blog @ lonesome hollow » Bed and Breakfast

Fall Colors in Southwest Wisconsin

LonesomeHollow — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:39 +0000

One of the very best times of the year is approaching – Fall Color Season. The warm (and this year very wet) days of summer are coming to an end. Refreshing cooler temperatures make us excited to head back outdoors. The fragrant smell of decaying leaves fills the air.

For several reasons the fall colors are especially good in the Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin. The Driftless Area is very rugged and much of the land is heavily forested. Maple trees constitue about 50% of the Driftless Area trees and over time this percentage will increase (this bodes well for future maple syrup production as well). Also the terrain itself, a constant expanse of ridges and valleys, creates an environment in which there are wooded hillsides that face in every direction. This extends the time over which fall colors can be enjoyed. The south and west facing hillside will turn color first, followed by the east and north facing hillsides. Likewise the trees along many streams and along the Mississippi River will hold their leaves longer and produce fall colors after many other trees have unrobed themselves for winter.

Fall at Lonesome Hollow B&B

In the Kickapoo Valley fall is a great time to take in the Vernon County Fair and the Driftless Area Art Festival. Explore the shops of local Amish artisans. Walk through the apple orchards of Gays Mills and purchase locally grown apples, cider, and baked goods.

Gays Mills Apples

Fall is nature’s way of preparing us for the rigors of a Wisconsin winter. The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is located only a few miles from the Gays Mills orchards. Come over and spend two or three glorious fall days with us.

Nora and Pete

Romantic Winter Getaway

LonesomeHollow — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:35:24 +0000

In southwest Wisconsin, in the heart of the Kickapoo Valley, in the heart Wisconsin’s famed Driftless Area – lies a wonderfully rural and elegant bed and breakfast – the Inn at Lonesome Hollow. Lonesome Hollow is 160 mostly forested acres; it is one of the quietest and most peaceful settings you will ever find; it is a place of rugged landscape and abundant wildlife; it is the perfect setting for a romantic getaway.

We have put together a special winter romantic getaway for the months of January through March, 2010. Enjoy our newest, most spacious, and most private suite, the Upper Homestead Suite. This suite is located in the back of our private valley, out of view of any other building. The views are spectacular, with 300 ft high hills surrounding the Homestead house on three sides. The winter landscape is gorgeous. This suite offers a king bed, a large living room with fireplace, a spacious bath with separate whirlpool room, and a full kitchen. The living room’s floor-to-ceiling picture window looks out over the wooded, winter hillsides.

Built in 2005, The Homestead Offers Deluxe Accomodations

This special package includes: a dozen red roses, full country breakfasts served either at the main Inn or at your suite; one wine and cheese appetizer; one catered dinner – your choice of six entree items from a great local restaurant – served in your suite; and complimentary use of snow shoes for those winter days when snow conditions allow.

Enjoy Breakfast and Dinner in Your Suite

If you so desire, you never have to leave the suite for your stay. Celebrate your special day – birthday, anniversary, engagement, … and stay warm and cozy in magnificent surroundings. The price for this special romantic stay is $349 for a one night stay or $499 for a very relaxed two night stay.

We will do everything possible to make this an unforgettable time of peace and love.

Pete and Nora

Milwaukee MG Club

LonesomeHollow — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:13:16 +0000

On Friday and Saturday nights, July 24 and 25, the Inn at Lonesome Hollow (www.lonesomehollow.com) hosted a group of eleven friends from the Milwaukee area. Lonesome Hollow hosts many family get togethers and group outings, but this one was very special – the group drove here from Milwaukee in six vintage MG-B convertibles. Tim and Kathy Bradley organized this outing for the group.

On Friday evening the group enjoyed dinner at Country Gardens restaurant in Soldiers Grove, only a five mile drive from the Inn. On Saturday the group visited Vernon Vineyards and tasted the wine out on the scenic vineyard grounds near Chaseburg. Dinner on Saturday was cooked at the Homestead suites of Lonesome Hollow and included steaks purchased from Kickapoo Locker in Gays Mills. A Saturday night campfire capped the day for this fun group.

Beautiful Wisconsin Vineyard & Winery

LonesomeHollow — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:21:03 +0000

In the heart of Southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, in a landscape of continuous hills and valleys, surrounded by farm fields and hardwood forests, sitting on a ridge above the Bad Axe River, waiting to be visited and enjoyed by midwest wine lovers – is Vernon Vineyards (www.vernonvineyards.com). The vineyard has more than 10 acres of grapes that hug the ridge contours more than 300 feet above the river below. A very comfortable tasting room opens to a wide. two-sided porch that offers wonderful views of the vineyard and the valley below. Bob and Loren, the owners, are gracious hosts who will make you feel right at home as they walk you through the tasting of their wines. If you want to talk grape growing, they will answer any questions you have and have actively supported other local grape growers in Vernon and Crawford Counties.

Vernon Vineyard

The winery, the first ever in Vernon County, now offers nine different table wines and two dessert wines. These wines are a delight to drink, and are so consistently tasty that Vernon Vineyard wine is now exclusively offered to guests staying at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow (www.lonesomehollow.com), a beautiful, rural Bed and Breakfast near Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. Pete and Nora, owners at Lonesome Hollow regularly offer Vernon Vineyards Ridge Red and La Crosse White wines. They consider it a very special treat for visiting guests to relax over a glass of locally produced wine.

Tasting Room at Vernon Vineyards

If you are a wine lover, visit southwest Wisconsin to taste the product of other local wineries as well: Wegge Winery in Richland Center, Wisconsin; Spurgeon Valley Winery in Highland, Wisconsin; and Eagles Landing Winery in Marquette, Iowa. The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is centrally located to all four of these wineries, and the beautiful Driftless Area landscapes will provide rustic, scenic drives as you travel to any or all of these wineries.

Scrapbooking Workshop Announced

LonesomeHollow — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:55:52 +0000

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow, www.lonesomehollow.com, a rural bed and breakfast located on 160 forested acres in Southwest Wisconsin, is happy to announce the scheduling of a scrapbooking workshop at the Inn from Apr 17-19, 2009. The workshop will be led by Creative Memories consultant Wendy Einsweiler. Workshop attendees will learn the newest and the best techniques for preserving and organizing print and digital photographs. Wendy will demonstrate the use of many different formats for collecting and presenting your keepsake photos in attractive and affordable albums.

Enjoy a great scrapbooking weekend in the rural ambience of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Our trees will be budding and the earliest of the forest wildflowers will be blooming. Bring a camera, stretch your legs with a walk in our woods, and look for some early wildflower picture opportunities. A wide range of accomodations are available for workshop attendees. For information on workshop content email Wendy at wendyeins@yahoo.com. For lodging information at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, email Pete or Nora at info@lonesomehollow.com, or phone at 608-624-3429.

Hiking In Southwest Wisconsin

LonesomeHollow — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:49:55 +0000

Here are a couple of great places for hiking in Southwest Wisconsin. They are only a half hour’s drive north of our B&B, the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, www.lonesomehollow.com, which is located near Soldiers Grove, WI.

Riding in Wildcat

Just south of Ontario, WI is Wildcat Mountain State Park. If you are looking for undeveloped, natural hiking then you’ll like Wildcat. The park has 3600 acres of very hilly Driftless Area terrain, 25 miles of hiking trails, 15 miles of horse trails, and a neat 1.3 mile interpretive trail. Much of the park is forested, including areas of large pine and hemlock trees. There are ferns throughout Wildcat Mountain’s forest, including walking and maidenhair ferns. Mount Pisgah State Natural Area is included in the park. The website offers much information - http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/wildcat.

Adjoining Wildcat Mountain State Park to the south is a real jewel – the 8600 acre Kickapoo Valley Reserve, http://kvr.state.wi.us.

Canoeing in the Reserve

This public space has a newer visitor area that is definitely worth at least a half hour to learn about local history, a failed attempt at creating an impounded lake by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the geology of the Driftless Area. There are more than 20 miles of paved roads for hiking and biking, 37 miles of horse trails, and 14 miles of mountain bike trails. The Reserve also offers interesting learning programs for both kids and adults. In the winter you can watch sled dogs mush, ice carvers create, and gourmet cooks create chili masterpieces. Or come to the Dam Challenge and use a giant slingshot to propel rotten fruit against the remnants of the failed dam project. Another great sport at the Reserve is canoeing on the Kickapoo Reserve. Canoes can be rented in Rockton, WI, on the north end of the Reserve and more than 14 miles of the Kickapoo then extend south through the Reserve. Too much fun!

Cheesemaking at Lonesome Hollow

LonesomeHollow — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:42:47 +0000

On the weekend of January 17th and 18th fourteen people attended a fantastic cheesemaking workshop at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow conducted by The Cheesemaker, Steve Shapson, from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. The weekend started with a visit to Mount Sterling Co-op Creamery to see the cutting, milling, and pressing of the cheese made in the early hours.

Making Cheese

After a hearty brunch, The Cheesemaker, Steve, began the intensive workshop, where the participants learned the craft of cheesemaking. They learned to make Camembert/Brie, Chevre and Feta cheeses, which they each took home to finish aging and to enjoy at home.

Steve and MJ Shapson

After the workshop, a wine and cheese social was held sampling various local, homemade, and imported gourmet hard, soft and rind ripened cheeses on French baquettes, served with other hors d’oervres.

Because this workshop was very successful and fun, the Inn at Lonesome Hollow is hosting a Spring Cheesemaking Workshop. Sign up now, as space is already limited.

Inn at Lonesome Hollow Cheesemakers

Going Green at Inn at Lonesome Hollow

LonesomeHollow — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:48:56 +0000

In 2008 the Inn at Lonesome Hollow earned its Travel Green Wisconsin certification. This certification recognizes that ILH has undertaken a significant number of recycling and energy saving practices, and that it promises to lay out a yearly plan for continued progress in these critical areas.

The Hills at Lonesome Hollow

Our objective is to continue to provide first class lodging and recreation to our guests while at the same time lessening our impact on the environment. We have committed to purchase more expensive but environmentally friendly cleaners and detergents; we are replacing lighting with lower energy options; we continue to look for ways to minimize our purchase of plastic food and drink containers; we are reducing our use of fuel used for our vehicles and our landscape maintenance equipment; we are using more locally produced food and drink; and perhaps most important, we maintain more than one hundred acres of forest that absorbs carbon dioxide from the environment for six months of the year, and incorporates much of it into valuable hardwoods used by furniture makers.

We will continue to look for new ways of being greener. Your suggestions are most welcome.