Northwoods Adventure: Some Hotels In Bemidji Offering Pool Day Passes

With unexpected weather during the winter season, sometimes outdoor plans fall through.

It’s cold outside and the fact is, it’s not going to get warmer anytime soon. So, what is there to do in the meantime? Just because the weather is freezing doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun. Some hotels in the area offer day passes to the public to use their indoor pools.

“I see, during the summer, with the beach and the kayaks and all that, that’s used more frequent than the pool. But then during the winter, especially on the north side of the lake, this is the closest place to come. I’ve got quite a few regulars and quite a few members that are here daily,” said Dan Week, Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge Resort Food and Beverage Director.

Open swim is not a new concept. Hotels and resorts in the area have been doing it for years. It gives the public a place to go to just play and have fun with family and friends.

“Having something for people to do, [in] the winter, when you don’t have a snowmobile or you’re not dressed well, it’s nice to be able to come in somewhere warm that can accommodate a party of people or a group of friends and kind of all get together,” said Adam Christenson, general manager of Best Western in Bemidji. “Because you know in the winter time it’s cold, so it’s nice to have an option for guests to just come in with their friends and swim here.”

Christenson says the pool and hot tub especially in the winter time is very popular among college students. At Ruttger’s, Dan Week says the family resort offers more than just a pool – they also have a sauna and a fitness center for guests to use. Hotel managers say their pools are used more frequently during the cold months.

“Something indoors, like I said that is kind of a great thing to have, just because of the weather, it’s really cold. So, to have that available for our guests that’s kind of in this climate, it’s definitely something that they’re drawn to,” Christenson said.

Bemidji area hotels/resorts that offer open swim:

Best Western
Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge, Bemidji
AmericInn by Wyndham, Bemidji