Today the road has brought me to Cedarburg, WI.
Truth be told, the visit was actually a week ago. Unlike most of my B & B tales, this one didn’t start as a desire to get away for a weekend. It actually began with a Facebook algorithm.
Given my sideline as a regional reviewer, FB often brings up ads for other theatres into my feed. I often take a look at them to see how far away they are from Omaha as I plot potential reviews. Back in March, the page for Sunset Playhouse popped up in feed and I took a look and found they would be producing Jesus Christ Superstar in April. A little more digging found that the theatre was located in Elm Grove, WI which was only about 7 hours away. Completely reasonable for a weekend visit.
Having made the decision to go review the show, I now needed accommodations. Elm Grove did not have a B & B. I knew the town of Horicon had one, but that would result in an hour drive to and from the theatre. I nearly made the reservation until I found that the town of Cedarburg had an inn and was only 40 minutes away from Sunset Playhouse which was much more reasonable so I booked a room at Washington House Inn.
So it was that I found myself driving a road that I hadn’t been on for nearly two years. Last Friday afternoon found me back in the great state of Wisconsin and the town of Cedarburg which reportedly has the most beautiful main street in America.
Washington House Inn was not on my list of B & Bs. This is likely due to the fact that when I built my list, I was specifically looking at houses and mansions. Washington House Inn actually blends a hotel with the B & B experience. It’s a three story building that has served as an inn since 1895. It holds 29 rooms with an additional 5 rooms at a nearby property. However, like a B & B, each room is unique and carries a name.
I booked the Henry Hentschel which was a quaint room with a 4 poster queen bed situated under a skylight and a deep whirlpool tub in my small bathroom. Once I got settled in, I took a little jaunt around the neighborhood.
Cedarburg’s main street (actually the whole town) is quite beautiful. Shops and wineries abound on the main drag and the smells of freshly baked pizza wafted from a few pizzerias. As I wandered through the neighborhood, I imagined what the place would look like during the holiday season. A Christmas visit may be in the cards at some point in the future.
After my constitutional, I returned to my room and got cleaned up for dinner and the show.
During my recent visit to Rapid City, I had something kind of Cajun for dinner, but now I wanted something really Cajun. Truly Cajun. Cajunly Cajun. So I had made a reservation for dinner at Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield.
Crawdaddy’s is a true Cajun restaurant. They made picking my dinner quite easy as the Friday night special was A Taste of New Orleans so I didn’t have to decide which dish I wanted. I was brought a taster’s plate of gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee. All were delicious, but the jambalaya was the tastiest of the three. A mug of Spotted Cow, Wisconsin’s famed beer served as an excellent chaser to the fine meal.
When dinner settling nicely on my stomach, I made my way to Sunset Playhouse. Sunset has a powerful reputation, having won multiple Best Of awards. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Omaha Playhouse as it houses two theatres: a main stage and a smaller venue. I was glad that I had purchased a ticket as the entire run of Jesus Christ Superstar sold out shortly after their second performance.
I was treated to one of the best shows I’ve seen since I first became involved in theatre and you can read my thoughts about the show here. After the show, I drove the back highways back to Cedarburg and crashed for the night.
I awoke early to write my review, then made my way to the dining room for breakfast. Like B & Bs, a home cooked meal is prepared each morning (a social hour of wine and cheese is also available every evening from 5pm-6pm). I enjoyed a breakfast of egg bake with salsa, O’Brien potatoes, and cinnamon coffee cake with orange juice.
I took another long walk before getting in my car for a drive to Mukwonago, though I made a brief stop at Piggily-Wiggily to get some Spotted Cow for a family event in June.
Why drive to Mukwonago? I was going to visit Vintage Vault Arcade.
Hidden inside an unassuming building, Vintage Vault is another retro arcade where you can play to your heart’s content. For its size, I thought the price of $20 wad a tad high, but it did contain video games I don’t normally see and they were largely in good condition. I spent a few hours playing Food Fight, Hook, Duck Hunt, Crystal Castles, Sinistar, and a rare find, Mystic Marathon.
After a pleasant afternoon of gaming, I returned to Cedarburg where I changed into a dress shirt for services at St Francis Borgia and after some worship, I went to dinner at the Anvil Pub and Grille.
The Anvil Pub and Grille is a famed local eatery in Cedarburg and the food is quite delectable. I was feeling a bit peckish so I started things off with a tasty curry bisque with homemade bread and then enjoyed my main entrée of Blacksmith Burger (BBQ burger) with garlic smashed potatoes. I walked off my dinner and made a brief stop at The Chocolate Factory where I had a cup of Moreo (Oreo) ice cream for dessert.
I then made the mental decision to call it a night and felt two days of driving and a slew of adventures catch up to me in an interest. I went back to my room, peeled off my shoes, socks, and shirts, found some Columbo and relaxed. My last conscious thought was how good a backrub would feel.
When I regained consciousness the next morning, I did have that backrub with a jetted bath to work the kinks out of my back and feet before a breakfast of bacon-onion quiche, croissant, cinnamon bread, and orange juice. Once that was tucked away, I began the long drive home.
Cedarburg is definitely a pleasant and pretty town and I look forward to staying again when I inevitably return to Sunset Playhouse. There are lots of little things to see and do, tasty food to enjoy, and an old-fashioned inn for your comfort.
Until the next time. . .happy travels.
Chris' Corner 