3 Unique Romantic Getaways in Wisconsin

Nothing says “I love you to death” like these romantic getaways in Wisconsin. Sure, there’s the luxurious resorts, cozy cabins, and fancy restaurants that are the staple of every weekend getaway for couples, but those aren’t exactly unique and unforgettable, are they? You don’t take a journey down the weird backroads of Wisconsin for the ordinary when there’s the Gothic romance of spooky old hotels, haunted cemeteries, blood-sucking vampires, mass murder, and creepy kitsch just around the corner.

For a truly memorable, if not eternal, romantic weekend, consider these Wisconsin getaways where love isn’t the only thing haunting the room.

Our picks for best romantic getaways in Wisconsin

1. Mineral Point Vampire Getaway

Vampires are inherently romantic, right? So why not take your partner on a romantic weekend getaway to Mineral Point, home of Wisconsin’s own vampire. He is said to live on the edge of town in Graceland Cemetery, where the first encounter happened in 1981. The most recent reported sighting occurred in 2008, when the vampire climbed out of Ludden Lake to attack a young couple.

Besides the vampire, Graceland Cemetery is also the final resting place of Betty White’s husband Allen Ludden, as well as the great-grandparents of Vincent Price.

Stay at the 200-year-old Walker House, where history is literally embedded in the old stone walls. We recommend Room 11. Named the “spookiest in Wisconsin” by the Food Network, unwitting guests and employees have reported run-ins with the vengeful ghost of murderer William Caffee. Hanged mere feet from the Walker House in 1842, Caffee seems to be spending his afterlife at his favorite haunt.

There’s also a lot of history to be found six feet under at the Old Mineral Point Cemetery, as well as the Pendarvis Historic Site, where the lifestyle of the early miners is preserved. When Cornish immigrants came to Wisconsin to work in the lead mines, they also brought with them their legends of Piskies and Tommy Knockers that may still linger in the abandoned mines today.

If celebrities, ghosts, vampires, and mythical creatures aren’t enough, Mineral Point also has a werewolf! The bizarre incident is recounted in the book Hunting the American Werewolf by Linda Godfrey.

2. Medieval Romance at Don Q Inn

If it’s quirk and kitsch you’re into, then Don Q Inn may very well be the most romantic hotel in Wisconsin. You can enjoy the heart-shaped bed, red carpeted walls, and mirrored ceiling of the Cupid’s Corner room, a wigwam, a cave, even the moon. But none are more romantic than the Mid-Evil room, where you’ll find the bed is already prepared with shackles and chains.

Just minutes down the road is the House on the Rock – something of a love letter to obsession – and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, the so-called “love castle” that he built for he and his mistress to hide out…until tragedy struck.

3. Shaker’s Haunted Penthouse

I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s nothing more romantic than spending a night in the dead hooker’s bed of a haunted penthouse. A lot of love probably happened right there. That’s why the historic and haunted Shaker’s Cigar Bar in Milwaukee is the perfect getaway for romance – especially if you’re not planning on sleeping through the night, because rumor has it most guests don’t make it to morning anyway!

What’s your favorite destination for a romantic weekend getaway in Wisconsin? Tell us about it in the comments below.