Spirit Lake District Court can also be called the Dickinson District Court in the Third judicial district of Iowa. US 71 pokes its way through Dickinson county and the way meets US 18 and SR 9.

With its resort style of life and location in the center of what is considered to be the center of the Iowa Great Lakes; the city each year welcomes back a large number of its seasonal residents. An auditorium connected to the Spirit Lake High School and seating approximately 1000 is the home of the Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to its basic use for student performances it has been the scene of performances by nationally known artists as well as plays and other musical performances. There are a couple of museums visitors might want to take a peek at. The Dickinson County museum is located in what used to be the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad depot. Abbie Gardner's Cabin in nearby Arnold Park is the site of "The Spirit Lake Massacre" of 1857 and has pioneer artifacts, Abbie's paintings and 19th century Dakota artifacts in the original log cabin.