Winter Wonderland in Wisconsin

My family has been vacationing in Northern Wisconsin for decades. We enjoy the Northwoods any time of the year, but there is something magical about Wisconsin in the winter.

While I’m typically not a big fan of huge amounts of snow, I do love visiting Wisconsin in the winter when the ground is blanketed with a fluffy white layer.

This year we spent the long Thanksgiving weekend in Sayner, Wisconsin. My grandparents’ built a second home in Sayner shortly after I was born. After their passing, my parents made this their home away from home for a good portion of the year, and family fun Up North lives on.

I’ve spent many vacations in Sayner during my lifetime and now love creating memories in the Northwoods with my own children.

While Sayner is the birthplace of the snowmobile, you can’t always expect snow in this area in late November. But we got lucky this year as a foot of fluffy white snow fell the day before we arrived! And we were ready to enjoy a winter wonderland in Wisconsin!

Where We Stayed

The Hammer Family Cabin

When planning a vacation where your parents have a second home, lodging is an easy and affordable decision! Situated on beautiful Plum Lake, my parents’ cabin comfortably housed us as well as my brother, and of course, my mom and dad.

The cabin is set back in the woods, and you can frequently spy deer darting between the tall pines. The long driveway leading to the house is particularly beautiful when covered with fresh glittering snow.

Whitetail Inn

Some extended family also joined us for our Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, and they opted to stay in the next town over at the Whitetail Inn.

We have dined at the Whitetail Inn’s restaurant numerous times, but this was the first time anyone had stayed at the Inn. And everyone was really impressed with the accommodations!

The rooms were very affordable and spacious, and my aunt and uncle’s room even had a gas fireplace. My young cousins made good use of the inn’s pool with several swimming sessions to break up their time playing outside in the snow.

With breakfast included and a roaring fireplace in the lobby, the Whitetail Inn has everything you could need for a cozy weekend away in wintery Wisconsin.

What We Did

Cozy in the Cabin

Time spent in Wisconsin generally means slowing down a bit from the hectic pace of daily life. While we kept plenty busy during our long weekend, we also found time to relax in the cabin.

Sitting by the fireplace, reading, putting together a puzzle, gazing at the snowy landscape outside, and watching Hallmark movies provided some much-needed R and R.

Fun in the Snow

With so much snow on the ground, we also spent time outside exploring! I bundled up and took several walks through the woods admiring winter’s beauty and Wisconsin’s majestic scenery.

With my little cousins in town (ranging in age from 1-6), sledding was a favorite activity!

I forgot how much fun playing in the snow can be when you are little!

Small Town Shops

In addition to Sayner, I also love exploring the many quaint towns in this part of the Northwoods. And we managed to visit several of them on this short trip!

Boulder Junction provides plenty of upscale shops and quaint Northwoods charm.

Eagle River has the quintessential small-town main street shops that could easily be the setting of a Hallmark movie.

Minocqua provides a great array of local gift boutiques, restaurants, and our favorite cheese shop, all beautifully decorated for the holidays.

Even though we find winter to be charming in northern Wisconsin, this is actually their slow time, so some shops were closed for the season. Yet we still found plenty of shopping options where we could spend our vacation money.

For a more detailed review of my favorite towns in Northern Wisconsin, be sure to read about our trip Up North last year!

Sleigh Ride

Boulder Junction hosts its holiday open house the day after Thanksgiving so the shops were bustling with customers and offering up tasty treats and warm drinks.

The tree lighting was a bit unceremonious (we literally blinked and missed it). But the whole family enjoyed a complimentary 2-horse-open-sleigh ride through town.

There may have been a rousing rendition of jingle bells lead by youngsters from another family during our ride. The Christmas Spirit was officially alive and well!

Frozen Inside

We did take a break from shopping and playing in the snow for some indoor movie fun.

What’s the perfect movie to warm you up in wintery Wisconsin?

Frozen 2!

Complete with buttery popcorn and 3D glasses, we were introduced to new songs from the familiar voices of Anna and Elsa.

While I won’t say Frozen 2 lived up to my love of the first Frozen movie, it’s a solid sequel and worth seeing on the big screen.

Where We Ate

Cooking in the Cabin

Another benefit of staying with family is home-cooked meals! We did enjoy my dad’s famous chili for one meal and my mom whipped up her much-loved meatloaf for another. And my daughters spent time bonding with their grandma as they made and decorated cookies that everyone eagerly gobbled up.

Since we didn’t want our short trip to be consumed with cooking and cleaning, we decided to eat out several of our meals.

Northern Wisconsin has no shortage of delicious dining options!

Little Bohemia Lodge

While a bit untraditional, our Thanksgiving feast took place at Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters.

This adorable restaurant in the woods is actually famous for a shootout between John Dillinger and the police over 80 years ago. You can still see the bullet holes in the window!

Aside from this decades-old violent incident, Little Bohemia is full of warmth and hospitality. Not to mention great food! Some of my family chose the traditional turkey and mashed potatoes menu option, but I went a different route and feasted on a fried chicken breast stuffed with seafood served with a side of wild rice. Yum!

In true Thanksgiving fashion, we all left with very full bellies and were thankful for time spent with family…and no dirty dishes to do!

Blend

I snuck away one morning during our trip to enjoy breakfast at my favorite coffee shop in Eagle River. Blend serves up an array of delectable menu options as well as hot beverages that rival any I’ve had at Starbucks.

The amaretto and cinnamon chai tea latte was heaven in a mug!

The breakfast croissants and cinnamon rolls are nothing short of amazing. I should have known I was not the only one who had discovered Blend’s melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls, because when I returned later in the day to buy some to bring home to my daughters they were all sold out. Sorry girls!

Eagle Baking Company

But never fear, just down Eagle River’s main street lined with shops is the Eagle Baking Company.

This is another one of my must-visit shops, and I picked up a bag of tasty breakfast treats for the family to enjoy the next day.

This bakery even makes and ships Kringles, a Danish-inspired oval pastry often with a fruit or nut filling. Perfect for your next holiday brunch!

Aqualand Ale House

In Boulder Junction, we warmed up and once again filled our bellies, this time at Aqualand Ale House. With a Woodsy feel and several TVs tuned to football, this was the perfect dining option for us.

We were surprised to not find hamburgers on the menu, but I opted for a Jalapeno Chicken Bacon sandwich that really hit the spot. I was so invested in my own tasty meal that I can’t even remember what everyone else ate, but I recall satisfied faces all around!

Kilwins

I don’t think we have ever been to Wisconsin without going out for ice cream, at least once. Unfortunately, our favorite ice cream shop in Minocqua had already closed for the season.

Fairly new to this town, but not new to us, we were happy to venture into Kilwins to satisfy our sweet tooth.

With confections artistically decorated for the holidays, Kilwins offers a treat for the eyes as well as your stomach. Some of our tribe opted for hot chocolate to warm up and others indulged in Kilwins’ famous frozen treats.

Sayner Pub

We couldn’t travel to the Northwoods without eating at one of our favorite restaurants, the Sayner Pub. I was able to satisfy my desire for a juicy burger here! My daughters had their fill of hot wings and the rest of our extended family devoured the Pub’s well-renowned pizza.

It was the perfect setting for our last meal on vacation, and somehow we saved just a bit of room to enjoy dessert back at the cabin.

Our long weekend wasn’t quite long enough, and before we knew it we had to head back to a not-so-white Indiana. But not before a final overnight snowfall that nearly snowed us in at the cabin!

Fortunately or unfortunately (however you decide to view it), we managed to carve out a path in the freshly fallen snow so my Subaru could make the trek back home.

Be we will definitely be returning to Wisconsin next year for more fun in the Northwoods!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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