Great 9 hole course with a fun clubhouse. Laid back. Pro shop items offering Waggle, footjoy and…read moreVice items... they also have some older loaner clubs available for use. New management as of 2026. Pizza snacks and full bar at clubhouse available

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

Drove 4 hours to get there and SO WORTH IT! After a fun morning of ice fishing, we went on a 50…read moremile snowmobile adventure with Jim and it was EPIC! Very highly recommend.

We Rented Snowmobiles from Lossing's in Babbitt. The staff was great to work with, they answered…read moreall of our questions. In addition, we got basically brand new snowmobiles. They told us they order new ones every year. The trail started right across the street from their store, and we were able to spend a full day on the trails in the area. There wasn't a lot of snow, so the trails were a little bumpy, but we just slowed down a little and our family had a blast.

We have been coming here all the way from AZ for over a decade,great fishing on a beautiful lake…read more Best part is the owners who make you feel like family and always super helpful. Love this place it's our family's happy place

We do an annual guys fishing trip and try a new lake every couple years. Spring Bay Resort was the…read morebest we've been to in years. We had a group of 10 guys and stayed in Reece's Lakeside Cabin. The cabin was a good size and included bath towels, hand towels, wash clothes, etc. Previous resorts we've been to didn't include these. In addition, having a washer, dryer, and dishwasher was helpful. The best part of the resort is the customer service provided by the entire staff. Whenever we needed something, they were quick to help. We were met at the dock after one fishing session by Dennis who was just out there to see if we needed help with anything. The easy access to bait and fishing knowledge of the lake was helpful in making our trip more enjoyable. Oh yeah and we caught a lot of fish!

Piragis bookstore was a great place to browse. Quiet, well lit with lots of interesting unknown and…read morealso known titles. Books seemed thoughtfully chosen; a good nature section and kids section. Will return!

Was in town, shopping for souvenirs. I probably should have purchased the hot sauce they were…read moreselling, but at $6 a bottle, I thought it was overpriced. I would have been thrilled if you could get all 3 bottles for a discount, but that wasn't happening. They have a ton of t shirts for sale here. We picked up one for Ely, MN for about $25. They have a men's side and a women's side. The women's side had a ton of apparel. I found a cute shirt and shorts on sale. The fitting room is right there by the stairwell. I love a good sale. These times were not for Ely, they were just hiking/camping brands of clothing, but that's ok. A lot of the women's stuff was fairly plain. The back of the store has restrooms, art, and camping/fishing supplies. The front of the store has weapons and shoes. In fact, the gal who makes the moccasins was right there in the store, putting them together in real time! It was so cool to see how she was manipulating the leather. We did not take the stairs up to the second level; it appeared to be more of a bookstore up there. Parking is on the street.

State park with the best beach in the Midwest! Sand and pines, family and pet friendly!read more

Best state Park in Minnesota, with best swimming beach anywhere. The sand soft and u can walk out…read morelike 2 and a half blocks. The water is like bath water on a warm day. They have new shower building and new beach dressing house.

This was a highlight of our vacation! We visited last week and everyone there was amazing. With the…read morecurrent wildfire conditions the staff and volunteers were extra busy with questions and phone calls but they never seemed overwhelmed and we felt very safe while visiting. The interns were all very knowledgable and I really like that they each give an educational talk about topics that interest them and relate to the bears in different ways. I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. The gift shop is great too, lots to pick from and it is all very reasonable priced. We would love to go back someday!

We were told it would be open memorial day weekend. That was not true. We drive five hours and stay…read morein a hotel -- after confirming it's open multiple times. And it's closed Sunday. And Monday. This is the second year this happened. First Miss last year was our fault. Missed it by a few days. But this time they screwed us. Not going to try again.

Great 9 hole course. Well maintained and was in beautiful shape. Staff was friendly and very…read morehelpful. Would definitely recommend playing here if you are in the area.

This course is 2 minutes from downtown Ely. The people are very friendly and accommodating. I was…read moregolfing by myself and wanted to get in. They worked me in a half hour ahead of when my tee time was and I hooked up with a woman who turned out to be a great guide on the course as well as another friendly long time resident of Ely who filled me in on the history of the course. It is a membership course, not a country club. They built and maintain the course and make improvements every year. It is interesting enough to be challenging and very beautiful, even though it was fall and was suffering from the drought that browned it up. The greens were in excellent shape. Fun little course. Ask for it, There is no sign pointing you there from the highway.