Raise you hand if you’ve heard of Cornucopia, Wisconsin. OK, all three of you can put your hands down now. For the rest of you, I can assure you, Cornucopia does exist. 

While not generally known as a vacation HOT ZONE, the teeny town of Cornucopia has a lot going for it, thanks in part to the world’s largest freshwater lake, which happens to lie a convenient stone’s throw to the north. Lake Superior pretty much eclipses the town’s petite list of amenities, which includes two restaurants, a general store, three churches, and the northernmost post office to be found in the entire great state of Wisconsin. Located on Lake Superior’s south shore on Siskiwit Bay, Cornucopia is nestled next to a harbor and a pair of marinas. If you’re unfamiliar with the colorful lingo of the nautical world, these are places boats come to dock, refuel, find maintenance, and in the days of the Wisconsin pirates,* bury chest after chest of amazing treasure.

But there is one other thing in Cornucopia: an impossibly named bed-n-breakfast. It’s called The Fo’c’sle Inn.** Yep, you’re looking at two apostrophes with the letter C in the middle. Fo’c’sle is a variation of the word “forcastle,” or the part of a vessel forward of the foremast; the place where the crew eats and sleeps. 

OK, enough nautical lingo.

It’s a great little place to sleep. And have breakfast. My wife and I were given a few night’s stay there as a wedding gift, so we planned our whole honeymoon around it – basically a week of bumming around the south shore, the Duluth area, and into Minnesota on the other side of the big lake. The Fo’c’sle Inn was a perfect base of operations for first part of our trip.

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* Which I totally just made up. 

** 22580 State Hwy 13, Cornucopia, Wis.; 715-742-3337

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After a long drive through rolling pine forests, our first glance of The Fo’c’sle Inn was not what we’d expected. It pretty much stands alone, all by itself, perched on the edge of the greatest of the Great Lakes, with the few buildings of Cornucopia huddled together nearby. Somewhat barn-shaped, the inn’s two bedrooms are situated upstairs (both with private entrances). The owners live downstairs, and not far from the inn, they operate a small fueling/repair station for boats. So there’s a real “seafarer” vibe to the whole operation. 

Our room was awesome – big comfy bed, huge bathroom, a breakfast table with a view of the little harbor, and a VCR stocked with a small selection of tapes. Our favorite was the mid 90s promotional video on Cornucopia. (The Fo’c’sle has since upgraded to DVD players.) In the mornings, we heard a knock at the door. When we opened it, no one was there, but a fantastic breakfast (for two) had magically appeared on a little table. 

The only other thing I’ll mention about food is that one of Cornucopia’s eateries, The Village Inn, provided one of my all time favorite lunch experiences: a super cold beer, homemade fresh-fried potato chips, and an amazing bowl of fish chowder. We had it two days in a row.

Cornucopia is only about a half hour away from Bayfield, and I think most people who go bed-n-breakfasting in this area have their sights set on the nearby Apostle Islands and the much ballyhooed Madeline Island. We visited in late October, so the area’s tourist traffic was greatly reduced and, lucky for us, that year’s fall foliage was still in full effect (yo). It was just a fun, lazy, laid back trip. We hiked a few state parks, but we mostly drove around, hung out in little towns, visited every bookstore we could find, and ate some good food. 

If your idea of a vacation is base-jumping in New Zealand, this probably isn’t the trip for you. But if you’re into town-hopping and driving through beautiful Wisconsin forests, then Cornucopia is great place to start.