In a small town on Minnesota’s Iron Range, a boy and his friend scooter along the sidewalk outside a restaurant. One boy mentions he needs to use the bathroom and begins to head toward a nearby park with public restrooms. The other boy, heavyset and wearing a red T-shirt, enters the restaurant’s fenced yard and approaches a large stone with a sword sticking out of it.

“You trying that again? You’ll never do it!” says the Bathroom Boy, continuing on his way.

Red T-shirt Boy crouches and tugs on the sword, pulling with all his might.

Alas, the sword does not budge. Red T-shirt Boy will not become the future King of England. But he can dream, can’t he?

As you may have guessed by now, the restaurant that features the Excalibur sword is not your normal restaurant. On the National Register of Historic Places, Ravenstone Abbey in Coleraine is the stuff of Medieval dreams. A pub/restaurant, coffee shop/bistro, and axe-throwing dungeon are housed in a painstakingly renovated 1908-era Methodist Episcopal Church/YMCA.

The building served as a church until 1976, when it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. The windows were boarded up, water leaked through holes in the roof, and animals took up residence.

Once they saw it by chance in 2021, future owners Jozsef and Sue Palavics fell in love with the derelict building and its towering stone walls (made from local stone) and stained-glass windows. By 2024, as their website says, they created “a place where history meets modernity, where the old-world charm of a medieval castle blends seamlessly with the excitement of a contemporary event venue.”

Russ and I meandered up to Coleraine one evening for supper at the abbey. As we sat at our table next to one of the original stone walls, we appreciated the oil lamp on the table, which was held by a small knight figurine in shining armor.

I ordered The Queens Salad, which featured mixed greens, mandarin oranges, red onion, feta cheese, pecans, and dried cranberries with a poppyseed dressing. Russ ordered The Kings Salad, which featured romaine lettuce topped with buffalo chicken, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, red onions, and croutons with a buffalo ranch dressing.

Both were reasonably priced and delicious! I also ordered a refreshing gin gimlet. The service was excellent, and our waiter helped me navigate my food intolerances (wheat/corn) to find something I could eat.

Once finished, we peeked into the Axehole Dungeon. Nobody was throwing any axes at the time, but it looked like fun. We did not partake, but are keeping the experience in mind if we take guests there someday.

As we left, Russ sat in the giant wooden “throne” in the entryway for a photo op. We walked to our car, noting some young girl urchins playing along the side of the building. I loved that the local children felt welcome there.

If you ever find yourself in northern Minnesota, indulge the imaginative child in you and check out Ravenstone Abbey! Maybe throw an axe or two while you’re there. (As per usual, I was not paid to say this.) 😊