Once Upon A Time
We’ve owned these wonderful cabins for a little more than a year (which somehow seems equally long and short). We’ve had some humbling experiences. Going to a boat show at the convention center where they had no boats to sell (but would love to take your future order). We realized new linens and bedding for 11 cabins were delivered in 50+ full sized moving boxes (so sorry, PR UPS delivery team). Moving furniture from one cabin to another only to decide we liked it better in the first (or the second or the third location). Ice off the lake on MOTHER’S DAY! And yet, we did it. All of it.
More Boxes On A Rainy Day - May 2022
Last May the lights were back on at Wambolts after 15 years of quiet. The cabins housed tons of friends and family who showed up to help us get ready for guests. The cabins were once again filled with people, laughter and a sense of opportunity. This May, we’ll still have plenty going on, but now we know a little better what to expect (any bets for ice out?). We invite you to join us this year as part of the amazing renewal.
We created this blog to update our friends and family on cabin projects, community events, and any current promotions or openings (alongside the social media snippets on Facebook & Instagram).
But also with this blog, we will begin to tell (or in some cases retell) the story of Wambolts Cabins. Consider it a love letter from the past to the future - it’s for you - but it’s also for us. To help us remember where we came from, the effort, energy, sweat, tears (of joy and frustration) and everything in between. Our purchase of these cabins on a frigid day at the end of one year and the beginning of another was done with love, ambition and a sense that we were writing the first chapter of a new story together as a family. And we think it’s pretty epic.
If you’re wondering what we did in 2022, it was a lot (phew)
We welcomed more than 170 families/guests in our first summer.
We partnered with Nicklasson Construction and Itasca Log Restoration to preserve Cabins 1, 11, 12 and 15. We were able to move them, pour new foundations, and replace them in their original, historic spots on the water.
All the rotted logs on the cabins have been replaced, and 11 of the original cabins have been sandblasted. This will ensure the cabins will last for another 100 years.
The historic beach was renovated in July.
We added two upcycled shipping container cabins just south of the original log cabins, but set back so they are not visible from the historic portion of the resort. These opened up in August of 2022.
We hosted our first wedding and prepped the property to be able to host large events.
Both our historic cabins and the container cabins were featured in the book Up North: Getaways of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Our social media presence has grown quickly - more than 1300 followers on Instagram and nearly 1000 on Facebook.
We were featured in the Park Rapids Enterprise in the front page article titled Wambolts Returns.
We completed our first hiking trail - named Beginner’s Luck - so guests can explore nature without leaving the property.
We added three pontoons, a fishing boat, eight canoes, 2 paddleboards and Paddle North rafts.
We added 200 feet of dock space.
But this year we’re already working hard:
Cabins 1, 11 (we combined 11 and 12 into one rented cabin), and 15 are getting new kitchens, bathrooms, air conditioning, and windows. They’re available for rent!
The sandblasted cabins will all be treated and stained this spring making the cabins look brand new (but also old).
We will finish landscaping the beach, the area around cabin 1, as well as the areas around the container cabins.
We will add 4 RV hookups.
We will complete the hiking trails on the property to include an additional mile of trails with signs, periodic benches and a nature scavenger hunt.
Cabins have been sandblasted and are ready for new stain.
Thanks for being part of Wambolts Cabins and helping us write the next chapter of this crazy adventure...
