especially nice with three generations staying together because everyone had room to spread out and relax. We also loved how private the property felt. It's on a quiet dead-end road in a really nice neighborhood, and every neighbor we met was incredibly friendly. There aren't cabins directly behind the house either--it backs up to natural woods--so even though you're in a neighborhood, it still feels peaceful, secluded, and surrounded by nature. It was great for the kids and gave us grandparents a little extra peace of mind with less traffic going by. Definitely rent the pontoon! We rented it for all 7 days and used it constantly. Every evening became a family sunset cruise around Lake Miltona. We'd get the grandparents, parents, and kids together, turn on some music, and head out on the lake. Those sunset cruises ended up being some of our favorite memories of the reunion. The pontoon is big and spacious, so it worked really well for our group. The new JL Audio sound system is fantastic, and the Sea-Legs made pulling up to the sandbar so convenient. Having the boat available for the entire week completely changed the experience--we weren't just staying at a lake house; we were out exploring the lake and making an adventure out of every day. The house itself was very well set up for a large family. All 16 of us slept comfortably, the kitchen has new appliances and plenty of space for cooking together, and we loved using the Blackstone for big family meals. At night we played pool and hung out together instead of everyone disappearing into separate rooms. The sauna and outdoor shower were another family favorite. The kids could rinse off right after coming out of the lake, and the adults loved doing a Finnish-style sauna experience--getting hot in the sauna, jumping into Lake Miltona to cool off, then finishing with the outdoor shower. It genuinely felt like having our own private lakeside spa. Samantha was also wonderful. Anytime we had a question, she responded within minutes and made everything incredibly easy. What made this place special wasn't just the house or the amenities--it was how well it worked for our entire family. The grandparents could relax and enjoy the views, the kids could spend all day on the beach and in the water, and we could all come together for meals, sunset cruises, sauna nights, and time around the lake. For a multi-generational family reunion, it's hard to imagine a better setup. We made memories here that our kids and grandparents will be talking about for years. We will absolutely be back!