please recommend a family resort on whitefish chain

we are looking to stay on the whitefish chain this summer and are looking for a recommendation on a family resort. we would love a beach, pool (option) and kids activities. we prefer smaller, family resorts over the big resorts. does anyone know about heath%26#39;s resort? thanks for your help.

please recommend a family resort on whitefish chain

Wow, I have the perfect place for you, Driftwood Resort on Upper Whitefish Lake. It%26#39;s one of the oldest resorts in the state and one of the very few medium-size full-service resorts, which means it has a lot of amenities and serves meals but hasn%26#39;t turned into a sprawling, impersonal, country-club type place.

There%26#39;s a small pool, beach, nine-hole golf course and lots of charming activities for kids, including pony rides every day.

It%26#39;s been run by the same family since 1959. My kids and I went there one Labor Day weekend and had a blast even though the weather wasn%26#39;t so good: midwestweekends.com/plan_a_trip/stay/lodges_…

A lot of the families who run these resorts do it for love, not money, so I%26#39;m really hoping the recession doesn%26#39;t do them in, because they%26#39;re already disappearing fast.

Beth at MidwestWeekends.com

please recommend a family resort on whitefish chain

Thanks for your note. We visited driftwood last year for dinner and were wowed by the charm. I went to check into staying their this year and it is closed for the 2009 season. Any other ideas are greatly appreciated.

Man, that%26#39;s really bad news. That place has been going since 1902. Okay, the other place you can try that%26#39;s somewhat similar is Lost Lake Lodge on Gull Lake in Nisswa. It%26#39;s well-known for excellent food. I%26#39;ve eaten there but haven%26#39;t stayed there, but I know someone who always did when her girls were growing up and loved it.

Way way back when I was in high school I worked at summer at Piney Ridge Lodge on Upper Whitfish. I know it has changed a lot since then and gone through several owners but form the web site it still looks like it has the things you are looking for without losing some of the small resort feel. It looks like the old cabins are still there but the lodge has been rebuilt/replaced.

http://www.pineyridge.com/

What a summer that was. A typical day was...

5am - Haul in wood for the lodge fireplace %26amp; start it

5:30 - Feed the horses

6am - Haul gas mix down for boats down to the dock

7-8am - breakfast break

8am - organize bait and minnow tanks and feed dead minnows to the barnyard ducks, feed the chickens, goats and sheep too.

9am - start mowing around the grounds (afer 10am around cabins)

Noon - on hour lunch

1-3 Mow the chip %26amp; putt golf course

3-4 clean fish house - bury fish remains

4-6 Clean boats or clean fish (for tips)

6 dinner and officially done

evening...available for baby sitting until...?

then do it all again the next day

Not sure if the horses or barnyard are still there. The golf course has expanded greatly.

I agree with Sequim88. I stayed there quite a while ago. Quiet, family place. Low key golf course. The only downside that I remember was that it was a long way down to(and up from) the beach, and it was nothing special.

I%26#39;d check it out.

There is an island about 2/3 the way across the lake straight out from PR that had a nice little sandy beach. Great for a picnic spot.

Was the incline elevator/lift still operational for getting to the beach?

Yes, the beach part was(is) small but the resort is not so large that it would ever be busy. The pool patio was always where people would hang out instead.

Another summer duty I forgot. Drain the kiddie pool and hand scub with bleach once a week. That was sure fun! ;)

Towering Pines Resort on Clamshell Lake. It%26#39;s owned by a friend of mine. Small resort on a little bay of the main lake. She still has openings for the summer.

www.toweringpines.com

Hi Mplskillian,

It is getting harder and harder isn%26#39;t it. Driftwood has closed for the season with some ill feelings between the generations of owners. David Heath still has a nice resort but not sure about the pool. A classic is Black Pine Beach Resort with a great beach and amenities, but no pool. Boyd Lodge is in the midst of a conversion to private ownership but still have some nice condos, fantastic beach and pool. If you can go without the pool, I would book Black Pine Beach.

Good luck.