Inn provides perfect getaway for travelers in the middle of rugged Baraboo Bluffs

By Betty Stark, Capital Newspapers

Steve Zanoni, general manager at Madison Concourse Hotel, hopes the secluded inn 45 minutes from Madison where he and his management staff hold periodic planning sessions doesn't get "too discovered," because they really like it and he wants his group to be able to continue meeting there.

"It's terrific," Zanoni said, "perfect for our group of eight to 10. We use the conference room or wander outside on the grounds, think, plan, clear our heads of what's back at the office. I'm really impressed with the inn's quality, too - the woodwork, the family story. We've held one- and two-day meetings there and both work great."

Attorney Curtis Swanson, a lawyer with Corneille Law Group LLC in Madison, also knows firsthand what this special inn tucked away in the Baraboo Bluffs has to offer the business community.

He and his legal team took over the Inn at Wawanissee Point for two weeks during a lengthy Sauk County court trial in Baraboo. They brought in filing cabinets filled with trial paperwork, used the inn's fully outfitted conference room to prepare for each day in court, and met with witnesses who conveniently stayed in the inn's guest rooms before testifying.

"It was very good for our purposes," said Swanson. "Extremely convenient - I can't think of a single negative thing to say about it. I even called my wife while I was there and said, "Joy, you have to come see this."

Swanson's wife, Joy O'Grosky - also an attorney, whose company, JLO Enterprises of Madison specializes in witness preparation - did just that. She too was impressed.

"The Holdeners were gracious in providing any help needed. They supported the trial efforts by offering comfort, private places to interview witnesses, snacks and refreshments - they were there if needed, but they respected the privacy and confidentiality of the trial process.

"And the inn is so aesthetically pleasing - the craftsmanship, the woodwork - it's like satin to the touch. I appreciated the view, the landscaping and gardens with plants indigenous to Wisconsin. And it's spotless - I'm very fussy and have stayed in many B&Bs. This was by far the best."

How did this gem of an inn come to be? It's an interesting story, one of good family memories, creativity and more than a little entrepreneurial spirit.

As a youngster growing up in northern Illinois in the early 1960s, Dave Holdener regularly trekked north with his family to Devils Lake State Park near Baraboo where they set up their pop-up camper, hiked, fished, swam and wound down at day's end around a crackling campfire.

Eventually, Holdener's father, who was enthralled with the rugged beauty of the Baraboo Range, bought a one-acre plot on Tower Road near Devil's Head Ski and Golf Resort. Dave recalls that they camped on the small family plot and frequently walked the short distance down Tower Road to a neighboring quartzite rock promontory where they were mesmerized by the distant panorama across Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River valley. He never forgot it.

So it was part nostalgia and part serendipity that led him several years later, in 1981, to return to Tower Road with his wife, Trudy, and their two small children. He wanted to show them the acre where his family had communed with nature and developed a deep love for the Baraboo Bluffs. He also planned to show off the special view he remembered so fondly.

Imagine their surprise when they saw a "For Sale" sign on the overgrown, wooded parcel with the terrific view. They immediately contacted the listing Realtor and ultimately bought the unimproved 42-acre parcel from Vaughn Conway, a Baraboo attorney.

For 16 years they enjoyed their own rustic family gatherings on the rambling acreage, improving it a tad by relocating the family outhouse from their one acre plot up the road, carving a rough access to the overlook, planting trees, and clearing a path to the free-flowing spring. When they first purchased the wooded parcel, though, building a luxurious bed and breakfast inn with the best view in the state was not even a blip on the couple's radar screen.

As years and many more campfires followed, the Holdeners daydreamed about what they could do with the unique setting. A plan took shape, and by the mid-1990s they began to design a dream home, one that would maximize the unique geologic treasure they now owned while providing plenty of space for family and friends.

During the next six years, the dream home took shape as an elegant three-story villa, one the Holdeners agreed was so special that they had to share it with other people. Thus the concept of "home" expanded to incorporate their private residence and four luxurious bed-and-breakfast guest rooms that would launch the Inn at Wawanissee (wah-wah-nee-see) Point in 2004.

Once again, the journey from daydream to reality evolved into a family project. Always mindful of the uniqueness of the location named Wawanissee, a Winnebago name for "beauty," Dave and Trudy tweaked and redesigned the original building plans to maximize the view and pay homage to the historic geological treasure that was recognized for its distinctiveness in geology publications dating back to the 1920s.

Trudy's father, Alois (Louie) Hastreiter, a master Bavarian cabinet maker, hand-selected the red oak he would use for the inn's 42 doors as well as the columns and detailed crown molding. He painstakingly crafted the inlaid thresholds and several inlay pictures throughout the inn. Dave's brother Richard, also a master cabinetmaker, constructed the stairwell, barrel roofs, imposing radius balcony, and the kitchen cook-top and range hood.

The exquisite attention to detail has paid dividends since the inn opened in 2004. It is impossible to enter the imposing double doors and not be stunned either to silence or blithering exclamation by the 36-mile distant view from the great room window-wall.

"I've learned to stop talking when a guest first arrives," Dave told me when I visited. "This view says it all, doesn't it?"

That's quite an understatement! The view, the impeccable craftsmanship, the comfortable flow from the great room to The Indigo Room where Dave and Trudy welcome guests at day's end for wine and appetizers, to the balconies that invite relaxation overlooking Trudy's carefully tended country gardens - all spell quiet elegance, comfort and attention to detail.

In the showplace kitchen, Trudy prepares a lavish daily breakfast for guests staying in the four guest rooms, which are lush and beautifully appointed.

The inn is traditional in that it is an ideal getaway for couples celebrating a special occasion - smaller wedding receptions and even weddings are held on a lower terrace, with space to accommodate as many as 60 guests at a catered, tented sit-down dinner complete with flickering tiki torches.

As an executive meeting retreat, the Inn at Wawanissee Point ( www.innatwawanisseepoint.com ) has a lot to offer, too. Board of directors meetings, strategic planning sessions, executive retreats - all are easily arranged for a single day or longer.

Depending on group size, clients can also rent the Holdeners' nearby four-bedroom Eagle's Nest on Lake Wisconsin ( www.eaglesnestonlakewisconsin.com ) or the Rustic Ridge Log Cabins ( www.rusticridgecabins.com ) close to the inn and next to Devil's Head Ski and Golf Resort.

The inn's Lombardi Conference Room, a state-of-the-art meeting facility accommodating 10 to 12 and boasting the best technology and amenities, has access to Ethernet or Wi-Fi DSL, Power Point or projections to a 40-inch plasma screen, in-room fax, scanner and shredder, a break station and wet bar.

Though operating an inn was not their original plan, the Holdeners brought plenty of business and people savvy to the task. Trudy was an international flight attendant for Lufthansa Airlines, and Dave is president of Nicolet Forest Bottling Co., with bottling facilities in Mountain, Wis.

What's a favorite gathering place for their guests? Around the campfire, located just off the lower terrace, overlooking the spacious grounds and hiking trails.

Some things, the Holdeners agree, should never change.