If nobody can remember the last time the whole family was in one place, it’s been too long. So this is the year someone finally sends the group text.
Picture it. Grandparents settled into Adirondack chairs around the fire pit. Cousins who just met racing to the gaga ball pit. Aunts and uncles trading stories at the picnic table until the s’mores run out. Then every family heads back to its own cabin for the night.
Quick answer: The Red Door Resort on the north shore of Mille Lacs Lake hosts family reunions, friend trips, corporate retreats and other big groups. Book several cabins and motel rooms, or reserve the whole resort: all 22 units sleep up to 104 people. Our Event Center holds up to 96. Fill out the form on our Groups page or call 218-678-3686. Planning a wedding weekend? Visit our Weddings page.
Lodging for big groups
The Red Door is built for everyone in one place, with a spot for each person to land. Grandparents can take a quiet King room in the motel. A family with young kids can settle into a cabin with a twin-over-full bunk bed. The cousins can pile into the Motel Family Suite, with two queens, four doubles and a rollaway. Mix and match cabins and motel rooms until every family has a door of its own, and everyone is a short walk from the beach.
- Motel Family Suite: four bedrooms and two baths, sleeps up to 13. It has its own grill and picnic table and sits next to the Event Center.
- Three-bedroom cabins (3): cabins 16 and 20 and the Stone House, each sleeping up to 7.
- Two-bedroom cabins (8): each sleeping up to 5, including lakefront, lake view and family cabins.
- Motel rooms (10): five King rooms that sleep 2 and five Double Queen rooms that sleep 4.
- The whole resort: all 22 units, sleeping up to 104. We’re small by design, so when your group fills every cabin and motel room, it feels like your own place.
Vacation together, sleep separately
Big groups often work best when each family has its own space. Book a cluster of cabins and motel rooms, then meet at the beach, the pool or the bonfire. Everyone gets a full night’s sleep, and nobody shares a bathroom with twelve people.
Mornings are yours. Some families sleep in. Some are down at the dock by sunrise. By lunch, everyone finds each other at the beach. That’s how families end up coming back. As Kasie Garcia says, “Our family has been going here for several years now.”
Space to gather
The Event Center is where the potluck lands, the old photo albums come out and the family picture finally gets everyone in it.
- Event Center: about 1,300 square feet, attached to the motel, for group meals, reunions and meetings. It holds up to 96 people.
- Outdoors: fire pits, a sandy beach, the heated outdoor pool (Memorial Day to Labor Day), a lakeside sauna open year-round, a playground and a gaga ball pit.
- Meals: every cabin has a full kitchen, and every cabin and the Family Suite has a charcoal grill and picnic table. There is no restaurant on site. Mudflats Bar & Grill is 2 miles east on Highway 18.
How to plan a large group trip
Every big trip has one person holding the clipboard. If that’s you, here’s how to make it easy.
- Pick dates early. Summer fills with repeat guests up to a year ahead, so groups that want the same week should book well in advance.
- Match your headcount to units. Use the sleeping counts above. Each cabin and the Family Suite can also host up to three day visitors between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Plan the budget. Each reservation requires a deposit of the first night’s stay, and the balance is due at check-in.
- Mix the activities. Swimming, fishing, pontoon rentals for overnight guests and nearby state parks give everyone something to do. Plan a few things, then leave room for the rest. The moments people talk about later are rarely the ones on the schedule.
- Respect quiet hours. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., which matters most when you share the resort with other guests.
When the trip is over, what people remember is how they were treated. As Dan Bertagna put it, “Besides being a top notch facility, they treat you like family.”
Large Group Stays: Common Questions
All 22 of our cabins and motel rooms together sleep up to 104 people. The Motel Family Suite sleeps 13, our three-bedroom cabins sleep 7 and our two-bedroom cabins sleep 5.
Yes, depending on your dates. Groups can reserve all 22 units, and peak-summer buyouts are considered case by case. Fill out the form on our Groups page or call 218-678-3686, and we will check your dates and send options.
Yes. Our Event Center is about 1,300 square feet, holds up to 96 people and is attached to the motel next to the Motel Family Suite.
The Motel Family Suite has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, with two queens, four doubles and a rollaway. It sleeps up to 13.
No. Every cabin has a full kitchen, and every cabin and the Family Suite has a charcoal grill. Mudflats Bar & Grill at Barnacles Resort is 2 miles east on Highway 18.
