Iowa’s newest resort joins several Midwestern state park lodges and cabins that are perfect for cozy winter escapes.
By Dennis R. Heinze

When you turn off the road at the entrance to the new Honey Creek Resort in south-central Iowa, the resort is nowhere in sight. You meander up and down hills as you pass meadows, wetlands and quiet stands of oak and maple trees before finally arriving at the sprawling resort nestled along the shores of Rathbun Lake.

Above: Hikers enjoy a brisk winter’s day at Indiana’s Brown County State Park. Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau photo Below: The new Honey Creek Resort in south-central Iowa has a sprawling 105-room lodge and 28 cabins spread around the grounds of the state park. Dennis R. Heinze photo

It’s as if the long entryway was designed to emphasize your separation from the highway, the rest of the world and the pull of your everyday responsibilities.

Settling into the resort for a winter retreat, it’s easy to forget your cares amid the warm decor and even warmer fireplaces. Honey Creek Resort State Park is the latest to join state parks in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois in offering lodge and cabin accommodations, some of which date to the 1930s and were beautifully crafted by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

While these resorts are popular year-round, they are particularly appealing in the winter when their natural charms virtually glow. Some rustic and others refined, these destinations exude a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere that envelopes visitors when the weather turns cold. During the day you can hike snow-covered trails or go antiquing at area towns and then return to the lodge or cabin for a hearty meal and finally to slip snugly under the covers.

You won’t have to venture far from home to find these serene getaways. Winter can be long and tiresome, but a stay at one of the following destinations will recharge your batteries long enough to get you to spring.

Inspired in Iowa

Tucked amid rolling hills and small towns, Honey Creek Resort became Iowa’s first destination resort state park when it opened about a year ago not far from the Missouri border. The distinctive lakeside lodge’s design impresses with a wonderful mix of stone, cedar timbers, richly stained wood and gleaming glass. In the lobby, a massive mosaic fireplace rises 60 feet to the roof, and guests can enjoy the warmth of the fire from overstuffed arts-and-crafts chairs.

The resort itself rises only three stories, so it virtually hugs the landscape that gently slopes to Rathbun Lake, the second-largest lake in Iowa at 11,000 acres. The lake was formed in 1969 when the Chariton River was dammed for flood control, and the state park opened along the lake’s shores. Almost immediately, state officials envisioned a resort to attract guests who didn’t want to camp.

Across the bay from the existing state park, the Department of Natural Resources purchased more property in the 1970s and leased additional land from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the resort, located on 850 acres. In addition to 105 rooms in the lodge, there are 28 cabins around the property ranging from one-bedroom to four-bedroom models, and each is furnished with arts-and-crafts decor. They all have kitchens, gas fireplaces, decks and picnic tables, and if you can’t live without technology, there are flatscreen televisions and wireless Internet access in each.

Before construction began on the resort just west of the town of Moravia about three years ago, Park Manager Mike Godby began building nearly four miles of nature trails around the resort property, which features a diverse array of habitats and wildlife. Hikers might spot a whitetail deer in the forest or a great white egret wading in the lake.

“Some parks are created around woodlands, prairies or lakes. Here at Honey Creek Resort State Park, we have it all,” Godby said. “This allows for the survival of many different species of plants, insects, snakes, mammals and more. The lake attracts many migratory birds in spring and fall. All of these things together make it interesting because there is always something to see.”

The lake is popular among anglers for crappie, walleye and channel catfish, and visitors can tour the Rathbun Fish Hatchery nearby to learn how it produces more than 50 million fish for stocking rivers and reservoirs statewide. Apart from fishing, others use the lake for sailboating, skiing and sightseeing. From a marina at Honey Creek Resort, guests can rent a variety of watercraft, including canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats and power boats. A sand swimming beach is being developed at the resort and will be open in the spring.

Although it’s too cold to fully appreciate the lake in winter, visitors can still have some water fun. Families will enjoy the Buccaneer Bay Indoor Water Park in the lodge, to which guests receive free access. Children can float on the relaxing lazy river, slip down the body slide, splash under a watery geiser or stand guard on the interactive pirate ship.

The resort also has a championship 18-hole golf course, The Preserve, on the property. To provide guests with even more to do, the Department of Natural Resources offers interpretive programs and activities, including guided hikes, cooking classes, bonfires, craft workshops and more. If all of the activities give you an appetite, the resort’s Rathbun Lakeshore Grille serves up classic American fare, with choices ranging from an applewood smoked turkey sandwich to pesto-crusted walleye.

If you feel like venturing away from the resort, there are several small towns around the lake for shopping and dining. Just north of the resort on state Route 5 is Albia, whose town square circling the stately Monroe County Courthouse is a National Register Historic District. A collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings now houses shops and restaurants.

About 10 miles south of the resort is Centerville, which features an even larger town square with 119 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to shopping around the square, there are two other choices about a block away. The Columns is a restored 1880s white-columned mansion that is filled with antiques, gifts and decorative items for sale. The Shoppes at Bradley Hall is a three-story, 10,000-square-foot mansion built in 1909 that is brimming from top to bottom with thousands of antiques, gifts and home decor items from more than 100 vendors.

Escapes in Illinois

During the last great economic downturn, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “alphabet soup” of social programs relieved some of the pressure of the Great Depression, including the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC. Among their public works projects, many took place in state parks across the country, including Illinois.

One of those was Giant City Lodge within Giant City State Park near Makanda, located about 12 miles south of Carbondale. Work began on the project in 1934, and it was designed to reflect the local atmosphere and decor using locally obtained materials. Indeed, oak logs were hewn on-site for the beams and pillars, and the walls were built using locally quarried sandstone. An on-site blacksmith crafted all the ironwork, and the CCC made furniture of white oak and maple, some of which is still in use today.

Through the years, the lodge has undergone a number of renovations, and the original 12 cabins were replaced with 34 new cabins. All of the cabins have one bedroom, but four larger and more scenic cabins are nestled in bluffs near the lodge. They offer two queen beds in the bedroom, a cot, an electric fireplace in the living room, a wet bar and a deck overlooking the woods below.

Within the lodge, which has a great room with a massive stone fireplace, is a restaurant that serves hearty family-style meals. The specialty is golden fried chicken served with mashed potatoes, country milk gravy, homestyle green beans and more.

The lodge’s season runs from the first Friday of February through mid-December. While the outdoor pool at the lodge is closed in winter, visitors can explore the park’s 4,000 acres. Eight trails of varying lengths offer visitors a chance to enjoy the natural splendor of the park, located in the magnificent Shawnee National Forest. Among the trails is the rugged one-mile Giant City Nature Trail, home of the “Giant City Streets,” formed 12,000 years ago by huge bluffs of sandstone.

Another Illinois gem crafted by the CCC is Pere Marquette Lodge and Conference Center in Pere Marquette State Park, situated just north of Grafton on 8,000 wooded acres along the Illinois River. Opened in 1940, the lodge’s rustic Great Room has a beamed ceiling and immense 700-ton stone fireplace. Some of the fir and cedar poles used as roof and wall supports in the chalet-like buildings are three feet in diameter.

In addition to 50 rooms in the lodge, there are 22 natural stone cabins that offer scenic views of the park. The interior of the cabins are knotty pine and stone, showcasing the craftsmanship of the builders.

Guests also will enjoy the dining room, which offers such specialties as catfish, prime rib and grilled chicken. Other amenities include an indoor swimming pool, sauna and exercise room. Plus, 12 miles of marked hiking trails through forests and atop towering bluffs offer stunning views. Visitors can shop for antiques and gifts in nearby Grafton and Alton.

Winter is a great time to spot eagles in the area, and visitors can pick up an Eagle Watcher’s Guide from the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau at 200 Piasa St. The guide offers information about eagle events and the best places to spot the majestic birds. It also offers details about photography workshops for beginners (Jan. 20–23) and for professionals (Jan. 16–20 and 23–27). For eagle watching updates, call (800) ALTON-IL (258-6645), or click on www.visitalton.com.

For more modern accommodations, try Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center within Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park near Whittington. Hugging the shores of Rend Lake, the resort features a hotel and modern cabins along the water. There are also “Boatel” units with decks overlooking the 19,000-acre lake. Some are contemporary loft units with a wet bar and a fireplace. The new Flagship Boatel complex features a wet bar, gas fireplace, Jacuzzi and a spectacular view of the lake with every room.

You’ll find more views of the lake from the aptly-named Windows Restaurant, a casual establishment offering steak, pork chops, catfish and more. If the weather allows, the 27-hole Rend Lake Golf Course is nearby, or you can stroll a four-mile hiking and biking path which connects the resort with day use areas and the campgrounds.

Shoppers will enjoy the Southern Illinois Art and Artisans Center, which is part of the Illinois State Museum. This expansive 15,000-square-foot facility in Whittington houses the Artisans Shop, where hundreds of Illinois artisans sell their handiworks, and the Southern Illinois Art Gallery, in which many arts and craft traditions are showcased.

Rustic Missouri retreats

In Missouri, 13 state parks offer lodging, but only a handful are open year-round. Among them is Montauk State Park, which is about 22 miles southeast of Salem in south-central Missouri. It is one of three Missouri state parks known for fine trout fishing. The official trout season runs from March 1 through Oct. 31, but catch-and-release fishing is available on weekends during the winter.

The beauty of the surrounding Ozark region and the steady flow of clear water from the many springs attracted settlers to the Montauk area in the early 1800s. These same natural resources entice visitors to this secluded area today. The springs in the northern end of Montauk State Park combine with tiny Pigeon Creek to form the headwaters of the famed Current River.

The park teems with anglers in the spring, summer and fall, but winter visitors have the park to themselves to enjoy the quiet Ozark valley. In addition to motel units, the park offers one- and two-bedroom cabins. Some are equipped with kitchens, several have gas fireplaces and two have hot tubs.

A modern dining lodge centrally located in the park opens daily during the trout season and on weekends during the winter season. A store in the lodge is stocked with grocery items, camping and fishing supplies.

Cozy up in Indiana

Indiana’s largest state park at 16,000 acres, Brown County State Park is home to the Abe Martin Lodge. Built in 1932 of hand-hewn native stone and oak timber cut in the park, the lodge has 30 guest rooms plus an additional 54 rooms in the Annex buildings. There’s also a restaurant in the lodge where diners are surrounded by native sandstone and warm woods.

In addition, there are 20 two-story Family Cabins that feature two upstairs bedrooms and a balcony that oversees a full kitchen and living room, complete with a wood-burning stove. Available all year, the cabins can comfortably accommodate eight people. Also surrounding the main lodge are 56 Rustic Cabins, available April 1–Oct. 31, that despite their title are air-conditioned, heated and have bathrooms.

Winter visitors will especially enjoy an indoor aquatic center at the lodge, which features a zero-entry pool, water slide, fountains and a whirlpool with a waterfall.

The park has 12 scenic walking trails ranging from easy to rugged. Two of the trails will be featured during the annual Winter Hike on Jan. 16. Breakfast and lunch will be available along with other activities in the Nature Center and lodge.

Just minutes away from the lodge is the town of Nashville, known as the Artist Colony of the Midwest. With more than 250 specialty shops, Nashville is a mecca for those who love arts, crafts and antiques. Visitors can watch artists at work in galleries and studios in town and around Brown County. A variety of restaurants will sate your appetite as you explore.

Don’t hide from winter this year. Embrace the season with an escape to one of these cozy cabins and lodges, where you’ll create warm memories that will last well beyond the first flowers of spring.

Dennis R. Heinze is regional editor for AAA Midwest Traveler magazine.