Excelsior Homes for Sale

The city of Excelsior is the small-town gem of the Twin Cities. With just under 2,400 residents in under one-square mile of real estate, Excelsior is bursting with small-town charm in a city where residents know and get to know each other’s names.

Excelsior is located entirely along the southern edge of Lake Minnetonka, just 20 minutes away from downtown Minneapolis. Excelsior features access to a number of its bays, including Saint Albans Bay, Excelsior Bay, and Gideon Bay. Between those three bays stretches the Excelsior Commons, the public park area featuring playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, public beaches, picnic tables, an outdoor bandstand for live music, a baseball pitch, ice cream vendors, and cruise ship lines. Homeowners can expect to see locals playing baseball on the pitch or Frisbee on the green any day of the week.

Buying a home in Excelsior means buying real estate on or near some of the best lakeside and lakeshore property in all of the Twin Cities. The town features some of the best lakeside and lakeshore real estate in the Twin Cities. Since 1850, historic Excelsior has been a temporary home to vacationers across the Twin Cities and across the country, and visitors have sought to buy a home in Excelsior to settle down alongside some of the best Lake Minnetonka shoreline in the Twin Cities. Other residents have found and will find suitable townhomes and townhouses, as well as lakehouses and lakehomes.

But Excelsior’s arguably best selling point is its unparalleled small-town charm. Along its main street, Water Street, one can find a number of mom and pop businesses and restaurants, from the Irish bar to the boutique flower shop to the antique shops to the local movie theatre. The city is also home to a wide number of community events that draw large audiences and visitors from across the metro area. Thursday evenings throughout the summer, ladies can enjoy the sales, spa specials, music, and artists during Girls Night Out. Summer Saturdays feature the Excelsior Flea Market with its antiques, collectibles, and classic cars. In July, residents enjoy Independence Day fireworks and Crazy Days fair games and sales. In August, the Tour de Tonka gives bicyclists a chance to show off their talent, and in September, Apple Days celebrates the great taste of Minnesota apple harvests with caramel apples and foods of all kind, as well as hay rides and arts and crafts. Around the holiday season, as snowy Water street lights up with Christmas decorations, the Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt features traditional German Christmas shopping, live music, and activities. Throughout the holiday season, Christmas carolers can be found singing throughout town and Sleigh rides throughout town can be had for the whole family.

While Excelsior has much to offer with its lakeshore property, its parks and amenities, and convenient location minutes away from downtown, it is Excelsior small town feel and sense of history that makes it one of the best places to live and to buy a home in all of the Twin Cities metro area.

If you are ready to work with an experienced Realtor in the Excelsior area, list your home for sale, schedule a showing for Excelsior real estate, or have questions we are ready to help. Simply call or text Travis Senenfelder at 651-216-9466 or send us a message online here.

Besides providing a lifetime of small town charm and beautiful lakeside real estate, buying a home in Excelsior ensures top-quality education for your family and your children, conveniently located right by your home.

The Excelsior public school district, Minnetonka School District 276, features one high school, one middle school, and one elementary school. They are the following:

Excelsior Elementary, at http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/Schools/Excelsior/Pages/default.aspx, serving students in grades K-5 with a Chinese immersion program.
Minnetonka Middle School East, at http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/Schools/MiddleSchoolEast/Pages/default.aspx, located just two miles from the center of town, serving grades 6-8
Minnetonka High School, at http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/Schools/MinnetonkaHighSchool/Pages/default.aspx, serving approximately 2,700 students in grades 9 through 12, and ranked by Newsweek as #285 in their “List of the 1200 Best High Schools in America”

Excelsior also features two private schools:

St. John the Baptist Catholic School, at http://www.classroomconnection.us/schools/home_page.asp?school_id=1, teaches students in grades K-8
Our Savior Lutheran School, at http://www.oslcs.org/school/, teaches students in PreK-8^th grade

Prestigious private schools in the metro area include the following:

Breck School, at http://www.breckschool.org/, a private, Episcopal school serving approximately 1,200 students in grades PreKindergarten through 12 in Golden Valley Minnesota
The Blake School, at http://www.blakeschool.org/, serving approximately 1,350 students in grades PreKindergarten through 12, with a lower school in Wayzata, a middle school in Hopkins and a high school in downtown Minneapolis
Providence Academy, at http://www.providenceacademy.org/, serving approximately 900 students in grades PreKindergarten through 12 in Plymouth.

Restaurants

Maynard’s: Maynard’s is a bustling American-cuisine restaurant right on Lake Minnetonka. The location and atmosphere is hard to beat, with an expansive outside patio right on Lake Minnetonka lakeshore property, and with special deals and a full bar, Maynard’s is a great place for lunch, happy hour, or dinner.
Biella Ristorante: Biella is located right on Water street—Excelsior’s main street—and features authentic Italian food in a wonderful atmosphere. The delicious food and desserts, as well as the wine list and romantic setting, make it a great spot for dinner for two.
Yumi’s Waterfront Café & Sushi Bar: Yumi’s is a small sushi bar right on Water Street and is home to delicious sushi for both sushi-lovers and non-sushi-lovers alike. The quaint location and atmosphere make it a great café and sushi bar right in Excelsior.
318 Café: This cozy, quaint café on Water Street serves great breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and is home to live music almost every night throughout the week, making it not only a trendy place to hang out, but a great place for daily lunch.
Jake O’Connor’s Public House: Jake’s Pub features great Irish food and American dishes in a lively pub atmosphere with a full bar. The restaurant’s location right on Water Street and Second Street in the heart of Excelsior along with its great food and lively atmosphere make it a great stop for lunches and for nights out.

Entertainment

Chanhassen Dinner Theater: In addition to its delicious meals, the Chanhassen Dinner Theater provides quality theatrical and musical entertainment that is appreciated and renowned throughout the Twin Cities Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Visit http://www.chanhassentheatres.com/ to learn more or to hear more about upcoming shows.
Valleyfair Amusement Park: Valleyfair is located just ten miles from any Excelsior house or home and provides a day’s worth of unforgettable entertainment for a whole family, featuring exciting roller-coasters and rides, fair activities, and food.
Old Log Theater: Located on ten acres of historic Lake Minnetonka lakefront property, Old Log Theater offers plays and comedies in a local, historic setting.
Excelsior Dock Cinema 3: The Excelsior Dock is a small, local theater and is home to three movie theatres showing major films. Located right on Water Street, it’s a convenient stop for moviegoers.
Minnetonka Yacht Club: Minnetonka’s Yacht club has beautiful boats and even more beautiful sailing right on Lake Minnetonka. The coach is a world-class sailor and sailors in the club rank internationally. But despite its reputation, Minnetonka Yacht Club is a great place for sailors of any age and any skill level.

Leisure

Excelsior Commons: The park area right along Water street is home to two public beaches, a baseball pitch, a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts, picnic tables, a baseball pitch, and open greens alongside a bandstand for live music during community events.
Lake Minnetonka Boat Cruises: If you’re looking to host a fantastic party or corporate event, Lake Minnetonka Boat Cruises is the ideal venue. Food, drinks, and catering are provided as you cruise around the beautiful water and lakeshore of Lake Minnetonka.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Open every day of the year (except Thanksgiving and Christmas), Minnesota Landscape Arboretum offers a variety of gardens and collections in a variety of settings, from woodlands to prairies to marshes. It’s beautiful and extensive property features 80 miles of trails for leisurely strolls, power hikes, or deep woods biking.
Bearpath Golf and Country Club: Located right on Lake Riley and featuring beautifully maintained lakes and amber hardwoods, Bearpath Golf offers a serene relaxation and wildlife. In addition to golf and the country club, Bearpath offers luxury real estate, featuring beautiful single family homes and houses in an ideal location.
Minnetonka Country Club: The Minnetonka Country Club is just one mile from downtown Excelsior and is home to a full golf course and a number of tennis courts, as well a number of dining facilities.

Churches

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Excelsior, at www.stjohns-excelsior.org/
Trinity Episcopal Church of Excelsior, at http://www.trinityexcelsior.org/
Our Savior Lutheran Church, at http://www.oslcs.org/
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, at http://www.mountcalvary.org/
Excelsior United Methodist Church, at http://www.excelsiorumc.org/
The Congregational Church of Excelsior, at http://www.thecongregationalchurchofexcelsior.org/

The City of Excelsior, despite being a small town, is a bustling center of activity all year round. Residents from all over the metro flock to the open park space and and restaurants along Lake Minnetonka, and the city plans exciting events and festivals throughout the entire year for residents. Some highlights from throughout the year include the following:

In the middle of July, the Crazy Days Fair & Festival features street markets and sales, as well as festival events like face painting. Crazy Days makes for a great family event, as there is something for everyone to enjoy!
During the Christmas Season, Excelsior hosts a number of events, from horse-drawn carriages, to caroling, to holiday markets, to the North Pole Trolley, and even the lighted lantern parade.
During the early Fall, Apple Day celebrates Minnesota’s apple harvests. A wide variety of apples are available to taste, try, and buy, and a delicious number of caramel apples.
Each Thursday throughout the summer, Concerts in the Park host a number of musical events right on Excelsior’s Lake Minnetonka shoreline. A number of musical varieties are booked, from jazz to classical to blues, and each evening’s musical entertainment on the park is entirely free.

These are just a few highlights for events throughout the entire year. For more information on these events, or for information on other Excelsior events, visit http://www.ci.excelsior.mn.us/index.aspx?nid=207.

As a scenic lakeside town, Excelsior has a variety of parks and amenities to offer its residents, enabling recreational enjoyment of Excelsior’s beautiful natural setting. Residents who do not buy a lake home or house on lakeside property can enjoy Lake Minnetonka through Excelsior’s local beaches. Some of Excelsior’s more popular parks and beaches include the following:

Located right on Lake Minnetonka, the Excelsior Commons is home to two public beaches, a baseball pitch, a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts, picnic tables, a baseball pitch, and open greens alongside a bandstand for live music during community events.
Cathcari Park
Freeman Park
Badger Park
Manor Park
Silverwood Park
Crescent Beach

And as a lake town with miles of shoreline, buying a home in Shorewood means access to some of Lake Minnetonka’s most beautiful bays. Lakes and bays within Shorewood’s borders include these:

Lake Minnetonka, including Gideon Bay, Echo Bay, Excelsior Bay, and St. Alban’s Bay
Christmas Lake
Galpin Lake
Silver Lake
Mary Lake

In addition to these lakes and bays, there are a number of smaller lakes and ponds that make up Excelsior’s total lake property.

Excelsior Homes for Sale

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