Bars near Hastings

“On a recent visit home I made a decision that I wanted to come here to eat, but mostly for the ice cream. It's rare that I know I want to go somewhere, but every so often I surprise everyone and pick a place. Pirates Cove is kind of an institution in the area, but mostly for the ice cream. Notice I keep saying something about the ice cream. There will be more to that later in the review. Obviously this place is more busy when it is peak summer in the area. When we arrived, it was nearing the end of the summer season and all the campers in the area were returning back to wherever they came from. We should have come for just the ice cream. We actually came and got dinner and then ice cream. I did a quick once over of the menu and didn't really see much that was appealing. I went with a reliable chicken tender dinner. Well, it's usually a reliable dinner. This was not the most pleasant chicken tender dinner. The highlight of this was not the chicken tendies, but the French fries were the highlight...that is until the ice cream. The chicken tenders were decent, but you can tell they were you run of the mill, out of the freezer, chicken tenders. I asked for barbecue sauce and had to wait for that to show up to start eating them. They weren't bad, until I reached the last one. They were stuck together and because of that, it wasn't cooked the whole way through. Where they connected, it was cold. Not to even mention that the vegetable, I chose green beans, tasted just like the can they came from the can and was heated in a microwave. But, let's talk about that ice cream. It was definitely worth the wait and agony. I kind of already knew what I wanted by the end of the meal. I had been eyeing up the ice cream menu during the whole meal. Pirates Cove's take on the blizzard is called a tornado. I had been craving some peanut butter and they have a Reese's Pieces Tornado. I went with the large size and even though it was huge, I did not regret it. After the less than stellar meal, I dug into that ice cream and was so happy. The ratio of ice cream to pieces was on point. Every bite I took had some pieces in it and it was a delight. It kind of erased the memory of the lackluster meal that I had.“

“Friendly place on the mountain that doesn't make you feel like an "outsider". Not far from the lake! Good drink selections and reasonable prices for the portions of food. Has ATM inside & 2 smoke areas outside(not enclosed). Parking space availability varies depending how packed it gets. Has handicapped spaces & ramp too. We will be back for sure!“

“Colonial Inn is a hidden gem off the beaten path! Check in/out went by very quickly as they were ready for our arrival. The motel itself is so quaint as it reminded me of my stay in Branson, MO a few years ago. The value was superb, and they had both a refrigerator and a microwave in the room! Sleeping was comfortable. I highly recommend Colonial Inn!“

“I've eaten here a couple times and the food always exceeds expectations. Generous portions, good quality and fast service. This is one of those places like Cheers on TV, everyone is friendly, funny and easy to get along with. Bring an appetite and you don't have to break the bank to have a good meal.“