Five dollars for Bed, Board, and Boat. That was the original cost to spend a week at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge. Ruttger's, the oldest family-owned resort in Minnesota, is now being run by the fourth generation of the Ruttger family and celebrated its centennial in 1998.

Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge is situated on 400 acres of lakeshore just two hours north of Minneapolis in the heart of Minnesota's vacationland, the Brainerd Lakes area. Ruttger's is renowned for its family activities, atmosphere and amenities. Comforts include first-class hospitality, fine food, championship golf course and a quiet tranquil north-woods setting featuring giant pines and beautiful birch trees.

Ruttger's was founded by Joe and Josephine Ruttger on the shores of Bay Lake in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes. The resort has always been run by the family and to this day, is a place that "feels like family!" according to Chris Ruttger, the resort's general manager and great-grandson of the founders, who operates the resort with his father, Jack. Chris went on to say, "I'm sure my Great Grandparents could never have envisioned what the resort they started would become today. We have second, third, and fourth generations of families coming to stay with us each year."

Today, Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge is truly a destination resort that offers everything needed to relax for today's time-starved families. The resort boasts  27 holes of golf, tennis courts, two outdoor pools, an indoor pool, a beautiful sandy beach, fishing, boating, and supervised children's program. The resort is also well known for its conference center which serves organizations looking for the ideal location to combine business and pleasure.

The resort features cabins with all the latest amenities, condominiums, and rooms attached to the main lodge. One of the highlights of the Main Lodge is the Log Dining Room built in the early 1920's.

Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge and its employees have been honored numerous times for their commitment to providing the finest vacation for guests. Better Homes and Gardens magazine honored Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge as one of the 30 best Family Resorts. In 1995, Ruby Treloar who worked in the dining room at Ruttger's for more than half a century, was named by the American Hotel Association as its Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year. Ruttger's was Minnesota Golf Magazine's "Golf Resort of the Year" in 2004.

While the price to stay at Ruttger's has gone up a good deal since its founding, the resort continues to be the first choice among families and organizations looking for the ideal get-away.