Happy New Year!
As we kick off a new year in 2026, we’re pretty excited at Kavanaugh’s Resort as we find ourselves entering our 57th year of operation!! Of course, the downside of 57 years here in the Brainerd Lakes Area is that it means we’re also getting old!! When our parents, Sherm and Mae, bought the resort in 1969, I don’t know if anyone thought that we would still be going strong here 57 years later, or that the resort would still be operated by four of their sons. It’s been a lot of fun from those early days and our nine original cabins with a small restaurant, gravel driveways, and of course…not much grass. We’ve made a lot of changes over the years, and have always taken our parent’s formula of a “Family Tradition“ to heart.
We’ve all worked hard in hopefully making our resort a little bit better everyday, and we especially enjoy the unique opportunity to work with each other as a family. We love the fact that we’re a part of your family making lasting memories. We also love that each an every one of our parent’s grandchildren (15 in all) have worked here at the property, as well as 1 great grandchild…so far! Over the last few years, we have been happy to bring Dave and Brenda’s son, Bryan, and John and Vicki’s granddaughter, Maddi, into permanent rolls here at the resort that hopefully will help us move towards another 50+ years of operation!
Mom and Dad had a vision back in 1969, and it was quite simple; offer a great product and the friendliest hospitality possible, and your guests will come back again and again. You know what? It works! We have so many guests that return year after year, and many of those have passed the 30-year mark or more!! When that happens, those guests start to feel a little bit like extended family, and I think that might be what makes the resort business so special. Minnesota resorts are a somewhat unique thing in the hospitality business, being mostly family owned and operated, and catering to families (some very large families!). Offering this great Minnesota experience of spending time together at the lake is a wonderful thing.
When our parents got into the resort business, they didn’t necessarily understand that, but they did understand family; spending time together, and of course, working together. Perhaps that is what drew them into this lifestyle and why they fell in love with it as well. Being a part of the Brainerd Lakes and Nisswa Area communities all of these years has been such a wonderful blessing, and we certainly have found out why it is often said that Resort Ownership isn’t just a job but a lifestyle. We are so proud to be one of so many Minnesota Resorts. Our family has certainly loved that lifestyle, as it has not just been a job, but an opportunity to build something special. So many people have been able to enjoy it, and have become, in so many ways, a part of the Kavanaugh experience. Thank you to each and every one of you who have made these 57 (almost) years possible, and have helped our family make so many wonderful memories with you.