Spend a day in Lakefield, Minnesota!

Since moving from the suburbs of the Twin Cities, I’ve realized the true beauty in small towns. Unlike the suburbs where people are always moving and don’t always fully invest in the community they reside in, small towns usually have a main group of people who grew up and have remained in the town. They have pride in where they live and/or work. Also, they want to see those in the town around them succeed. Considering I grew up in towns that had at least over 20,000 people, it was easy to stay anonymous wherever you went. In small towns, this is not the case. Everyone knows everyone and instead of just getting a coffee at a Starbucks, you’re supporting Samantha and her family who run the coffee shop by buying a coffee. It’s a whole different kind of experience when you personally know the people behind the restaurant, store, bakery, etc. Another thing I realized from moving to a small town is there are completely hidden gems that are adored and supported by locals, but would love to share their spots with the world! Lakefield is one of those towns.

Countless times, we’ve visited Kilen Woods State Park. Yet before this trip, we had always ventured to Windom and not to Lakefield. Luckily, I took the time to look up the town of Lakefield and quickly realized it was a spot we needed to visit! At the most recent census in 2022, the town of Lakefield only had 1, 716 residents. The town has several fun spots worth visiting, despite their small population.

We started our day in Lakefield at Kiehl’s bakery. Opening the door of the bakery, a sweet aroma hit your nose and the display case was one of those where you wanted a sample of each item. The kids picked out some donuts and the grownups got caramel and cinnamon rolls. My mom was with us for this adventure day and she bought several trays of next-day cookies that were on sale for $3 each tray. We used them to make ice cream sandwiches and they were delicious! Our kids devoured their donuts in record time. Cereal bowl doughnuts were their favorite as they had different cereal toppings for the top of the doughnut. There was a spot to sit inside and a spot to sit outside at the bakery. Since the day was very windy, we ate our treats in the car while driving down the main street. Most of the locations on the main street were closed as it was mid-day Saturday.

Next, we headed to SOJO coffee company right down the street. Pulling up, we were shocked at this cute coffee shop in such a small town. A drive-thru window is perfectly placed for those who need a quick coffee pick-up. Walking into the coffee shop, hundreds of memorabilia from Lakefield and surrounding towns filled the walls and shelves. Our kids were instantly glued into looking at each special item. This coffee shop is one of those places where you instantly feel at home. After ordering, we sat down to continue admiring some more of the pieces scattered around the shop. Some games were available for the kids to play with as we sat and talked. Much to my delight, the iced caramel macchiato was by far the best I’ve ever had. My husband loved his drink as well. We will definitely be back to enjoy more delicious drinks from this spot!

As we finished our drinks, we checked out the North City Park. It was the perfect mix of new playground equipment and older playground equipment. My kids usually seek out some of the older equipment because it’s unique. Of course, they ran to the animal swings where they could push themselves. Their laughter as they went back and forth was truly contagious. Other highlights of this park were the baseball field where my son and husband played catch, an older metal slide that our youngest loved climbing up and going down, a dinosaur to rock and ride, and some unique climbing fixtures within the larger playground structures. They also, had a smaller playground area for younger kids and a digger for the sand. We spent at least a half hour at this park and could have stayed longer.

Our last stop for the day was at the stunning state park called Kilen Woods. This has been a family favorite for a few years because of the variety of terrain available for hiking here. Following a trail, you are fortunate to go through everything from a river to a creek to woods to prairie to corn fields. Since the scenery is constantly changing, it really keeps the kids engaged. Also, most of the hikes are not too long, so kids can feel confident in their skills. Another thing that we love about this state park is the small creek that kids can safely get close to and play in. There are rocks to jump across, rocks to skip, and logs to cross over. A variety of bridges are at this state park too, which my kids love to go over! This park is one of those locations where you keep visiting during each season because every season there is stunning. One winter we took a snowy hike here and were pleasantly surprised to see about twenty deer running through the woods. It was beautiful!

Despite having been to Kilen Woods several times, we decided to start on one of our normal paths that we’ve been on. Yet, we took a different turn than normal and ended up on a completely new path for us that led to a stunning overlook above the river. On this particular trip, we saw many birds and two snakes. I’m not sure who was more scared: me or the snakes following my loud scream. As we finished our hike, I remembered several picnics that we’ve had at this park with a light breeze and a shining sun. It’s a memorable state park.

Other recommendations given to me in Lakefield included: Simply Sweet Cheesecake (which is only open on weekdays), the Prairie Ecology Bus Center and natural playground, Dudley’s garage, and the aquatic center. Sounds like a day trip back to Lakefield is in our future!

Overall, this small town has a variety of fun, special places that the town pours their love into. Whether you’re from a fellow small community or from a large city, there’s something unique about showing your kids the beauty of small cities where everyone works together to make it a place to visit. Lakefield deserves a stop and a chance to experience the fun spots that make it Lakefield. We will be back for more!

Until my next adventure,

Allie