For those who seek a more unique experience when travelling a Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast will be sure to fit the bill. We all know Wisconsin’s Bed and Breakfasts are well known for their personalized service and scrumptious breakfast. But did you know innkeepers are knowledgeable on the local activities and history of their community? The innkeeper will be able to fill you in on the local lore and legends of the area and provide stories that will inform and inspire you. When is a B&B more than just a bed and a breakfast? When it's a microbrewery, a lighthouse, a celebrity hangout, a farm, a golf course or an art studio. Themed B&Bs are big on talk-value with your buddies and huge on enjoyment for you. Take the Inn at Windmill Farm in Door County, with its studio and gallery where one of the hosts, Ed, leads watercolor classes. He has been an artist for over 35 years and teaches at the Kansas City Art Institute Ed’s work can be seen at Windmill Farm in the Morning Mist Studio/Gallery in the historic barn. Your other host, Frank, has a great background in fine antiques and has great pieces for sale at Lupine Antiques at Windmill Farm in the historic barn.  In addition, he brings to the Inn an extensive knowledge of landscape design. The Silver Star B&B Inn near Spring Green has rooms themed to famous photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, John Szarkowski, Monor White, and Julia Margaret Cameron. The photographers honored had a significant impact on the industry, contributing to the development of photography as an artistic medium. Visitors will find original fine art and photography displayed throughout the inn, reflecting the passion of the owner. The Silver Star B&B Inn is also located less than 10 miles from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin and the House on the Rock. There's Brewery Creek Inn in Mineral Point with its own on-site craft brewery. A three story lime stone building on Commerce Street, there are five rooms located above the Brewpub Restaurant.  Two on the second floor and three on the third.  The Brewery Creek Brewpub is an intimate space with exposed stone walls, hand hewn timbers and beams, supporting posts and a beautiful bar. The BrewPub is closed by 10:00 pm, which guarantees quiet for the guests lodging in the rooms above. They brew all of their own beer in their own brewery.  Jeff focuses on European style ales, both modern and antique.     Door County Lighthouse Inn is just that, an inn with architecture that mimics the storied lighthouses of the region. Each room is tastefully decorated with a nautical theme which reflects the rich maritime and navigational history of the area. Each of these lighthouses are located a short distance from the Inn and are great places to explore. Door County’s lighthouses, many of which were built in the 1800s, have saved countless lives as they guided ships to safety. Today, they stir hearts as symbols of strength and protection.       Lake Orchard Farm Retreat in Sheboygan is a working farm but it also has a golf course and clubhouse.  Located near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, our operating farm has rolling fields, natural woods, fruit orchards and a Lake Michigan view. If that isn’t enough to entice you to visit, they have a 9-hole golf course with a clubhouse they provide for guests to use at no additional charge.  When the weather isn’t nice enough to play outdoors, they have a lounge area with a pool table where guests can gather and spend time.   The The Livingston Inn in Madison is the place where prominent filmmakers stay during the annual Wisconsin Film Festival in April and the innkeepers have the inside track on tickets for their guests. The Wisconsin Film Festival is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute in association with the Department of Communication Arts. Founded in 1999, the Festival presents an average of 150 film screenings over 8 days every spring, making it the largest university-produced film festival in the nation. So you could say the overarching theme here is to try something different the next time you travel.

We’re delighted to tell you about 2 B&Bs that have just joined WBBA. Door County Lighthouse Inn in Egg Harbor/Door County is a cozy lighthouse-styled B&B. Innkeepers Claire & Frank are your source for ‘everything lighthouse’ – including lighthouse tours by trolley packages. And, rather than choose which winery to visit, check out their Wine & Dine package: tour & taste at 4 wineries, dine, and leave the driving back to the inn to the trolley. Claire notes: "in May we expect the cherry and apple tree blossoms to show!" Allyn Mansion B&B is one of those rare properties at which the term ‘elegant’ is appropriate – it was the grand prize winner nationally for historic restoration and is considered among Wisconsin’s 20 most remarkable homes - it’s in the book! But, relax … at Innkeeper Randy’s evening wine and craft beer reception, and therafter in your spacious suite furnished with a 32” flat screen tv (premium satellite access), WiFi w/a Samsung Galaxy 4 tablet and stereo system. And just so you know, your private bath is stocked with aromatherapy soaps and plus Turkish towels. The Allyn Mansion B&B is located in Delevan, in the Lake Geneva area. [caption id="attachment_1566" align="alignright" width="265"] Step back into the elegant past with all the amenities of today at the Allyn Mansion.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1565" align="alignleft" width="265"] You're guided by beacons of light to the Door County Lighthouse Inn.[/caption]

Here’s a trend that’s coming on strong – amateur athletes choosing Wisconsin B&Bs when traveling for 5Ks, half-marathons, marathons, sprint triathlons, adventure races, well, you get the gist.  Makes sense when you consider B&Bs are in a rather unique position to customize just about anything a “weekend warrior” would need to be in peak condition for the competition.  In Door County, the Door County Lighthouse Inn offers to-go nourishment for the athlete and coffee cake for the athlete’s support team.  At the Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater, innkeeper Kathleen Fleming says the runners who participate in the Ice Age 50 and Kettle 100 may schedule a massage with the inn’s massage therapist, but most take ice baths in the inn’s huge tubs after the race!  If you’re heading to Oshkosh for the August 5 Olympic and Sprint Triathlon, the Brayton B&B has upscale bath amenities and beds to provide great comfort after the race.   [caption id="attachment_683" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Could there possibly be a better way to unwind after a race? (we'll include the rat race too!) Innkeeper Kathleen at the Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater says it's your choice of whirlpool therapy - steaming soothing bubbles or tingling ice for sore muscles."][/caption]