Can’t go wrong with a Northern Minnesota cabin work retreat to, the land of 10,000 lakes, in the fall. From Enneagrams to a competitive photo scavenger hunt, to delicious food, great company, and incredible views, it was the best form of company culture. The lodge completely surpassed our expectations and offered a variety of activities on-site. We all agreed that we would be going back for every season!

Destination: Grand View Lodge | Nisswa, MN

Distance from Sioux Falls: 5-hour road trip, maybe made into a 6-hour road trip due to multiple Starbucks and gas station stops.

Duration: 4 Days, 3 nights

Agenda: Team bonding, relaxing, photo scavenger hunts, happy hours, Enneagram tests, food reservations, brainstorming, TSH SWOT, and lots of snacking.

Day 1

Arrive at Grandview Lodge

We started the work retreat off bright and early with loads of snacks, over-packed suitcases, a few Starbucks pit stops, and excitement for what the next few days would bring. On the way, we hashed out many important topics, including the new Taylor Swift album, book recommendations, trivia podcasts, and taking the Enneagram personality tests to discuss later on the trip.

We spent the first night grabbing a drink at the pub, getting checked into our cabin, claiming rooms, and hanging out before getting ready to head to dinner at Cru, an Italian restaurant with local and seasonal flavors from the region of Tuscany, Italy. We were able to tour their wine cellar of over 2,000 bottles of wine from all over the world!

Indoor fireplace with couch in front of it.

Day 2

Explore the Main Property

We woke up, had our first cups of coffee, and headed to breakfast at the Main Lodge. We started each morning with a delicious array of foods from the breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we headed to the Northpark to kick off our photo scavenger hunt.

Now, we might be one team, but we’ve got some competitive spirit in us. We all love to win. We split into two teams and took off to adventure around the property, recreating photos from a shot list that was given to each team. Can you guess which team won?!

After exploring and running around much of the main property, it was time for brainstorming. After warming up over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, we completed a SWOT Analysis as a team. A SWOT Analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This allowed us to dive deep into The Sampson House and set goals for the upcoming months and year.

Once we completed the SWOT analysis, we were able to have a little bit of downtime before heading into town for dinner at The Main Street Ale House. To close out the evening, we went over our Enneagram Test results and took a deep dive into each team member’s analysis. This test allowed us to understand each other’s wants, needs, and reasoning behind our actions not only in a work setting but also in everyday life.

Day 3

Day to Relax

After breakfast, we spent our free time shopping for souvenirs through a few little shops scattered around the property. Once we were fueled by breakfast, a couple of cups of coffee, and some fresh air, we went back to our SWOT analysis to consolidate our lists and come up with realistic next steps. Brainstorming as a team might be one of our favorite things!

Once we had the next steps to achieving the goals we set up for ourselves, it was off to relax! Before dinner, some of the team headed off to the hot tub to enjoy a relaxing afternoon full of chats on anything and everything while Jeff headed off to play a little golf.

To finish our trip, we got dressed up and headed to Char Steakhouse! It was a night full of espresso martinis, drool-worthy steaks, dreaming up clients we’d love to work with, and celebrating Renae’s birthday. It was the perfect night to cap off a great trip.

Day 4

Time to Head Home!

We had a blast being able to spend time all together as a team! Welcoming new members, getting to know old members more deeply, and ideating all things, The Sampson House. We can’t wait to show you all the upcoming ideas we have coming!