WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA 
Tours & Programs
offered by
The White Bear Lake Area Historical Society
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 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.
