It wasn’t long after I moved to the Midwest before I started
hearing about Lake Geneva. I honestly didn’t know much about the Wisconsin town
before this, but when I met with a representative of their Convention &
Visitors Bureau (CVB) at the Chicago Travel Show, I knew that I had to put it
on my trip list.
Finding a friend to come along was an easy task. In fact, my
friends Cortney and Amy were both begging to come. I checked with the Lake Geneva CVB who
was making all the arrangements, and they agreed that it sounded like the
makings of a great girls’ getaway. They weren’t wrong.
The drive to Lake Geneva only took a few hours. We arrived
at Maxwell Mansion 1856 late afternoon and were immediately taken with the
property.
Chicago Surgeon Dr. Philip Maxwell built this property for him
and his wife to move into in 1856. It joined the list of Lake Geneva properties
that had become vacation homes for the wealthy in Chicago.
Among those who have stayed at Maxwell Mansion were General Ulysses S. Grant and future First Lady Nancy Davis (later Nancy Reagan).
Among those who have stayed at Maxwell Mansion were General Ulysses S. Grant and future First Lady Nancy Davis (later Nancy Reagan).
The property changed hands a few times before being
purchased 2012 by Bethany Souza and Andrew Fritz.
The couple had already restored the Baker House mansion into a boutique property and they had similar plans for Maxwell Mansion.
The couple had already restored the Baker House mansion into a boutique property and they had similar plans for Maxwell Mansion.
The common rooms were updated and both an Apothecary Bar and
Cognac Lounge on the ground floor of this Lake Geneva
house, and a Speakeasy Bar downstairs were added.
There are also numerous sitting areas so that guests feel the comfort of a Bed & Breakfast, though no breakfast is served here.
There are also numerous sitting areas so that guests feel the comfort of a Bed & Breakfast, though no breakfast is served here.
The current Maxwell Mansion 1856 retains the quaint luxury
of the original house, but there is now an additional building with more modern
touches. The Carriage House at Maxwell Mansion has whirlpool tubs and memory
foam mattress, neither of which would have been available in General Grant’s
day.
We got to experience it all as I stayed in the grandest
suite in the original house, the General Grant Suite, while Amy and Cortney
stayed in the Carriage House.
My suite did have Wi-Fi and a flat screen TV, but it was
still very traditional. I loved the fireplace, self-standing soaking tub, and
antique desk, not to mention the very comfortable king-sized bed.
After we settled in, we changed for dinner. We were heading
to the Chophouse at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. This place had quite a
bit of history of its own as it was once a Playboy Mansion.
Aside from some relics displayed from the old “Bunny” days,
Grand Geneva is very much a contemporary resort and the Chophouse definitely offered
dinner with a view.
The service at the Geneva Chophouse was impeccable from the
moment we sat down and they brought the bread and accompaniments, along with
one of my favorite wines, Kim Crawford’s Sauvignon Blanc.
Amy and Cortney started off raving about the restaurant as
soon as they got the scallop appetizer, which were seared and topped with bacon
from Nueske's, a Wisconsin farm.
While I couldn’t eat the scallops, I did love the Caprese
Salad, with locally sourced mozzarella and tomatoes, drenched in a balsamic and
olive oil.
We all loved our main courses: Sea Bass with capers and
lemon for Cortney; Short Ribs for me; and a Pork Chop for Amy.
It was hard to narrow down the side dishes, but we made good
choices by picking the Asparagus in lemon butter, Brussel sprouts with
shallots, and Lobster Mac & Cheese.
We had to rush off the a very special performance so there
was no time for dessert, but the staff insisted we take some cheesecake to go
and that’s something I never turn down.
Our next stop was at the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center, which
is a non-profit set up to pay tribute to actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
on the land they once owned and lived in.
This Lake Geneva property not only houses many artifacts
from their time on stage and screen, but it has become a learning institute for
up and coming actors.
Each year, a celebrity is chosen to lead a group at the
school. This year it was Olympia Dukakis and we were honored to be given
tickets to see her send off.
I had always been a fan of Olympia Dukakis and especially
loved her character in Steel Magnolias
Listening to her speak was a pleasure as she was fun and
informative about her experiences with other actresses – especially Shirley
McClain – and her life as an actor.
The show was wonderful and I was excited about coming back
in the morning to tour the Ten Chimneys estate. In the meantime, we headed back
to Maxwell Mansion.
No comments:
Post a Comment