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  • Jeremy Dewall

    Sing along to an acoustic show from Jeremy Dewall with your friends and enjoy a glass of wine! Frisco Burgers are the specialty.

  • Old Arnolds Park Hotel

    Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ LEGACY OF THE ARNOLDS PARK HOTEL Wesley B. Arnold was no dummy. He saw that with planned railroad land coming within yards of his house that overlooked West Okoboji, there would be some opportunity coming to town. When workers began arriving to perform grading and build the trestle…

  • Garlock Slough

    Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This small water body is part of the Iowa DNR’s Garlock Slough Wildlife Management Area on both sides of Hwy. 86. In the distance to the north are the Jones Beach area—once a popular resort area originally called Milford Beach — and Pocahontas Point, settled by vacationers from…

  • Abbie Gardner Cabin & Museum

    Historical information provided by Daughters of the American Revolution and State Historical Society _ Originally from Seneca, New York, the Rowland Gardners, nine members in all, came to the Spirit Lake region by covered wagon in 1856. In 1857, amidst rising tensions between Native Americans and new settlers, 13-year-old Abbie Gardner’s family was killed by…

  • Old Central Emporium and Arnolds Park Depot

    Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ This early photo shows the Central Emporium dance hall with its walkway shortly after the turn of the century. Zoom in and note the Arnolds Park train station to the right. Not long after this, a hotel was built on the grassy area in the foreground. For over…

  • Terrace Park’s Casino Ballroom

    Historical information provided by Jonathan Reed _ In the days when dancing was all the rage, Terrace Park’s Casino Ballroom claimed to be one of the most popular night spots in northwest Iowa. Opened in 1923—the same opening time at Arnolds Park’s Roof Garden Ballroom, ironically—the Casino offered nightly dancing, a bathhouse for changing into…

  • Freda Haffner Kettlehole State Preserve

    Information provided by The Nature Conservancy _ This area contains geological formations known as kettleholes. Historically, these were formed when giant blocks of ice from glaciers fell off and melted, making large bowl- shaped indentations in the ground. These unique geological formations make this preserve one of the more popular in the state. It often…

  • Cayler Prairie State Preserve

    Information provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources _ Standing on a vista overlooking the expansive Cayler Prairie, it’s easy to imagine bison – the icon of the open prairie – at home on this historic area. The 1,200-acre rolling prairie complex in Dickinson County, a short three miles west of West Okoboji Lake,…

  • Camp Foster YMCA

    The oldest YMCA camp in Iowa Camp Foster YMCA is the oldest YMCA camp in Iowa. Under the name Iowa YMCA Camp, Camp Foster was started in 1912 in Iowa Falls by Leonard Paulson. Paulson, Secretary of the Iowa YMCA, enlisted the help of Thomas Foster in finding a permanent site for the camp. In…

  • Path Less Traveled

    Path Less Traveled Take your time.  Enjoy the journey.  Take the path less traveled. Set yourself on a leisurely pace as you navigate the Iowa Great Lakes.  With Path Less Traveled guide you can learn about unique Iowa Great Lakes Area history and see a few sites that many people have forgotten! Download Printed Guide