Designing For Guests

How to create cabins capable of hosting a weekend crowd.

- Dale Mulfinger

As cabin owners, we all love to have guests at the cabin, even the ones that sometimes overstay their welcome a bit. We are all so honored by ownership of our unique little slice of heaven that we welcome the opportunity to share it with family and friends.

Hosting 101

Selecting guests is important, as the cabin experience isn’t for everyone. Possibly, you need to separate out those who are squeamish about spiders, mice and abject darkness. Also, perhaps do not invite those for whom boats, kayaks and canoes are too dangerous. And do you really want to host a guest who can’t eat s’mores singed by ash or a walleye they’ve seen gutted a few minutes earlier?

Okay, so now you’ve narrowed the guest list, and there remains a number of adventurous folks with whom you would like to spend some quality time. It’s probably best to start with a long weekend to test the waters of companionship and not commit to a two-week endeavor. Develop a plan of activities you and your guests might enjoy, the gear needed for each and specific meal assignments. At our cabin on Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion, we like to suggest local attractions, such as visiting the bear sanctuary near Orr, Minn., or the state park mine shaft in the town of Sudan.

Our cabin is a four-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and we give our invited guests a travel map with highlights along the way. Included are suggestions, such as stopping at Toby’s cafe in the town of Hinckley, for the best caramel roll, at the Warming House in Cloquet for espresso and ice cream or Wilbert’s Café in Cotton for the best coconut cream pie in the Midwest. (It’s made with walnut crust.)