One goal for 2022, especially after two years of the pandemic keeping us close to home, is to travel more. First up: La Crosse, WI. The pandemic taught me that I’m very content being a homebody, but I forget how much I delight in the discovery of a new used bookstore or a fancy meal I do not make but do have to get dressed up for.
So, I took the recommendation of my driftless sister Courtney and booked a night at the Charmant Hotel. We almost exclusively stay at Airbnbs these days, so being in a hotel felt like a true luxury. Also, La Crosse is just a two-hour drive from Northfield, so it felt like enough of a getaway, but still doable for a weekend. The Charmant is a 67-room boutique hotel in downtown La Crosse, and housed in a former chocolate factory (so of course you get fancy chocolate upon check-in). It is right off the Mississippi River, and even in the negative temps of January, there were still runners jogging along it. One weird thing to note: The entire town smelled like sulfur the whole time we were there.
On the way down to La Crosse, we took a slight detour (again, per Courtney’s recommendation) to Hokah, Minnesota. Hokah is a tiny driftless river town and home of the Free Range Exchange, a delightful “farm/market business, featuring products by regional artisans.” There were glazed cardamom buns still warm from the oven sitting on the counter. We got a focaccia BLT and cheesy cauliflower soup (and a bun, of course) to go.
The polka dots in the Hokah laundromat made my day.
We spent Saturday afternoon strolling around downtown La Crosse. We always make a pitstop at Schuby’s, the local butcher shop that serves up some of the country’s best sandwiches, when we’re passing through on our way to Chicago. However, I’ve never spent any real time in the city, which I was shocked to learn is actually bigger than Rochester. We wandered through the 3-story Antique Center, got a $7 cookie at Meringue (worth every penny), browsed Pearl Street Books, and stumbled upon Lason’s General Store.
Larson’s General Store in La Crosse was not only a lovely space, but was filled with locally sourced, low-waste cleaning, home, and beauty goods.
For dinner, we beat the evening rush and got to Lovechild, one of the sexiest restaurants I’ve been to, around 5 pm. We sat tucked away on sapphire velvet chairs and took in the dimly but artfully lit brick walls, dark exposed ceiling, cascades of candles, and fellow date nighters. Jason splurged for a steak and I had short rib ragu penne. Even though we were stuffed, we ordered the donut holes with lemon curd and it was one of the best decisions of the day. By the time we left at 6:30 pm, the main room was buzzing with date night murmurs and the tinkling of glasses and silverware; it felt like one of the most pre-pandemic experiences I’ve been part of.
It was too cold to do much else besides shuffle back to our hotel. Luckily, Jason discovered The Righteous Gemstones with our rare access to HBO. My only complaint with our room was there was no bathtub, and daily baths are how I survive winter. But otherwise, our stay was wonderful. We had breakfast at the hotel dining room and then hung out at the cafe in front of the fireplace before heading back home. I definitely recommend La Crosse for a 2-day trip, but I don’t think we would have had enough to do with another day.
