Coney Island of Lake Waconia: The 'Coney Island of the West'

Sit down at any Waconia bar and someone will tell you about the island. Coney Island of Lake Waconia — also called Coney Island of the West — is a 31-acre wooded island in the middle of Lake Waconia that, between 1884 and the late 1910s, was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the upper Midwest. Today it sits quiet in the lake, accessible only by boat, with the foundations of its hotel days still visible under a century of forest growth.

The Resort Era (1884–1919)

In 1884 a partnership of investors purchased the island and began converting it into a Minnesota resort modeled on its New York namesake. Within a decade Coney Island of the West had a 60-room hotel, dance pavilion, restaurant, picnic grounds, and a steamboat dock. Visitors arrived by train at the Waconia depot, then transferred to a lake steamboat that ran across to the island. At its peak the island hosted thousands of visitors during summer weekends — many of them families from Minneapolis and St. Paul escaping the city heat.

“It was the destination — not Minnetonka, not the St. Croix. For three decades, if you said you were going to 'the lake', you meant Coney Island of Waconia.”

— Carver County Historical Society

Decline and Quiet Years

The resort's fortunes turned in the 1910s. The automobile changed Minnesota tourism — families now drove to dozens of competing lakes rather than taking the train and ferry to a single island. World War I drained tourism and labor, the dance pavilion burned in a fire, and Prohibition (which arrived in Minnesota ahead of the federal amendment) cut deeply into the hotel's revenue model. By the early 1920s the resort had effectively closed. The hotel was demolished in 1965 after decades of disuse.

Coney Island Today

The island today is part of the Lake Waconia Regional Park system, managed by Carver County. There's no hotel, no pavilion, no dock services — just a wooded island with old foundations, walking paths, and primitive picnic areas. The island is open to the public during daylight hours but is reachable only by boat. Many Lake Waconia visitors paddle over by kayak or stop briefly during a pontoon tour. Carver County offers occasional ranger-led trips during summer.

Practical Notes

There are no restrooms, no drinking water, and no concessions on the island today. Pack everything in and pack everything out. Wear shoes — the foundations of the old hotel and pavilion can be sharp. The island can be buggy in midsummer; bring repellent. Always check the weather before crossing — the lake can get choppy quickly when storms move in.