We started what I hope will become a yearly tradition by going to Grand View Lodge in Brainerd, MN over the New Year’s holiday. I absolutely love this place, it’s about a 3 hour drive for us and oh so worth it. There is so much to do on the property, we had 4 nights there this time around and it was great. I could have easily stayed a few more days tho 😉

Everett ended up getting sick (again – this winter has been brutal on little E man) while we were there so we really didn’t partake in as many activities as I envisioned but it was still a really great time with family. We did manage to make it to the pool to bring Everett swimming for the first time and that was a lot of fun + adorable. The kid pool was a little too cold for him but they had a “warm tub” (similar to a hot tub but the water is warm making it kid-friendly) and he really loved floating around in there.

I wish I would have taken a million more pictures than I did but I felt like I hardly had my phone on me the whole time we were there, which isn’t a bad thing at all, just made it hard to capture some of the everyday moments.

Carriage rides, ice skating, sledding, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, golf simulator, beer and wine tastings, outdoor hot tubs and the spa are some of the winter activities available on property. Next time we will do more and if I’m lucky I’ll be able to talk Wes into making another trip there before the winter is over!