Each year the swiftly flowing Chippewa River deposits tons of sand into the southern end of Lake Pepin. This results in wonderful sand islands for recreational boaters and a nightmare for dredgers who must keep the river channel clear for barge traffic. A popular inn is the Anderson House Hotel, which has been owned and operated by four generations of Andersons since 1856. The hotel provides a litter box and food. Guest rooms are furnished with antiques, and homemade quilts cover the beds.
Most rooms have private baths, but a few provide wash basins with a shared bathroom down the hall.
The Coffee Mill Motel is nearby. After dinner, stroll along the river front promenade and investigate the surprising wooden sculpture garden. When it becomes necessary to cut down a tree on the river bank, the town hires a sculptor. Using a chain saw, he carves the trunks of doomed trees into whimsical statues. One tree became a gaily painted riverboat captain peering, with pipe in mouth, across the muddy water.