Location

Maps of Lake Minnetonka often contain places long forgotten. The site of Manitou Junction - where rail lines once diverged to serve the storied Tonka Bay hotel - is framed by the waters of Lake Minnetonka and Manitou Forest, where fruit orchard graveyards made famous by Peter Gideon once thrived. At the edge of the site is an abandoned rail line, now the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail, where the Minneapolis and St Louis Railroad brought passengers westward. This trail meanders eastward for one mile along the shores of Gideon’s Bay to the village of Excelsior. From its roots as a small settlement of roving New Englanders in the 1850s, Excelsior later evolved into a major 19th century tourist destination drawing national and international visitors to its hotels and boarding houses. Today, Excelsior serves as the primary commercial district for the surrounding south lake community and the Minnetonka school district. It is home to over a dozen restaurants, a grocery store, and a thriving retail district.