When you feel the stir crazy take hold this winter, pack up the family and head 3 hours north to The American Club, a beautiful Forbes Five-Star, full-service gem located in Kohler, Wisconsin. This retreat offers loads of activities and events that will have your family embracing the cold and dancing along with Old Man Winter. Read on and get ready to have something to look forward to in the long winter months.

What to expect from your digs
The accommodations at The American Club are well appointed for family travel — large and connecting rooms provide plenty of space for the entire family. And, as you’d expect from a property located in Kohler, all of the rooms are festooned with high-end features and amenities. Some of the rooms even have giant baths where kids can splash around in bubble-filled tubs and make sudsy beards and soapy top hats.

photo: Sports Core Health & Racquet Club

Forget the cold and take a dip
Let’s be honest, kids love any place that has a great pool. If you stay at the American Club, you’ll have access to the Sports Core Health & Racquet Club, which includes much more than exercise and gym equipment. Set on the shores of Wood Lake, this private club offers: indoor swimming, group fitness classes, an outdoor deck with a large whirlpool and a two-sided fireplace, tennis lessons for the whole family and access to quick and healthy food options.

photo: courtesy of Wendy Altschuler

In fact, you could divide and conquer: one parent can swing a racquet with the kids at a private tennis lesson or swim laps and do cannonballs at the pool while the other parent indulges in a spa treatment at The American Club’s award-winning Kohler Waters Spa. At the spa, mom or dad can relax in the wet or dry sauna, soak in the hot tub, swim in the pool and relax in a comfy chaise with an iced towel and eye-healing cucumbers before indulging in a luxury signature treatment.

photo: The Immigrant Restaurant

Where to grab grub
The American Club, and surrounding areas of Destination Kohler, presents an abundance of dining options — 12 distinctive choices. While your children are having fun at the Dinner and a Movie Kohler Kidz program, you can take your date for much-deserved alone time at the stylish The Immigrant Restaurant, which serves contemporary cuisine; The Winery Bar for an upscale, romantic nook that provides a starry-eyed setting for a glass of wine or scotch; a resort-casual evening at The Wisconsin Room for regional Midwestern fare (here you can also enjoy an incredible buffet brunch that kids will love); or an informal pub-night at The Horse & Plow.

photo: Craverie Chocolatier Cafe

At The Shops at Woodlake, family dining options abound. Cucina, which overlooks Wood Lake and offers lip-smacking Italian fare and Craverie Chocolatier Café, which specializes in fresh smoothies, salads, breakfast items, sandwiches, deserts and espresso drinks are choice standouts. Our favorite place, however, is the The Greenhouse. Visit here to relax on the sofa with an espresso, eat little bites, desserts, homemade ice cream or European pastries and take in the surrounding snow-covered gardens that can be seen through the charming stained-glass windows. The solarium was meticulously dismantled from its original home in Chorley, Lancashire, in northern England, and reassembled piece by piece to stand in its current home, The American Club® Fountain Courtyard.

Make it an active vacay
Spend time outside, working up a sweat, at the River Wildlife where you can go snowshoeing, cross country skiing, fishing or ice skating. Check out the Kohler Design Center (more than 90 designers have showcased their work here since 1985), shop at the Shops at Woodlake, find your bliss at Yoga on the Lake (they also have a really nice yoga boutique) or or plan your trip around one of the many family-friendly events that are happening this winter: Kids Cooking Classes, the In Celebration of Chocolate event that takes place February 17-19 or special holiday dining.

photo: courtesy of Wendy Altschuler

Whether you’re shopping, feasting, exploring or treating yourself to a relaxing spa treatment, there is something for everyone at Destination Kohler. From shuttle and horse carriage rides, to kids’ activity planning and concierge services, to simply creating an adventurous and activity-filled winter getaway for you and your family, The American Club is a great wintertime haven.

— Wendy Altschuler

Photos provided by Kohler, unless otherwise noted.

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