Starting this summer’s Small Business Series
If you’ve been following my Small Business Series then you know I usually kick off this seasonal collection of favorite establishments as soon as I start getting those warm and sunny summer vibes. This year I thought I would open with a slightly different business entry: a lakeside cottage rental. This is not my first time writing about Terrace Beach Retreat in Green Lake but my admiration for this location and family business warrants the second mention. Especially since this place has now become a traditional part of my birthday celebration next month.
To be honest, it still feels a little surreal to me, that we are able to take the time and rent a place that looks this dreamy. I wrote about how I always wanted to spend a summer at a cabin in a vacation town in an older writing: Remembering a Hound. And although we don’t have the luxury of extending our stay for more than a week we’re still making a memory I didn’t think I would be fortunate enough to have year after year.
When we first began staying at the smaller waterfront cottages the additional rentals up the hill by the main house were just beginning construction. The progress we have witnessed each year and the details the owners put into every room are another reason I have such a vested interest in this business. It’s a business that is more than making money, it’s more than making a living, it is about family and preservation. You can tell that there is a love that built this place and it is that same love that will sustain this place.
As far as the construction and decor- they chose all of my favorites: found objects, warm woods and pieces of the area’s history.
They embraced the whimsy of their quaint cabins, that were once skated across a frozen lake many winters ago to find themselves here. They are not new construction but that makes me love them even more. The heavy glass sliding door and the smell of sand and old wood on a humid day reminds me of my Aunts’s house on Squash Lake.
Without losing any of the lake cottage charm their updates took into consideration that some guests want the fresh and clean comforts of a boutique resort.
And every rental retained a place to enjoy the amazing view of the docks and shoreline.
I’ve enjoyed Green Lake since before it debuted as a Fall Travel Series destination in 2016. That was based off a simple boat tour of the stunning body of water. My recommendations of things to do in the area have expanded each year with mentions of the revitalized downtown shopping area of Ripon and even a trip to the local KDR Wood Design Co.
So this article is a combo, a reminder of an area that should be on your list of tourist destinations, a Travel Series locale favorite full of small businesses in downtown Ripon and Green Lake that can turn a day trip into a weekend and a mid-week getaway into a celebratory birthday tradition. I highly recommend making Terrace Beach Retreat a cherished part of your summer memories!
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