Lake Harriet is the southern-most of the reknown Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. It’s a great recreation spot, including sailing, swimming beaches, and popular walking and biking trails. We used to meet a group of friends for a weekly walk around the lake followed by a stop at Sebastian Joe’s for their famous homemade raspberry chocolate chip ice cream…of course, the 2.75 mile walk negated the calories!
On the southern side of the lake, west of Oliver, is the enchanting home of Mr. Little Guy. Behind a tiny 6-inch door in the hollowed-out base of a common ash tree, it’s so unassuming it’s very easy to miss if you’re not specifically looking for it. It’s been there about 13 years, a place where children especially leave notes and he responds by mail if they leave an address or by leaving a tiny note in the tree for them to be picked up later.
When I visited this week there was a padlock on the door with a sign that he had moved east…left a PO Box address to send letters. I’m not sure just exactly what this means, but he has provided enchantment for many years. Here’s a charming post that tells of the magic of the Elf House and Mr. Little Guy, who always signed off his messages with…"I believe in you".
Summers have meant music at Lake Harriet for well over 100 years, with the first music pavillion built in 1888. The current band shell, built in 1985, hosts concerts throughout the summer months, and the pavillion offers refreshments such as ice cream, popcorn and soft drinks.
The neighborhood on the west side of Lake Harriet is known as Linden Hills. Originally developed with lake cottages in the 1880’s as a getaway from the city, they were mostly replaced with tudors and large bungalows. Clients of mine just closed on a house in this area last week. It’s their first home and even though it is one of the smallest in the neighborhood, they were thrilled to be moving into Linden Hills!
Click here to see properties currently available for sale in the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis. (Please be patient while the link searches for the most current listings…pass your cursor over the dots on the map for property information.)
Linden Hills is now a very popular urban neighborhood, loved both for its close proximity to Minneapolis and its lakes, and for its small-town atmosphere with charming local shops and restaurants. The historic Lake Harriet-Como Streetcar line running through the community is operational for rides from May into November.
“It’s a great recreation spot, including sailing, swimming beaches, and popular walking and biking trails” this the place i looking for thank you so much for sharing.
by:stephen
It seems to be a very relaxing and peaceful site. It looks great for a summer vacation. I hope I could go there someday. I enjoyed reading your article. Nice post.
-Filicity-
Building your dream house is one of a big success for yourself. Wish I could build my own home there.
Mitch
Nothing down, nothing up.
oh, I really like the style of your writing!
You often write the essey so much.