Photo by Hannah Wingert
It’s been an interesting and rough year for many businesses and that definitely rings true for the Old Barn Resort outside of Preston. Last summer, its opening was delayed by several months until June, and the day-to-day operations had to change and adapt to the pandemic. Overall though, owners and brothers-in-law Travis Dundore and Eric Brenna feel that most of the changes have been positive and ones that they will keep. The pandemic also gave them the opportunity to do some more renovations at the Old Barn.
“When things starting closing last year, it was pretty stressful,” Travis said. “There was a lot of stress at the beginning, but it worked out well. Some of these things we were forced to change and they are probably not going to go away.” One of the changes that he and Eric made was to their software, which allowed them to sell golf memberships and let customers book their tee times online. Right before the shutdowns began, they had actually just converted their restaurant software to include an online ordering option. The timing couldn’t have been better as they were only able to do take-out for quite some time. They had always talked about adding an outdoor dining patio and the challenges from COVID-19 actually pushed that plan forward. The patio now includes a small building called The Shed where people can purchase food and drinks such as hot dogs, brats, slushies, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. As of now, Eric and Travis are still refining their menu and using customer feedback to find the best options for it. “It’s not just a hot dog. It’s not just a hamburger,” Travis explained, adding that they want everything they serve, both inside the restaurant and outside at The Shed to be exceptional and unique.
The Shed has been a huge hit, and Eric and Travis love seeing how busy the patio is on the weekends. Customers enjoy being able to grab a quick bite to eat by the enclosed pool, which in recent years, has also been renovated and updated, or after playing a round of golf. The speakers placed strategically around the area play music that draws people in as well.
The biggest change that happened at the Old Barn Resort took place over the winter of 2020-2021. It was one that both Eric and Travis had been talking about for a while, but the pandemic gave them the opportunity to finally tackle it. Up until then, the lower level of the barn had been hostel style lodgings, but they overhauled it to give it more of a hotel experience. Instead of customers renting a bed, they now can rent a room. The large common area with kitchenette, dining area, and television is the same which is especially useful when family groups stay there. There had been two large bunk rooms, one which slept 14 people and another which slept 16, but Eric and Travis converted one of them into three family rooms. One of the family rooms, called the MilkHouse has one queen size bed while the other two have a combination of a queen bed and several bunk beds. The new accomodations have been a big hit and Eric and Travis both agreed that the renovations have been a gamechanger for the Old Barn Resort.
Photo by Hannah Wingert
Eric’s dad, Doug owned the Old Barn Resort for 20 years. When he decided to sell, Doug gave Eric a chance to buy it, which he did with Travis as his partner. The two are going into their sixth season together and have been working hard to make it an even better experience for their clientele with more of a resort vibe than just a campground. During their first winter, they revamped the interior of the barn. “We kind of tackled the big things right away,” Eric explained. After that, they kept going every chance they got. “We’re constantly brainstorming,” Travis said. “It’s tweaks here and there.”
One thing that Eric and Travis are focused on during their renovations is keeping the history of the Old Barn Resort alive. The farm was originally purchased and run by Edward Allis who was the founder of the Allis Chalmers Machinery Co. His son Jere built a huge barn for his cattle that was eventually turned into the Old Barn Resort by Vernon Michel who purchased it in 1988. Eric and Travis are currently working on putting some of that history and timeline onto displays in the barn and are hoping to have them up by next year.
The Old Barn Resort boasts a number of activities that people can do on-site such as swimming, tubing, fishing, biking, golfing at the Rivers Bend Golf Course, and more. “If you can’t find something to do, you’re trying NOT to find something to do,” Eric said. He and Travis work hard to make the Old Barn a full family experience for resort guests and others who just come for the day. Travis explained what drives them each day. “What if our family was here experiencing this?” he asked.
For more information on the Old Barn Resort, visit the website at barnresort.com or call (507) 467-2512.
Nan Just says
What did the property look like when Vernon Michel owned it? I ask because in the mid 1990’s several friends and I visited what I recalled was an old red barn that had been converted into a restaurant, gift shop which included Amish furniture, and sleeping accommodations. The outside had campi grounds mostly for tent camping.. I would love to know if this is the same place. Thanks for any info you can share.