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a great lobby with colossal fieldstone fireplace—in the 1930s and 1940s, when Hollywood
big shots and presidents used to hang their hats here. A face-lift has left it comfy yet still
rustic;nowyoudon'thavetoworryaboutmicechewingholesinyourbags.Modernamen-
ities include an indoor pool, hot tub, and redwood sauna. It still isn't the Ritz, but it's very
cool.
The Sunrise Lodge (5894 West Shore Dr., off Hwy. E, 715/547-3684 or 800/221-9689,
www.sunriselodge.com , from $119), on the west shore of Lac Vieux Desert, has a fresh-
scrubbed woodsy feeling in its 20 one- to seven-bedroom units. Plenty of home-cooked
food is offered in the dining room and bakery. Recreation abounds, with its own exercise
and nature trails in addition to the 4,600-acre lake. American Plan packages are necessary
in summer. They even have cabins that are accessible for people with disabilities.
You'll be hard-pressed to have a better time than at the always boisterous Bear Trap
Inn (Hwy. B, 715/547-3422, 4pm-9pm Tues.-Sat., $5-13), a couple of miles west on High-
way B. It's one of the oldest eateries in Land O' Lakes, so you'll still hear expressions such
as “wet your whistle” while waiting at the bar for a table. When you do sit down, go for the
garlic stuffed tenderloin. Lively big band music may complete the effect.
MINOCQUA, WOODRUFF, AND ARBOR VITAE
Location, location, location. That pretty much sums up these contiguous communities set
amid lush public verdance and 3,200 lakes. Only about 8,000 souls occupy the three burgs
(Minocqua dominates—heck, it even seems cosmopolitan compared to Woodruff and AV),
but they're drowned annually by a sea of southlanders come summer, with minor relief
after Labor Day before the first snows and the ineluctable advance of the buzzing hordes
of snowmobilers. Though it's not as well known as Minocqua and Woodruff, the town of
Arbor Vitae—literally, “tree of life,” named for the plethora of white cedar all around used
by French explorers to ward off scurvy—is also considered part of the group.
Expect minivans and more minivans (and boat trailers), along with Wal-Mart-size gas
stations every which way. Though you might anticipate price-gouging or polluted gridlock,
it's pretty low-stress for such a popular place.
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