This past weekend during the first week of July, I had the immense pleasure and opportunity to stay at the Stout's Island Lodge for a wedding. Words and even pictures can hardly express the beauty of this 26 acre island. Surrounded by a huge lake, the island was covered in lush, green, nature with a few deer grazing and hanging around, fireflies at night (and mosquitoes of course...mosquito spray did hardly nothing to deter them lol), and the sun lighting up the sky well into the night. I had no idea what to expect and this trip has easily been one of the most memorable, fun and unique trips I've been on. The scenery is continuously breathtaking and all of the staff and people who work on the island went above and beyond with their hospitality, making sure guests were comfortable and enjoying themselves. The group I arrived with and I had luggage put on one boat and the rest of us gathered into a Duffy for a 5-10 minute ride to the island where we docked inside the big cabin, where we later played pool, ping-pong and enjoyed each others company. Our cabins were clean, with AC, and little amenities like an iron, coffee maker, hair dryer and a comfy bed to sleep in. The lake is only a few minute walk from the cabins any of us stayed in, as well as the middle area where we spent most of our time. The small dining hall provided 3 meals a day and there were so many games for us to play outside on the grass. Badminton, corn hole, footballs to toss, soccer balls, croquette and a chest filled with so much more.There was even a tennis court! There was a dock and little platform in the water you could swim out to, where many of us spent time during the hot day. They also had paddleboards and lots of towels! Some people paddled around the island too! The 2 night stay wasn't nearly enough time lol we all loved this place so much it was like summer camp for adults. Some of us wanted to make a pact that we should have other weddings here for our group because of how much fun we had together. The staff worked tirelessly, from setting up everything, serving food and keeping the drinks flowing amongst all the guests. To the girls at the bar, you ladies were amazing, the couple of blonde girls, the girl with the shorter light brown hair, especially the young lady with the beautiful, dark curly hair and stunningly bright green-blue eyes. A huge thank you to the older gentleman at the bar, one of the younger blonde guys who read our minds when we wondered where the restroom was, Ashton and the guys who drove us to and from the island. I'm so sorry for not getting all your names but just know guys rock and the wedding would not have been the same without each and every one of the staff. I will never forget ya'll. This trip was an absolute dream, I can't wait to come back here someday. read more

See all

The place is beautiful don't get me wrong. However, it needs a serious make over. I can understand the charm and rustic feel which adds some character to it, but definitely not a repeat trip for us. The service was not great. The number on their website is a hit or miss. You'd call 5 times to get someone to answer you once. Our room was not appealing. There was dust everywhere and the shower was frigid. The door to go out to a patio like area was not working- it stayed unlocked. You could hear everything in the cabin- ppl voices, foot steps, no courtesy quiet. The food was over priced - the breakfast was blah - hard boiled eggs, yogurt and fruit. If you wanted something more than that it was up for purchase. The only good food was the burger. The ferry schedule wasn't really based on the schedule that was provided. There was no TV in the room. Sad to say for a place with such potential it was seriously lacking . It's not worth the money $300/night for nothing read more

well... This time we stayed at SL3 room, Shared Lodge 3, and again, i love this Island and the history behind but i think it could be better! The parking lot still the same, dirty and dusty, garbage its right there full of flies, why not pavement? with some lights? a nice waiting room with water, coffee/tea? i know it cost money but it takes money to make money, especially when you are charging premium dollars for a room... They gave us a little map as soon we arrived, but a little placard signs the the rooms names and numbers would be VERY VERY HELPFUL!! This non locking policy its not very comfortable especially when you are sleeping... so please let us lock the door at least from inside.. The SL3 was a very nice and spacious room with a beautiful lake view, the lazy boy chair its falling a part and it needs to be replaced ASAP, the AC was noisy and moldy dirty, i complained to the Manager (Stefany) and maintenance came and fixed right away so thank you for that! The food was good but it took for eeeeeeever, about one hour since we order, so expect to be dinning for about 2 hours at least. Other than that, it was good but only 3 stars for now, hope next time i can give 4 again. read more

See all

My family gathered from around the country for a reunion on Stouts Island. The pictures did not do justice to the beauty of the island. The flowers and gardens were beautiful and the views were so pretty and peaceful. The lodge had such character that was impossible for me to capture in my photos. There was plenty to do and the staff was very accommodating. read more

Ridiculous that you have to pay a launch...and wait for it just to eat there! Got kicked off when we went there on our pontoon! No one is worth that rudeness. read more

It's been a while since my last visit to Stouts Lodge located on a small island in the middle of picturesque Red Cedar lake in Wisconsin but I'm happy to say it is as charming as ever. Take the ferry over (on the hour) and prepare to relax. There are a wide variety of different lodging options on the island; this time we opted for the newer shore lodge rooms. We had #3 (probably the largest room on the island) and #2. Pros: -our rooms in the shore lodge had magnificent views looking south across the lake and was very big -shore lodge rooms were a bit more up to date than others I've had on my 4 visits -the quaint restaurant is an pleasant as ever with nice food at good prices-enjoyed the orange salmon, walleye and chicken Marsala-and especially the chocolate mousse- be sure to make reservations for dinner and maybe even lunch -staff taking us back and forth on the pontoon as well as the office staff were very helpful and friendly-special shout out to Tim and Nate. -love the ever expanding collection of yard games including vertical golf, bocce, croquet, corn hole, badminton and more. -a decent continental breakfast is included with your stay (hot items available at an extra charge). -happy to report the property is as picturesque as ever with flowers and well manicured grass -be sure to take the nice walk across the bridge to the nature island-very serene. -no WiFi or TVs-you come here to getaway (although cell service was fine) Opportunities: -time to replace the bed in Shorelodge #2-had a bit of a back ache and some better pillows would be nice -surprised by the phone booth sized shower in Shorelodge #2 given the overall nice size of the room -I had never really encountered families with small kids here before-wish their was a way to segment the small dining room by have a family hour for those diners in high chairs that perhaps can't sit for an hour-spoiled a lot of peoples evening when we dined at 6:30 our first night Bottom line: while not perfect, Stouts lodge has a whole lot going for it and I'd definitely recommend it for a couple of nights read more

See all

This past Labor Day weekend I took the boys to a place called Stout's Island Lodge. We were in "Main Lodge 1" Arrival We arrived right around check out time to the docking area for the island. There were other people there but the signage and the information for this part of the process were not outlined online or there. When you are traveling with children, especially with only 1 adult, it would be very helpful to note these things for this location: Where to unload luggage - we unloaded in the gravel parking lot, dragging our wheeled suitcases through the dusty gravel, if it had rained I cannot imagine the mess. Check-in Desk - there was no one there to check us in. We boarded the pontoon boat with two very friendly and talkative young guys. My boys asked a million questions about the boat and the island. This alleviated the sour start to the check-in process. The luggage was whisked away and brought to our room! On The Island When I traveled to Little Palm Island they had a person that gave me the rundown of the island and its amenities. We didn't get any of that, we were led (pointed) to the Main Lodge and from there we were pointed as to where to go for our room. I had to google the Stout's Island map and amenities. The room (I don't know if it was just our room or its a standard at their resort) - did not have any of this information. Activities Badminton - this was not set up and was not available Bag Toss Bon Fire - this was a highlight for us in the evenings. It was really nice to grab a drink at the bar (soda for the boys) and do smores and hang out with the other guests (which smores ran out and lots of people were upset). My kids made friends with 2 different families! Night Crawfish Hunting - this is not a resort activity, this was an activity we got invited to do with a family as a result of going to the bonfire. I was nervous but then LOVED it! Fishing. This was really fun - Jacob had a broken hand so I had to bravely do the worms. HOWEVER, there was a VERY grumpy older man that worked at the resort that was mad that the kids were going through too many worms. None of the adults were fishing - the kids were catching and releasing little tiny fish. I am not sure what this man was concerned about the worm population. The resort provides the worms as part of the experience if they were tight with their worms they could charge for them after a certain amount or some other system. Hiking. Board Games. The resort had a good selection of games. Billiards. We tried out a game of pool. BUT the lighting in the boathouse is terribly labeled and it is incredibly dark at night. Restaurant. We ate at the restaurant for our dinners and breakfasts. The breakfast buffet was average. The waitresses did not seem to want to be there. I ordered off the menu the second morning and had to send my dish back for not being cooked properly. The chef was super nice about it and she turned that experience around with her personality. The dinners were good, we also met some of the same families we had met in the evenings. There was not a lot of variety on the menu - I felt by night 2 we had tried everything. Our Room We had a very spacious and bright room. We had a king-size bed, a bathroom with an antique tub and a large bathroom. There were a few things that, despite the price, should have been taken care of or improved upon. We had no hot water the first night. They sent over the desk lady who didn't know how to fix it. So we had to wait from 6 PM until 1 PM the next day. The hot water issue was underneath the building. Nothing was really done about this or the fact that our heater in our room didn't work. Further, the shower was extremely OLD and dated - but I think it was the "charm" and the bathtub had a streak of brown....which may be the water or rust..... The floor and area on the other side of the bed smelled faintly of puke. We completely avoided it and mentioned it to the cleaning lady. Nothing was done regarding that. NOTE: The doors on the rooms for all the rooms do not lock. Do not bring any valuables! And lastly.....for a room that is on the first floor (see photo) - there is a room right by the door to the building with an outside light on all the time - with no curtain or blinds. None of the blinds in our room worked properly. So it was like sleeping on a runway. (In The Photos It Is the Window Above The Window A/C Unit - it has a valance but no blinds and outside that window is the entrance to the lodge with a light - so a direct view into our room from that window for anyone going into the building and a blasting ray of light all night long) read more

See all

Excellent Food! Accommodations Comfortable! The Fireplaces in the Lodge were Spectacular!

I notice there are no remarks in 2019. I am sad to say I would never go back. The place needs a serious facelift! Dark and dirty inside the lodge. Food was overpriced and not cooked properly. Six of us and four people ordered the special. Which was a sirloin and shrimp. The steak was so over cooked. The shrimp were small and cheap. The cook brought out recooked steak and said " cut into it and tell me if its ok?" They auto bill the gratuity... not OKAY! It was sad because they have potential to do so much. It is a magnificent location and lodge. read more

My wife and I chose Stouts Island to host our wedding. From the ceremony to the reception our night was full of fun, love, and laughter. The staff did an amazing job from shuttling our guests to their rooms, setting up décor, and providing great meals. We hosted our wedding on a fall weekend in October. Though it was quite brisk, the lodging and the heated tent was more than enough to keep us comfortable. We look forward to coming back in the future to celebrate our anniversary's. =) Love KK&LK read more

Yes, this place is so beautiful and rustic. Filled with wood cabins, wildflowers, nature travels, and beautiful cedar lake. The service is pretty terrible. I was just at this establishment for a family wedding. We rented out the island for 2 days and the entire time it seemed like the staff was doing us a favor of us being there. They walked around with frowns, kicked us back inside our cabins when it wasn't too late at night, and they even had the audacity to search or attempt to search multiple people for 'illegal' items (WHAT??!!). Not to mention the breakfast of this bed & breakfast is not good at all. Barely cooked & basically nothing. This place is pretty hypocritical about what they preach here. One with nature, not really hence 'Island of Happy Days,' not at all. read more

Stout's Island Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Birchwood, Wisconsin

See all

I've been to Stout's Island Lodge twice now, once for our honeymoon in October and just recently for a wedding in June. The lodge is really rustic and scenic and great for both seasons. They are only open May through October when the lake isn't frozen because you need to take a small pontoon "ferry" to get to the island. The lodge offers a few different cabins to stay in, and all have a great, rustic feel. There are no TVs or phones in the rooms, which makes it easier to get away from every day life and really enjoy the beautiful scenery around you. The gardens are impeccable and the food is top-knotch gourmet. For entertainment, the lodge has canoes, kayaks and paddle boats; tennis courts; and boccee ball. They also have great nature trails that run around the island. read more

See all

My husband and I chose Stout's (site unseen by the way) for our wedding one year ago this weekend. I thought I had written a review back then but I see that I didn't! We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Stout's. The venue was absolutely perfect for our wedding- it was beautiful, we had wonderful service, excellent food, and Christine who helped us with all of our planning was on hand all year prior to assist with my many emailed questions and concerns. We had about 50 guests total and honestly we did not hear one negative thing from anyone. Everyone absolutely loved the island and said that they would love to go back. My husband and I are going back for our first anniversary this weekend (with our baby boy on the way!) and three of our guests returned earlier in the month with groups of their own. All in all, it was an amazing, magical, beautiful experience, not just for us but for our guests as well. If you're thinking about visiting or having your wedding there, you will not regret it! :) Also I should mention that multiple people on separate occasions said that our wedding was the best/most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. I'm not making that up! I can't wait to have another wonderful experience in a couple of days! :) read more

See all

All the adults in our party (6) checked emails and none could find any communication other than our reservation confirmation on August 29th. We don't show our dates cancelled on August 30. Possibly, it was on someone's list to do so and they were diverted to something else. It can happen. None of my review is to suggest that Stout's is anything other than a beautiful and peaceful location. read more

The service was terrible. Or more correctly, there was no service. My husband and I were greeted when we first arrived. After that for the next 2 1/2 hours we never saw another soul. The bar and dining area were deserted, even though lunch should have been available. The office said closed even though it was supposed to be open till 7 PM. We were there from 2:00 in the afternoon till almost 5 when we said we were leaving. The only way we got attention to get a ride to the ferry was by pounding on the closed office door and lo and behold two employees were behind it. And they didn't seem to care that we were leaving. I've never seen a bigger disconnect between what was marketed and promised and what the actual experience was. I should've paid closer attention to the bad reviews-they tried to warn me. read more

If you love the outdoors, backyard games, and horrible food you are in luck! Stout Island Lodge is a fantastic get away. We took a short boat ride out to the island provided by the staff free of charge. Once we were out on the island we were able to relax, play some lawn games and imagine simpler times. All that fun came at an expense and we needed to refuel. Good thing the island has a diner! We ran in to try and beat the lunch crowd. We were greeted by a sign that said wait to be seated. After a while a server came along clearly overworked due to the one other table that was seated. Once we got our table we placed an order for some vegetarian tacos because they don't have many options for non-meat eaters. After nearly an hour and a half our food finally was delivered. Unfortunately they seemed to think we said Chicken tacos and not Veggie. After another half hour they delivered the most depressing tacos we have ever seen, and may ever see, in our entire lives. I am still amazed I ate them but like I said before I needed something to fuel my body. I believe they charged us 10 to 12 dollars for the tacos that my dog would turn down. That was the worst meal I have ever had hands down. My wife and I still share the photo of our Stout Island Taco and laugh until we cry. Thank you for the incredible story and I am very glad I didn't get sick. http://i.imgur.com/KFFFpXe.jpg read more

Stout's Island Lodge - Vegetarian Taco for only $10!! - Hotels Near Me - Birchwood, Wisconsin

Love, love, love! As others have noted- it's a rustic place. In fact, it's a historic hotel!It's got a main lodge (with full service restaurant and hotel), a boat house, a handful of cabins, and a lot of great amenities- croquet, bocce ball, tennis, fire pit, swimming docks- just what you need to have a low key retreat. Stout's is on an island- you have to take a ferry to get there. It runs every hour, but since we were some of the only people on the island, they ran some special request trips for us. The guys were SO NICE. My cousin was having his 5th birthday and they took us on a "cupcake cruise" around the lake and even let him "drive." he was simple elated with the whole experience. As others have noted, no telephones, no TVs- but they do have decent wifi and cell service. My smart phone kept me well connected to the world without disturbing others. If there was one negative about the experience, it would be the food. Not it's quality (most of it was delicious!), but the price. But then again it is an island...you even have to make reservations for meals so they can get the proper amount of food/staff ready for meal services (breakfast is continental and complimentary though!) What I really enjoyed about Stout's was that it was large enough to find your own space, but small enough it wasn't tough to get around. Walking from one side of the island to the other took 5 minutes. The no locks thing wasn't a worry for us- it's very safe feeling and well monitored. The staff were simply fantastic. I'd recommend the place for weddings, family reunions, and other group or family events! read more

Stouts island is beautiful ! The water sports are a blast and the staff is so friendly ! However.. The Resturant. It saddens me to say that after years of coming here they have lost it. The sign says please "wait to be seated at the door". However there was no host. We started with the meat plate... Wurstteller..Our waitress's didn't know what was on it. The meat was poor quality and small quantity. We decided that we would tread lightly.. And ordered a salad. The tomatoes tasted like they were previously frozen and the dressing from a bottle.So disappointing. Our server informed us the had lost their chef mike of 8 years and this was the first year without him! Whoa! What a difference ! I hope that this review gives some insight to the owners to hire a decent chef. read more

Stout's Island Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Birchwood, Wisconsin

MY BASIC IMPRESSION: It is difficult to put into words the beauty and serenity that you enjoy on Stout's Island. It's relaxing and quiet, while at the same time can be both active and fun. The cabins are charming, the lodge is rustic and classy, and the island is well maintained -- and there are no TVs, which I actually appreciated. SERVICE: The service was fantastic. In reading other reviews from the past I was worried that it may be an issue but it appears that they performed an overhaul on their service staff because everyone was friendly, attentive and went out of their way to help and make us happy. The bartenders poured a stiff drink. Everything I ate on the island was delicious and I have no complaints about the food itself. In fact I would say the steak I had was perfectly seasoned, the burger was awesome, pancakes were very authentic and delicious, the pizza was perfect, and free breakfast, while being far more minimal than I would like, was just fine. My only note would be that it seemed to take an inordinately long time for food to arrive -- especially at lunch. We had a campfire and s'mores each night. I'm not sure if that was a part of our package or not but it was a very nice treat. They were pretty lax with our group in general regarding alcohol but that may not always be the case. Beers were $6 though and liquor was $7, and we were not supposed to bring our own to the island. We did of course. I read reviews below that claimed they were searched but I didn't see or hear anything about that. There is a designated smoking area which I thought was kind of silly given that the entire place is outside but nobody said a word about it until Saturday when the full staff was there. Though it was nice not seeing cigarette butts everywhere. GROUNDS: There are no shortage of water activities while there. We kayaked, canoed and did paddle boats quite a bit. They also have a clay tennis court and badminton set up, which is very cool to me. There is ping pong and a pool table over the boat house and croquet or bocce on the lawn. The gardens and Nature Walk were all beautifully kept, and there is a little private reading room on the trail as well. CABINS: We were in the farthest cabin from the main area. The place itself was great but water pressure was very low and our upstairs neighbors walked in tap shoes most of the time. A/C was cold and everything else was great. I was a bit thrown off that they don't allow door keys but we didn't have an issue since most of the island was our group. If you have trust issues, this may be a problem. CONCLUSION: I truly wish I lived closer because I could see this being a yearly vacation spot but I know it cannot be. I gave 4 instead 5 stars simply because the water pressure in our cabin was low enough that my wife had trouble washing her hair. I would have liked some tasteful directional signs back to our cabin as well since I did find myself lost at one point (late and buzzed). The slow lunch was actually a common complaint on the patio that I heard while out there but once it arrived, the food was great! The staff gets 5-stars alone. I miss it already. I was told by a little girl she did not find any Pokemon on the island. Good. read more

Stout's Island Lodge is a wonderful retreat about 2 hours and 15 minutes from St. Paul. This was my second time at the Island and it was even more beautiful with all the gardens than the first time I went in October for our "mini-moon"! The Island has a great setup for walking, canoeing and swimming. They also have bocce ball and croquet for use on the beautiful lawn. They have running water and electricity, but in order to make it more tranquil there are no TVs or phones in the rooms...I really like that part! The rustic feel and great lakeshore views combined with the relaxed atmosphere and good food makes this one of my favorite weekend getaways! This time, we were on the Island for a wedding. From a spectator's perspective, the services provided were great! Everything seemed to be well organized and ran smoothly. Whether you want to get away for a romantic weekend or want to have a group event (including a wedding), this is the perfect place for a relaxing, rustic and beautiful time! read more

Travel back to a grander time is what you'll do the moment you step off the ferry onto the Island's dock. Soak in the picturesque surroundings, the historical buildings and the feeling of tranquility. There is plenty to do if you want to stay active. Water sports, swimming, lawn games, golf, tennis and hiking the nature trails. Should you choose to relax and do nothing much at all there are many secluded seating areas nestled in the natural landscape where you can read, snooze or just take in the beautiful views. The restaurant serves gourmet, locally grown/sourced meals which absolutely must be sampled. This is a throw back to a simple age of summer vacations with those you care about in a setting that is one of a kind. We will be back again and again. read more

See all

My partner and I were married on Stout's Island in September of 2021. After visiting the island the prior year, we knew right away it was exactly the venue we were looking for. It's rustic yet elegant, and despite it being as small as it is, it seemed as if we had the whole island to ourselves. We knew the bonfires would feel warm, and we expected the scenery of Red Cedar Lake to take care of all the decorations ― but we really had no idea that everyone working on Stout's Island would be so wonderful, so complimentary, so fun, so ready to help. They took care of little details proactively, without even being asked. For example, I learned that one of their employees was headed home to make table runners for our Friday night dinner, and that another had agreed to making a very specific dessert upon my uncle's request. One of the decorative vases intended for the ceremony had broken, and I don't know how they did, but replaced it with something nearly identical. Problem solved! We didn't expect or ask for that kind of attentiveness but we're so grateful for it because we were truly able to be fully present in every moment. We heard over and over again from our guests how accommodating Stout's staff was. Every room is unique, and the community spaces are so cozy. We have friends planning their 2022 return, and my dad has decided that none of our previous family vacations reached the level of greatness that was Stout's Island Lodge. From meditative wanderings to bonfire debauchery, it was more than we could have ever imagined. The food was delicious! Stephanie was quick to respond to every question leading up to the wedding (I bet we sent her 32 emails), and always so kind and clear in communication. I seriously can't think of one not-so-positive thing to say. We are so deeply grateful for everything Stout's Island staff did to make the weekend so special. If you're looking for a unique destination wedding in the Midwest, run, don't walk to Stout's Island ferry landing. read more

Food was okay but service was poor especially the person taking the reservations and the pontoon driver.

Here's where rustic meets just enough amenities to make this a very unique place to stay. Peaceful, a place to disconnect and relax. Disconnect, because all but one room/cabin has TV and no landlines in the guest rooms. But then again, your cell will likely be operable, perhaps in "roam". Tennis, walking paths, nature trails, canoes, kayaks, water bikes and nightly bonfires. A pontoon takes you to & from the island on the hour. This is the perfect place for a solo vacation or romantic trip with your honey. For me, a couple days will do. Bring a book, enjoy listening to the birds and the view from an Adirondack chair on the south lawn. Many of the rooms have or have access to small refrigerators, so don't be shy about bringing a few things to hold you from meal to meal if you don't care to leave the island. A continental breakfast is offered each morning and if you chose to dine in the lodge for lunch or dinner, you will be very pleased with the selection and quality of dishes on the menu. A big part of the experience here is the staff. Every single person I encountered was friendly, welcoming and helpful. read more

Could be beautiful but I feel that the ownership did not have the right vision - instead it feels hectic, poorly managed, and a beautiful lodge goes to waste with tasteless interior decorating. I hope no other beautiful lake islands get swooped up by whatever corporate group runs this :( read more

The staff at the lodge are delightful and helpful. They are just so friendly; they'll give you ice for coolers, bring up your bags, and help you with any issues (though there really aren't any) with huge smiles on their faces. I completely recommend this place for a family event or a romantic getaway. read more

Beautiful But Pick Your Time Wisely (not mid-week, end of August). No doubt the place and the island are beautiful, but our stay there on a Monday and Tuesday night the end of August cut us out of several of the island's amenities. Our stay followed an all island wedding rental the weekend before which meant the restaurant was out of several items (e.g. only iceberg lettuce, breakfast "fruit" was an apple and two bad oranges. Likewise, being there the end of August found them extremely short-staffed (I assume much of there staff is college age who had left for school) which meant no one was ever in the office nor answered the office phone nor returned voicemails. Twice we tried to make dinner reservations (which were recommended) and eat on the patio but were told there was only 1 wait staff and they couldn't service the bar, the restaurant AND the outdoor patio, so sorry, no dining on the lovely patio. We also tried several times to schedule a boat ride on their special boat but were told there was no driver available. Again, the island is beautiful and we enjoyed celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary there, but feel the whole experience would have been much more up to par had it been on a weekend and earlier in the season so ended up feeling a little like we got a second class experience. read more

Came to visit a few weeks ago, was disappointed by the lack of up keeping of the island. More than half of our lights burnout in our cabin, even when we requested them to be fixed they never were fixed in our 4 day stay. The swimming docks were very dangerous because large sections of wood were protruding from the rest of the dock. If you stepped on one of these pieces you could be seriously injured. Many people struggled getting back on to the dock, because the ladders were outdated and not efficient. The nature walk bridge also had similar issues. The bridge was basically split into 2 pieces and if you fell into the crack you could be injured or possibly fall through the bridge into the water below. Over by the canoe and kayak area, the docks were similar to the swimming docks and the gear seemed very dirty. The lifejackets were not appropriate sizes. There were no signs with rules about wearing lifejackets while on the water also. The kayaks and canoes hadn't been washed out in years and a few of the paddles in the paddle closet were broken. Coming to the island my kids were excited to use these unique aqua bikes, when we got there there was only one aqua bike. My teenage daughters also wanted to go play tennis and couldn't find the rental for the tennis gear. They sat in the office for 20 minutes waiting for the Secretary (the owners wife) to acknowledge their presence. She had catty demeanor towards them and the other costumers. Surely to find out there was a chest of tennis equipment no where near the tennis courts. We had other friends staying on the island in separate cabins and we would spend the evenings at their cabins. By the time we left at dark, it was impossible to see the path back to our cabin. We had to use our flashlight app on our IPhones to see clearly. In the morning we visited the bread and breakfast that was provided. I bit into a hardboiled egg that was raw. There was only one waitress to clear the plates and refill all the food set out, something was always missing. Another person to help her would be appropriate. We also decided to eat out on the patio one night. We preordered our food knowing we had a large group at 10 am that morning. We sat down at 7:30 for our dinner, didn't receive out drinks until 8:30 and didn't receive our food until 9:30. My friend bit into her burger and it was raw and cold. Another friend ordered the pork chop and it was also raw. One ordered the caesar salad and it was a single grilled wilted piece of lettuce on some a pile of ceased dressing. Another ordered the other salad and it had lettuce with 3 nuts on top. Very disappointing and overpriced for the low quality meal. We were sitting around the fire and it was dark out, very hard to see because there were no lights around the campfire. An older lady didn't recognize there was a log pile and fell over it onto some glass cups. She had a very deep cut and her family scrambled to help her by running to the office for help. They brought her up to a sitting area, where the cook was the only one with somewhat of medical experience (an ophthalmologist) put gauze on her cut, and they didn't have a proper medical kit to they used masking tape to secure the gauze. We found out later nobody on the island was CPR or First Aid Certified. Luckily the older woman took her own boat across the lake and her family drove her to the ER for stitches. Very Scary. Overall it was an overpriced vacation and we were left unsatisfied and disappointed. read more

The turn of the 20th century is so hot right now. So obviously I had to make the trek out to Stout's Island to take in a little piece of the Wisconsin Lumbar Industry history. In the 1900's Frank Stout, one rich mofo from Chicago, decided to build a summer home for his family on an island in the middle of Red Cedar Lake. The first iteration had an issue with beatles, so he was like F this shizz, tore the whole thing down and rebuilt it with cedar logs imported from Idaho. Which cost a measly 1.5 million in 1915 dollars. They also constructed a barn and main structure on the 'mainland' which a family friend once owned and I think as a child I may have accidentally peed in their pool and blamed it on the dog (sorry Patt) That, however, I do not believe is open to the public. Anywho, the lodge now plays hosts to a variety of beatiful rustic cabins and hotel rooms as well as a pretty damn good restuarant by NW Wisconsin Standards. I droppped by for lunch and had the Stout's Burger (beef, egg, bacon, chimichurri, and a whole lot of win). They also have a recreation room area that has a bowling alley in it, one of the first in Wisconsin, if I remember correctly. Overall, the place is worth a visit and would probably make for a great wedding venue as well. I believe they're LGBT friendly too as I met a gay couple who own one of the cabins on the island on my ferry ride over. PRO TIP: Reservations are required since they're on an island and have to plan food rations accordingly. read more

We recently found out that Stouts Island lodge was taking reservations for dining. This place is amazing, what a wonderful piece of history right in our area. We went over for dinner one night. We arrived early for our reservation which gave us time to walk around a bit and enjoy the scenery. The food and the service was fantastic, the bar service not so much. Since they were lacking a bartender we really didn't spend much time in there. The big down side to the whole evening was when we went to leave the evening had cooled off a bit so the boat driver said that we were going to take the enclosed boat across until this young kid came down and insisted on taking the other pontoon over, which was open, and he insisted that he was going to drive, even tho he told us that he was the head office person. That kind of put a huge damper on the whole evening. So we had come from a cozy warm dinner by the fireside to a very cold ride over. We would love to go back again, but the whole ending and the kids attitude was really a turn off. read more

This was our 5th trip and will not be the last. By far the Best drive-to getaway from the twin cities. Food/rooms/service all top shelf.

The food was very good. The disappointment was in the lack of knowledge of the waitstaff. We ordered a starter cheese tray which was appealingly presented but the waiter couldn't accurately explain what the cheeses were. The waitress was equally lacking knowledge. When asked if the strawberry cheesecake had strawberries in it or was a sauce on top, she didn't know. So, great food, great atmosphere, but don't expect a lot of expertise/knowledge from waitstaff. read more

I would give this lodge 5 stars but the restaurant needs some major help! This was my first time at the lodge with a crowd cut deal. The accommodations and feel of the island is magical,beautiful, historical & very relaxing. I love the idea of no phones or tv's in the rooms. We had a nice cabin with a small kitchen and screened in porch. We enjoyed the water bikes, canoes, tennis & nature walk. The restaurant however is very disappointing. For dinner it was overpriced for the quality of food we had many issues with food either being overcooked or served luke warm at best. Breakfast is included - but very skimpy. If I was paying over $200 a night for a room I would expect a little more than coffee, yogurt toast & cereal. Perhaps they could step it up a notch if they want repeat customers. I would recommend if you have a kitchen in your room to pack some food to cook & skip the dining. read more

I spent the weekend with some friends. The location is nice but the food was horrible. I had 5 meals and actually had to send back the food on 3 different occasions. I normally am very passive but after a few days, I actually went into the kitchen to see what was going on as my steak was so rare I could not even cut it - the kitchen was flooded and a bunch of teenagers were cooking - very disappointing. The lodging was fine but the food and quality of service during the meals was so bad, I can never recommend this to anyone. read more

Don't believe anything you see on their website. Stout's Island Lodge is very run down, with buildings, grounds, amenities, docks, and bridge in disrepair and overgrowth. The waiting room of the decrepit building at the parking lot reeked of an odor of which I couldn't tolerate. We had to stand outside in the rain with no covering. While the staff, for the most part, was very personable, helpful, and kind, a few were sullen or downright nasty, such as the maitre'd who told us the dining room was booked full for 6:00 and that we would not be allowed in if we wore shorts (even though the website and other information stated casual dining on Monday evening). He gave us information different from the manager and chef (and other published information as stated), who we encountered when we wanted clarification. When we arrived for dinner at 6:15, only 4 tables out of about 20 were being used and shortly after we were seated, a couple in shorts were seated. The food served in the dining room was outrageously expensive which meant we had to schedule our lunch and dinner in conjunction with when the ferry (pontoon) would leave and return. The 4 oars available for boating (one rowboat, by the way) were all different lengths, and one wouldn't fit in the oar slot. Only one of the water bikes shown on the website was available and it was in poor condition. We looked forward to kayaking and brought our new life vests with us but the few kayaks that were available were plastic, similar to kids' toys, and in disrepair with broken seats or no foot holds, and very dirty. One dock was in pieces and the walking bridge to the nature trail was split in two. Although our room was fairly clean, cobwebs covered the corners and ceiling, and dirt was visible in the corners of the floor. The screens in our screened in porch were covered in webs and had holes that were stuffed with tissue. The miniatures of soap, shampoo, and conditioner were not replenished. My husband spent hours researching resorts for us to relax and enjoy nature. While one can relax and enjoy nature on this island, you might as well save a lot of money and anguish by going camping in a tent. read more