Explore Nisswa’s Charming Downtown And Its Many Wonders

Minnesota has plenty of lake towns.  This is the first installment of WJON's series on great lake towns in the state.  Nisswa is a town with a population of 1,971.  It was incorporated in 1908.  Nisswa Chamber of Commerce President Kalie Jay joined me on WJON to talk about the community and surrounding area.  She says Nisswa began as a railroad town but soon became a lake town with numerous resorts and lake cabins on the area lakes.

What is Nisswa?

Kalie Jay describes Nisswa as a hallmark town and "slice of heaven".  She says they have lots shopping, lakes and local character.  Jay says they have close to 500 lakes within a 20-mile radius.

Shopping and Dining

Jay says those shopping Nisswa can get anything from a grill, shoes, clothes, gifts, books, ice cream and candy.  She says they have a very walkable 2-block chunk of town.  Jay says there is plenty of parking available on main street and adjacent to main street.  In addition to the shops, Jay says they also have coffee shops, a brewery and restaurants.

Who's Going to Nisswa

As time has gone on many of the resorts in the area have become lake homes but Jay says they still have many long running resorts.  She says they see many visitors from the Twin Cities, Iowa and Wisconsin.  Jay explains they have family who've come to Nisswa for 5 generations.

Events

The Nisswa Chamber of Commerce put on 4 big events each year.  They are: Freedom Days every year on July 3, Fall Festival and smoking hot barbeque, which is the 3rd Saturday in September, (Sept 20, 2025), City of Lights, which is the day after Thanksgiving, and turtle races which take place Wednesdays in the summer through August 13.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Kalie Jay, click below.