Guides and market intelligence
The Minnetonka Living guides are free local resources for the Lake Minnetonka corridor and Twin Cities west metro, written by Bryce Caldwell of RE/MAX Results. Each guide covers one topic in depth — school districts, the lake itself, trail networks, waterfront neighborhoods, and where to eat — so buyers and residents can compare Wayzata, Excelsior, Minnetonka, and nearby towns with real, current detail.
Real local intelligence for the Lake Minnetonka corridor — schools, trails, where to eat, and the lake itself.
Lake life
Lake lifeA bay-by-bay ranking of where to buy on Lake Minnetonka — the deep-water resale bays (Lower Lake North, Lower Lake South, Smithtown), the walkable prestige bays (Wayzata, Browns, Excelsior), and the quiet no-wake coves — with real depth numbers and price anchors.
8 min read · July 2026
Lake lifeLake Minnetonka's deepest point is 113 feet in Crystal Bay, and it averages about 30 feet across 14,528 acres. Here's how the bays, channels, and depth rules actually work.
7 min read · July 2026
Lake lifeThe free and paid public swim beaches around Lake Minnetonka — Wayzata, Excelsior Commons, Baker Park Reserve, and the chlorinated swim pond at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park — with hours, lifeguard status, and the parking rules that trip up visitors.
7 min read · July 2026
Lake lifeThe public accesses on Lake Minnetonka — Grays Bay, Lake Minnetonka Regional Park, North Arm, Carsons Bay, Surfside, and Spring Park — with lane counts, trailer parking, which ramp drops you closest to Big Island and the Lower Lake, and the LMCD rules every launcher needs to know.
6 min read · July 2026
Lake lifeThe Minnehaha is a 1906 streetcar boat built to meet Twin City Rapid Transit trolleys at Excelsior and Deephaven. Here is its story — and the honest reason it is not sailing in 2026.
7 min read · July 2026
Food & drink
Food & drinkWater Street has quietly become the west metro's restaurant row — Layline, Mirabelle, and 318 Cafe within a block of each other, plus Maynard's on the lake. Here's where to eat and when they're open.
6 min read · July 2026
Food & drinkThe restaurants with real guest slips, who stays open late for the boat crowd, and which spots are lakefront patios rather than tie-up-and-dine — mapped from the water.
7 min read · July 2026
Food & drinkTwo new spots reset Wayzata's morning: Rustica Bakery and Cafe (795 Lake St E, opened Nov 2025) for a sit-down bakery-cafe, and Toastique (320 Engel St) for grab-and-go toast and smoothies. Plus 318 Cafe in Excelsior for Dogwood coffee.
6 min read · July 2026
Schools
SchoolsWayzata 284 is Niche's #1 district in Minnesota for 2026 — its third straight year. Here are the five A+ districts around the lake, ranked, with the numbers buyers actually cite.
7 min read · July 2026
SchoolsBoth are A+ top-five Minnesota districts, but Wayzata 284 sits at #1 statewide while Minnetonka 276 runs a full IB Diploma Programme Wayzata does not. Here's how to choose.
7 min read · July 2026
SchoolsThe city of Minnetonka is split across three school districts — Minnetonka 276, Wayzata 284, and Hopkins 270 — so two houses on the same street can feed different schools. Here is how to check before you write an offer.
6 min read · July 2026
Things to do
Things to doA 56-acre Orono nature preserve you can only reach by private boat — with ADA-accessible trails, a beach, and a wild past as an early-1900s amusement park and a veterans camp.
6 min read · July 2026
Things to doA ranked list of low-cost family outings around Lake Minnetonka with actual prices: the $2 Excelsior streetcar, the $9/day Three Rivers swim pond, the free beaches at Excelsior Commons, and the Tuesday farmers market — plus which spots are worth a weekday and where parking actually works.
8 min read · July 2026
