The Calder House
Elegant private dining room with white tablecloths and candlelight

Slow mornings by the lake

Est. 1924 Twelve rooms on Lake Minnetonka — wood-fired dining, a dock for two, and nowhere you need to be by nine.
Rooms & Suites

Every window faces the water

Check availability
Sunlit guest room with linen bedding and lake views
Lake View

Harbor Room

King bed, soaking tub, and a balcony that catches the first light across the bay.

$289 / night
Elegant suite with fireplace and reading nook
Fireplace Suite

The Calder Suite

Separate sitting room, wood-burning fireplace, and a clawfoot tub overlooking the pines.

$425 / night
Cozy attic loft bedroom with exposed beams
Loft

Willow Loft

Exposed beams, a writing desk under the eaves, and the quietest room in the house.

$219 / night
Garden-level room with patio doors opening to a courtyard
Garden Level

Courtyard Room

Private patio, rain shower, and steps from the herb garden our kitchen picks from daily.

$249 / night

We don't do rush. We do arrival — a drink on the dock, dinner at your own pace, and sheets that smell like the lake air.

Candlelit dining room with white tablecloths and seasonal plating
The Calder Table

Wood-fired, lake-to-table

Executive chef Mara Lindstrom builds nightly menus around what Minnesota farms and the bay delivered that morning. Seatings at 6:00 and 8:30 — reservations recommended for non-guests.

Dinner · Wed–Sun
Spa treatment room with warm towels and natural light
The Stillwater Spa

Unwind without an agenda

Three treatment rooms, a cedar sauna, and a cold plunge overlooking the reeds. Book a massage or simply take the robe and nowhere to be for an hour.

Daily · 9am–7pm
Calm lake at sunrise with mist rising off the water
The Dock

Mornings on the water

Complimentary kayaks, a single sailboat for guests, and coffee delivered to the end of the pier at seven if you ask nicely the night before.

Sunrise · On request
Included

Every stay, taken care of

Breakfast

House-baked pastries, local eggs, and coffee on the veranda until 10:30.

Parking

Complimentary valet and EV charging at the carriage house.

Wi-Fi

Fast enough for a video call — though we hope you won't need one.

Pets

Two designated garden rooms welcome well-behaved dogs ($50/stay).

As featured in
Lakefront property with timber architecture nestled among trees
The original carriage house, restored in 2019
Our Story

A hundred years of welcome

The Calder House began as a fishing lodge in 1924 and became an inn when Margaret and Thomas Calder added six guest rooms in 1951. Their granddaughter, Eleanor Calder, runs it today with the same rule her grandmother posted above the desk: Leave in better spirits than you arrived.

We renovated the kitchen and spa in 2022, but the oak bar in the library is original, the dock planks still creak the same way, and the loons still argue at dusk every July.

  • Twelve rooms · No conference facilities
  • Open year-round — ice fishing in winter
  • 35 minutes from downtown Minneapolis
"We canceled a resort in Napa and came here instead. The Calder Suite, dinner by the fire, coffee on the dock at sunrise — it felt like someone's beautiful home, not a hotel pretending to be one."
David & Rachel Kim Anniversary stay · October 2025
FAQ

Before you book

Breakfast on the veranda, Wi-Fi, parking, and access to the dock, kayaks, and sauna. Spa treatments and dinner at The Calder Table are booked separately.

Full refund up to 14 days before arrival. Within 14 days, we offer a credit for a future stay. Peak summer weekends (June–August) require 21 days notice.

Yes — a limited number of tables are held for non-guests each evening. Call the front desk or note it in your booking inquiry. Dress is resort casual.

We host up to four intimate weddings per year (40 guests max) and occasional private dinners. We do not rent the property for corporate retreats.

Reservations

Plan your stay

Tell us your dates and which room caught your eye. We respond within a few hours — faster if you call before four.

  • (952) 555-0148
  • stay@thecalderhouse.com
  • 1842 North Shore Drive, Excelsior, MN

Booking inquiry

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