I have lived in Minnesota since 2003 and have always loved "Lake Life" here. My frustration was that a good lake life felt like it needed to be a 3 hour drive to get anywhere that had the perfect setting we were looking for. Just 70 minutes from Maple Grove, its close to modern amenities and if you need to travel back to the Twin Cities to catch a kids sporting event, you can and it doesn't kill you to do so. It also means the cabin has more utility for quick getaways.
Lake Peavy is close and big enough to offer all water sports, but not so big that the lake attracts large amounts of tourism. The locals are friendly, and quiet. They love watching their loons, fishing and enjoying great camp fires in the evening. They appreciate the clean, deep water of this lake which makes it fun and desirable for kids and adults. Because of Lake Peavy's size and orientation, it seems less impacted by windy days that you experience on bigger bodies of water.