Category Archives: Getaways

The Driftless

We spent the last days of 2012 at a cabin in the Driftless, the region of south-western Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, and north-eastern Iowa that borders the Mississippi River and was circumvented by the  wondrous glaciers that carved the rest of the Great Plains.

We were so glad to find Hills approaching mountains in Wisconsin and happy to try out our new snowshoes! Below are some images from our time at the Red Clover Cabin on a farmstead in Soldier’s Grove, WI owned by Annie Coleman.

Happy New Year!

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The Red Clover Cabin

All I want for Christmas this year is a tiny little cabin in the woods. Its ALL I want pretty much every year, and this time I’m getting one (at least for a few days). If you’re looking for a Wisconsin cabin getaway, I think Anne’s Red Clover Cabin is going to melt your heart! I can’t wait to see that meadow filled with snow and cozy up inside for a quiet holiday celebration. Did I mention you can bring your dog?

Anne’s cabin is available to rent via airbnb.com.

I’ve been away…in the hills of the Blue Ridge

I’ve been away for a while, its true. My apologies! Life-work balance is not always so easy to achieve…

Last weekend we went back to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia for a five-year college reunion. It was weird to be back, and with nearly half the class of 450 returning, full of friends and familiar-nearly-forgotten faces. Located in the Shenandoah Valley, we drove the famous Skyline Drive that winds its way through the National Park along the ridge-line of the Blue Ridge Mountains on our way to town. We crossed the Appalachian trail many times and felt glad to be back in hill country and privileged to see the beautiful aerial views of an early autumn in the mountains.

Recently, Garden & Gun featured a recommended trip for the Blue Ridge Parkway with the top 20 stops to make along this historic and breathtaking stretch of national scenic by-way that meanders along the mountains between Virginia and North Carolina, some of the most beautiful gentle, wild landscape this country has to offer. This stretch of road was our honeymoon destination, which we drove in a 1963 red Buick Skylark convertible (a rental!), staying in boutique bed and breakfasts, hiking, wining and dining for two weeks. It was relaxing, beautiful, casual, and romantic.

If you like fresh air, Southern food, and mountain views, I cannot recommend this trip to you enough.

Read about G&G’s recommended stops in their article Head for the Hills , book your own classic car rental here, and feel welcome to contact me for other recommendations, too!

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Cabin Getaway: Dickie Lake, Canada

A Stay in a lakeside cabin to drool over!

A wood burning stove, soft neutrals, frayed edges, pebbled kitchens and bathrooms, natural wood, exposed beams, and heirloom rustic furniture make this getaway a cabinstyle-enthusiasts sanctuary.

If you’d been wanting to visit Canada before, after these pictures, you’ll know exactly where to go: Dickie Lake Cottage near Baysville, a 2.5 hour drive north of Toronto (at this point in August, probably best saved for next summer if you want to actually swim)! Weekly rates only during the high season (June 23 to September 3) of $2,750 for a four bedroom cottage/cabin that sleeps a max of 10. Dogs allowed with owner approval:)

A whole week here with friends is a recipe for an Amazing Escape. Who’s coming!?

Wandawega!

We’ve just returned from an amazing fun weekend at Camp Wandawega near Elkhorn, Wisconsin. While there, under gorgeous blue skies and the continuous (and Olympic) flow of refreshments, I met three awesome ladies with keen eyes for design, style and vintage detail as well as strong senses of fun and humor. All fellow residents of Chicago, each has her own distinctive interests and great blogs to match!

I sincerely encourage you to check out the work of each talented woman:

Hillary Schuster

Emily Berman

Lindsay Tyler

Looking forward to seeing you again soon (and the chance to hang with you guys at Wandawega Holiday Craft Camp in November)!

More pictures from the weekend:

Camp Wandawega

With our one-year anniversary fast approaching, my husband and I were in search of a little cabin getaway not too far from the hustle-bustle of Chicago.  What we found is a time-capsule gem of a place, a true nostalgic’s delight, a wonderland of simpler times: Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, WI, just two hours northwest of the city!

Owned by Tereasa Surratt and David Hernandez, the rustic lake resort was the site of David’s annual boyhood family vacations, and was purchased by he and his visonary wife; together they lovingly restored the property to a point beyond its former idyllic rusticity to its current nostalgic (im)perfection.

I’m so looking forward to canoeing, swiming, tennis, archery, campfires, bugs, hiking, beers, and more. The property offers a variety of whimsical accommodations, including a lodge, boy scout canvas tents, and several cabins.

We’ll be staying in A Very Modest Cottage, an 11 x 11 foot one-room cabin. I. CAN.NOT. WAIT. (!) The cabin was rescued from its old location nearby Surratt’s grandmother’s home in Illinois and moved to the Wisconsin lake resort.  Over the years it has served as a cabin court, a brothel, a truck stop, and a hunt club’s cabin.

here’s the cabin before rescue:

Read more about it:

Chicago Home Mag

Country Living

Apartment Therapy

Buy the book:

Cabin Getaway: St. Veit, Carinthia, Austria

Anyone up for a rustic vacation in Carinthia? I could really use a getaway…

This Austrian mountain-lakeside abode features wonderful, whimsically rustic interiors, grand mountain vistas, adult books (yes), bicycles, a hot tub, vegetable garden, llamas, and much more (as if there was more to be desired). Rent all this for just $728/week!

See you in Carinthia.

Those shutters! that over-sized roof hat! (and llamas!!)

Ridiculously cute fortune cookie pillows!

A private alpine lake for skinny dipping!

The closest nod to civilization is three kilometers away–a pub called Gurk.

The next closest amenity is a ski slope, Flattnitz Hochrindl, at a distance of 15k.

Sounds like paradise.

A Cabin in a Loft in Brooklyn?

I happen to be searching for a place to stay in New York this summer while I take some professional courses at NYU for my company in July. I also happen to look for awesome rental cabins when I need a mental escape (I think this will become a regular feature topic). The former is how I stumbled upon A Cabin in a Loft on this amazing travel website, http://www.airbnb.com.  Owned by Terri, an artist, architect, designer living in Brooklyn with the creatively achieved idea of renting out part of her cool home to guests by building a cabin within her industrial loft in a former textile factory building. She designed and built the spaces herself!

Inside the ‘cabin’ (above)  has windows that open out onto the main living space (below)

Here’s a view of Terri’s room, ‘the treehouse’ (above, which is also available for rent if you rent the entire loft) and from ‘the treehouse’ (below)

Terri actually lives in the loft, too, so I imagine things get a little cozy. It definitely would be too much for my husband, dog, and myself to share the space with Terri and her friendly cat for a whole month, but I could see it being very fun under different circumstances. Alas, the search continues, but you could stay in this awesome place (and tell me how great it was!)…

rates are $115/single $130/double per night or $2636 for a month breakfast included.

Needless to say, I LOVE this concept!