Category: Northwoods Retreat

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Immerse Yourself in Northwoods Supper Club Traditions

For those who delight in regional culture, the Northwoods offers a bounty. Our hiking trails and paddling routes—with their mix of boreal forest, loon and eagle battles and dramatic weather are magnificent, but maybe not singular. The Northwoods supper club dining experience, however, is iconic.

Step Inside, and Back in Time

“What’s a supper club?” our guests often ask, intrigued by nostalgia that hovers around them. Each supper club exudes particular charms and personality, like a carefully curated antique mall booth. Taxidermy? Maybe. Mounted canoe? Perhaps. Stocked bar? Likely.  Expect to eat heartily. Expect to be patient—with the staff, and with the kitchen. With all that’s unpredictable, plan to settle into conversation and laugher with your loved ones.

Here’s a fun video to let you peek inside!

Supper Clubs Near Minocqua 

Each of these spots—between ten to fifty minutes drive from our property—offers good food and a distinctive ambiance.

Boathouse (Minocqua)
Norwood Pines (Minocqua)
Little Bohemia (Manitowish Waters)

Reservations are recommended during the summer, and often in the spring and fall too. How to dress, you ask? There’s never been a dress code that I could suss out. If you like to spiff up, this is your moment!

One hot tip: If you enjoy a cocktail, try one. My husband and I prefer a more alcohol-forward version of an old fashioned. If that’s you, may we suggest you ask for a Manhattan or a martini.

Craft Your Own Pickle Tray!

When we’re up north, we like to recreate the supper club experience and stay at home. With a little prep, we can whip up fresh lake fish or a Tomahawk cut of meat from nearby markets. We make our preferred version of an old fashioned. Then, there’s just the relish tray to conjure up. Some favorite recipes:

Traditional Lacto Fermented Dill Pickles, from Fermenting for Foodies
Garlicky Fermented Green Beans, from Fermenting for Foodies
Marinated Red Peppers, from Eugenia Bone’s book

Bonus: the kids have freedom to roam and play by the water.

Share Your Supper Club Tips!

Love to hear your favorite spots. And, if you’d like our thoughts on how to avoid a three-drink wait time, email stay@campkulisha.com!

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4 Ideas to Unwind and Recharge in Your Vacation Rental

If you’ve got your VRBO or your rental cabin secured, now you can daydream about filling your days. If you’re frazzled by parenting, your career, or the doomscroll on your phone, a retreat mindset might be just the thing to help you plan.

Eat Al Fresco

Complicated food is hard to transport outdoors. Just by deciding to eat outside, I find that I simplify meal prep. I’m a foodie, for better or worse, so I have a few go-to ideas to feel nourished and pampered. For proteins: seafood or fish packed in oil, hard boiled eggs, cheese, or summer sausage. For fresh veggies: carrots, peppers, cucumbers, jicima, and cherry tomatoes. For starch: crackers, and a loaf of bread.

Nap in the Afternoon

There’s satisfaction in accomplishing your to-do list, no doubt. I have hundreds of lists, and I won’t embarrass myself by sharing their titles. I stop noticing or celebrating the wins, though, if I don’t add rest to my agenda. At home, I’m getting better about a sleep routine that works for this stage of life. On vacation, I’m experimenting with naps. Here, there’s often a breeze off Lake Tomahawk—the perfect companion for a nap. I often take a book out to the hammock, to signal to the family to steer clear, and can snooze for 10 or 20 minutes. Once I shake off the half-dream, I’m a more playful family member. Those are the real gems of vacation, right? Being your happy, joyful self with the ones you love?

Try Gentle Movement 

I can’t empty my mind without movement. My thoughts leap and swing around on the mental jungle gym of tasks, responsibilities and worries. If I can move—whatever that means for me that day, I naturally vary my breathing patterns and, wham! I’m clear. In the Northwoods of Wisconsin,  that often means a paddle across the lake, a walk in the woods or a swim around our peninsula.

Find Nature’s Wisdom

I’m too squeamish to put frogs or bugs in a jar, but I love to gather beautiful seeds, rocks, and pinecones wherever I go. With age, I’ve learned to take only what I can use. More and more that means harvesting the simple metaphors on offer in the landscape or the weather. For instance, how fast a summer storm thunders in—it’s a great reminder that life circumstances will sometimes surprise me, bring on a deep chill, and then the sun will appear. Sometimes there will be a rainbow.

Share Your Ideas!

How do you reset? Vacation isn’t always right around the corner, so we need to slip in 5-minute tricks to keep ourselves regulated. Or, if you are wondering if we have something at our rental house to help you retreat, please email stay@campkulisha.com!