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Lake Minnetonka Regional Park
Lake Minnetonka Regional Park is the perfect place for families to enjoy a Saturday afternoon. Bring a picnic and enjoy a lakeside lunch. Learn more... Noerenberg GardensSituated on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka’s majestic Crystal Bay, Noerenberg Memorial Gardens offers a tranquil retreat to the quiet elegance and grace of days gone by. A favorite subject for local artists and an idyllic location for weddings. Learn more...
|  Orono Settlers arrived in Orono in 1853. It became a township 36 years later in 1889, but wasn't incorporated until 1955. The city of Orono boasts more lakeshore than any other lakeside municipality - partly due to the fact that Big Island falls within it's city limits. At the turn of the last century the resort industry around Lake Minnetonka was at it's zenith. Steamship lines ferried passengers to all points along the lakeshore. In 1906, an enormous amusement park was erected on Big Island, complete with generators and electric lights. It must have been a fantastic sight to approach the island at night with thousands of shimmering lamps and a towering lighthouse beaming across the water! Unfortunately, all that is left of this grand playground are the cement footings. Today, Orono is an attractive little residential burgh with some interesting shops, a wonderful country club, and a world-class 9-hole golf course.
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Get Busy!
The summer months bring countless opportunities for fun family activities. To find out about happenings in the Lake Minnetonka area, visit our complete Calendar of Events!
Lake Minnetonka: An area steeped in history
From the days when Dakota Indians inhabited her shores, leaving behind ancient burial mounds which are still visible today, to the era of the steam locomotive and the paddle wheeler when grand Victorian hotels and amusement parks stood proudly on her banks, there has always been something alluring about this enchanted body of water. Learn more... |