Local Flavor in Battle Lake

Minnesota’s Otter Tail County appears as a large square on the map—with a small notch in the top left corner, and there’s plenty to explore: Fergus Falls hosts the Central Lakes State Trail; Maplewood and Glendalough State Parks provide abundant opportunities for hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, and paddling; Ken Nyberg’s whimsical sculptures draw curious visitors to the small town of Vining; and if you’ve ever enjoyed Barrel O’Fun chips, your taste buds have already taken a trip to Perham.
In the land of 10,000 lakes, Otter Tail County is the big kahuna with a certified 1,048 bodies of water-more than any other county in the United States.

Battle Lake, a sub-1000 town on the shores of its namesake lake, was our home for a weekend of exploring, and we were headquartered at the Battle Lake Inn, where we enjoyed a smooth, contactless check-in. A four-digit access code came by text, and since we didn’t need to stop at a front desk, we headed straight to our room, where two can coozies and a personal note from owner Katrina were waiting. The Double Queen room had everything we needed for a comfortable stay: two beds, a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, a mini-fridge, a microwave, coffee maker, and a desk. The cherry on top: The inn was within walking distance of the public beach, lake access, shops, restaurants, and bike trail.

We moved in and then sauntered over to the Boathouse on aptly named Lake Avenue, where the maritime interior set the mood for the weekend, and Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell was playing over the speakers. It had a warm, rustic charm with its blue walls and weathered oars, buoys, and maritime flags.

While we waited for our food, we watched out the window as a parade of Crestliners and Alumacrafts , towed behind trucks, began to trickle into town. Surely, excitement was building for Saturday’s fishing opener. 
Jen’s boathouse fries were a crazy affair of French fries, cheese curds, and bacon, topped with cheese sauce, my French dip sandwich hit the mark, too.
On our walk back to the motel, we noticed that Battle Lake’s main street had a bit of flair and colorful mosaics adorned benches and buildings.

Our night wasn’t over yet, and we visited Beach Bums, which was just a short distance up the road. The name fit, because the vibe was definitely beachy and the sign promised “Aloha with a touch of Minnesota nice.” In true beach bar fashion, of course, some patrons had arrived by pontoon boat. The party was pumping inside the tiki-themed bar with people excited to hit the water the next day and comparing notes. We opted for one of the picnic tables on the spacious patio overlooking the expanse of Otter Tail Lake and couldn’t resist the call of a two-person fishbowl drink. We sipped our giant Sex on the Beach while the sun went down and made it back to HQ before dark.

We mounted the bikes early and started our ambitious Saturday itinerary with a roll through the drive-through at Perks Coffee, where we picked up our fuel for the morning. We took our breakfast sandwiches and coffee to Art Alley. What used to be just a short, utilitarian passage between buildings has been transformed into a public space with sidewalk art, murals, and benches, now guarded by the arching metal body of Rusty, the Fish. It was a perfect place to sit and go over the plan for the day one more time. The weather was shaping up to be wonderful, and we hit the trail in a high mood.

The Glendalough Trail access was right across the street from the motel, and a short, three-mile ride later, we entered Glendalough State Park. Before becoming a state park in the mid-1990s, the nearly 2,800 acres of elm and basswood forests, open fields, rolling hills, and pristine lakes were managed as a natural wildlife preserve. Originally owned by Fred Murphy, publisher of the Minneapolis Tribune, the park offers miles of scenic trails around Sunset, Molly Stark, Annie Battle, Blanche, and Emma Lakes. An additional two miles of interpretive trails highlight the region’s prairie heritage and its cultural and natural history.

Our path took us through the grassy hills of the park, where the first prairie violets were making an appearance in the brittle stalks of last year’s growth. Soon, these hills would be teeming with a million blooms, but things were just beginning to wake up. After a short jaunt, we passed the trail center and bike rental shop, then tucked into the woods surrounding Annie Battle Lake. We weren’t the only ones taking advantage of a nice spring day in the woods and followed the ribbon of trail that gently weaved through thick stands of budding maples. We zipped past Glendalough’s yurts, and after another mile or so, popped out of the park on the trail along Highway 16 and circled back to the park entrance.

We locked up the bikes and took a short walk on the Prairie Hill Trail, which gave us great views of the grassy knolls of the west side of the park and both Molly Stark and Annie Battle Lakes. From our perch at the scenic overlook, we spotted fishing boats, bikes, hikers, and cars full of visitors rolling in on the main park road. Clearly, word had gotten out that Glendalough State Park was a great place to spend a nice, sunny day.

By the time we rolled back into town, we were actually a little warm and needed to cool off with a shake at Lakes Country on Main, where owner Katie Molter made us a couple of healthy smoothies. The athlete in us appreciated the fact that our Butta Finga and Salted Caramel shakes were packed with extra protein. Right next door at Lakes Locker Room, owner Sara Faaaliga helped us pair the perfect design with our favorite garment, and 20 minutes later we walked out with two custom souvenir t-shirts.

Neverbetter on Lake Avenue was our lunch destination. The restaurant serves a healthy mix of salads, grain bowls, panini sandwiches, wraps, homemade soups, smoothie bowls, and juices with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and, given all of these options, it took us a while to pick out a meal.

Jen had the Neverbetter bowl with pineapple ginger garlic chicken on rice, and I took the Grinder sandwich, which was packed with a variety of cold cuts on rye bread. We sat in the window seat and watched the goings-on. The streets were quiet, likely because everyone was on the water fishing, and I overheard someone talking about how people were lining up at a local boat landing before midnight, itching for that first cast. I had a chance to talk with owner Sara Boyum, and she shared the recipe for the in-house-made pineapple ginger apricot sauce that was on Jen’s bowl.

We went on to browse the downtown Battle Lake stores. At The Market we found gifts, home decor, and gourmet treats. Next door, at Funky Farmhouse, upcycled and handcrafted gifts and decor filled the shelves, with a twist, as the name implied. Here, we learned from a dish towel that happiness tastes like cheese dip and margaritas.

The local art co-op, Art of the Lakes, was a gallery and showroom where individual artists share staffing the store. The selection ranged from photography to metal, glass, and textile art, and we added a wonderful piece of wall art to our cart. Chelsea Pacifica Boutique’s very small space, was filled with dresses, tops, sweaters, rompers, and jumpsuits for women, but they also had a great men’s collection, and I found a winner.

At Paul’s Metal Petals, sparks were flying in the shop, and the showroom was filled with whimsical welded art made from recycled flatware. There were drunken dragonflies, tipsy toads, and a variety of other decorations made from old silverware, even a life-size replica of a pangolin, formerly a drawer full of spoons. Who knew eating utensils had such an exciting afterlife?

It was finally time for dinner, and ABC Brewing was the place to be. The brewery got its start in Ashby, MN (hence the A in ABC), but moved to Battle Lake to meet demand for their beer in a larger space. They’re now firmly rooted in Battle Lake, serving more than a dozen varieties of brews, including seltzers and an alcohol-free version of their AAA Harvest Amber.
They’re known for their wood-fired pizza, and that was the first delicious thing we smelled when we walked in. Mama’s Sausage pizza was our choice, and we retreated to their awesome outdoor seating area. We sipped our drinks and chilled out under some genuine Minnesota Palms, a variety with built-in speakers that grows only here.

It was time for the next itinerary item. Big Fish Kayaks sells and rents water toys like inflatables and kayaks, but they also do a brisk ice cream business. The lines were long when we picked up the two fishing kayaks we rented for the afternoon, and while they were getting things ready for us, we browsed the huge selection of outdoor furniture and finished our cold treats.

Lake Ethel was only a couple of miles away, so it was the perfect spot to try our hand at some fishing, too. It had become a little breezy, so we stuck to the bays and kept casting. As usual, the fish had other plans and did not jump on our hooks as we always hope. Lake Ethel is small, only 190 acres, but we chose it for a reason. Turns out the attempted fishing was just an excuse to paddle across the water and land at 1910 Sip House. This macro-scale cidery has been around since 2020, and owners Karen and Jeff Lees live in a house on the premises. The tasting room was made from round steel sections used for circular grain bins, but the industrial look stopped there, because the rest was finished with wood from a 1910 barn that once stood on the property.

While the inside is great on a rainy day, the party was happening outside in the courtyard filled with casual seating. An old pontoon served as a stage, and Robb Justice and his acoustic guitar served up his own rock, blues, and country songs. “It’s all pretty simple; it’s small, and that means we can be hands-on,” Jeff told me. We could have sat there forever, comfortably slouched into our Adirondack chairs, sipping our delicious Spicy Virgins, which were cold, mulled ciders. It was the perfect ending to a busy day.

At Lake Ave Cafe on Main Street, owner Phil Link was running the show on Sunday morning. On account of Mother’s Day, he said, he had given his wife the day off and was seating, cooking, serving, and bussing a busy dining room by himself. The no-fuss menu was written on a board by the entrance door; we made a selection, sat down, and watched the crowds trickle in. Even a full house couldn’t rattle Phil, and our omelet and breakfast sandwich arrived soon after we ordered.

We had a long ride ahead of us, so we stopped in at the tiny Esprésso coffee shop for a little extra help. Owner Jarren Hill started this venture in the new Hatchery Row Apartment development when he was still in high school with money saved from a part-time job, making him the area’s youngest entrepreneur.
We ordered our customary coffee with a shot of espresso, which was called a J-shot there. Jarren said the name came from his own love for the drink, and when he found out he had just served two people with a J name, he said, “Only J-people order this, I swear.” Of course, we had to have a pastry, too.

We were sufficiently pumped, got on the bikes, and hit the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. Jen and I are no strangers to this 150-mile scenic route that connects many of the area’s points of interest. Back when our legs were young, we biked it over the course of a week and saw countless lakes, climbed rolling hills, and crossed the Continental Divide once or twice.
As soon as we started pedaling, it all came back to us, and we conquered the ten miles to Vining in record time. This tiny town of 88 is an official stop on the byway map because of the passion of construction worker turned sculptor Ken Nyberg. Clearly a skilled welder, he transformed ordinary scrap metal pieces into art that can be found in and around Vining and Otter Tail County. A good part of his work is displayed at Nyberg Sculpture Park next to the Bigfoot convenience store (named so for Nyberg’s larger-than-life sculpture of a big foot, which features a bent toe as a seat for posed souvenir pictures).

The list of pieces at the park is long, but a few stand out, like the 20-foot pair of pliers with a cockroach in its jaws and a near life-size elephant made from lawnmower blades. It’s one of those special places in Minnesota, and it’s always fun to just sit back and watch people pull up and get their first look at this quirky mélange.

Vining’s Purple Palace has been around since 1970 and has built a reputation for fried chicken. The heat was building outside, and we were ready to take a lunch break in the air-conditioned dining room. Our food came out quickly and disappeared just as fast, and we’re happy to report the reputation still stands.

For the way back, we left the main artery of the byway and pieced together a wonderful route that took us through the heart of lake country on paved and gravel roads. We passed between East Battle Lake and Stuart Lake on a narrow sliver of land and rode through the unincorporated community of Nirvana. Each time we get on our bikes to explore off the beaten path, we’re amazed at what we find, and the backroads of Otter Tail County were no exception. Rounding the eastern shore of West Battle Lake, we knew the town of Battle Lake was waiting for us across the water. It was only six miles away, as the crow flies, but we had a little more than that ahead of us.

Serendipity struck when we rode past an inconspicuous tan shed and noticed a lit open sign in the window. We found mother and son Brian and Carol Jacobson seated in lawn chairs waiting for customers. In conversation we learned that what was once Carol’s late husband’s store has turned into Pixie Woods Antiques, which celebrates 30 years this year. We took one look inside and knew that it would be a while before we moved on. Inside the large shed, row after row of shelving creaked under the load of a lifetime’s worth of collecting. It’s probably easier to describe what wasn’t in this assortment, which can only be summed up as “if they don’t have it, you don’t need it.”

Soon after we left Pixie Woods, we passed Glendalough State Park and hopped back on the Glendalough Trail into Battle Lake. The winds had been ferocious all day, but, somehow, they had worked out in our favor until the last couple of miles. Our tachometers showed 28 miles exactly when we returned to town for a glorious finish.

After a weekend packed with discovery, outdoor adventure, and unexpected treasures, we headed home feeling both exhilarated and completely relaxed. From bike trails that wind through prairie and forest to local art and warm hospitality at every stop, this corner of Minnesota delivered an unforgettable blend of natural beauty and small-town character. Whether we were casting a line, sipping cider, pedaling scenic roads, or swapping recipes with a local chef in a downtown eatery, there was always a sense here that time slows down just enough to truly enjoy it. In a place with more lakes than any other in the country, we found the real depth was not in the water, but in the experience.