Only two years after Papa Charlie’s burned to the ground, there is a new Charlie’s at Lutsen Mountain offering food, acoustic music and lodging.
Charlie’s Alpine Bistro is open for business in a new 10,000-square-foot building where Papa Charlie’s once stood at the popular northeastern Minnesota ski resort. The bistro, a breakfast and dinner restaurant that will host acoustic music, is planning a grand opening celebration Friday.
Also new is Sunset Studios, eight units of lodging with a kitchenette, fireplace and private balcony that share the building with Charlie’s and offer ski-in, ski-out access.
The $10 million project was designed by Minneapolis-based LHB architects and built by Kraus-Anderson, also Minneapolis-based with offices in several regional cities including Duluth.
With the loss of Papa Charlie’s came a chance to reimagine visitors’ needs, said Charlotte Skinner, whose family owns the resort. She said that sometimes Papa Charlie’s identity as an entertainment venue clashed with its family-friendly, sit-down restaurant that catered to visitors after a day of outdoor recreation.
“Papa Charlie’s offered a lot for us, in terms of rounding out the entire experience for our customers,” Skinner said. “It was a one-of-a-kind venue on the North Shore, offering late night and daytime music.”
Skinner is the granddaughter of the venue’s namesake, Charles Skinner Sr., who bought Lutsen Mountains in 1980 and is credited with turning it into an Upper Midwest destination. He died in 2021.
Now the late-night music scene shifts to the Lofty Gondola (“Lofty” to its regulars), on the upper level of the resort’s Scandinavian Chalet. Skinner described it as a convenient and cozy space that seats about 100 for après-ski and a late-night bar option. It’s where acts performed before Papa Charlie’s was built in 1996.
