Osthoff Resort
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Located one hour north of Milwaukee, the Osthoff Resort’s upscale tradition began in 1886. German entrepreneur Otto Osthoff and his wife, Paulina, first welcomed guests who traveled north by rail from Chicago, St. Louis and Milwaukee. The area’s allure was the spring-fed lake, still one of the purest in Wisconsin.
The Osthoff’s shoreline setting boasts meticulously maintained gardens, lake-view porches and pretty cupolas. Capturing the grandeur of the original Osthoff Hotel, the property now offers 245 guest rooms and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites with a kitchen or kitchenette.
The resort’s list of amenities includes indoor and outdoor pools, a lake deck with live music and boat rentals. Group cruises include morning coffee and evening tours, both with an overview of local geology and history. Aspira Spa pampers guests in 22 treatment rooms and was one of the region’s first to incorporate the spa suite concept.
Groups who love to cook or want to enhance their culinary skills will flock to the resort’s cooking school, L’Ecole de la Maison. Hands-on workshops and extended courses have featured French bistro desserts, farmers market vegetables, artisan breads and more.
“Chef and staff go from person to person to assist and ask questions,” said marketing manager Laura Otten. “Classes average 12 people, with a huge island in the center where everyone gathers.”
Throughout the year, the resort hosts large-scale events. Winter brings a re-created, traditional German Christmas market. The nationally acclaimed Jazz on the Vine music and wine festival is held each spring.
Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls
Logan, Ohio
At the family-owned Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls, nature takes center stage. The inn lies 60 miles southeast of Columbus and is adjacent to Hocking Hills State Park. At the Appalachian foothills, the park features caves, waterfalls and rock formations that are quite distinctive.
The inn sits on 75 acres and includes a bed-and-breakfast filled with antiques, plus smaller cottages and 1840s log cabins with private porches. Exposed logs, chinking and original hardwood floors make these accommodations special. The kitchen and tavern are original to the property and were built in the 1800s. A log-cabin-style event space incorporates a bank of windows overlooking the woods.
“The owners traveled through Ohio and purchased 1800s buildings that were going to be torn down,” said assistant innkeeper Nicole McCabe. “Every accommodation is within walking distance of the restaurant but far enough away for privacy.”
An on-site garden provides seasonal ingredients. Cooking classes feature the summer harvest, Christmas cookie baking and more. Groups can choose a demo class where the participants sip wine and watch a professional chef, or they can get behind the stove to cook for themselves.
Guests can also spend afternoons at the spa cabin, hiking, napping in the hammocks on the grounds or relaxing in the rooftop garden’s swing and benches. Casual Fridays, June through October, feature local wine, beer, spirits and gastropub fare amidst live coffeehouse-style music. Each January, there’s a guided hike in Hocking Hills that concludes with soup, cornbread and hot chocolate that is prepared in cauldrons and served in the woods.
Grand View Lodge Golf Resort and Spa
Nisswa, Minnesota
In the heart of Minnesota on the shores of Gull Lake, Grand View Lodge has welcomed guests since 1916. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the resort sprawls across several hundred acres. Accommodations include cabins, villas and town homes that blend into the wooded surroundings.
“Grand View Lodge is quintessential Minnesota with the beauty of the state’s most pristine forests and lakes,” said Matt Kilian, president of the Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
Activities range from horseback to boating, fishing, hiking and evening bonfires. Nestled in the pines, the lodge-style Glacial Waters Spa promises a full menu of treatments and lake views. Destiny Cruises’ new luxury yacht offers pickup and drop-off at the resort for chartered lunch, happy hour, dinner or dessert excursions.
Golf magazine has named two of Grand View Lodge’s courses in the nation’s top 100 for several years running. The Pines’ par-72 course offers 27 holes designed as three nine-hole landscapes along with a practice facility. The Preserve’s par-72 course traverses forest and wetlands. And The Garden Course, originally created in the 1930s, is perfect for the less competitive golfer.
Restaurants range from the lodge dining room with its stone fireplace to more casual options and seasonal spots. Four-course wine dinners are held several times annually.
