Wine and Spirits Travel

My friend Cortney and I headed to Galena, Illinois , just before the holidays this past year. She had been there before, but it was my first trip. As we headed there, I was surprised to see the dramatic change in the Illinois landscape. What had started as flat farm land had turned into rolling hills, some of them high enough to be considered small ski mountains. Our home for the long weekend would be the Goldmoor Inn and we were impressed from the start. It looked like an English castle, with 18 suites inside, as well as three cottages and two cabins on the property for those looking for real privacy. Although we were on a girls’ getaway, I could also certainly see it as the perfect place for a romantic trip. The 23 acres the Goldmoor is on are right on the Mississippi River, which offers fantastic views all year round, from every spot. We were shown into our suite and first went through a common area, which was welcoming with a fireplace and couches.

It was the final day in Elkhart Lake , Wisconsin, for my friend Lisa and I. The trip had been quite relaxing and it was going to be even more so on day three. We slept late in our suite at The Osthoff Resort . Their apartment-like setups had all the conveniences of home, even a kitchen to store and reheat the leftovers from all the great food we had been eating. For the final day, we went out for breakfast. Downtown Elkhart Lake is very walkable so we left the car. Off the Rail is a very popular local spot that’s only open for breakfast and lunch.  They serve specialty coffees, as well as beer and wine, and make all sorts of bakery goods and sandwich concoctions. Lisa chose a meat-filled breakfast casserole and a banana nut muffin, while I had the vegetable quiche and a chocolate chip muffin. It was all quite good. If we had more time to go back there, I definitely would try the Freight Train Sandwich: turkey, Havarti cheese, bacon, sprouts, onion, tom

My friend Lisa and I had enjoyed our first day at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, but day two was filled with more fun – and food. We were up early for a great yoga class at Osthoff’s AspiraSpa . It was the perfect start to the day. I was starving by the time we got to breakfast at Otto’s Restaurant, but there was plenty to eat there. I had a fruit smoothie and German Potato Pancakes, while Lisa loved the eggs benedict. We were both excited to try snowshoeing for the first time and we headed over to Quit Qui Oc Golf Course . Todd Montaba, the owner, helped us both with the equipment and showed us the map of the trails we could take. Since it was our first time out, we didn’t go that far, but it was a lot of fun and a sport I’m sure I’ll try again. On the way back to the Osthoff Resort , we passed Road America. Road Racing started in Elkhart Lake in 1950 with an open race circuit here. The Road America location is still a big attraction, as internat

Wisconsin is filled with many towns that have a charm all of their own. I find out Elkhart Lake definitely belongs toward the top of that list. My friend Lisa and I took an uneventful four-hour drive. Our first stop was at the Quit Qui Oc Golf Course , where we met Kathleen Eickoff, Director of Tourism for Elkhart Lake.   The golf course, a popular spot for the town, has a bar restaurant and we enjoyed chili and fish as we talked about the town we were about to meet. Kathleen explained how this spot, which is just about two and a half hours from Chicago , became a vacation destination in the late 1800s. This was mostly due to the addition of a railroad that would take people from the “big city." She also offered to set us up with snowshoeing, a popular sport at the golf course in the winter months. Neither Lisa or I had done it before and we were excited to give it a try the next day. When we pulled up to The Osthoff Resort , the biggest of three El