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Oh, come on, you know you’d love winter warmth in Ottertail, MN! Visit here for a Minnesota “Lake Town” experience. Yes, it’s not a large town, but be prepared for a warm welcome. On this trip, my primary focus was attending (and writing about) the Ottertail 100 Snowmobile race. It happens on frozen Ottertail Lake. Ottertail Lake is the largest lake in Ottertail County (but one of over 1,000 lakes in the county!) Fishing is a “big deal” in the area, both winter and summer. (By the way, this is a somewhat informal post to provide a link to the Shrpa.com posts I did immediately after my visit here. Of course, I love visiting the area since it’s home! Although I left at age 18 and never lived in the county again.)
By the way, you don’t say “Winter” and “Warmth” in the same sentence in northern Minnesota, unless you are talking about the people!
Here’s more about my time in Ottertail. If you are interested, here’s a link to a post from a few years ago about driving the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. I’ll include links to most places in this post with an appropriate internet presence. Here’s a link to more about tourism in the county. Ottertail Lakes Country Association.
Did you know that blogs are typically reader supported? So, buy me a hot chocolate! Or not!.
By the way, this post is here because I visited in the winter and it’s now the following summer when I’m putting this together. Ottertail is a great place to visit in winter, spring, summer,, and fall. If you read this, you are interested in visiting Ottertail County, have visited, or want to learn more about the area, especially during winter. 😊
On a personal note, both my mother and father grew up on farms in the area. I grew up in Ottertail County, about 30 miles from here, but still in Ottertail County. My parents bought a farm there a year before I was born. As kids, we came here to visit family. We heard much about Ottertail growing up. It still feels like a place where I used to spend time.
Ottertail 100 Snowmobile Races
Here’s the setup for the two-day racing event. COR Powersports sponsors this and several other snowmobile races in Minnesota during the winter. (One of them is in Upper Michigan, but still…) Although I did have an assignment to write about the race, no one there seemed to know anything about it. However, they go along if you act like you belong and confidently ask for whatever you need!
Saturday dawned cloudy and cold, but not as cold as Sunday! Sunday brought snow and colder temperatures. By the afternoon, the snow stopped, and the temps started dropping, along with a gusty wind. The wind chill reached -20 F by mid-afternoon. You’ll see a few pictures that make it look like fog, but that’s the fine snow in the air. Tell me again why I “Love Winter Warmth in Ottertail?”
The snowmobile races were fun! However, it’s northern Minnesota in January. On Sunday, wind gusts got up to nearly 30 MPH. The wind chill got down to -20 F. If you aren’t from this part of the country, that’s very cold. If you are from this part of the country, that’s still cold! So, how do you learn to love Winter Warmth in Ottertail when the temp is that cold?
Want to see a shop for my road trip photos? You can have them printed as wall art or puzzles. They also work on coffee mugs, t-shirts and more! So, take a look. Maybe you'll see something you will like!
The races ran from 9:30 each morning until about 3 PM. The last race ran approximately 100 miles, that’s 10 laps, with the track roughly measured at ten miles per lap. Yes, Ottertail Lake is large enough for the track! The winning times were about 68 minutes, so the average speed was over 60 MPH. This is likely faster than you think for snowmobiles, but they are designed for racing.
Here’s a link to “backstage” at the races.
Here’s a link to races on the second day to show how the field looked with the wind and snow. It’s not fog; it’s blowing snow.
Here’s a link to more pictures and videos on Shrpa.com. I took photos and wrote the story for it.
Dinner places in Ottertail
I visited three dinner places (and ate) during the trip. All are delicious, although you may notice that I had burgers all three nights! Although I like burgers, I don’t typically have them THAT often! There wasn’t a place to have a burrito! The Williams Company did serve breakfast burritos, but I couldn’t fit them into my schedule.
Here’s a link to my post on Shrpa.com. It contains information on Marge’s Diner, The Williams Company, and The Otter Supper Club and Lodge.
Friday night at the Woodshed Bar & Grill.
The Wood Shed Bar and Grill stands on the western edge of Ottertail: good food and a pleasant atmosphere. While there, a server asked me what brought me here. When I told them I was a travel writer, they got me a tray of appetizers, but I had already eaten and couldn’t eat much more! Here’s the link to the restaurant’s website.
Saturday Night at Thumper Pond Resort
It’s a cold winter day and it’s already starting to get dark. The place is the Thumper Pond Resort. The restaurant inside is called Willy Ts. Again, good food and an excellent atmosphere for a relaxing dinner at the lake. Here’s that link again for seeing the area and finishing your day with dinner.
Thumper Pond Resort is part of the Thumper Pond Golf Course and recreation area. The resort stands in a forest that has since grown. I believe the trees were planted about 50+ years ago. Golf, fishing, and boating in summer, snowmobiling and fishing in winter! Here’s a link to the resort’s water park, where your family can enjoy the facilities. Here’s the link to Thumper Pond Resort and Willy T’s restaurant.
Sunday Night at the Otter Supper Club and Lodge
The Otter Supper Club and Lodge is another option for dining and lodging. I stayed here on my visit. (They comped the stay!) Interestingly, the stay can be completely free from interaction with any staff. They sent me the electronic key via text, and check-out was the same method. If you need any housekeeping items, feel free to contact them, but you can also text them.
However, the downside of that is that I locked my phone in my room on the last day! Fortunately, I remembered a conversation at Marge’s Diner about a connection between the diner and the lodge. I drove over to the restaurant, and one of the servers rode back with me to open the door and retrieve my phone, allowing me to complete my checkout.
I skipped the picture of dinner as you’ve probably seen enough burgers! If you want to see more food, here’s the link. The website includes Marge’s Diner as it shares ownership.
Breakfast & Lunch
One breakfast included pastries from the Ottertail Bakery. They were good! Not healthy, but good! Here’s the link to the bakery.
For the other two days, I had breakfast at Marge’s Diner. That meal was excellent. They served unique omelets and offered an extensive breakfast menu. The people at the diner were very friendly, talking with me about their town and my role. One of the servers helped me get into my room when I left my phone. Here’s the link to Marge’s Diner.
Snacks and Gifts
This historic building now serves as the home of The Williams Company. This building is over 100 years old. My mother worked here when she was young when it was a General Store. (No, they didn’t sell Generals! You have to visit the US Military Academy at West Point for that.)
I had to have some ice cream while visiting!
And, of course, here’s the link.
Ottertail History and Things to See
The church is over 100 years old. My parents got married in this church. It’s St. John’s Lutheran and it’s still in operation. The other two images are about history. Ottertail City lost the County Seat to Fergus Falls in 1872. My mother told us that the people from Fergus Falls stole the courthouse records and moved them to their town. According to research, that’s an urban legend that has been proven wrong many times but persists in some circles.
But history does show that the initial town (Ottertail City) was on the lake. The railroad built tracks two miles away from the lake. Businesses relocated to the new city, now called Ottertail. The population shrank from over 1500 to about 200 over the years. Finally, about 50 years ago, Ottertail Lake shore lots became a highly sought-after commodity. The city then annexed land back to the lake, and as a result, the city has grown. However, the current population is now approximately 650 people, serving a larger population area around Ottertail Lake and other lakes in the vicinity. The dining and lodging options in this post and others bring tourists to the area for fishing, hunting, golfing and snowmobiling.
Here’s a link that provides some background information and details about other current locations in Ottertail. Of course, you can learn to Love Winter Warmth in Ottertail!
And just in case you want more information about Ottertail.
Classic Rock Recollection
“Cold as Ice” by Foreigner
You’re as cold as ice
You’re willing to sacrifice our love
You never take advice
Someday, you’ll pay the price, I know
Written by: Mick Jones / Lou Gramm
#thedrivebytourist #the-driveby-tourist #visitottertail
