Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts blog

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff to the summer travel season and there's plenty to do in Wisconsin. Travel Wisconsin just released a list of things to do around Wisconsin each day through Labor Day, confirming there is always something to see, do or have fun with in Wisconsin.

For local travel and things to do information, ask our Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Organization members. Wisconsin is a diverse state and our members would me more than happy to point you to a nearby festival, a place to get ice cream or where the best place is to enjoy nature. It's one of the fringe benefits you receive when you stay at a Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast!

 

 

 

It’s never too early to start planning your spring, summer and fall getaway at a Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast. With the busy tourist season just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get out your calendars and start planning.

Many couples stay at bed and breakfasts for their anniversary or for another special occasion. Book now so that you will be able to select the bed and breakfast and guest room of your choice!

We all like to procrastinate, but waiting until the last minute means that you may have to stay somewhere other than the inn that was your top choice. There’s nothing wrong with booking months in advance, especially if you have that special place in mind.

Our members will be glad to help you with your reservation questions. We look forward to seeing you.

March is maple syrup month in Wisconsin

Did you know that the sugar maple is the official tree of Wisconsin? March 15 through April 15 is the official maple month in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the fourth largest producer of maple syrup in the nation. Why not visit one of the state's maple producers and pick up some of the precious liquid gold syrup.

Valhalla Hillside Inn near Bowler offers free tours of Yeager's Sugar Shack in nearby Shawano for guests who stay with them. Stay at Everest Inn in Wausau and visit Janko's Sugar Shack by appointment (715-842-8242).

Guests who stay at White Shutters B&B in Lomira can stop by Palmer Behm's maple syrup operation (920-269-4688). Guests staying at the Gilbert Huson House in Plymouth will want to stop by Drewery Farms (breeze@excel.net). 

Glenna Farms in Amery near Pleasant Lake B&B in Osceola is having a Maplefest Open House Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1. On this weekend the farm offers free maple tours and samples of pancakes.

Guests who stay at Brambleberry B&B may assist the innkeepers in collecting sap from our 60 taps and watch it being boiled down into syrup. Brambleberry B&B is a member of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers. All month the inn will serve breakfasts that feature its own maple syrup, which is available for purchase. To find a Wisconsin maple producer near you, visit wismaple.org, where you can also find vendors that sell maple sap collecting supplies. You can make your own maple syrup!    

 

Dave Larsen photo.

Come see the most spectacular Christmas lights show in the Midwest at the La Crosse Rotary Lights.

Crews have been hard at work preparing for the opening ceremony on Friday, Nov. 25, which features lighted floats making their way through downtown La Crosse to Riverside Park. Once in the park, the switches will be flipped and an estimated 2.6 million lights will display Christmas and the holidays in a grand, stunning spectacle on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Volunteers from 82 nonprofit organizations are working to set up the lights and displays. Admission to the annual event, which draws more than 200,000 people, is free but a donation of food is requested. This year’s goal for the event is 200,000 nonperishable items that will be distributed to eight local food shelters. Rotary Lights is closing in on 2 million food items collected in 17 years.

Rotary Lights is open every night Nov. 25 through New Year’s Eve. Santa is in the park from 5 to 8 p.m. each day, accompanied by real reindeer (when available), from Dec. 1-23. Santa will be busy with another commitment on Dec. 24.

Make it a weekend and stay at Brambleberry Bed and Breakfast. Relax in a double-whirlpool or lounge in front of a wood-burning fire.

Other Rotary Lights events include a 5K run/walk Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. Each weekend the area Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod churches present a living nativity scene as part of the display. Expect to see sheep, a donkey and a goat or two amongst the actors.

The light castle, which is a heated tent, offers several evenings of entertainment provided by local high school bands, choirs and other volunteer groups. Free hayrides are offered every Tuesday evening throughout the park.

You can also hire Cinderella’s carriage for $25 a family or $20 a couple. What could be more romantic than a marriage proposal from Cinderella’s carriage among the magic of millions of lights twinkling, snow falling and the sparkle of a special ring?

For more information and a full schedule of events, go to Rotary Lights.

 

 

It’s the most popular time of year for a Wisconsin bed and breakfast getaway. Guests pack our inns in search of the state’s best fall colors. It’s wise to book ahead if you want a particular room at your chosen B&B.

Rooms fill up fast at this glorious time of year, but sometimes you can find a last-minute vacancy.

Go to the fall color report at Travel Wis.com. This helpful guide maps out the expected dates of peak color. If you really love to see the leaves turn and you have the time, why not book three consecutive weekends? How can you afford it? Stay in different areas of the state with our inns that have rooms under $100 per night. First the north, stay at Everest Inn in Wausau, from $57 to $99.

Then stay in west central Wisconsin at Brambleberry B&B, where a one night stay starts at $95 ($85 for a two-night stay). Lastly, watch the leaves change in the southeast part of the state, staying with the Jesse Stone House at $85 a night (reduced rates for multiple night stays).

And what could be better than admiring the fall color from the wine patios of Wisconsin’s wineries while you sip a glass?

Stay at Belle Isle Inn in Algoma while you visit von Stiehl Winery. Enjoy the honey and pear flavors of their lovely Oktoberfest wine.

The innkeepers at Brambleberry are seasoned newspaper wine columnists who enjoy serving their own handcrafted wines to guests. Tenba Ridge Winery, near the inn, has a million dollar view from the patio. Enjoy the scenery while sipping a bottle of their newest wine – white cranberry.

No B&B can top the offering at Cold Spring Inn and winery! We’ve got a member inn with an onsite winery. Cold Spring Vineyards harvests Wisconsin hybrid grapes and makes Ruby Port, Chocolate Garnet and Ugly Chick wines.

Cheers to Wisconsin’s wineries and Wisconsin’s Real Bed and Breakfasts!

 

Many of you are busy preparing for the start of a new school year. People are racing around to complete shopping for school supplies and few outfits for the kids.
Then there is running around for school sports physicals and dental exams. Practices for fall sports have begun. Before it gets too crazy, stop and take time out for yourselves.
Now is a great time to book a special fall getaway just for the two of you. No kids. Here are some great ideas for romantic fall getaways near our inns.

• Stay at Siskiwit Bay Lodge in Cornucopia near Bayfield and take a boat tour of the Apostle Islands. Watch a beautiful sunset over Lake Superior.
• Belle Isle Inn in Algoma is the perfect place to stay when you visit Von Stiehl Winery and explore the Door Peninsula. Walk hand-in-hand on a beautiful one-mile stretch of Lake Michigan beach.
• In Watertown at the Jesse Stone House B&B, walk a portion of the nearby Ice Age Trail or peruse Clara's Antiques on Main Street.
• Brambleberry Bed and Breakfast near Black River Falls is the only Wisconsin B&B that regularly offers dinner for guests who book ahead. Join them for their Saturday evening harvest dinners through October. All vegetables are organic and grown on-site. Meat is either raised on the farm or sourced locally. At a mere $20 to $30, this meal is almost as good as the $200-a-plate dinners put on by Outstanding in the Field.

Why not stay more than a day. You deserve it!

 

Welcome to the debut of "Real Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts!"
Our mission is to help Wisconsin travelers find authentic, inspected bed and breakfasts across our state. You've heard of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's "Real" seal. Well, we're here to tell you that as bed and breakfasts go, we're the real deal!

Every member inn is a genuine, licensed inspected Wisconsin bed and breakfast. Ours is the only website exclusively promoting the bed and breakfasts of Wisconsin. All of the other associations have allowed hotels, motels, cabins and tourist rooming houses to join their membership, even when they're not bed and breakfasts. That can be extremely confusing for guests and disappointing when a property they thought was a bed and breakfast turns out to be something else.

We are not saying there is anything wrong with being the proprietor of a motel, hotel or tourist rooming house. But it is very unethical and misleading to promote your property as a bed and breakfast when it is not one. This website helps the consumer differentiate the real bed and breakfasts from the fake ones.

Only last weekend two sets of guests at our own B&B told us of unhappy experiences at other "so-called" bed and breakfasts. One couple stayed in a cabin. They were responsible for making their own cold breakfast from the refrigerator. The other couple said the B&B they stayed at didn't even offer breakfast. No wonder they felt misled and cheated. They were!

We feel it is time to stand up and protect the B&B "brand." All sorts of lodging options out there will tell you they are bed and breakfasts when they are actually not. They are hoping to convey a sense of the warmth and gracious hospitality that only a real bed and breakfast can deliver. Our on-site innkeepers will do everything to make your stay in their home a relaxing and enjoyable experience. No one can match the uniqueness and ambiance guests experience at a true bed and breakfast. Our friendly innkeepers will also direct you to all the best local attractions.

This is a brand new website in its infancy. It will take a few weeks for more inns to appear here, so keep checking back. Take an opportunity this fall to fill out our guest survey. One winner will randomly be drawn from the participants to win a gift certificate for $150 to be used at any of our member inns. That's a free night's stay for most inns. Happy travels!