I kissed an Eelpout and I liked it!…read more The 33rd Annual International Eelpout Festival was such a blast, no idea why it's taken me so long to make the journey. One of the best descriptions I've read about this festival is: "New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Munich has Oktoberfest and northern Minnesota has The Eelpout Festival" . . . nuff said? nah. . . The festival spans from Walker City Park to Chase on the Lake resort and literally attracts thousands of people from all walks of life. From rugged looking bearded Minnesotan men sporting full animal pelts on their heads to young ladies walking around in shorts, mid-riff shirts and snow-boots. It's a great place for people watching. There's something here for everyone. Leech lake is large enough that those serious about fishing have plenty of room to spread out and get away from the rowdy festivities. However, if rowdy is your style, you'll find tents on either end featuring live bands at night and plenty of slip and fall dancing. Chase on the Lake's tent sponsored by Miller Lite was by far the most impressive of the tents featuring a bar made from ice, sculptures for taking icy shots to complete lunacy of kissing Elly the eelpout to Nailspielen aka Hammer-Schlagen to bull riding (BTW, it would be amazing if someone could make an eelpout to ride). You say you want to ride a helicopter? Well, guess what they have that too along with bikini ice fishing, a polar plunge and eelpout curling. If you want an idea of what you're in store for, just check out Google images. This quaint little festival has also been featured on The Tonight show as well as CNN.

When we pictured this festival, we pictured a glowing white landscape with happy ice fisherman…read morefrolicking about, harvesting eelpout a plenty. What we stumbled into was far from what we imagined. We showed up to get set up well before the opening tournament angling time of thursday at 5pm. As soon as we arrived, we were warned of a "little water" creeping onto the ice. No bid deal we thought. Come saturday morning when we traversed the 3 foot deep trench of water that used to be our access road, we were told to consider leaving. Going back out to the shack, gathering what we could, and then getting out of there for good. We had caught exactly zero eelpout at this time, and saturday is supposed to be the day of all the fun events listed on the festival schedule! So we stayed. They cancelled most of the events throughout the weekend the time that they were supposed to begin and without any real announcement other than through word of mouth. The well organized website gave us false hope that this event was actually run by someone who wanted it to be enjoyable and not just a money grab. From what I can tell 7 teams actually weighed in eelpout. That is out of 8,000 people that they announced over the loudspeaker at the festival. Now don't get me wrong, some people suck at fishing, including myself, so i'm not really here to bitch about how good the fishing was as that is not entirely relevant. What disappointed us the most was the lack of organization and or safety. From the time we arrived, no-one could tell us how to register for the tournament or where to turn our drawing registration papers in. And people were also mostly dickish about it as well. There were people who were blackout drunk flailing around in 4 foot deep water without supervision, which is pretty awesome under 99% of circumstances, but at 3am in -5 degree weather it becomes the problem of any half sober human that walks by and then they are also covered in water in -5 degree water and so on and so forth. What this all comes down to is that the people organizing this event knew FULL WELL that it should have been cancelled weeks before, but they just wanted the money from it so badly that they just piggy backed it along the whole way until they got every last penny out of it they could. Cancelling events at the time they are supposed to happen one at a time to keep giving people hope that at the very least the entertainment value that they were promised was just around the corner. I'm pretty sure the Jesus has stopped messing with any other irons he had in the fire and is now solely dedicating his time making sure anyone who had the authority to cancel this festival along with monetary ties gets face cancer, AIDS, and hemorrhoids. Also he told me he is going to make sure their children are born retarded. Don't shoot the messenger.

I've spent summers in the area since childhood but never stopped into the museum until recently…read more It is full of very interesting information about the local area and its history. The volunteer on duty was friendly and welcoming, and we found we had some commonality regarding where we'd lived previously. This museum is worth a visit!

I stopped in via Time Travels, which this museum appears on their list. This is a national chain of…read moremuseums that history buffs can visit. When I arrived no one was at the desk. When the "cashier" finally came around the corner, she said, "Can I help you?" with an incredulous tone. Hmmm? Why else would some one come into a museum. I said, "I am a member of Time Travelers and you were on their list." She snapped, "I've never heard of them. It's $4 dollars to view the museum." Again, with the rude tone, which is too bad. The price was certainly cheap enough. So standing in the doorway of their one room "museum', I decided I had seen enough. It's really too bad when staff "shuts the door" on potential customers.

Great movie theater while visiting up north. On the smaller side with only four screens but very…read moreclean, comfortable, with a very unique, rustic up-north charm. They always have the hottest movies playing so you don't have to worry about limited choices. There is a fun private viewing room for birthday parties or larger gatherings that is very cool to do, it is super affordable and we have done that when we have larger groups. Food prices and ticket prices are pretty reasonable for a movie theater. Just outside of Hackensack, it makes for a great option for those rainy or snowy days!

Poor service, server was not friendly. Sat us down and asked for our drink and it took 10 min for…read moreour drink and we are the only people in here. She also wouldn't split that tab.

Great prices for beer and great feel--huge bar and tons of seating. good mix of locals and…read morevacationers looking to unwind. Good music and good times abound. Just a fun hang out if looking to grab a drink before dinner or before heading somewhere else.

Great custom flights, all the wine options were expertly described & the owner,the Mrs, in this…read morepartnership was super helpful explaining all the varieties. Provided one in the party with a superb NA option - Blackberry wine & lemonade. Look for this winery at the MN State Fair. Outdoor patio an exceptional spot to enjoy the weather & the flowers & garden area.

Our annual trip to Walker is never complete without a trip to Forestedge! The owners remember us by…read morename and it's always a highlight! Tucked away, this spot offers a tranqual retreat to sip lovely fruit wine. They have a tasting room and a patio that can support small to medium sized groups. I always recommend starting with one of their pre-set flights, which give you a great idea of their various flavor profiles. Each flight is sorted by sweetness, which leaves something for everyone! The Paul Bunyan Jazz is my absolute favorite, so I usually move on to a glass of that after my flight! Don't forget to take a bottle or two home with you as well!

Love this place! Several family members and I stopped in here while walking around the adorable and…read moreunusual shops of Walker. Lovely paintings, jewelry and other works of art are sold here and all are beautiful. I could have dropped a fortune in this place. Prices are relatively reasonable considering almost everything is hand made. Definitely stop here if you are visiting Walker (and you should!) Great little town and awesome stores.

Once a convenient local theater, now belly up. The building is for sale. Area residents will now be…read moredriving thirty to seventy miles for a film.

Great movie theater while visiting up north. On the smaller side with only four screens but very…read moreclean, comfortable, with a very unique, rustic up-north charm. They always have the hottest movies playing so you don't have to worry about limited choices. There is a fun private viewing room for birthday parties or larger gatherings that is very cool to do, it is super affordable and we have done that when we have larger groups. Food prices and ticket prices are pretty reasonable for a movie theater. Just outside of Hackensack, it makes for a great option for those rainy or snowy days!

This is my favorite shop in Walker. It's a gallery/art supply/ gift shop rolled into one great…read morestore. The owner is a fantastic artist and very friendly and helpful. I always find something unexpected here. It's located one block off the main drag. (By the VFW and the big parking lot) Check it out!

Such a welcoming shop with beautiful artwork, handmade jewelry, pottery and modern Scandinavian…read moregifts, accessories and art supplies! I went in looking for a sketchbook and came out with a new turquoise blue coffee mug, a scarf and a wish list a mile long ...oh, and I got my sketchbook! There is a lovely selection of original artwork, prints and blank greeting cards. I did also pick-up a couple of cards that featured the paintings I was admiring. We only visit Walker a couple of times a year but now I may have to make extra visits specifically to stop at the Peculiar Painter!