A Different Look of The Wisconsin Dells

I have been to the Wisconsin Dells three times. The first two were family trips to resorts, Chula Vista and Kalahari. The third trip, the most recent, was totally different.

This was a girls’ getaway with my friend Laurie. We were enticed by Wisconsin Dells tourism to check out the adult side of the area. This included a spa that was receiving national attention and the emergence of The Dells as a wine region.

It started at Wollersheim, the most impressive winery I’ve seen in the Midwest. This is not a place where you walk in, try a few wines, and go home. Wollersheim is 70 manicured acres to enjoy - before, after, or during the wine.

Their wine selection is huge, and we tasted quite a few, settling on the Prairie Pink, Eagle White Dry Riesling, and Domaine du Sac, a red wine, as favorites. We also had a tasty lunch, the highlight of which was the Gobbler Sandwich.

Bistro offerings come prepared boxed to take outside and enjoy the grounds with a picnic. They also have the wine ready to bring. If you don’t want a full bottle, you can purchase canned wine or small bottles for portability.

Wollersheim also has a distillery. They produce whiskey, bourbon, and brandies. You can try the spirits straight or taste them in a selection of handcrafted cocktails.

We then drove to the other side of The Dells to Balanced Rock Winery in Baraboo. This spot was very different from the previous, with an open, modern building and a large piece of land. There’s a big patio and plenty of space for outdoor concerts and a driving range.

We tried a lot of wines and liked the Seyval, with a touch of apple sweetness, and the Frontenac Fris, an orange wine that is a little sweeter, were the ones we liked best.

We were a little hungry and thought we’d order a snack to have with our wine. The hummus plate was the best I ever had. It was too much to finish and we hated to leave it. It also matched well with the Rock Rose.

While at Balanced Rock, we found out we were just a mile from Wisconsin’s most popular state park. Devil’s Lake has beautiful scenery that reminds me a bit of the Upper Penisula in Michigan with the large bluffs. It’s filled with year-round activity, including rock climbing, boating, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

After the park, we drove to our hotel for the trip. The Vue is far from the huge resorts I was used to in the Wisconsin Dells. It is a boutique hotel in downtown. That makes it a lot more appropriate for two grown women not interested in water parks or roller coasters. The Vue is also on the waterfront and loaded with views of the Wisconsin River.

The Boathouse restaurant at The Vue offers indoor and outdoor dining. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offer plenty of comfort food and an interesting cocktail menu. I had the fettucine alfredo and Laurie did the fried chicken. We followed with a S’more Hot Chocolate Cake. We loved watching the sunset during dinner.

We were done for the night and happy to just be able to walk back to our room. We were excited to be spending most of the next day at Sundara Spa.

I was hosted on this trip, but opinions are my own.            

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Enjoying Galena

My friend Cortney and I had arrived in Galena the afternoon before and were really enjoying the area. For day two, we had a full schedule and we were up early to take it all in.

The Goldmoor Inn is an incredible property on the Mississippi River. Their spacious rooms and suites include a freshly cooked gourmet breakfast each morning.

While the chef makes one breakfast each day, they are flexible for special needs and allergies.

Our first breakfast consisted of warm scones, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and a delicious omelet.

We took a ride to nearby Stockton, a small town within Galena/Jo County. We were first stopping at NorthWest Design Glass.

Northwest Glass is owned by Pennie, Daryl and Drew Groezinger.  They sell unique glass jewelry, ornaments, and other décor.

We browsed around the shop while Pennie finished up some work. She then gave us a glassblowing demonstration, which I don’t think I’d seen before.

After the demonstration, Cortney and I headed to downtown Stockton. It’s a quaint little town.

We had lunch at Stella’s Cafe. There were lots of locals, who you could tell come in there all the time.

The food was warm and comforting on the cool day. I had cream of chicken soup and pesto garlic bread with tomato, while Cortney went for the crabmeat egg rolls.

For dessert, we both devoured the red velvet cheesecake and chocolate torte.

Before we left Stockton, we went across the street to Sweet Alice’s. The bakery and candy shop is owned by the same family that owns Stella’s.

They have some great candies and cookies there, and we took some samples to go.

We drove back to the Goldmoor Inn for some rest before a long night. I was surprised at how curvy the roads in Galena are. It was certainly not what I was used to in Illinois.

We headed to Blaum Brothers Distillery for a tour of their operations, which they call “Handcrafted American Spirits from Grain to Bottle.”

They take fairly large groups through the distillery throughout the day to see their state of the art equipment and taste their vodka, gin, bourbon, and moonshine.

We had arranged the trip to coincide with Night of the Luminaria and Living Windows, two events that take place in Galena on the same night each December.

We were going to try to see as much as possible. We also wanted to stop in some of the wine tasting rooms along the way.

We parked at the end of downtown Galena and began walking through the streets. There were a lot of people, but it didn’t seem over crowded.

Many of the stores participated in the Living Windows displays. They ranged from characters acting out scenes in costume, to people baking, and even a couple getting married in a window!

The streets were closed to traffic and there were carolers walking and a belly dancer.

We passed some interesting places, such as Mean Bean Roaster, where you could design your own blend of coffee, and Timothy’s Table Bulk & Specialty Food Store, to which we returned the next day to get bags of Lucky Charm-like marshmallows.

Cortney and I also stopped at Galena Canning, where they offer endless samples of jams, jellies, salsas, and more, before going to the wineries.

We spent the longest time at Massbach Ridge. They had a large with some wines we really liked including their Seyval.

Dinner was at One Eleven Main. They are known for using many in-season ingredients and even have a board when you walk in listing some of what you’ll see on the current menu.

We started with a glass of moscato and the Beer Cheese Fondue. I had the duck for dinner and Cortney went for the pasta with shrimp. For dessert, we shared their Chocolate Roll.

After dinner, we took the Night of the Luminaria TrolleyRide. In the spring and summer months, the trolley takes you around Galena. 

For this special night, the tour includes some of the spots that are most lit up.

Our trolley driver had told us the best place for cocktails in town is Miss Kitty’s Grape Escape and we had to see for ourselves.

There was live music and we both liked the atmosphere and the spectacular three-page cocktail list. There were martinis, hot drinks, beer cocktails, and plenty of sweet libations.

Cortney went for one of the fruit martinis and I went for Death by Chocolate (Hot Cocoa, Kahlua, Chocolate Vodka).

We stayed for a bit before getting a cab back to the Goldmoor Inn. It had been quite a day in Galena and we had one more to go. 

Roadtrip Along Lake Michigan

After a fun day in the suburbs of Chicago and a good night’s sleep at the Le Meridien in Oakbrook, my friend Lynn and I were off to see more of the Midwest.

One of the reasons I chose Southwest Michigan as our next stop was for the chance to be along Lake Michigan and our route would take us right along the Great Lake.

We were making good time so we decided to take a slight detour to Indiana Dunes. Even after seven years in the Midwest I am still in awe when I look at Lake Michigan and the Dunes were another example of the beauty of it.

Lynn and I walked along the beach for a bit and then headed back in the car for the scenic drive to Baroda, Michigan.

Along the way we remarked about how we’d love to have one of those houses overlooking the lake and the beach.

Our first stop was at a place I can’t compare to another in the world, despite all the wineries, distilleries and breweries I’ve been to. We met Millicent Huminsky, Executive Director of Southwest Michigan Tourism, for the introduction.

Round Barn Public House is a family run all in one destination – a restaurant, a brewery, a distillery, and a tasting room for the winery’s products.

What I found even more amazing was that they did it all very well. The food was incredible, from the Greek Goddess Pizza, to Lynn’s Salmon Sandwich and my unique and delicious veggie burger.

We also got to do lots of sampling during the meal. Round Barn Public House lets you do flights mixing beer and wine, and that’s just what Lynn did, while I stuck with a selection of some of my favorite white wines.

I really enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc and the Weekend White, and surprisingly loved the Farm Market Blueberry, made from 100% blueberries.

Lynn was a fan of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cream Dream beer, a dark brew with hints of vanilla.

As for the spirits, the bourbon, rum, and vodka were very good but the DiVine Back Walnut Crème Liqueur really won me over. I’d take this as a substitute for Irish Cream any day.

We took off from the Round Barn’s Public House to their winery. The Round Barn is quite a unique spot and I’m glad we got to tour it a bit and check out some more of their wines before heading to nearby Berrien Springs for a visit at Domain Berrien Cellars.

Domain Berrien does handpicking of the grapes in their vineyard, which is just outside the winery. They specialize in Rhone varietals and also have the distinction of being the first Michigan winery to grow and bottle Syrah.

As far as the red wines are concerned, it was actually the 2013 Lemberger which caught the attention of Lynn and me. It was filled with dark fruit and not a lot of oak, though it did have a bit of white pepper.

I surprised myself by picking the 2012 Oaked Marsanne as my favorite white. I rarely go for oaked wines, but this one was a creamy butter blend filled with vanilla and melon.

I also loved the Domaine Berrien Vignoles, with its tropical notes.

We had one more winery on the list for the day and that was Contessa Wine Cellars in Coloma.

Winemaker Tony Peterson uses creative license at Contessa for some very interesting blends.

My pick was the Bianco Bello (Lovely White), a mix of French and American varietals that had a complex taste of semi-sweet fruit and rich floral.

I also liked the Celeste, a Riesling and seyval blend that produced a sweet green apple, and the Pinot Grigio which was crisp and easy drinking.

Lynn, the red drinker, went for Tre Tenores (Three Tenors), a mixture of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot.

Our next stop was for a different type of tasting.

I had been waiting for the truffle tasting all week at The Chocolate Garden did not disappoint.

Owner Tina Buck took us through her company and told us about how she built this business of quality chocolates.

Of course, we needed to form our own opinions so she set us up with truffle tastings, available to all customers.

It was not easy picking six from the huge variety at The Chocolate Garden, but I did:

Dark Chocolate Raspberry was wonderful, with a real fruit taste;

Milk Chocolate Pomegranate was also fruity, but not as sweet;

Dark Chocolate Cherry was not quite as unique as truffles I’ve had before;

Cinnamon Love had the perfect hint of the spice to not lessen the chocolate taste;

White Chocolate Latte was the creamiest, with subtle flavors;

Lago Rosso was my favorite. It is actually made with Contessa Cellars Lago Rosso wine.

All of the truffles had melt-in-your-mouth chocolate.

Lynn had a lot of the same, but her favorite I did not taste Be Licorice.

We thanked Tina and took off for the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph, where we would be spending the next two nights.

We took our time unpacking and relaxing, and working up an appetite for dinner.

It had been a long day so we made it a quick one downstairs at the Inn at Harbor Shore's Plank’s Tavern. Their Beer Cheese Dip was flavorful and filling. I also had some potato soup and Lynn had a salad.

After dinner, we shared the Blueberry Tart and were quick to head back to our suite and go to sleep. We had another long day of activities ahead in St. Joseph, Michigan.