I love making up anonymous, invisible people who are dying to ask me questions at the end of each post, it feels rather satisfying. Maybe someday, I will not need to invent such people and they will be less rude to me, too. Until then, I am held captive. “Alright, I’m dying here. My anniversary is less than two weeks away and I haven’t made reservations anywhere! Shut up and tell me what to do!” Fine, I will. (I like to refer to celebrating an anniversary because I feel it is an honorable and worthwhile thing to celebrate and should be taken seriously by all who commit, so there.)

Now, you must make some reservations and quick because a town like Walker is ALWAYS busy, especially on weekends and you better be prepared well in advance. Winter, granted, slows down a bit. But not too much, so stay on your game! There are four larger hotels in the area and two smaller motels along with one Bed and Breakfast. During the summer months there are also a TON of resort cabins and things of the like if you so prefer. But I will focus on two of these locations. One is The Country Inn of Walker, one of the “larger” hotels. And the other is the B&B called Embracing Pines.

I happen to know that The Country Inn is by far the best and most wonderful place to stay in Walker. The staff is amazing, led by an amazing manager, they will go above and beyond to make their guests feel happy and comfortable. They recently have completed renovations that they are very excited about! The rooms have new paint, new furniture, new drapes, new bedding, new amenities, new carpet and new LOVE (from you!). They are KNOWN for their cleanliness, friendliness, their amazing deluxe continental breakfast, their 24 hour cookies that they bake themselves, their comfortable new beds and their 100% devotion they give to their guests. I love this hotel! And you will, too! It is set right off of Leech Lake, one lonely block is between the two. Second floor rooms offer a lakeside view. They have beautiful suites, including first floor Jacuzzi suites and let me tell you those Jacuzzi’s are BIG! All in all, its just a wonderful place to stay.

Now, I have to give a shout out to the B&B Embracing Pines as well, because I advocate all of my favorite local businesses and I can’t leave them out. I LOVE a B&B. My husband and I stayed in one in Thunder Bay and ever since then, I am apt to seek them out whenever we travel. I was thrilled to see we have one in Walker! Well, it’s not right in town… but only about a 10 minute drive at the most. The scenery is amazing. The rooms are quaint and lovely. I haven’t stayed here, yet. I am hoping to soon though! They offer a shuttle to and from the trails, they have all sorts of activities to share in and they have a great website to check out. I have met the owner, very nice guy and you can see reviews on their site as well. It just looks fabulous! Either way you decide to go, you can’t go wrong.

“Alright, so we’re staying at The Country Inn…and it’s great. But we don’t want to stay inside all day, what are we supposed to do now??” Just stop whining, and I will help you!

www.WalkerCountryInn.com
www.EmbracingPines.com

That’s right, people, The Boulders. Someone in my last post asked me a question, “Where can we go for a nice, fancier, anniversary dinner?” Granted, it was myself who asked that question however I would tell myself the same thing I would tell you. Go to The Boulders.

When we moved here over two years ago, we would drive by The Boulders every single day. For about three months I thought it was a landscaping company who sold large rocks. Their signage is unfortunate. Right next door to them is a company who makes Log Homes, and they have the exact same sign it seems. Big red letters in what seems to be the same font. So most out of towners that I have talked to, think The Boulders is a landscaping company, as I had previously thought as well. It’s not, it is a fantastic restaurant. When I found out that this location was indeed an upscale restaurant, I wanted to try it immediately. Then two years went by. I got fed-up. We made reservations, for November 5th. Our golden anniversary.

We got dressed up and were feeling pretty fantastic ourselves. We walked in, at last…I was seeing it from the inside! I was impressed! Low lights, fancy bar, tables set with beautiful linens and dishes. The staff was highly professional and exactly what I wanted to see. It was a Thursday night and I was surprised at how busy it was and also surprised to see that no one really dresses up anymore. But I didn’t care, we looked like we belonged there. The sweatshirts and jeans galore looked out of place for a restaurant with much class.

We started with a martini off of their extensive martini menu. I had NEVER ordered a martini before in my life, being sure that I would be disgusted by them. What do you know, I loved it. From what I could tell, it was made perfect. And they were not outrageous, only $8.00 each for a large cocktail! We ordered the crab and artichoke dip with pita chips. Ok, the name of this appetizer does NOT do it justice. It was a meal in itself. The pita chips are deep fried and hot and the dip is warm with cream cheese…sooooo….yeah! DELICIOUS! Let’s move on to the entree’s. I ordered the 3 Cheese Baked Macaroni (I am a sucker for this dish) and my husband being the quirky man he is, ordered the Penne Jambalaya. Yup, they have Jambalaya. And even though I didn’t try it, he gave it a 5 star rating. I had to take my entire entree home due to being full on the appetizer. But I ate it later on that night, and it was simply amazing.

We were surprised after our meals with two little cheesecakes, one vanilla one chocolate with raspberries, and candles on the top due to our anniversary! My best friend and her husband, who live in Georgia, called ahead and paid for our entire meal and had them present the desserts to us in such manner. It was awesome! And our waitress was perfect.

So for your special occasions, please keep The Boulders at the top of your list! If you are visiting our wonderful little town for a special occasion, give this place a try. Any woman would love to be taken here! And what’s that you say….you need somewhere to stay for your special occasion?? Why! I have the perfect place!

The Boulders is on the web! Check out their menu! www.thebouldersrestaurant.com