Our Fall Weekend Getaway

 

The four of us hit the road on a no-school Friday in October and headed up to Wisconsin for a fall weekend away.  Our game plan involved nothing but each other - and some pretty leaves and yummy food in between.  And La Crosse, Wisconsin and the old candy factory turned boutique hotel, The Charmant, served as a perfect backdrop to our long weekend adventures.  

I am a sucker for details and every square inch of this hotel was thoughtfully designed and curated.  From the playlist that rivaled my own favorite fall tunes, the food and those perfect old fashioneds, the wood floors, penny tile elevators, and old brick, and all those bright yellow mums greeting us at the door had me drooling all weekend long.  The hotel is located right on the Mississippi River in the heart of an up-and-coming restaurant scene.  The weather was cold and windy for a good part of our weekend, but this cozy little hotel was just what we needed to hunker in, eat a lot of cheese curds, and play a lot of UNO.  

We ate so much great food!  Our weekend started at the super hip La Cross Distilling Co., where we tried sweet potato cocktails, the best fish and chips, and took home a few bottles of house-made vodka that we'll never open because the bottles are just too pretty.  Beau and I went back here on our last night and sat on the patio by their outdoor fireplace.  We had gimlets and goat cheese and a barbecue charcuterie board and ate on a chilly night under the stars while the kids had their own little pizza and movie date night in the hotel room.  We celebrated a new season of parenting and dreamed a little of what it might involve for the two of us.  We're here for it.   

But it was sure fun to have these two in tow for the rest of our weekend!  We had pancakes and apple cider mimosas, checked out a few shops, drove up to Granddad's Bluff and hiked deep in the woods, then stopped at a little roadside Wisconsin pub for bloody marys and cheese curds.  

And then the kids favorite part of the weekend - a trip down the Mississippi aboard the La Crosse Queen.  They hosted a mid-afternoon pizza cruise and the kids thought the all-you-can eat pizza, lemonade, and kids vs. parents UNO was the trifecta of a Saturday afternoon.

We ended our Saturday evening with a stroll on the river walk and ice cream cones at the famous, Pearl.  So thankful for the chance to get away together and explore a new place.  I have a feeling we'll be back!