La Pointe, WI

According to the news services, the Federal Government estimates that twelve per cent of Americans plan to spend their "economic stimulus" rebates on vacation travel.

The local television news reported this eveing that the average gasoline cost will be about $58 round trip for someone in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota) to vacation in Duluth. That's about five dollars more than last summer.

So I'd estimate it would cost a little over $60 for the same Twin Cities resident to make the round trip to Bayfield, Wisconsin for the ferry journey to Madeline Island. That's not as bad as I thought.

My "pitch" here would be to encourage you to come to Madeline Island this summer. Don't let a few extra dollars keep you away! And if you do, let me know you're coming and stop by my office. I'll do my best to help you make your visit as enjoyable (and affordable) as I can. Maybe I can even save you a few bucks by giving you tips on where to eat or shop. I know my way around the Island and I can help!

Enjoying Madeline Island doesn't have to be expensive. You can camp here, take a lighthouse tour, visit a few of the Apostle Islands, ride the ferry and hit the local restaurants without breaking the bank. Big Bay Town Park has some of the nicest beaches on Madeline Island and it's free to enjoy! Campsites there are inexpensive too.

Last summer, a couple arrived at my office late one evening in June. They had reserved a campsite, but couldn't find any firewood. I went out behind the office and returned with a small bundle of cut oak for them. They offered me five bucks, but I just told them to keep it and have a good evening. They weren't buying real estate and I figured I'd never see them again. There was no sales pitch and no ulterior motive. I just wanted them to enjoy themselves.

A couple weeks after that happened, I received a very nice thank-you card in the mail from them.

I'm not the only person on the Island who will be glad to help you. Come visit and give us a chance to show you what a beautiful place this is!

If you've never been to Madeline Island before, you'll hear plenty of opinions from newspaper travel columnists and websites about what to see and enjoy. Here's my personal list of places to eat and relax while you're visiting the Island.

Restaurants - You've got choices on Madeline Island when it comes to dining. If you're looking for casual dining or lunch in the town of La Pointe, stop at the Beach Club or Grandpa Tony's, both on Main Street, close to the ferry landing. The Beach Club offers alfresco dining on the patio and plenty of indoor seating. Grampa Tony's offers items like pizza, burgers and ice cream. The upstairs patio is a great place to eat and enjoy a view of La Pointe harbor.

The Bell Street Tavern offers sandwiches and lighter fare in the bar, but also has fine dining in the adjacent dining room. You'll find the service excellent and I highly recommend the food!

Lotta's Lakeside Cafe is known for fine dining and great desserts. And you can't beat the view from the patio! Lotta's is on the corner of Main Street and Middle Road, in downtown La Pointe.

The Pub Restaurant & Wine Bar is another personal favorite. I highly recommend the steamed mussels in white wine cream sauce. The wine list at the Pub is impressive and the service is first-rate. The Pub also offers a superb view of Lake Superior from the dining room, arguably the best lake view of any dining establishment on Madeline Island.

Fast Food, Coffee & Groceries - If you're on the go and prefer to skip the sit-down dining experience, you'll want to check out a few more options. The Island Store, owned by Ed & Marilyn Hartig, sells ribs and sandwiches that are absolutely super! In addition to offering fresh and smoked fish, meats, produce and other grocery items, the Island Store can outfit you for a picnic or boat outing with barbecued ribs, reubens, Gyros and Italian beef sandwiches, potato chips and other portable food items. Lori's Store on Middle Road offers grocery items, but without the fast food selections.

Mission Hill Coffee House is the Island gathering place each morning. You'll find pretty much anything on the menu you'd see at a Starbuck's, Caribou or Dunn Bros, but the Madeline Island ambience makes it truly special.

Enjoy and send me your restaurant reviews after you visit!

A second home is an affordable luxury.

Discover why a vacation retreat on Lake Superior is the ultimate indulgence!

Contact Broker Eric Kodner today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator with a unique perspective on the Madeline Island real estate market. Madeline Island Realty is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com luxury properties network.

© Copyright 2007-2008 Eric Kodner & Madeline Island Realty

For anyone who is a private aircraft owner visiting the Apostle Islands area of Lake Superior, here's some useful information about the Madeline Island Airport in La Pointe, Wisconsin:

• The FAA Identifier for the Madeline Island Airport is 4R5
• The Madeline Island Airport is a public airport, owned and operated by the Town of La Pointe, Wisconsin.
• There is a 3000 foot hard surface runway, seventy-five feet wide, asphalt surface, with medium-intensity runway lights
• There are two runways with nonprecision runway markings
• The airport is run by manager Michael Dalzell (who replaced Brian Murphy as airport manager at the end of 2006) - The airport address is Box 270, La Pointe, Wisconsin, 54850. The airport manager may be reached at 715-747-6913 or 715-747-2785.
• There is no control tower or fuel
• Onsite hangars and tie-downs available
• The airport averages 22 operations per day
• On average, the airport experiences 74% transient general aviation traffic daily.

The Madeline Island airport is located approximately two miles from the Town of La Pointe and the Madeline Island Ferry landing. Vacant land, homesites and even buildable lakeshore lots are available close to the airport. For information, contact Madeline Island Realty at 715-747-6500 or 612-670-2539.

Nearby airports include Ashland, Wisconsin (KASX), Iron County Airport in Gogebic (KIWD) and Union Airport in Cable, Wisconsin (3CU).

There is limited shuttle service between the airport and town, provided by The Inn on Madeline Island and other lodging providers. The Inn may be reached toll-free at 800-822-6315.

Despite the slow arrival of spring, Madeline Island businesses are opening and tourist traffic is beginning to pick up!

Here are a few of the La Pointe business openings scheduled for the month of May:

Bremer Bank - Open May 13, 20 & 23, from 9am to 2pm. Beginning May 27, the bank will be open Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm.

Island Carvers - Currently open, Saturday, 1 to 4pm. Beginning May 15, Thursday through Saturday, from 11 am until 4pm. Open May 22-26, from 11-4pm. Beginning May 27, Monday through Saturday, from 11- 4 pm.

The Island Grocery Store on Main Street (across the street from the Madeline Island Realty office) opens for the season on May 16.

Island Thyme will be open Weekends only through Memorial Day. Beginning May 27, Island Thyme will be open daily, from 10am to 6pm.

Madeline Island Museum - Beginning May 24, the Museum will be open daily from 10am to 5pm.

Motion to Go Moped and Bicycle Rentals - Beginning May 17, Motion to Go will be open daily 10am to 6pm (weather permitting).

Woods Hall Craft Shop opens on Memorial Day Weekend.

Don't forget to make a visit to Madeline Island part of your vacation to Northern Wisconsin this summer!

Yesterday, I posted about the challenges and how-to's of gardening on Madeline Island. For that matter, gardening anywhere in the far north can be a challenge!

I'm following up with a post about resources for gardeners who want to tackle gardening on Madeline Island.

There's a quote from a Clint Eastwood movie where he says, "This is an island. If you didn't bring it with you, you ain't gonna have it"! And that's certainly true when it comes to gardening or landscaping on Madeline Island. You could hire a nursery company to deliver what you need, but you may want to consider transporting your own gardening supplies to the Island.

There aren't a lot of garden or nursery stores in the Chequamegon Bay and Apostle Islands area, but here are a few places you can find the basics, such as garden implements, fertilizers and pest control items:

Friends of the Earth Garden Center (off Highway 13, near Washburn, Wisconsin)

Ungrodt Do-It-Best Hardware in Washburn

Bayfield ACE Hardware (there's also an ACE hardware store in Ashland)

Wal-Mart in Ashland, Wisconsin

To the list, I'd add Winfield's Garden Emporium in Bayfield, Wisconsin. The Garden Emporium stocks more decorative garden accents, like statuary and fountains, but it's worth a look, especially if you're landscaping rather than working on a garden.

A few other gardening tips --

Get yourself a copy of the 2008 Old Farmer's Almanac (by Robert B. Thomas). You'll find lots of garden hints and information there! Visit Almanac.com for more information.

Check out the Bare Bones Gardening website. This site is a fabulous resource for inexpensive and organic solutions to garden problems.

The Gurney Catalog is the gold standard for gardeners! The catalog is available online, but there's no better sign of spring than when the paper catalog arrives in the mail. I hope they never stop printing it.

I'll try to upload some Madeline Island garden photos as the season unfolds.

A second home is an affordable luxury.

Discover why a vacation retreat on Lake Superior is the ultimate indulgence!

Contact Broker Eric Kodner today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator with a unique perspective on the Madeline Island real estate market. Madeline Island Realty is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com luxury properties network.

© Copyright 2007-2008 Eric Kodner & Madeline Island Realty