My wife and I and 4 other couples are looking for ideas for New Years Eve. We would like to find a resort in northern MN or WI that has a full restaurant and bar with entertainment. We have done the Brainerd lakes area in MN and the Cable area in WI for many years and would like to try something different. Any ideas? Of course we would ride during the day but would like to enjoy the bar and entertainment at night without having to drive all over.

Thanks,

Winter Warlock

Try Thumper Pond www.thumperpond.com in Ottertail MN. They have a good bar and always have some kind of entertainment for New Years. Nice clean resort with pretty good food. Trails are awesome when they have snow. You can ride right out of the resort. I go up thier 2-3 times a year. Its worth checking out.

You can try the Lutsen area. They have good entertainment and you can ride right from numerous resorts in the area.

Crane Lake, Orr and the rest of Voyaguers National Park is amazing, always have snow. many resorts and lodges

Bents Camp in Land O Lakes, WI has nice cabins, nice restuarant and bar and is right on the wisconsin / Michigan border for great snowmobiling during the day.

http://www.bents-camp.com/

Ash Trail Lodge. Good place to start and also to end the night.

I have a house on the Lutsen Ski Hill Rd. in Lutsen, MN. It is 4 tenths of a mile from two resturants and bar at the ski hill base. The snowmobile trail is 3 tenths of mile from the house. Here is a link if you would like to check it out. http://dancingbearslodge.com/Home.html

The Big Powderhorn Ski Resort area just across the border into the UP from Hurley is a popular choice for all the things you're looking for. Fantastic sledding and at the end of the day--several great food/cocktail/entertainment options right there and all you have to do is call the free Powderhorn shuttle bus to bring you to/from any of them from 8:00am to bar close!

http://www.upnorthlodging.net

I highly recommend the Lake Vermillion area. There are tons of resorts on the lake and not very crowded. We have spent New Years there and had a good time.

The lake is normally staked around Christmas and you can ride in just about any direction; north to Voyagers, northeast to Ely, south to Grand Rapids, west to Orr.

The casino (Fortune Bay) has everything you are looking for. The rooms are nice and normally pretty cheap.

You should really consider The Bluff http://www.thebluff.biz/index.htm in Rockland, MI. Matt the owner is a great guy and will point you to all the fun stuff in the area. If you are dead set on MN try Betty's Cabins in the Silver Bay area. Lot's to do in the area. http://www.lakesuperiorcabins.com/

Try the Gateway Lodge and Resort in Mercer,WI> located on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. Great bar, food, new cabins and houses. New Years music. www.thegatewaylodge.com

Pinehurst Lodge in Northern Mn is fun. great trails and full restarant/bar. Small village, but hub of riding area, so fun place, and would be a nice crowd New Years eve. For larger crowds, Shooting Star Casino is 20 miles to west. not as good of trails, but more people for night life, if you like the noise of casinos. To the south 30 miles is Detroit Lakes, Mn home of We Fest.

I would also recomened Brents camp in Land O Lakes if you ride the Cisco chain you can be in Upper Michigan in under 30 minutes where you can ride to Watersmeet. Lake Gogebic or up to Silver city by Lake Superior or head west on trail 2 to Hurley Wisc. http://www.bents-camp.com/

Here is an idea for you: The Eastern and Central time zones split Lake Gogebic almost in half, you can ring in the new year at the Hoop and Hollar in the eastern time zone on the north end of the lake then jump on your sleds head down to the Gogebic Lodge and ring in the new year once again in the central time zone on the south end of the lake. The Gogebic Lodge has nice accomodations. This is in MI about 25 minutes north of Presque Isle WI. it is a fun night and you get to include the sleds! WARNING EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL AND SNOWMOBILING DO NOT MIX...

a little alcohol and excessive snowmobling don't work either