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A cabin overlooks Lake Superior at Anderson’s North Shore Resort, an old-fashioned resort with 400 feet of Lake Superior shoreline.2 of 3
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Julie is flanked by daughters Carmen, left, and Chelsea, who help with running the resort whenever they can.3 of 3
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Anderson’s North Shore Resort owner Julie Anderson relaxes off the shoreline of her resort, which can be seen in the background. The resort is near Grand Marais, Minnesota.You know the spots, the small mom-and-pop resorts with cabins near the water with lots of heart but not a lot of fancy stuff. The owner is a hands-on sort of person who treats you and other guests like you’re old friends.
These places provide the getaway basics many people pine for: solitude, breathtaking scenery and the intoxicating sound of waves licking at the shoreline, lulling you to sleep.
We talked with the owners of four of these comfortable-fit resorts that hug Lake Superior – or in one case, its biggest tributary – to find out what keeps their customers coming back and what might be the future for such welcoming and longtime icons of lakeshore vacations.
Within our region, we’ve chosen one spot from each state and the province to sample what’s happening around the Big Lake: Anderson’s North Shore Resort, just northeast of Grand Marais, Minnesota; Peterson’s Cottages and Vacation Homes, a little more than a mile west of Ontonagon, Michigan; Royal Windsor Lodge on Lake Nipigon, north of Nipigon, Ontario; and Superior Rentals, 2 miles south of Bayfield, Wisconsin. Read what each has to say about their resorts, past, present and future.
Anderson’s North Shore Resort, Grand Marais, Minnesota
Julie Anderson has owned Anderson’s North Shore Resort since 1992, but it’s been the site of a resort stretching back to the 1940s. Before she bought the propery, it was Curley’s Resort.
“When I took over, I started from scratch,” Julie says, explaining that she rebuilt the business, putting up new cabins and installing a new well and septic system. Today she has seven cabins, but eight units because the newer building is a duplex.
“It just sort of surprised me. The business took off in leaps and bounds,” Julie says.
Anderson’s is less than 2 miles northeast of Grand Marais, just off Highway 61. When Julie was fixing it up, people would stop and tell her they were happy to see that the resort was reopening because they had stayed there before and loved the location.
What’s the secret to staying in business while having to compete with bigger, modern lodgings filled with amenities? “I think, really, it’s the personal touch for many of my customers. I’ve watched their kids grow up,” Julie says.
No doubt another part of the lure is Anderson’s 400 feet of Lake Superior shoreline and an accessible cobblestone beach. There are no phones, and the TV can pick up only one channel: PBS North.
“It’s only lodging and a great location. … The lake is the big draw.”
Julie says Anderson’s is an old-fashioned, simple resort. She also notes that she doesn’t take credit cards.
In summer, her guests tend to be families, and in the fall, Julie sees more couples on a getaway. She figures some people prefer smaller resorts year after year because “I really think it’s a case of familiarity. People call and say they want ‘their’ cabin. It’s kind of a home away from home thing.”
Her daughters were ages 2 and 5 when she bought the resort; today, Carmen is 20 and Chelsea is 23, and both now help manage the resort whenever they can.
Julie wants to retire one day, and maybe one of her daughters will take over the business, but that remains uncertain. “It’s a sweet little place and a great location,” she says.
As for the future of small resorts like hers, while Julie fears it may be “a dying breed,” it also seems that many people crave more simple lives.
“That’s kind of what a ma-and-pa resort offers,” she says.
Anderson’s North Shore Resort, Grand Marais, Minnesota. 218-387-1814, www.andersonscabins.com.