Relax and Play in Luxury at The American Club in Kohler, WIS

September 8, 2015September 7, 2020 by Pamela Dittmer McKuen

The American Club was built in 1918 as a boarding house for immigrants working in the Kohler factory. After an extensive renovation in the early 1980s, it was transformed into one of the most luxurious and historic resort hotels in the Midwest. On the exterior, The American Club presents a striking first impression with its brick Tudor-style architecture and soaring peak roofs. The interior is lavished with traditional American heritage furnishings, paneling and antiques. In 1978, The American Club was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Heritage zaa36153 — A Heritage King guest room at The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin.

You’re sure to recognize the name Kohler, a long-time manufacturer of fine kitchen and bath plumbing fixtures. It’s no coincidence the 240 guest rooms and the Kohler Waters Spa feature the company’s state-of-the-art designs. Our Heritage King room provided the use of a VirbrAcoustic Hydrotherapy tub with customizable options for music, sound and pulsation.

The resort, which hosted our visit, offers a wide array of active and leisurely pastimes. Among them are the Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits championship golf courses, the latter of which is home to a flock of free-range Scottish blackface sheep. My preferences run toward the therapeutic waters at the Spa and the inspiration at the Design Center, a three-story showcase of Kohler’s most innovative products and designer-created room vignettes. I’m also partial to boutique-browsing at the Shops at Woodlake.

The Heritage guest room is appointed with Kohler bath and shower. — The Heritage guest room is appointed with top-of-the-line Kohler bath and shower.

Dining options range from the Greenhouse garden café to the award-winning Immigrant Restaurant, where jackets are required for men and the menu offers contemporary cuisine and vintage wines. The Horse & Plow is a casual pub with tabletops made from the original employee bowling alley. The Wisconsin Room, which serves farm-fresh creations in an elegant setting, was formerly the worker dining room. The Craverie Chocolatier Café satisfies every sweet taste. I highly recommend the hot chocolate. And definitely the Kohler Original Buttery Terrapins. (They are so yummy, I devoted an entire post to Terrapins here.)