Each year, hundreds of families choose Nitschke's Northern Resort for their week-long vacation get-a-away from the hustle and bustle of life! Some families have been coming here for over 40 years and continue to vacation here because of the huge list of amenities, access to nature including Lake Minocqua and the beautiful cabins.
Some parents who remember coming here as young children have adopted the tradition and now bring their kids to play in the sand, watch wildlife and splash in the water. There are some who celebrate family reunions every year at the resort and others who began their family journey with a wedding celebration right on our dock. Some families have even experienced the loss of a loved one who used to stay in our cabins, so returning to their favorite resort has deep sentimental value.
Whatever the reason, we can confidently say that we are THEE family resort in the Northwoods. Now, some of these families are not the kick back and relax all day kind of families. Lots of them get in the mix by hosting their own family-friendly activities during their week-long vacation like poker night and kids-only charades. Over the many years, I have been invited to take part in and observed from afar, some of the most entertaining events and I just love it!
For example, the Neugent/Neary family hosts an annual karaoke event where each family member takes turns fabulously embarrassing themselves in the wide open for all to see. What's really special about this family is that they strive to reserve every available cabin for their dedicated week so they can have the resort almost exclusively to themselves, And they're only a few cabins shy of doing so! How much fun would that be? Imagine late nights, huge meals and friendly conversation among your whole extended family for a week with an entire resort all to yourselves! I'm a family person so that sounds great to me, and from the looks of the karaoke parties, this family thinks so too!
And this "take over the resort for a whole week" thing isn't limited to just the Neugents! Many families have stayed a week, renting just one cabin with a few family members only to return the next year with 3 or 4 cabins fully occupied with tons of family. Then year after year, more cabins and more people until you get this (see below)!
The Burrell/Roth family secures almost half the resort every year so their entire family can join in the fun. Equipped with barbecue tongs and a cooler full of ice cold drinks, this family has some of the best cook outs on the property!
Fish is another hot topic for annual traditions. Lake Minocqua is known for its great fishing. Families who vacation here enjoy a relaxing day on the water catching some of Minocqua's finest. The little ones seem to do best right off our boat slips. However they're caught, many guests enjoy the fruits of their fishing labor by frying them up that same night. Talk about fresh fish!
For example, the Vida/Bueno family hosts a fish fry nearly every night using fish they've caught that day from the chain of lakes connecting Lake Minocqua to other lakes in the area. Now that's what I call a delicious and very practical family tradition!
The Elliot/Gehin family invites us over every year for their annual fish fry. Each member is asked to bring a dish to pass for the potluck-style dinner. They set up a turkey fryer outside, heat up the oil and drop fish in one by one. The best part is that these fish were also caught in the lake right outside their backdoor. And if that's not enough, they even hold a bubble gum blowing contest for the adults and children. The winner gets a prize and bragging rights for a whole year!
But it's not just the local fish that our guests enjoy. The Urbanik/Dobrzynski family rallies around a huge pig roast during their annual week in the Northwoods. With friends and family around to help tackle all that pork, they almost never have leftovers, but most certainly full bellies!
Theme nights also reign supreme at our resort with some cabins celebrating toga night, Hawaiian luau night and even a Mexican fiesta!
The Smith family tradition leads us through a Mexican-themed dinner, cocktails and dessert. Just about three of my favorite things all in one night alongside great company; it's fantastic! The eldest mom of the family does most of the cooking with others helping where she needs them. We happily exchange pictures and laughs while proudly sharing family stories and hopes and dreams for the future. After supper, we devour the desert and walk away feeling blissfully satisfied.
And finally, the Hogan family spends their evenings sitting around the camp fire roasting marshmallows and playing games such as "I went to the store and bought..." where players list items they bought at a store in alphabetical order, repeating the entire list before every players' turn. The first person who mixes up the list is out and the last player to repeat the entire list accurately is the winner. Of course the game progressively gets more interesting with grocery items such as "skyscrapers" and "tigers".
Regardless of how you celebrate your vacation week, the point is that you have fun and enjoy the time you have with your family. We are never promised tomorrow, so we must cherish events like these today. This was just a tiny piece of all the annual festivities that each family brings to the Northwoods. When you're ready to do the same, give us a call at 715-356-7795.