Stout’s Island Lodge

If you love the outdoors, backyard games, and horrible food you are in luck!
Stout Island Lodge is a fantastic get away. We took a short boat ride out to the island provided by the staff free of charge. Once we were out on the island we were able to relax, play some lawn games and imagine simpler times. All that fun came at an expense and we needed to refuel. Good thing the island has a diner! We ran in to try and beat the lunch crowd. We were greeted by a sign that said wait to be seated. After a while a server came along clearly overworked due to the one other table that was seated. Once we got our table we placed an order for some vegetarian tacos because they don’t have many options for non-​meat eaters. After nearly an hour and a half our food finally was delivered. Unfortunately they seemed to think we said Chicken tacos and not Veggie. After another half hour they delivered the most depressing tacos we have ever seen, and may ever see, in our entire lives. I am still amazed I ate them but like I said before I needed something to fuel my body. I believe they charged us 10 to 12 dollars for the tacos that my dog would turn down. That was the worst meal I have ever had hands down.
My wife and I still share the photo of our Stout Island Taco and laugh until we cry. Thank you for the incredible story and I am very glad I didn’t get sick.

Stouts island is beautiful ! The water sports are a blast and the staff is so friendly ! However. The Resturant. It saddens me to say that after years of coming here they have lost it. The sign says please «wait to be seated at the door». However there was no host. We started with the meat plate… Wurstteller. Our waitress’s didn’t know what was on it. The meat was poor quality and small quantity. We decided that we would tread lightly. And ordered a salad. The tomatoes tasted like they were previously frozen and the dressing from a bottle. So disappointing. Our server informed us the had lost their chef mike of 8 years and this was the first year without him! Whoa! What a difference ! I hope that this review gives some insight to the owners to hire a decent chef.

The food was very good. The disappointment was in the lack of knowledge of the waitstaff. We ordered a starter cheese tray which was appealingly presented but the waiter couldn’t accurately explain what the cheeses were. The waitress was equally lacking knowledge. When asked if the strawberry cheesecake had strawberries in it or was a sauce on top, she didn’t know. So, great food, great atmosphere, but don’t expect a lot of expertise/​knowledge from waitstaff.

The staff at the lodge are delightful and helpful. They are just so friendly; they’ll give you ice for coolers, bring up your bags, and help you with any issues (though there really aren’t any) with huge smiles on their faces. I completely recommend this place for a family event or a romantic getaway.

The turn of the 20^th century is so hot right now. So obviously I had to make the trek out to Stout’s Island to take in a little piece of the Wisconsin Lumbar Industry history.
In the 1900’s Frank Stout, one rich mofo from Chicago, decided to build a summer home for his family on an island in the middle of Red Cedar Lake. The first iteration had an issue with beatles, so he was like F this shizz, tore the whole thing down and rebuilt it with cedar logs imported from Idaho. Which cost a measly 1.5 million in 1915 dollars. They also constructed a barn and main structure on the ‘mainland’ which a family friend once owned and I think as a child I may have accidentally peed in their pool and blamed it on the dog (sorry Patt) That, however, I do not believe is open to the public.
Anywho, the lodge now plays hosts to a variety of beatiful rustic cabins and hotel rooms as well as a pretty damn good restuarant by NW Wisconsin Standards. I droppped by for lunch and had the Stout’s Burger (beef, egg, bacon, chimichurri, and a whole lot of win).
They also have a recreation room area that has a bowling alley in it, one of the first in Wisconsin, if I remember correctly.
Overall, the place is worth a visit and would probably make for a great wedding venue as well. I believe they’re LGBT friendly too as I met a gay couple who own one of the cabins on the island on my ferry ride over.
PRO TIP: Reservations are required since they’re on an island and have to plan food rations accordingly.

Yes, this place is so beautiful and rustic. Filled with wood cabins, wildflowers, nature travels, and beautiful cedar lake.
The service is pretty terrible. I was just at this establishment for a family wedding. We rented out the island for 2 days and the entire time it seemed like the staff was doing us a favor of us being there. They walked around with frowns, kicked us back inside our cabins when it wasn’t too late at night, and they even had the audacity to search or attempt to search multiple people for ‘illegal’ items (WHAT!!!).
Not to mention the breakfast of this bed & breakfast is not good at all. Barely cooked & basically nothing.
This place is pretty hypocritical about what they preach here. One with nature, not really hence ‘Island of Happy Days,’ not at all.

It’s been over 15 years since we’ve last been here but I’m happy to report that the island of Happy Days has held up really well. Even though it’s a mere 2 hours from Minneapolis and an easy drive, once you step off the pontoon boat ferry on to the island you are transported to an oasis of quiet and tranquility.
The lodge itself dates to the turn of the century and is constructed in the classic adirondack style with a soaring entry and large fireplaces. Scattered around the island are a variety of smaller cabins each named for someone connected to the original owner (I.e. Allison’s cabin). Over the years many of them have been renovated and most feature the classic yellow pine interiors.
We stayed in Wilson’s cabin where each room featured a king bed in a very large room. We had the lower level room with a small patio overlooking the water just steps away. The island is loaded with song birds and one greeted us earlier than we had planned on a bright late spring morning.
The island has plenty to do including a big broad lawn set up with croquet, canoes and kayaks to use, a bunch of chaise lounge chair for sunning, plenty of places for fishing, a clay tennis court, a well-​maintained hiking trail on the east island (lodge has two islands in fact), swimming (lake is pretty clear although we were much to early in the year for that) and finally plenty of secluded benches and adirondack chairs everywhere for sitting with a good book and just relaxing.
While idiic it’s not perfect with a property this old it is not hard to find some loose boards on a bridge or see roofs needing mending-it’s a contrast struggle to keep up with maintenance, all in all the place doesn’t disappoint.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and can’t wait to visit again — hopefully before another 15 years passes.

Here’s where rustic meets just enough amenities to make this a very unique place to stay. Peaceful, a place to disconnect and relax. Disconnect, because all but one room/​cabin has TV and no landlines in the guest rooms. But then again, your cell will likely be operable, perhaps in «roam».
Tennis, walking paths, nature trails, canoes, kayaks, water bikes and nightly bonfires. A pontoon takes you to & from the island on the hour. This is the perfect place for a solo vacation or romantic trip with your honey. For me, a couple days will do. Bring a book, enjoy listening to the birds and the view from an Adirondack chair on the south lawn.
Many of the rooms have or have access to small refrigerators, so don’t be shy about bringing a few things to hold you from meal to meal if you don’t care to leave the island. A continental breakfast is offered each morning and if you chose to dine in the lodge for lunch or dinner, you will be very pleased with the selection and quality of dishes on the menu.
A big part of the experience here is the staff. Every single person I encountered was friendly, welcoming and helpful.

Love, love, love!
As others have noted– it’s a rustic place. In fact, it’s a historic hotel! It’s got a main lodge (with full service restaurant and hotel), a boat house, a handful of cabins, and a lot of great amenities– croquet, bocce ball, tennis, fire pit, swimming docks– just what you need to have a low key retreat.
Stout’s is on an island– you have to take a ferry to get there. It runs every hour, but since we were some of the only people on the island, they ran some special request trips for us. The guys were SO NICE. My cousin was having his 5^th birthday and they took us on a «cupcake cruise» around the lake and even let him «drive.» he was simple elated with the whole experience.
As others have noted, no telephones, no TVs– but they do have decent wifi and cell service. My smart phone kept me well connected to the world without disturbing others.
If there was one negative about the experience, it would be the food. Not it’s quality (most of it was delicious!), but the price. But then again it is an island… you even have to make reservations for meals so they can get the proper amount of food/​staff ready for meal services (breakfast is continental and complimentary though!)
What I really enjoyed about Stout’s was that it was large enough to find your own space, but small enough it wasn’t tough to get around. Walking from one side of the island to the other took 5 minutes. The no locks thing wasn’t a worry for us– it’s very safe feeling and well monitored. The staff were simply fantastic. I’d recommend the place for weddings, family reunions, and other group or family events!

Stout’s Island Lodge is a wonderful retreat about 2 hours and 15 minutes from St. Paul. This was my second time at the Island and it was even more beautiful with all the gardens than the first time I went in October for our «mini-​moon»!
The Island has a great setup for walking, canoeing and swimming. They also have bocce ball and croquet for use on the beautiful lawn. They have running water and electricity, but in order to make it more tranquil there are no TVs or phones in the rooms… I really like that part! The rustic feel and great lakeshore views combined with the relaxed atmosphere and good food makes this one of my favorite weekend getaways!
This time, we were on the Island for a wedding. From a spectator’s perspective, the services provided were great! Everything seemed to be well organized and ran smoothly.
Whether you want to get away for a romantic weekend or want to have a group event (including a wedding), this is the perfect place for a relaxing, rustic and beautiful time!

I’ve been to Stout’s Island Lodge twice now, once for our honeymoon in October and just recently for a wedding in June. The lodge is really rustic and scenic and great for both seasons. They are only open May through October when the lake isn’t frozen because you need to take a small pontoon «ferry» to get to the island.
The lodge offers a few different cabins to stay in, and all have a great, rustic feel. There are no TVs or phones in the rooms, which makes it easier to get away from every day life and really enjoy the beautiful scenery around you. The gardens are impeccable and the food is top-​knotch gourmet.
For entertainment, the lodge has canoes, kayaks and paddle boats; tennis courts; and boccee ball. They also have great nature trails that run around the island.