Inn retreats

When weather sours, spend a weekend where everything is under one roof.

In winter, not everyone wants to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Many people would rather enjoy down comforters, hot toddies and a massage. Many people don't even want to look at snow and ice.

And that's possible at many inns and resorts. Some include a spa or dinner theater, others shops and restaurants, and a few offer a whole weekend's worth of entertainment under one roof.

In Duluth, the Fitger's complex includes a hotel, restaurants, Aveda day spa, shops, dinner theater, nightclub and a brewpub with live music. In Milwaukee, the InterContinental is connected to the Pabst Theater and Marcus Center, and concert and theater patrons never have to go outdoors.

In eastern Wisconsin, guests at the Osthoff Resort can sign up for classes at its large cooking school and services at its spa. In Decorah, Iowa, the Hotel Winneshiek hosts performers in its restored opera house and harbors a fine artisan gallery.

There's a place for every taste. Below are some of the best candidates for an under-one-roof vacation. If you can stay on weekdays, you'll save a bundle — and for weekends, reserve as early as possible.

Fitgers in Duluth: There's lots to do in the old Fitger's brewery complex on Lake Superior. It houses Fitger's hotel, Shear Katz day spa, the Red Star Lounge nightclub and the Brewhouse Brewery and Grill, which often hosts live music. It also has many shops specializing in outdoors clothes — Wintergreen, Jake's Lake Place, Trail Fitters — and a dinner theater.

Midi Restaurant & Wine Bar, which serves a Mediterranean-Asian-continental menu, has replaced Bennett's on the Lake. But like Bennett's, it's catering dinners for Change of Pace Productions, which presents musical comedies in the adjoining theater. For tickets, call 218-525-2045.

In winter, rooms at Fitger's run from $129 for a standard city-view room to $299 for a double-whirlpool room with lake view. It also offers spa packages with Shear Katz Sundays through Wednesdays, and guests get 20 percent off massages the rest of the week. Call 888-348-4377, www.fitgers.com.

InterContinental Hotel in Milwaukee: The former Wyndham at Milwaukee and Kilbourn avenues is connected to the ornate Pabst Theater and the modern Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. It includes Kil@wat restaurant and a fitness center with steam rooms and saunas. Rooms vary according to demand, but a standard room may go for $139 on slow weekends. 414-276-8686.

For concerts and plays at the Pabst, check at 414-286-3663, www.pabsttheater.org.

The Marcus Center presents touring Broadway shows and is the home of a  symphony, ballet, opera, theater and children's theater. Check 888-612-3500, www.marcuscenter.org.

Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah, Iowa: This beautifully renovated hotel in downtown Decorah hosts live music in its Steyer Opera House and includes Albert's restaurant. Agora Arts, which carries works from the many artists in the region and beyond, is in the same building. On weekdays in winter, deluxe rooms are $89. 800-998-4164, www.hotelwinn.com.

Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wis.  This large and luxurious resort in eastern Wisconsin town includes the Ecole de Cuisine culinary school and the Aspira Spa, both with an extensive menu of offerings. There's also a pool, whirlpools, game room, fitness center, yoga room and two restaurants. Special events include the Big Band Gala in March and Jazz on the Vine in May.

The resort offers many weekday packages in winter. Its two-night Girlfriends' Celebration Package includes a cooking class, a $125 spa credit, breakfasts, champagne and chocolate, $199 per person per night in a two-room suite, $146 for a third person and $137 for a fourth person. 800-876-3399,  www.osthoff.com.

New Creamery in Downsville, Wis.: This renovated rural creamery south of Menomonie has 12 rooms, 10 with double whirlpools, $130-$160 for two, including breakfast, as well as a fine restaurant and a gift shop. The scenic 14½-mile Red Cedar Trail, used for skiing in winter, is nearby. 715-664-8354, www.thenewcreamery.com.

St. James Hotel in Red Wing:  This 1875 hotel has 60 individually decorated rooms in old and new wings; some people prefer the older rooms. There are two restaurants and live music on Friday nights at Jimmy's pub. An inside court is lined with small shops. A Winter Escape package includes champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries with a room. 800-252-1875, www.st-james-hotel.com. 

Thayer’s Historic B&B in Annandale: This renovated 1895 inn, an hour west of the Twin Cities, has 11 rooms, $165-$205, and hosts murder-mystery dinners on many Saturdays, $65. Proprietor Sharon Gammell also gives psychic readings, $100. 800-944-6595, www.thayers.net.

Archer House in Northfield: This 1877 landmark on Division Street has 36 individually decorated rooms, some with two beds, $90-$192 weekends, $75-$140 weekdays, and includes two restaurants under its roof and adjoining shops. 800-247-2235, www.archerhouse.com.

Last updated on October 22, 2008