45 Midwest Places Your Friends Don't Know About
Resorts
.focus())
Tiers of rooms surround the West
Baden Springs Hotel atrium.
Originally published in July/August 2008
1. French Lick, Indiana Sunlight and gasps of surprise pour from a wide doorway into West Baden Springs Hotel's Victorian-opulent lobby--the first hints that you've arrived somewhere amazing. Guests stack up as newcomers wheeling suitcases step through the door and stop, awestruck, staring upward. A 600-foot glass dome--hailed as the eighth wonder of the world when this southern Indiana hotel opened in 1902--arches six stories overhead. Tile mosaics cover the atrium floor, and a stone fireplace dominates one curved wall.
Through the1930s, this hotel and neighboring French Lick Springs Hotel reigned as the fanciest of 40-some resorts built around the area's mineral springs. But 60 years later, West Baden was in ruins, and French Lick stood neglected. Indiana entrepreneur Bill Cook invested $500 million in a two-year restoration of both--and a 1917 course designed by golf legend Donald Ross. Finished in 2007, the renovation also added a spa; bigger, beautifully appointed rooms; restaurants; and a casino.
2. Stout's Island Lodge, Wisconsin This inviting, century-old retreat occupies its own northern Wisconsin island near Rice Lake (60 miles north of Eau Claire). From $179 (715/354-3646; www.stoutslodge.com).
3. Honey Creek Resort, Iowa The state's first state park resort, with a golf course and indoor water park, is along southern Iowa's Rathbun Lake. From $99 (641/724-9600; www.honeycreekresort.com).
4. Nelson's Crane Lake Lodge, Minnesota This classic, up-north cabin resort hides at the west entrance of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From $100 (800/433-0743; www.nelsonsresort.com).
5. KeyLime Cove, Gurnee, Illinois A new water-park resort in Chicago's north suburbs near Six Flags Great America joins the same league as the biggies in Wisconsin Dells. From $289 (877/360-0403; www.keylimecove.com).
Pay $0 for a Full Year! Order NOW and pay nothing for your second year of Midwest Living® Magazine! That's 2 full years(12 issues) issues for just $15.00 (plus $4.97 postage and handling). HURRY this offer won't last! ( U.S. orders only)
Another great museum for kids of all ages and families to visit is the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is definitely a hidden Midwest gem! Not only do they have a wide variety of rare and historic aircraft, but they also have rides and attractions! It's anything but your standard, quiet museum. I highly recommend it!
4/23/2010 09:34:20 AM Report Abuse