The Gathering Place: Live the Lake Life at Pine River’s Heath’s Resort

WHO:	Heath’s Resort
BUSINESS TYPE:	Lakeside Cabins and Resort
SIGNATURE PRODUCTS:	Wide sandy beach, fishing, cabin life
WHERE: IN-PERSON: WEBSITE:	Pine River Open seasonally from May through October https://www.heathsresort.com/

 

By Michelle M. Sharp, Founder and Content Creator of Meet the Minnesota Makers

Ever wondered what the best part is of sharing your home with hundreds of people every summer? 

Heath’s Resort in Pine River, Minnesota, has welcomed guests to the Brainerd Lakes Area since 1938. Featuring boat rentals, lake vistas, and its signature wide sandy beach, this little corner of the world is a happy place for many of us throughout Minnesota and beyond. 

Heath’s Resort is the sort of place where generations of families gather to celebrate summer and each other. They boat to dinner, play sand volleyball, watch kids play on the beach from their cabin porch, debate which fishing spot is the luckiest, and soak up the magic that is lake season. 

This is also the sort of place where the ice cream cooler concession is an honor system, there’s time to read in the screened gazebo, and someone is always ready to set up a bonfire for evening s’mores. 

A New Chapter for Heath’s Resort

Erica and Ken Meitz are the current stewards of this Minnesota tradition. They purchased the property from Dave and Carole Heath, who have been instrumental in their successful transition. “The Heath Family and our legacy guests have been generous teachers about the rhythms and value of this resort,” shares Erica. “Some of the guests probably know the resort better than any of the owners!” 

The Heath Family built the resort in multiple waves. Members of the family lived full time on site. Some buildings, like Grandma’s Cabin, pay tribute to the family’s close involvement.

Honoring Resort Traditions

Lodging options range from cozy lakeside cabins to the multi-bedroom reunion houses at the top of the hill. Erica quickly learned of guests’ loyalty to particular cabins. As the Meitzs have begun renovations to the cabins built in the 1940s they have preserved treasured items like vintage light sconces. “People want their cabins to look the same as they remember it,” says Erica. “We want to make the cabins as comfortable as possible for our guests while maintaining the history of this place.”

As Erica and Ken have learned, the history of the place is equal parts the physical space and the people who visit it. “We have families who have vacationed here since they were children and now they return with their children or even grandchildren to pass on their traditions,” smiles Erica. “We know of a number of couples who met through their vacations here as well.” 

Personal Connections

Ken’s favorite part is their guests’ stories. “Our guests want to connect with us. They want us to know what this place means to them, to their families,” he

explains. “It’s such an honor to be a part of their memories and their summer routines.”  

Watching someone’s eyes lights up when they share a treasured memory or tradition creates powerful human connections. It’s an amazing privilege to witness someone else’s precious moments. Time and time again in our conversations both Erica and Ken returned to that personal connection as their greatest joy of being the stewards of the resort. 

Serving in a hospitality business is a new fun challenge for Erica and Ken. Before moving to Pine River, Erica owned a gymnastics gym and Ken still serves as a high school wrestling coach. Since returning to Minnesota after years living in the San Francisco Bay area, Erica has also become committed to developing affordable housing in the Brainerd Lakes community. 

“I love being back in Minnesota,” shares Erica. “It’s amazing to be a part of the rich history of this resort. We are a community company with the goal of staying small for the people who enjoy our resort.”

Get In Touch

Visit www.heathsresort.com or email reservations@heathsresort.com for cabin availability. Erica and Ken invite you to come set your own special memories from a trip made to Heath’s Resort.

Follow Heath’s Resort on Facebook and Instagram for special events like this their MEA harvest weekend in October.  

Meet the Minnesota Makers thanks Erica and Ken for their warm hospitality during our March 2025 spring break visit. We found the resort and the area to be a delightful place to explore and look forward to returning in other seasons. 

Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com or follow @meettheminnesotamakers on Facebook and Instagram to discover the small business owners that make Minnesota an amazing place to be! Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive.