The Insider’s Guide to Summer on Lake Minnetonka

The drive from Minneapolis to our garage off Lake Street takes 15 minutes — barely enough time to get into a podcast episode — but when you step through The Hotel Landing’s lobby doors, the city feels much farther away. Lake Minnetonka is just steps away, and there are almost always a few kayaks out on Wayzata Bay. Arguably at its best in summer, the question is no longer whether to go outside, but in which direction first.

Lake Minnetonka isn’t just a backdrop. It’s the whole point of staying with us. Here’s how best to spend a full summer’s day, starting from 925 Lake Street East.

On the Water: Wayzata Bay

First things first, you’ll want to get out on the lake itself. Wai Nani, about a 16-minute walk from the hotel along the Lakewalk, rents kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and eFoil boards, and offers paddleboard yoga for those who don’t mind falling in. The morning hours on Wayzata Bay are the quietest — boat traffic is light, the air is clear, and the far shore disappears when it’s misty in a way that makes the lake feel genuinely vast.

For a longer day on the water, Tonka Boat Rentals is a 14-minute walk west and offers hourly to multi-day options. Their Lake Restaurant & Bar Tour keeps you on the boat and exploring — the lake’s 14,528 acres of connected bays and channels mean you won’t run out of places to go. Lake Minnetonka has over 100 miles of shoreline, and most of it is best understood from a boat.

The Lakewalk and Wayzata Boardwalk

On foot, the town’s most satisfying summer ritual is the Lakewalk running through Panoway on Wayzata Bay, about an eight-minute walk from the hotel. Plaza Park sits right at the water’s edge, with public art, green space, and a natural gathering point for the kind of slow summer evenings where nothing more ambitious than watching boats go by seems necessary.

The Wayzata Depot — the 1906 train station about a half-mile west along the Lakewalk — is one of the town’s most quietly satisfying landmarks. The shaded lawn there is ideal for the specific Lake Minnetonka summer activity of sitting down, doing nothing, and feeling justified about it. The Wayzata Historical Society’s railroad museum opens on weekends from noon to 4:00 pm, April through December, if you’re curious about how people first arrived here.

Downtown Wayzata fills in around all of this — the clocktower, the brick storefronts, the al fresco tables on the sidewalk — in a way that rewards walking without a fixed destination.

Pair Your Adventure with Your Stay

The Hotel Landing’s proximity to both the lake and Läka Spa — which takes its name from the Swedish word meaning “to heal” and runs Wednesday through Saturday — makes it possible to plan a weekend around the specific pleasure of spending the morning active and the afternoon horizontal.

Morning kayak on Wayzata Bay → Läka Spa Natur Healing Massage. The Natur Healing Massage starts with an aromatherapy steam shower, easing out any aches after an hour or two on the water.

Lake Minnetonka LRT Trail ride → Läka Spa recovery session. The Nordic Radiance Facial delivers a hydrating refresh that feels great after a few hours on a bike in the open air.

Evening Lakewalk sunset → Belle & Grey dinner with priority seating. The Lakewalk at dusk, the stroll back along Lake Street, a table waiting for you. A perfect summer’s evening.