Lake Geneva ~ End of Summer / Early Fall Getaway

 

Last week Travis & I celebrated our 3 Year Anniversary on Wednesday 9/12/12.

We decided to take a well deserved break from our hectic daily lives & getaway.

We spent last weekend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

The Newport of the West.

 

We arrived early Friday afternoon to the French Country Inn.

What a charming bed & breakfast located just outside of

 downtown Lake Geneva on Lake Como.

 

The old inn had everything we look for in a relaxing getaway.

I love to stay just off the beaten path & away from the hustle & bustle.

Always looking for the perfect quaint & charming place

 with loads of character to set the mood for our trip.

 

A real getaway...

 

 

Where we could wake up to scenes like this.

 

On Saturday morning we headed into town to Lake Geneva to be tourists.

We took in the sites of beautiful Lake Geneva.

The Rivera.

Located in the heart of downtown Lake Geneva.

Saturday morning we decided to take a historic tour of the lake.

 

The Polaris.

 

All Aboard!

The Walworth.

 

We took the historic U.S. Mail Boat Tour on the Walworth.

We boarded the 2 hour excursion for a tour of Lake Geneva.

It is a historic tradition on the Lake that still holds true today.

Several historic homes have their mail delivered right to their docks by carriers.

It was absolutely unbelievable to see so many of the Summer homes and estates 

for many of Chicago's wealthiest businessmen and women.

 

Unfortunately, we sat inside the boat on the lower deck, so I don't have photos of the homes to share.

Next time...I promise!

 

 

After our boat tour we headed to Pier 290 in Williams Bay.

Just on the other side of Lake Geneva.

 

 

We had the best seafood in the Midwest.

Travis had oysters on the half shell & I had my first lobster roll.

And of course a Wisconsin cheddar soup that was delicious.

 

I was completely taken away by the aesthetic & decor.

I was trying to be discreet & take just a couple photos.

However, I could have shot every single angle.

I love the modern nautical, casual yet sophisticated interior design.

 

 

We had a fantastic weekend away celebrating our 3 Year Anniversary!

Lake Geneva was well worth the trip.

 

 

Sunrise

Sunset

 



 

Candlelight ~ On the River

We have had an absolutely unbearable heat wave here in the Midwest for the past two weeks.

Well, on Saturday we finally had enough.

We left behind the never ending list of projects of our renovation life & took some us time.

We headed North of LeClaire along the Mississippi River about 25 minutes.

We had lunch at the Candlelight.

We had never been here before, although we had heard that it was a great trip by boat.

Unfortunately, we have not got our feet wet just yet to become boaters.

Someday very soon after the renovation is complete on our house, I'm sure a boat will be next.

Afterall, why not when you live your life on a great stetch of little rivertowns.

But for now, we settled for the relaxed drive through the country alongside the river.

A view of the restaurant from the docks.

They actually had an excellent menu.

We were both totally in the mood for seafood.  We were so pleased to find this little hidden gem.

This will definitely be a new regular on our list.

We love to find out of the way local places to eat.

This was a perfect casual relaxing lunch & little afternoon getaway.

A view of the docks.

The lighthouse.

My impatient husband letting me know that it's getting way to hot & our trip was about to end.

We were so full.  I think he was ready for an afternoon nap.

The heat wave finally ended the following day.  Thank goodness!!!

Don't worry....we were right back at it, on our renovation bright & early Sunday morning.

I have learned one thing while living life through a renovation.

It is still important to take time for you no matter what.

The list of projects will still be there waiting when you return, revived, refreshed & ready to go.

Our Memorial Day ~Scenic Bellevue, Iowa

Happy Memorial Day!

When we got up this morning we decided to take a much needed mini getaway for a few hours.

We headed North to Bellevue, Iowa.

What a charming old Iowa rivertown.

I just loved this rustic old mill we came across today!

This historic little town is just an hour North of LeClaire.

It was a beautiful day for a scenic country drive through the rolling heartlands of Iowa.

We took Highway 67 North alongside the Mississippi River.

Here I am in downtown Bellevue just after our lunch at a little cafe.

You can not miss Old Potter's Mill just as you come around the curve into town.

The old mill was completely vacant...so sad.

It appeared to have been a bed & breakfast at one time.

Wish we would have known about it.  It is just the kind of place we would love to stay.

We had to check to see if the rements of the original mill were still in tact, but they were not.

I absolutely love the rustic barn red of this old building.

A rustic shed on the front of Potter's Mill.

When I come across a place like this I always wonder what it must have looked like in its glory.

I'm sure that it would have impressed.

So sad its sitting there all empty now.

Hopefully someone will come along & fall in love with all her beauty again.

We also visited Bellevue State Park.

The park sits atop the hillside and has absolutely stunning views of

the Missippi River & the town of Bellevue below.

Here is Travis at the park overlooking the Mississippi.

A beautiful view to remember from our little roadtrip.

Hope you had a great Memorial Day!

Carrie

participating
Between Naps on the Porch
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage

The Inn at Irish Hollow

So, this week nearly got away from me!

Sorry, I haven't posted much.  I've actually been working behind the scenes to

improve the overall look and feel of our blog.  It's getting there, but not completely done yet.

Where did I leave off???

Oh yeah....I was sharing my memories of our wedding since we celebrated our

2 year anniversary this week.  

So after all the festivities ended on our wedding night.

The next morning we had brunch at my Mom's.

the happy couple

And then we headed off to..

The Inn at Irish Hollow

in Galena, Illinois

The drive from LeClaire to Galena is beautiful in the fall.

We drove along the Mississippi River in Illinois towards Galena.

the main guest house

The Stonewood Cottage

This was our honeymoon cottage.

It was absolutely charming. 

It was the picturesque charming countryside cottage. 

The Inn at Irish Hollow is just outside downtown Galena.

We drove through winding hillside country roads with rickety old fences

and Midwest farmhouses to arrive at our romantic retreat.

Old Orchard Cottage

There are several cottages at the Hollow.

If you are looking for a Midwest fall destination trip.

I would highly recommend a stay at The Inn at Irish Hollow.

It was the perfect ending to our magical wedding and honeymoon.

We celebrated our wedding along the Mississippi Riverfront.

We headed out on our scenic fall countryside drive.

And ended up at the most charming little cottage.

It was truly better than we imagined!

If I've inspired any of you to stay at the Inn, please let us know!

I'd love to hear about it!

Carrie