Photo by Amanda Peterson
My first thought upon strolling through the historic downtown of Lindström, Minnesota, was that it felt like a book I had read before. The Swedish coffee pot-shaped water tower that greeted us at the city’s entrance, the string of Scandinavian-themed gift shops that line Lake Boulevard, the renovated historic homes that twinkle with elaborate Christmas lights each winter. All reminiscent of a fictional small town that would serve as the setting to your favorite novel, one that you re-read each holiday season for the sheer comfort of it. An involuntary smile crept across my face when I later discovered on my visit to Shafer’s Pleasant Valley Orchard that the owner’s wife, Judy, had just published her first romance novel.
But Judy and I are not the first ones to pick up on the area’s novelistic charm. Far from it. Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg paid a visit to Lindström in 1948, traveling around the town by bike to collect research on the area’s Scandinavian immigration story. When he came across the old Linn family farmhouse, built by Swedish immigrant Carl Linn in 1854, inspiration struck for his forthcoming literary series.
“He looked up at the house, and said, ‘This is where my characters will live and die,’” shares Gary Linn, the great-grandson of the home’s original owners.
And so, Moberg’s characters did just that. His novel “The Emigrants” was published in 1949, a fictional tale that details the very real experiences of 19th-century Swedish immigrants living in rural Minnesota. In Sweden, the novel is now regarded as a national treasure and is—as one local tour guide shared with me—a required component of high school curricula nationwide. Unsurprisingly, the area’s direct connection to the novel brings high volumes of Swedish travelers to the Chisago Lakes area each year (including the King and Queen themselves in 1996). And when in town, these international travelers find not only delightful odes to the novel around each corner (a statue of Moberg with his bicycle greets visitors in Old Towne Chisago City) but also, a comforting slice of home among the area’s long chain of Swedish sister cities, each of which boasts a range of authentic Scandinavian cuisine, goods, and experiences.
The tale of Moberg and his novels offers visitors like myself a simple tip: The best way to experience this charming string of towns is to peer through the lens of its rich heritage—one which painted my short, two-day stay with myriad colorful, heartwarming stories. Follow our curated, two-day travel itinerary to experience the history, heritage, and charm of Chisago County for yourself.
photo by Amanda Peterson
Where to Stay
Nordic Harbor (Lindström)
Not unlike the immigration stories that shaped the region, Lindström’s newly opened Nordic Harbor bears its own tale of tenacity. The property, which is now a beautifully renovated Nordic-themed motel, vacation house, market, and rooftop bar, was once a dilapidated My Burger and motel built in the early ’50s.
“It was in horrendous, literally health-affecting shape,” says owner Nic Kirvida. “I was sick for weeks when we first cleaned out the property.”
Kirvida, a father of four and local to the area, bought the property in 2022, securing it through a last-ditch backup offer he only hoped would come to fruition. In a resolve to preserve its historic character, he decided against bulldozing the structure and starting from scratch.
“Motels used to be a distinct part of American culture, and you just don’t see that anymore. People hear ‘motel’ and assume it will be junky or run down. When we found ourselves with a part of nostalgic Americana on our hands, we felt it was imperative on us restore it.”
It was easy for me to see how this decision, while, back then, a seemingly insurmountable task for Kirvida and his family, has paid off. The unique layout of Nordic Harbor is a central component of its charm. The property is flanked by water on both sides, with the motel’s six rooms offering water-facing back patios and the adjacent bar and market boasting stunning views of South Center Lake. The triangular layout affords motel guests an attractive level of convenience as well, with a liquor store, market, bar, and boat launch located just outside their front doors.
Our room, dubbed “Cedar Shadows,” reflected Kirvida’s commitment to modern Scandinavian design, from its magical Nordic forest-printed wallpaper and wood-paneled ceilings to its European-style French press and outdoor propane firepit. It was the quintessential embodiment of mysa, the Swedish version of Norway’s hygeemindset, promoting coziness, comfort and peace. For a happy hour at the rooftop bar, my travel companion and I both enjoyed the Dala Horse Swedish Mule, a traditional mule enhanced by homemade lingonberry syrup—a distinctly Scandinavian taste that put us in the spirit for the remainder of our adventures.
photo by Emma Enebak
Where to Learn
The Karl Oskar House (Lindström)
“This part of the tour always gets me emotional.”
Volunteer guide Marty Harding chokes back tears on our tour through the Karl Oskar house, the museum that shares a name with the main character of Moberg’s novel “The Emigrants.”
Harding and her tour guide counterpart Gary Linn are talking us through one of the saddest parts of the series—the death of Karl Oskar’s wife Kristina, which although fictional, was imagined to have happened in the very room we were standing.
The historic farmhouse where Moberg’s beloved characters “lived” was restored in 1994 by the Lindström Historical Society (now known as The Friends of the Karl Oskar House) and chartered as a volunteer-run museum. Bearing an array of historic household items, cultural artifacts, and tangible odes to Moberg’s novels, the Karl Oskar House serves as both a historical interpretive site and a real-life rendering of Moberg’s stories and characters. I could imagine how surreal this experience must be for Swedish travelers who grew up reading the novels (and any other fans of the popular series). Almost like a Swedish Disney World, the centuries-old house is a portal into their favorite characters’ world.
Across the house’s walls, there were several photographs and news clippings commemorating the visit of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in 1996, who traveled to the museum in celebration of the 250th Swedish Immigration Jubilee. After the king and queen departed, the town officially changed its named from Lindstrom to Lindström, honoring the proper Swedish spelling.
“It shows the importance that the Karl Oskar House holds not just to our community, but to those of Scandinavian heritage everywhere,” says Linn, who still proudly watches over the house his great-grandparents built generations ago.
Photo by Amanda Peterson
Gammelgården Museum (Scandia)
The floorboards creaked ever so slightly under our feet as we walked toward the pulpit of the oldest Lutheran church in the Midwest, located on the grounds of the Gammelgården Museum in Scandia. Gammelgården translates to “old farm” in Swedish and is, as its name suggests, very old. The farming grounds where the museum now resides once played host to the first settlement of Swedish immigrants in Minnesota, and now bears five historic buildings that illustrate the ins and outs of these early settlers’ lives.
We started our tour in the Lutheran church where these immigrants would attend service each Sunday, built in 1856, and still in use today for summer services and a traditional Saint Lucia service (a Christian holiday recognized in Sweden) each December.
Our knowledgeable tour guide Al walked us onward to the remaining four buildings, which included an old barn, immigrant house, pastor’s house, and peasant’s house. The museum offers regular volunteer-led group tours that bring visitors through each building, helping them to interpret the centuries-old tools, objects, and daily rituals of the immigrants who once occupied them.
Al, whose own grandfather immigrated from Norway, is full of colorful stories, and has a passion for the area’s heritage that I have seen community-wide since my arrival.
“It’s so great to be a volunteer because I get to hear fascinating stories from other people too. You know, why did their ancestors come? It takes a lot of courage to do what these people did.”
Photo by Amanda Peterson
Where to Indulge
Lindstrom Bakery
The sign above this old-school Swedish bakery proudly proclaims its specialty—“home of the Scandinavian donut,” voted Minnesota’s Best Donut by Food and Wine Magazine in 2021. But there are plenty more treasures to be found among this authentic Scandinavian bakery’s stocked shelves.
The woman helping us as she stuffed our to-go bag with a variety of authentic Swedish pastries, topping it off with the famed Lingonberry Bismark, which came highly recommended by a local in line behind us.
We sat on the bakery’s outdoor benches to sample our smorgasbord of baked goods. The Scandinavian donut lived up to its promise, its old-fashioned glazed cake practically melting in my mouth. The Lingonberry Bismark and Knotted Cardamom Buns also topped our list, each packed with authentic Swedish flavors and spices.
Photo by Amanda Peterson
Gustaf’s Eatery (Lindström)
We enjoyed not one, but two lunches at Gustaf’s Eatery during our short stay. If not known for its building’s delightful character and storied history, then the eatery is surely known for its decadent, homemade apple pies and premium ice cream. As we visited in early fall, we couldn’t resist indulging in a slice, alongside selections from its fall-themed menu, including the creamy, homemade chicken wild rice soup.
The building Gustaf’s occupied was once the home of Swedish immigrant Gustaf Anderson, built in 1876 on Lindström’s main street. The house stayed in the Anderson family for generations until it was vacated in 1971 and registered as a National Historic Site, eventually being purchased by the Muha family and refurbished into this charming eatery. The building’s red-brick, Victorian exterior and white wraparound porch are a welcoming fixture of Lindström’s main street, proclaiming the heritage of its forebearers while enlivening the town with its cozy atmosphere and hot apple pies.
Where to Cruise
Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours (Taylors Falls)
A misty breeze from the clear blue of the St. Croix River washed over me as I peered over the deck of the Taylors Falls Princess— the paddlewheel riverboat that would bring us on a 90-minute tour of the tranquil, protected riverway. Just a 10-minute drive from our stay at Nordic Harbor, the breathtaking river, flanked on each side by skyscraping natural rock cut by ancient retreating glaciers, is a true marvel.
Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours is a family-owned business in operation since 1906, immersing passengers in the serene beauty of the Dalles of the St. Croix River. The scenic, L-shaped segment of the river gorge was carved thousands of years ago by meltwater drainage from glacial Lake Duluth, resulting in jagged cliffs, cylindrical potholes, and unusual rock formations, many of which our guide manifested into imaginative shapes including the “witch’s hat” and the “old man’s face.” The Dalles has been designated as a Protected Natural Area by the state of Wisconsin, and its placid, untouched beauty offers passengers a much-welcomed escape from reality.
Our guide helped us to imagine the scene through the eyes of Swedish immigrants, who would’ve glimpsed the dramatic cliffs as they migrated in heavy waves toward the town of Taylors Falls. The fact that the riverway has remained largely untouched since then makes its historical significance all the more compelling—in fact, as our guide noted, it today stands as one of the 10 cleanest major riverways in the United States.
photo by Emma Enebak
Where to Dine
Jake’s on the Lake—Just a 5-minute walk from our stay at Nordic Harbor, and with stunning back patio views of South Center Lake, Jake’s on the Lake offers top-tier lakeside dining and friendly, personable service.
Northwoods Roasterie—Pop into this locally owned coffee shop for a taste of exceptionally brewed coffee in a cozy, cabin-themed atmosphere. The cafe also supplies signature coffee beans to Pleasant Valley Orchard each fall.
Northern Lake Tavern and Grill—Enjoy quality brews and top-notch burgers this local favorite, featuring a relaxed, sports bar atmosphere and authentic Midwest comfort food.
Also in the Area
Pleasant Valley Orchard—Pick apples, pet goats, and embark on hayride adventures all autumn. Return in the summer for strawberry picking!
Franconia Sculpture Park—View a towering structure composed completely of recycled radios, and a vast collection of other odd, unique, and eye-opening sculptures at this artist-centered sculpture park.
Winehaven Winery—Famous for its locally produced cranberry wine, Winehaven is the first estate Winery in Chisago County, and has won numerous awards for its commitment to time-honored techniques and local ingredients.
photo by Amanda Peterson
