Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association Blog

Slow Food Movement is a Natural for Wisconsin B&Bs

wbba — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:53:56 +0000

The Slow Food philosophy is a good, clean and fair food – it should taste good and celebrate culture and regional diversity; it should be produced in a clean way that is as good for the planet as it is for our bodies; and food producers should receive fair compensation for their work. So many Wisconsin B&Bs live by this farm-to-plate approach in their menu development. Two that really stand out are the Brambleberry B&B in Taylor, which may just serve more organic homegrown slow food than any other B&B in the state, and Fountain Prairie Inn in Fall River, where they serve local, sustainably raised food and have been members of the slow food movement for years now. Don’t be shy about asking our innkeepers where the food on their menu comes from. You might be surprised to learn the eggs, maple syrup, fruit-filled pastries and even pork sausages are fresh from the farm.

Best Farmers Markets in Wisconsin and the B&Bs That Are Nearby

wbba — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:26:51 +0000

Seems every farmers’ market in Wisconsin has a personality all its own. Which makes a Saturday morning stroll through tents filled with juicy fruit, fresh-from-the-field veggies, luscious baked goods, honey, even eye-popping bouquets of flowers a nice addition to your B&B itinerary. Bet you’ll even find some garden art or homemade crafts. You may be surprised to learn that the largest true farmers’ market in the country is in Madison, Wisconsin. If you have your B&B getaway on the calendar for this fall, you may want to cross-reference the nearest farmers’ markets by logging on to SavorWisconsin.com.

Wisconsin Is a Winner All Around

wbba — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:15:33 +0000

The Wisconsin Department of Toursim just issued a news release on all the regional and national awards Wisconsin has been racking up lately, from being exceptionally bicycle-friendly to best dog park to top small towns. Several of our member inns made the cut too – best breakfast in America and most romantic inns in the country. Cheers to Wisconsin!

Money Magazine 2010 Best Places to Live List Includes 4 Wisconsin Cities

wbba — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:02:31 +0000

Money Magazine crunched the numbers to zero in on America’s best small cities for families and it’s no surprise that 4 Wisconsin cities are in the Top 100.

Waukesha, a western Milwaukee suburb, ranks #50 with its easy access to miles of Rails to Trails bike paths, Frame Park’s miles of hiking trails and regular weekend events and ‘art crawls’ every 2 months.

At #69, Eau Claire’s great fishing (Wisconsin is so much more than cheeseland – we’re known for our fish fries too), and rolling hills are complemented by an active music scene downtown – in fact, the indi folk band Bon Iver got its start here.

Madison, known for its bike friendly culture – try a scenic cruise around Lake Monona past Frank Lloyd Wright’s Monona Terrace – and exceptional Farmer’s Market Saturday mornings on the Capitol Square, comes in at #95.

Appleton, a mecca for shop-a-holics with the Fox River Mall area, showcases Broadway entertainment (did we mention we’re so much more than cheeseland?) at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is #96.

How can you find out what the locals know? Easy – B&B innkeepers are your personal concierge, sharing their insider tips for their city with you. And, it’s easy to find which city you want to visit – and where to stay – by using our ‘find an inn‘ feature.

Biking in the City

wbba — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:53:46 +0000

B&Bs and biking go together exceptionally well in Wisconsin, even in urban settings. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism recently published this handy article on their site that offers some great city biking options. Cross-reference our Search by City function to find a nearby B&B and you’re good to go!

Big-City B&Bs in Wisconsin

wbba — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:46:10 +0000

Are you the type who’s drawn to big-city vacations? Perhaps it’s the lure of festivals, night life, fine dining and shopping that defines your perfect getaway. A lot of travelers are surprised to know that big cities do have B&Bs, some right on Main Street in fact. Let’s take the three largest cities in Wisconsin, starting with Milwaukee, where you’ll find a trio of mansions waiting for you - the Schuster Mansion, the Acanthus Inn and the Brumder Mansion. In Madison, Arbor House, an Environmental Inn and the Hotel Ruby Marie offer two very different experiences. In Green Bay, it’s the Astor House, hands down. Never hesitate to ask the innkeeper for their insider recommendations on the best restaurants in town and their favorite boutique shops.

Top Family Vacation Destination in U.S. is in Wisconsin

wbba — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:02:07 +0000

Wisconsin Dells, famous for its plethora of waterparks and theme parks, was just ranked the #1 Family Vacation Destination in the U.S. in the 2010 TripAdvisor.com Readers’ Choice poll. It also came in #3 in the world in the same category. Our B&B visitors are TripAdvisor researchers, to be sure, so thought you’d want to know. For family-friendly B&Bs in the area, check out White Rose Inns (also a favorite for weddings), Bowman’s Oak Hill Inn (winner of our 2009 Wisconsin B&B Association Cook-off) and Pinehaven B&B (in nearby Baraboo, home of Circus World Museum).

Family-friendly and Pet-friendly Wisconsin B&Bs

wbba — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:54:02 +0000

Are you the type of family who wouldn’t think of leaving your beloved dog at home while you were happily vacationing the summer away? There’s an easy solution – stay at a B&B that’s both family-friendly and pet-friendly. Here are five in Wisconsin to get on your radar: Cobblestone B&B in Birchwood, Coloma Hotel in Coloma, Feathered Star B&B in Door County, Grapevine Log Cabins in Sparta, and Hazelhurst Inn in Hazelhurst.

Two of Our Inns Are National Winners!

wbba — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:12:49 +0000

Perhaps you were tuned in to Good Morning America on Sunday when the winner of the GMA Best Breakfast in America Challenge was announced. It was none other than one of our member properties, the White Gull Inn in Door County, with guests of the B&B and the GMA morning hosts voting the Cherry Stuffed French Toast the best breakfast in all the land. It is a signature dish featuring locally grown Door County cherries and maple syrup sourced locally. What a tremendous and tasty honor! Here’s a link to the recipe.

National attention also shone this past month on Honeybee Inn B&B in Horicon, as this beautifully restored Victorian home was named one of the Top 10 Most Romantic Inns in the U.S. for 2010 by ILoveInns.com.

Congratulations to these two fine properties. They’re B&Bs at their best.

Taking Historic Restoration into Our Own Hands

wbba — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:42:37 +0000

We have a hunch that the member inns of the Wisconsin B&B Association have done more for historic preservation in this state than any other industry. And, by the way, historic inns could mean historic strurcture but modern amenities and interior design. Want to build a B&B itinerary around the state’s 10 historic sites? Here’s the link to the State Historical Society’s list of those sites, along with the link to our search-by-city function.