Writers will call Doc’s Harbor Inn home during the writing retreat. This will be our home base for the week as well as accommodations for four of our guest writers.

Doc’s Harbor Inn isn’t only lodging; it’s an experience. One step into the big, yellow house and you know you’ve entered a special place. The house is the former residence of veterinarian Dr. Leland S. “Doc” and his wife Mildred Hughes. The couple moved to Warroad in 1946 to set up Doc Hughes’s private veterinary practice. For over twenty years, this much-loved home was an enchanting place filled with the bustle of parties and the joys of friendship. 

In 2014, sisters Janet Marvin, Robin Marvin, and Randy Oftedahl — who all grew up playing with the Hughes children —  renovated and reopened the stylish home as Doc’s Harbor Inn. The sisters worked diligently to capture the same welcoming atmosphere of the Hugheses’ entertaining days. The bright entryway is papered with reproduced copies of the Warroad Pioneer newspaper from 1914, the year the house was built. The kitchen features the original chalkboard that the Hughes family used as their “telephone directory.” Today, the board is filled with local news for guests. Free wifi is available. Relax in the parlor on the settee or in the 100-year old rocking chair. Play a tune on the piano or look out the picture windows for views of the Warroad River. Right off the parlor is Doc Hughes’s office which has been converted into a bedroom. An amateur naturalist, he studied the local plants, drawing what he saw in his sketchbook. Some of Doc Hughes’ paintings, artist’s tools, field glasses, books, and other instruments sit on shelves. The remaining three bedrooms are upstairs. The best seat in the house is actually outside. On the back deck, sit on the porch swing as you gaze out over the river. Free Parking Available.