A must see if you enjoy learning the history of the area you are visiting. Nice little info…read morecenter/museum along side the cabin, the cabin itself and family cemetery. Read the story of Abby Gardner's tragic past of her family massacred by Indians and she held hostage. She returned to the area later and founded the museum.

The Gardner Cabin was first known as one of the sites of the 1857 "Spirit Lake Massacre" and later…read morebecame one of Iowa's first tourist attractions. The Cabin is located just outside of the Amusement Park and is an interesting reminder of one of Iowa's tragic Frontier events. Here you can learn the dramatic stories of Abbie Gardner and the Dakota leader, Inkpaduta. The State Historical Society of Iowa owns and preserves the Gardner Cabin and Museum, which has been restored to its 1856 appearance. The park's visitor center features artifacts relating to the period, the European-American settlers and the Sioux. Legends and ghost stories related to the events are recounted still. Psychics have told of contacting the "friendly" spirit of Abigail Gardner. Other people claim that after a visit to the Gardner Cabin, furniture and other belongings were rearranged at their homes. Beside the possibility of receiving some new home decorating tips, I like visiting here as I love history, it reminds me where I'm from, and I enjoy a short break from all the resort activity.

This winery/bed and breakfast should be on a list of romantic places to stay. The wonderful staff,…read morebeautiful rooms and excellent wine selections should make this place a definite go to for your and your spouse!! A pleasant little gem in northwest Iowa. The breakfast was very elegant and delicious.

Within the 16 gap since my last review, Gayle and I have stopped in a few times for wine tasting,…read morewhich has improved over time. A few weeks ago, we joined a high school friend and his wife on Friday night for Dinner and a Show. My friend loves this place and was staying here for the weekend. It was more like a fancy suite. This place also happens to be a long walking distance to my friend's childhood home in Superior. The food was OK, service was friendly and fast, the white wine was very good, and the band (who played a medley of popular songs) was a lot of fun. It was a great kick off get together in front of our Estherville High School 50th Reunion (Class of 1974) on that Saturday.

The Dickinson County Museum in Spirit Lake is located at an old train depot. And if you look in…read moreone direction, you can see where the tracks once ran. When I was growing up in NW Iowa, I remember the old Rock Island, which in Estherville included a roundhouse, offices, and tracks running in all major directions. These days, much of that track is either gone or abandoned (including the old main east - west line between Estherville and Spirit Lake. On the other hand, Iowa has done an admirable job turning some of these old rails to trails and preserving some of the heritage in museums such as this. As with the Emmet County Museum in Estherville (which also features a number of other historical buildings), there is a high "stuff" factor that eventually overwhelms you. However, you eventually find a few little references to what you liked about life here that you can hold dear. A more interesting approach is to engage the volunteer docent in conversation. You might get more than you asked for, but in my own case the guy ended up being someone who had done business with my Dad and knew about our family.

A great representation of Dickinson County history --- one piece of several efforts to share and to…read morepreserve local history. Good tour for middle school and up....... Information from towns, current and past. Everyone will find something they like.... whether as a large piece of history -train car or covered wagon, or a document, letter or photo. Take the time to tour, to volunteer or to donate. Great place.

The Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum is located next to the Amusement Park and also contains an…read moreIowa Welcome Center and a Gift Shop. The Iowa Rock n' Roll museum and the Queen II Excursion Boat are also a short walk away for those who want to experience a historical Lakes "trifecta". And when I stopped by a few weeks ago, there was also a Victory motorcycle rally and exhibition in progress, which made this area the central place for a lot of interesting things see and do. The Museum itself contains historic memorabilia of the Iowa Great Lakes, which includes Spirit Lake, Big Spirit Lake, and both Okoboji Lakes. It has on display restored wooden boats, historical photographs, and other artifacts. Multimedia presentations have been developed to illustrate the nautical and ecological history of this area of Iowa. Premier exhibits include the Old Okoboji store, a resurrected wooden boat and hundreds of riveting photos of past lakes area vacationers. I'm now old enough to have seen some of these historical exhibits outside of the museum! And when I look at old Fun House pictures of the Sugar Bowl, I wonder how I escaped injury! The other interesting learning experience are the stories of all the water craft that sank on West Okoboji (e.g. #30 Boat), and those of which that are still down there. And every summer that I return, I learn something new.

First time came here on Sunday!! we looked around to find some info and the area events, then we…read morelook around the museum!! I recommend this place and friendly staff!!

My stay at Wild Rose was 5 star. The employees were all welcoming and showed great hospitality…read more They have a great selection of new and exciting games to play. The hotel room was very nice and most importantly it was very clean. I will definitely be staying at Wild Rose again.

This casino you do not want to go to if you are colored because they discriminate on your skin…read morecolor. You will not be able to win jackpot $10,000 not even $2000 if you are colored. Many colored people have been going there, and their name has not been called For promotions or get any money that is $2000 and up if you can even get $2000. Most of the time I can only get $50 and if your color your tier will drop quickly as you got it. If you're not colored regardless, how many times you come there you'll always keep your tier And you'll always sit down and start running bonuses and jackpot. I do not recommend any colored people. Any color people go to this casino. This includes Hispanics Africans Micronesian and Black people.

Hoyt Luithly Field is where the local High School (The Mighty Midgets of Estherville Lincoln…read moreCentral) plays football and hosts track events. It has also been used for Community gatherings such as welcoming our Troops home. The Stadium is named after Hoyt Luithly who was a local High School teacher and Coach. I never met the man, but his wife Ruth was one of my more memorable teachers. When you live in Small Town Iowa, the main thing to do on a Friday night is attend the High School Football game, either at the home stadium or down the road in Spirit Lake or Spencer, and always with a huge Booster Club of fellow students and parents. It's warm during the early games and cold when the season finally wraps up. In between is a huge social scene and relative mild community rivalries. My own experience here was as a fan, as a football player for one season (and that fumble that I almost snagged for a sure touchdown), and a shot putter on the track team. And of course there was teenage angst and a feeling that there was something bigger out there.

Love this place! We go every year. The fall festival is great. Pet the goats, jump in the bouncy…read morecastles, play in the kids corner, pick your pumpkin, hay ride, slide, story teller, maze, scare crow making and so much more to do with the family! Before you leave you have to get an Apple Cider Slush! Yum!

Gayle and I happily returned to A Piece of Work this summer. The place looks a little more filled…read moreout and there were plenty of new items that caught my attention. I ended up with a really nice forged metal frame, another piece of Bogenrief glass, and a handsome money clip piece from Bladesmith. There were also a few bonuses this year. We were here for the 1st Friday Art Walk and then a week later the place was happy busy during Spirit Lake Days. I also got to meet Perry Polson (handsome wood pieces) and Dan Ruf (photography) and chat about their work. Of course the biggest plus abut A Piece of Work is finding so much great art at a fraction of California prices.