I think people looking to spend a weekend at a hotel with an indoor waterpark will naturally think of some place in the Dells, but there is another option closer to Madison.
Deer Valley Lodge is located in Barneveld, slightly under 40 min. from Madison. It's a place to go if you have small children (10 years or younger), because the waterpark is tiny--a toddler's wading area, a pool, hot tub and two slides comprise the entire waterpark. There's also a small arcade in the upstairs area, though the temperature in that room is close to 90 degrees.
The rooms are typical of any hotel, though the sound proofing could be improved a bit as hallway noise seemed to carry more easily into your room. Free wifi (though not the strongest signal) is included.
Deer Valley Lodge also has free continental breakfast (basically some mini muffins and bagels) and a small bar that doesn't stay open late. This hotel is not close to any restaurants, so it was surprising that it doesn't have better dining options.
If you're looking for things to do while staying here: The golf coure adjacent to the hotel is nice, though a few holes are in the bluffs/trees, making it extremely difficult to see where your drive went. Botham Vineyard is only a five-minute drive, and Mt. Horeb is 15 minutes away.
Check out the Web site for more info and for specials: www.deervalleylodgewi.com
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Monday, March 01, 2010
Monday, October 27, 2008
Madison Food and Wine Show
My third time to the annual Food and Wine Show at the Alliant Energy Exhibition Hall was like the previous times: enjoyable and filling.
The ticket price at $37 in advance is a bit steep, so you have to really eat and drink a lot to get your money's worth. I must say, I definitely did this year.
The premise, if you don't know, is that you get to try unlimited free samples of wine and bite-sized food from many, many regional vendors. Some of the stands have several dozen samples of wine! That's why many people get weekend passes for the three-day event.
Also worth noting: you get to keep the wine glass you use for sampling, and many other freebies throughout the event are available.
Since I wasn't driving, I went all out--a big mistake as I ended up having exactly 50 samples of wine, three beers and two margaritas. Talk about a hangover!
As usual, Sentry Metcalfe's and Willy St. Co-op provided some great food to sample.
There's also several cooking shows, including the entertaining chef cook-off (won this year by the Concourse Hotel cook).
Most of the wine is available for purchase as you leave. Saturday night also includes a secret top-shelf (all wines worth $40 or more) party.
I highly recommend going if you can afford it.
Next October, remember to check out www.EatDrinkMadison.com for more information.
The ticket price at $37 in advance is a bit steep, so you have to really eat and drink a lot to get your money's worth. I must say, I definitely did this year.
The premise, if you don't know, is that you get to try unlimited free samples of wine and bite-sized food from many, many regional vendors. Some of the stands have several dozen samples of wine! That's why many people get weekend passes for the three-day event.
Also worth noting: you get to keep the wine glass you use for sampling, and many other freebies throughout the event are available.
Since I wasn't driving, I went all out--a big mistake as I ended up having exactly 50 samples of wine, three beers and two margaritas. Talk about a hangover!
As usual, Sentry Metcalfe's and Willy St. Co-op provided some great food to sample.
There's also several cooking shows, including the entertaining chef cook-off (won this year by the Concourse Hotel cook).
Most of the wine is available for purchase as you leave. Saturday night also includes a secret top-shelf (all wines worth $40 or more) party.
I highly recommend going if you can afford it.
Next October, remember to check out www.EatDrinkMadison.com for more information.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Door Peninsula and Stone's Throw Wineries
Both of these wineries are located in Door County.
Stone's Throw is located about dead center in Door County, at 3382 County Road E (where it intersects with Cty Rd A) in Egg Harbor. http://www.stonesthrowwinery.com/
There is no tour, but there is a small dining area to enjoy some wine and food. The tasting costs $2 for "5 or 6" or "6 or 7" wines, depending on your server. It was packed when we went, so we had long waits between samples. The wines were so-so. I did not taste any that jumped out at me other than a really expensive Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, all of the wines are fairly expensive (5% discount for buying 6, 10% for buying 12). The whites are much better than the reds at this place.
My recommendation is if you're bored, go here, but otherwise just avoid it.
The other winery we went to was Door Peninsula, 5806 Highway 42 in Sturgeon Bay. http://www.dcwine.com/
This place was fabulous. Converted from an old school house, the winery is large and modern with a historic feel. The wine sampling is FREE, and they have dozens of wine from which to try. You will mostly find sweet wines, such as mango, peach, apple, cherry, etc. They are very delicious and inexpensive ($6.99 each). (The reds are not too bad either.)
The tour was nice; it cost $2 and lasted about 15 min. A tour begins every 45 min. There also is a restaurant and wine bar, and you can play host to your own wine and cheese party there.
The store itself has a large selection of gift baskets, tools, food and more. You get a 10% discount for buying six bottles, 15% for buying 12 (the best deal of any wineries I've heard of). If you're ever up in Door County, make sure to stop by this place.
P.S. There were two other wineries in Door County, but we didn't have a chance to visit. One was closed on Sunday when we drove past.
Stone's Throw is located about dead center in Door County, at 3382 County Road E (where it intersects with Cty Rd A) in Egg Harbor. http://www.stonesthrowwinery.com/
There is no tour, but there is a small dining area to enjoy some wine and food. The tasting costs $2 for "5 or 6" or "6 or 7" wines, depending on your server. It was packed when we went, so we had long waits between samples. The wines were so-so. I did not taste any that jumped out at me other than a really expensive Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, all of the wines are fairly expensive (5% discount for buying 6, 10% for buying 12). The whites are much better than the reds at this place.
My recommendation is if you're bored, go here, but otherwise just avoid it.
The other winery we went to was Door Peninsula, 5806 Highway 42 in Sturgeon Bay. http://www.dcwine.com/
This place was fabulous. Converted from an old school house, the winery is large and modern with a historic feel. The wine sampling is FREE, and they have dozens of wine from which to try. You will mostly find sweet wines, such as mango, peach, apple, cherry, etc. They are very delicious and inexpensive ($6.99 each). (The reds are not too bad either.)
The tour was nice; it cost $2 and lasted about 15 min. A tour begins every 45 min. There also is a restaurant and wine bar, and you can play host to your own wine and cheese party there.
The store itself has a large selection of gift baskets, tools, food and more. You get a 10% discount for buying six bottles, 15% for buying 12 (the best deal of any wineries I've heard of). If you're ever up in Door County, make sure to stop by this place.
P.S. There were two other wineries in Door County, but we didn't have a chance to visit. One was closed on Sunday when we drove past.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Wollersheim Winery
Wollersheim is a popular local winery, located in Prairie du Sac. It's only a 40-minute drive from downtown Madison, depending on Hwy. 12 traffic. (Take Hwy. 12, exit on Hwy. 188, follow for a couple of miles until you see Wollersheim, which will be on your right.)
The winery is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. year-round, and it has daily tours at 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15. Each tour is $3.50 and lasts about 45 minutes (it includes free wine tasting at the end).
We had about a dozen other people with us on the tour, mostly people in their mid-20s. After watching a 15-minute video on the history of the winery, we walked to the field and checked out a cave (from the outside) and the vines (not up close, however). Then we went to the distillery, watched another video, went downstairs to where they keep the barrels of wine for aging, then drank.
You can drink at a faster rate when there are less people in the tour with you (sometimes there are 25+). In August, they didn't have as many wines available, so we only sampled around eight or so. Apparently in February, patrons can sample a lot more (the tour guide says you would be drinking about 2/3 of a bottle, which I doubt).
It was nice to sample the varieties; it helped in the purchase process. Buying the wine here is slightly cheaper than in the liquor stores, plus if you buy six or more bottles, you get a discount.
Besides shopping and the tour, Wollersheim is a nice place to hang out and enjoy some wine. There's plenty of seating in the area, although no music or anything is played.
For more info, check out www.wollersheim.com.
The winery is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. year-round, and it has daily tours at 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15. Each tour is $3.50 and lasts about 45 minutes (it includes free wine tasting at the end).
We had about a dozen other people with us on the tour, mostly people in their mid-20s. After watching a 15-minute video on the history of the winery, we walked to the field and checked out a cave (from the outside) and the vines (not up close, however). Then we went to the distillery, watched another video, went downstairs to where they keep the barrels of wine for aging, then drank.
You can drink at a faster rate when there are less people in the tour with you (sometimes there are 25+). In August, they didn't have as many wines available, so we only sampled around eight or so. Apparently in February, patrons can sample a lot more (the tour guide says you would be drinking about 2/3 of a bottle, which I doubt).
It was nice to sample the varieties; it helped in the purchase process. Buying the wine here is slightly cheaper than in the liquor stores, plus if you buy six or more bottles, you get a discount.
Besides shopping and the tour, Wollersheim is a nice place to hang out and enjoy some wine. There's plenty of seating in the area, although no music or anything is played.
For more info, check out www.wollersheim.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
