Habberstad House

My husband and I really enjoyed our stay with Nancy and Dave. They are wonder hosts. The house was beautifully decorated and very clean. The food was fabulous!!! We stayed in the Heather room. The room itself is a little small, but the giant bathroom with 2 person whirlpool more than made up for it. We will be visiting again for sure!

Tucked away in the bluffs of southeastern Minnesota, you probably won’t find better B&B. They got it right.

We’ve lived in Minnesota for more than 30 years, but had never been to the state’s «bed and breakfast capital,» Lanesboro. After seeing a great weather report for the upcoming next few days, we went online the evening of July 1 to see if there was any chance of booking a last-​minute stay at one of the B&Bs for the next two nights. We checked out a number of listings and settled on the Habberstad House based on reviews from previous guests and the house’s website. It was a terrific choice.
The house is a lovely 1897 jewel that has been meticulously maintained, groomed and pampered by the current owners for the past 13 years, Dave and Nancy Huisenga (retired firefighter and nurse, respectively). They clearly love their house and love their business. Every room of the house that we experienced was spotlessly clean and tastefully decorated. We stayed in the Heather Room, which has a small-​ish bedroom but a huge, luxurious bathroom complete with corner Jacuzzi with rain shower and all the amenities. The bed was extremely comfortable with high-​quality linens and all of the furniture and fixtures were beautiful.
The breakfasts were simply amazing. Guests are seated in a lovely dining room around a 10-​person table that is beautifully set. Dave and Nancy work as a team, with Dave preparing Nancy’s fresh purchases and Nancy serving the guests and telling wonderful stories about the house and the history of Lanesboro. The first morning, we started with a rhubarb cream pie-​like first course, following by a mushroom omelet, ham and a hash brown potato patty. Nothing from the frozen food section here. It was all freshly prepared and beautifully served. Fresh orange juice, grape juice and water are at the table to be served family-​style, but the starters and entrees and refills of coffee or tea are personally served. The second morning started with a tres leches confection topped with a small dollop of real whipped cream and a mint sprig from their garden, followed by pannekoeken (a fluffy, light pancake-​like treat) filled with cinnamon apples and a side of bacon. Heaven!
Dave and Nancy are happy to recommend activities, sights and restaurants in the area. Based on their advice and after reviewing the menus they’ve collected for their guests to peruse, we had dinner outdoors on the deck the first evening at the Old Village Hall, with a standard menu of steaks, chops and fish. Good food, service and prices. The second evening we tried Pedal Pushers Café because of the quirky, locally-​source menu items such as pork schnitzel, Norwegian meatballs, liver and onions and chicken pot pie. Food was good and very affordable, service was a little too crisp (offering dessert while we were still working on our entrees) but the overall experience was fun.
We brought our bikes and rode 20 miles in one direction and back between Lanesboro and Preston one morning. The trail follows the old railroad right-​of-​way along the Root River through woods, fields and meadows. It is flat, asphalt-​surfaced and very well-​maintained. The trail in the other direction towards Whalen was closed for resurfacing so we will definitely be going back. Habberstad House provides guests with secure bike storage in one of the garage stalls on the property so you have full access to the space you need to park your bikes when you aren’t riding. The Minnesota State Parks’ tour of Mystery Cave, an easy drive to the southeast, was worthwhile for the experience of the state’s longest cave (13+ miles, just a small portion of which is included on the tour).
We give Habberstad House and Dave and Nancy our very highest recommendation. This is what the B&B experience is meant to be.

Dave and Nancy are fabulous hosts. Their B & B is immaculately clean and their breakfasts are delicious. Lanesboro is a lovely, quaint town and staying at Habberstad House adds to a relaxing getaway from the Twin Cities.