Group Tours & Programs
offered by the
White Bear Lake Area Historical Society

Mother’s Day Tea at the Fillebrown House Saturday, May 8, 2010 1-3pm $19/person
Enjoy a delightful tea at the 1879 Fillebrown House – once a Depression-era tea room. Treat mom or grandma to a lovely afternoon while enjoying a piece of White Bear’s history.

Around the Lake Bus Tour Step-on guide available by reservation approx. 1 hour $9/person
Join our knowledgeable guide who will bring the past “to life” on a journey through history. Highlights include tales of the first Tilt-A-Whirl, St. Paul’s movers and shakers from the last century, the golden era of Minnesota’s First Resort Town and much more.

Mahtomedi Bus Tour Step-on guide available by reservation approx. 1 hour $9/person
Our informed guide will dazzle you with stories of the gangsters, speakeasies and the characters of a authentic small-town that was home to Wildwood Park for more than four decades.

Gangster Tour Step-on guide available by reservation approx. 1 hour $9/person
Come along for an adventurous outing to explore the hideouts and haunts of the 1930s era gangsters who laid low in the cottages around White Bear and Bald Eagle Lakes. Sights include a Mahtomedi speakeasy and the location of a notorious dance club.

Fillebrown House Tours available by reservation approx. 1 hour $5/person ($35 minimum)
Visit this 1879 lakeside cottage filled with stories of the Fillebrown, Noyes and Young families who have called it home. Learn what life was like throughout the decades including the golden era of Minnesota’s First Resort Town, the Great Depression and War years into modern times.

Fillebrown House Teas available by reservation 2 hours $25/person (12 person minimum)
The Fillebrown House is available for private teas where an informed host will give a brief overview of the setting as well as provide tea time delights. This is ideal for Red Hat groups, small reunions or special celebrations.

Historical Programs available by reservation approx. 1 hour $5/person ($35 minimum)
Select a topic that fits your group. Options include: The Story of the Railroad, Golden Era of Minnesota’s First Resort Town, Myths and Legends of the White Bear Area and more.

Cruise into the Past - Historic Boat Tour of White Bear Lake Monday evenings in June, July & August
Approx. 2 hours $29/person or Step-on guide available by reservation $15/person (minimum of 4 people)
Your steady driver and knowledgeable guide will tantalize you with images of the days past and present as you skim the shore of White Bear Lake, Birchwood, Mahtomedi, Dellwood and White Bear Township.

Lake Avenue Stroll Available by reservation Approx. 2 hours $12/person 5 person minimum
Take this guided tour and learn about the history of Lake Avenue and how the community of White Bear Lake developed as you stroll along the shore of the lake from Lion’s Park to Matoska Park, (and back at your own pace—approx. 2 miles roundtrip). The first settlement and businesses developed along this shore and signs of their presence can still be seen today.

Downtown White Bear Lake Then and Now available by reservation Approx. 2 hours $12/person 5 person min.
Walk through White Bear Lake’s historic downtown and learn about the businesses and people who have shaped the community, past and present. Explore historic and modern structures and the development of our downtown business district using historic photographs to depict what once was there.

Historic Cottage Park Walking Tour available by reservation Approx. 2 hours $12/person 5 person min.
Tour historic Cottage Park—where White Bear was first settled—and hear stories of the days of community clubhouses, the area’s first resorts and church, and some interesting characters. The tour departs from Lion’s Park, and makes a circuitous route through the Cottage Park neighborhood and back. This is about a 1.5 mile walk round trip.

Historic Wildwood Walking Tour available by reservation Approx 1.5 hours $12/person 5 person min.
Stroll back through time and explore the history of Wildwood Amusement Park’s heyday when crowds transported by the streetcars and steamers came to the “end of the tracks” to enjoy a day at the park which boasted one of the first Tilt-a-Whirls, a roller coaster named “the Pippin”, a bathing beach, expansive picnic grounds and much more. The tour departs from Triangle Park, and makes a circuitous route through the neighborhood and back to Triangle Park. This is about a 1.5 mile walk round trip.

A Discovery Walk Through Union Cemetery available by reservation Approx. 1 hour $12/person 5 person min.
Guided tours include information on the establishment of Union Cemetery, cemetery symbolism and the lives of several individuals who have been laid to rest at this site. Interpretations include characters such as Hattie Long, an early special education teacher from White Bear Lake; Caspar Bloom, a two-time Civil War Veteran who later settled in this area; and Captain W. A. Stickley, a publisher of the White Bear Press early in the last century.