We stopped by during a bicycle trip on Root River Trail. We did not stay at the resort, but we did visit to the restaurant. This review is for the restaurant only. Five stars for both food and service. Everybody in my party ordered the Loaded Pork Sandwich with baked beans. It was the best pork sandwich and the best baked beans I have had in any restaurant anywhere. The pork was locally roasted and the beans contained both bacon and beef bits. I'll be coming back for more whenever the opportunity presents itself.
6 months ago
Truly our favorite place to camp. It’s right off of the bike trail so easy access to trails. You can float in the root river around the campsite. It’s about an hour and a half float which is so nice. The site is always clean. The barn has the best cheese curds. The food has never really disappointed us flavor wise! They have a covered pool area that our kids live in when it’s hot. Bathrooms are always kept up which is nice. Because of the proximity to the root river there are hardly ever mosquitoes like in other parts of the state.
7 months ago
In addition to its serene location nestled in a peninsula along Root River, Old Barn Resort offers its guests access to an inimitable array of activities and amenities that is unparalleled among any other campground I've experienced.
And besides the easy access to 60 miles of paved bike trails, a scenic 18-hole golf course surrounded by nature, an onsite delicious restaurant, and the ability to float down a river that wraps around and returns you back to the campground (super convenient), Old Barn Resort is staffed with the most caring individuals that offered me a customer service experience I will never forget.
While biking back to the campground on our first evening there, I had an unfortunate accident that caused me to lose control and crash into a ditch along the trail. Thankfully, I didn't get too injured and was able to return to our camp site. I quickly realized that I lost my phone in the incident, and due to the lack of cell service, I was unable to track it down over the course of the weekend.
Upon returning home phoneless, I checked the phone's location once more, and it finally updated to the network with more precise coordinates before it lost power. But I was now hours away with no time to drive back and search the 30+ foot radius of the drop location! So I called Old Barn Resort and spoke with Jill, who was gracious enough to help me search using multiple pics from both my location tracker app and Google Maps. Jill then employed Colton to seek it out, and after an unsuccessful first attempt, they tried again the following day after I provided them better pics from Google Street View from along the actual trail. And through their prompt communication with me and diligent effort, they FOUND IT! Trust me, this was "needle in a haystack" territory, so this took their patience.
But the level of consummate service wasn't over, as Jill then shipped my phone back to me via priority mail, and it was delivered the next day. Not only that, but Jill also took the time to package my phone with care using a thick foam padding and accompanying it with both a lovely "get well" note plus an Old Barn Resort magnet, to which I proudly and promptly placed on my fridge.
I realize I haven't even written about the savory lunch I had at their restaurant or the sublime experience of floating down the Root River on my paddle board with my son. All of that is worth staying here again on its own merit, and I was planning on writing a positive review regardless of my phone debacle outcome. But the world-class service from the caring staff was something special and made a memorable experience all the more memorable!
Thank you, Jill and Colton, and whoever else assisted in the search and find effort!
As advertised on their website, this place is more than just a campground—it's a destination. But moreover, it's an experience that is unrivaled among many other options near the Twin Cities.
6 months ago