Travel: Wisconsin Small Towns
by Carla Waldemar, Our Scene, Travel & Recreation – August 13, 2020
Wisconsin boasts scores of small towns worth a weekend’s exploration. Here’s a run-down of six favorites, moving from west to east…
…Beloit, straddling the scenic Rock River, is firmly planted on the border with Illinois, so don’t be surprised to encounter cool Chicagoans vying for space in its hotels and restaurants.
That’s new, however. Until recently, tourists avoided this once-blue collar town that got walloped by the Great Recession of ’08. But Beloit decided not to lie down and die. Its citizens pulled themselves up by their well-worn bootstraps to make their city even more inviting than before.
A Beloit developer, who refused to let his hometown shrivel, first constructed Ironworks Hotel, a luxe boutique on the riverbank boasting rough-hewn industrial charm, along with a destination restaurant.
Across the street and envisioned by the same developer, Hotel Goodwin, its cosmo sister, celebrates edgy art, an enviable vinyl collection (turntables in every room), and the classy, Velvet Buffalo café.
Click here to view full article.