Prost! Gull Lake Oktoberfest Returns October 3
Fall on Gull Lake is already something special. Add German beer, live music, good food and a day spent making your way around the lake with friends, and you have one of our favorite fall traditions. The 15th Annual Gull Lake Oktoberfest returns Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., bringing a […]
The Next Chapter – Chapter Six
The Story Continues Every story has a beginning. For Cragun’s, it began in 1940. It continued through generations of families who returned year after year, creating traditions that became part of who they were. It grew through new golf courses, expanding shorelines, neighboring resorts becoming part of the Cragun’s family, and friendships that somehow always […]
Planning a Group Trip to Hockey Day Minnesota? Let Cragun’s Handle the Lodging.
There’s nothing quite like Hockey Day Minnesota. From early morning games and community celebrations to outdoor hockey traditions, it’s a weekend that brings together players, families, coaches, alumni, and fans from across the state. If you’re traveling with a large group, finding accommodations that keep everyone together can be one of the biggest challenges. That’s […]
The Next Chapter – Chapter Five
Historic picture courtesy of Ren Holland. See blog here. A Shoreline Worth Preserving If you’ve spent enough summers on Gull Lake, you know something most first-time visitors don’t. The shoreline has stories. Long before today’s South Beach Cabins overlooked the water, this stretch of Gull Lake welcomed families under different names. Island View Resort and […]
The Next Chapter – Chapter Four
The Hands That Built the Future If you arrived at Cragun’s during construction, you probably noticed the cranes first or semi trucks with materials. Or maybe it was the sound of hammers echoing across the property. Construction fencing marked the edges of what was becoming something entirely new, while behind it, hundreds of people were […]
CRMC Championship is Back
The CRMC Championship Returns to Brainerd: Free Admission, Adam Thielen, PGA TOUR Americas & a Week of Unforgettable Events The Brainerd Lakes Area is preparing for one of the biggest sporting events of the summer as the 2026 CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center returns to Cragun’s Legacy Courses from August 24-30, 2026. As […]
The Next Chapter – Chapter Three
Designing for the Memories Yet to Come Every great place begins twice. First, as an idea. Then, as a place people can experience. Long before guests would step into a reimagined lobby or gather around a lakeside fireplace, the future of Cragun’s existed only on paper. A collection of sketches, conversations, revisions, and countless questions. […]
The Next Chapter – Chapter Two
The People Who Believed Before there were architectural drawings spread across conference tables… Before the first excavator rolled onto the property… Before steel stretched into the Minnesota sky… There was a conversation. Actually, there were hundreds of them. Conversations about possibility. About responsibility. About what Cragun’s Resort could become without ever losing what made it […]
The Next Chapter
How a Community Came Together to Preserve a Minnesota Legend There are places you visit. And then there are places that quietly become part of your family. For more than 85 years, Cragun’s Resort has been the backdrop for first fish, family reunions, golf trips, anniversaries, late-night bonfires, and one more cup of coffee overlooking Gull […]
A Local’s Guide to Hockey Day Minnesota 2027 in the Brainerd Lakes Area
If this is your first Hockey Day Minnesota, welcome. And if it’s your first time visiting the Brainerd Lakes Area in the winter, you’re in for something special. Sure, you’ll come to watch some incredible hockey. But ask anyone who’s spent a winter weekend here, and they’ll tell you the games are only part of […]