Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Adrienne
I recently visited The American Club at Destination Kohler on a girls trip and had the chance to fully explore this beautiful resort, once a dormitory for the immigrants who worked in the factories of the Kohler manufacturing company and today a AAA Five Diamond resort with one of the Midwest’s top destination spas. Read on for my full review of the property!
Rooms
The American Club’s rooms are elegant in an old school, dark-wood-paneled kind of way, and feature Kohler fixtures in the bathroom, including an amazing whirlpool tub. They’re also incredibly spacious – my basic room was larger than my first apartment. Kohler Chocolates’ signature terrapins (their take on the classic chocolate and pecan turtle) welcomed me in my room, although that may have been a perk of traveling with a group.
Dining
One of the best things about The American Club is the many fantastic on-site dining options at various different price points and levels of formality.
If there’s one restaurant I recommend making sure you fit into your itinerary, it’s The Immigrant, the most formal restaurant in Kohler, featuring six intimate dining rooms, each themed after the home country of early settlers of Wisconsin. There’s a multi-course chef’s tasting menu, and you can also order a la carte. I had an absolutely fantastic steak here. The bread is also amazing, and you get little treats before and after the meal.
If you’re looking for a more casual meal, I also highly recommend The Horse & Plow restaurant, where I had a tasty fried chicken dish, and Taverne on Woodlake, located in the nearby Woodlake shopping center, where I had a delicious rigatoni dish with burrata. The Woodlake shopping center is easy walking distance from The American Club; there are also shuttles that operate regularly.
For a light breakfast in the morning, I really enjoyed The Greenhouse, a solarium modeled after an English garden cafe. The coffee and pastries are kind of overpriced, but this is a lovely spot to sit and read, or catch up on some work.
Other dining options at Destination Kohler include The Wisconsin Room in The American Club, Blackwolf Run overlooking the golf course, and Whistling Straits restaurant a couple miles away. You can also venture into nearby Sheboygan for food, but with the quality and variety of restaurants on the property, we didn’t see the need to during a weekend stay.
Spa
The Kohler Waters Spa was closed for planned renovation for much of 2024, so unfortunately we didn’t get the full spa experience. Our group was supposed to have special access to limited spa facilities but unfortunately a fire shortly before our visit made this impossible. This was a big bummer, since the spa had been the thing I was most looking forward to. Fortunately we were still able to get some spa treatments at discounted “express” prices, and the waiting room where they bring you before and after the treatments is very cozy. I enjoyed reading here in front of the fireplace with a soft blanket and a glass of prosecco (compliments of the resort to make up for our disrupted experience).
The massage I got here was phenomenal; quite possibly the best massage I’ve ever had. I often find hotel and resort massages very overpriced for the quality and while this massage was pricey, it was worth every penny. I completely understand why The American Club‘s spa is one of the only spas in the Midwest with a Forbes five star rating.
Activities and Entertainment
Just up the street from The American Club, you’ll find The Shops at Woodlake, home to (as the name suggests) shops, as well as restaurants and fitness studios. I had the chance to take a yoga class at their Yoga on the Lake studio (gifted to us by the resort because of the spa issues) and it was fantastic. Don’t miss the Kohler Chocolates shop, where you can sample and bring home their excellent chocolate candy.
If the outdoors is more your speed, there are lots of hiking trails in the nature preserve nearby and you can arrange (at additional cost) activities like kayaking, pheasant hunting and river fishing. The resort also has lots of charming rooms and courtyards that are perfect spots to cozy up with a good book.
Pools and Fitness
Guests at The American Club have complimentary access to Sports Core, a gym on the shores of nearby Wood Lake where you can swim, play tennis, visit the roof top jacuzzi, take group fitness class or rent a paddleboard to explore the lake. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the American Club, and shuttles run regularly from the hotel. I feel like a bad travel blogger for admitting this, but I didn’t actually make it over here during my weekend. It was only because there was so much to do in the resort itself and the nearby Woodlake shopping and entertainment area though! Those in our group who visited really enjoyed it.
On the whole, I loved my visit to The American Club. The resort and its amenities are expensive, but they deliver an excellent experience. A weekend felt like the perfect amount of time to relax and sample most of what the resort has to offer without going stir-crazy. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Midwest looking for a short but restorative getaway.
This post contains affiliate links. If you book a stay through my link, I will earn a commission at no added cost to you. Thank you for your support of Destinations & Desserts.
