Top Lodging Gem #8 – Creekside Lodge on the grounds of the State Game Lodge, Custer State Park, South Dakota (in Winter)

Winter is the best time to enjoy this lodge versus summer because you will practically have the place to yourself! In summer, Custer State Park is packed with tourists, but come winter, you may be the only guests at this lodge.

The best feature is that it’s a stone’s throw away from the beginning of the “Wildlife Loop ...

Top Lodging Gem #9 – Lion Downe Cottage, Lake Pepin, Wisconsin

Tucked away on top of the bluffs along the Mississippi River, the Lion Downe Cottage offers breathtaking views especially sunrises and sunsets late in the year when the winter shadows are long.

There are so many sleeping nooks and crannies in this cottage, so bringing along a second family with kids (or two families!). It won’t be a problem. There’s enough sleeping space for ev...

Top Lodging Gem #10 – Bird Blind at the Iain Nicholson Audubon Center at the Rowe Sanctuary, Gibbon, Nebraska

Some people would never imagine that sleeping in a bird blind in the middle of winter would make the Top Lodging Gems list, but this isn’t your ordinary list!

Falling asleep to the sound of 10,000 Sandhill Cranes is, simply put, one of the most Amazing experiences of a lifetime! The unique sound of the Sandhill Cranes will lull you ...

Let the Top Lodging Gems countdown begin!

Top Lodging Gem #11 – Tettegouche State Park – Illgen Falls Cabin, Silver Bay, Minnesota

We’re starting the first week of the countdown with one of my favorite cabins found in northern Minnesota.

Tettegouche State Park Cabin overlooks Illgen Falls along the Baptism River. The secluded cabin is available year round.

If you love to hike, Tettegouche State Park has a plethora of choices along the cliffs of the north sho...