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