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The Kohler Experience: A Family, A Company, An Amazing Community

Program Number: 2074RJ
Start and End Dates:
4/22/2012 - 4/26/2012; 10/27/2013 - 10/31/2013;
Duration: 4 nights
Location: Kohler, Wisconsin
Price starting at: $854.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: History & Culture
Meals: 11; 4 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 4 Dinners    

Founded in 1873, the Kohler Company has grown from making farm implements and bathtubs to a world-renowned example of American product design and innovation. In 1912, the company moved its headquarters out of Sheboygan to the rural land to the west and founded the Village of Kohler. The first planned community in the Midwest, Kohler has been a smashing success — a thriving community, a masterpiece of landscape architecture and a grand golf and spa destination. Take field trips to the Kohler Factory, the Waelderhaus Museum and the John Michael Kohler Art Center, hear from an artist-in-residence and experience Kohler through the eyes of locals.




Highlights

• Learn how the Village of Kohler was created and enjoy its old-world hospitality.
• Go behind the scenes of the Kohler Factory and Design Center to see how plumbing fixtures are made.
• Stay at The American Club and meet the historic hotel’s head florist, golf pro and executive pastry chef.



Activity Particulars

Walking and standing for up to two hours at a time; some uneven terrain and stairs.



Coordinated by Covenant Harbor.




Kohler

The village of Kohler is a high-end year-round resort whose golf club hosted the 2010 PGA Championship. The village offers fine dining, shopping, spas and an array of sports.
Accommodations
The Midwest’s only AAA Five Diamond-rated resort and spa.
Meals and Lodgings
   The American Club
  Kohler, WI 4 nights
 The American Club
Type: Five-Star Hotel
  Description: The Midwest's only AAA 5 Diamond Resort. The American Club is the former men's athletic club for Kohler employees. After extensive renovation The American Club opened as a luxury resort and spa. Its golf courses have been the site for both the men's and women's PGA Championships.
  Contact info: 444 Highland Drive
Kohler, WI 53044 USA
phone: 800-344-2838
web: www.destinationkohler.com
  Room amenities: Honor service bar, feather comforters and pillows, turn down service, TV, VCR, phone.
  Facility amenities: Afternoon tea, Golf, Sports Fitness Center including tennis, swimming, fitness classes, Spa treatments including massage, pedicures, manicures.
  Smoking allowed: No
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: $225 per room dbl occupancy. Please call hotel for availability and rates.
  Check in time: 4:00 PM
  Additional nights after: $225 per room dbl occupancy. Please call hotel for availability and rates.
  Check out time: 12:00 PM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
4:00 PM Registration at hotel in Kohler, WI. You will be staying at The American Club that night.
  End of Program:
Program ends after breakfast. You will be staying at The American Club the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required. Completed Road Scholar Health & Safety Form returned to coordinator prior to arrival.
  Parking availability:
Complimentary covered parking is provided. Lower level parking gives participants access without steps.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Kohler, WI
  Nearest city or town:  Sheboygan, WI.
  Nearest highway: Interstate 43.
  Nearest airport:  Gen. Mitchell International Airport (MKE), Milwaukee, WI.
  From End of Program
  Location: Kohler, WI
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Milwaukee, WI

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Airport Connection
phone: 800-236-5452
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

$55 per person (pp cost is less for 2 people traveling together)
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

1 hour 15 minutes 
 

Distance:

 

55 miles
   

Please make reservations at least 72 hours in advance. Reservations can also be make on-line at www.mkelimo.com.
 
Driving Directions
  Appleton/Fond du Lac Take Highway 41 South to Fond du Lac. From Fond du Lac take Highway 23 East. Go past Plymouth toward Sheboygan. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. Hotel entrance will be on your right.
  Chicago or Milwaukee Take I-94 West to Highway I-43 North. It is approximately 55 miles from Milwaukee to Sheboygan. Exit 126 onto Highway 23 West. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. the American Club Hotel entrance will be on your right.
  Green Bay Take I-43 South. It is approximately 60 miles from Green Bay to Sheboygan. At Sheboygan exit Highway 23 West. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. The American Club Hotel entrance will be on your right.
  Madison Take I-94 East to Milwaukee. It is approximately 90 miles to Milwaukee and 55 miles from Milwaukee to Sheboygan. Exit 126 onto Highway 23 West. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. The American Club Hotel entrance will be on your right.
  Minneapolis/St. Paul Take I-94 East (you’ll actually be traveling south) to Sun Prairie. From Sun Prairie take Highway 151 North to Fond du Lac. (Highway 151 is mostly freeway) From Fond du Lac take Highway 23 East. Go past Plymouth toward Sheboygan. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. The American Club Hotel entrance will be on your right. OR Take I-94 East (you’ll actually be traveling south) to Mauston. From Mauston take Highway 82 East, at I-39/51 Highway 82 East turns into Highway 23 East. (Highways 98 and 23 and both 2 lane paved highways). Take Highway 23 East to Fond du Lac. From Fond du Lac take Highway 23 East. Go past Plymouth toward Sheboygan. Exit County Trunk Y South. You’ll be going south into Kohler. The American Club Hotel entrance will be on your right.
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Arrival and Check-In/Group Orientation
(Sunday, April 22)
   
 Afternoon: Participants may arrive at 4:00 PM CST for hotel and Road Scholar Program check-in.
 Dinner: Group meal in hotel.
 Evening: ORIENTATION: Welcoming orientation, review schedule and group introductions.
   
Accommodations: The American Club
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: History of Kohler and The American Club, Waelderhaus Museum, Community Gardens and Native American Heritage and Archeology
(Monday, April 23)
   
 Breakfast: Hot continental breakfast in meeting room.
 Morning: LECTURE: We begin with a lecture on the history of Kohler and the American Club, followed by a guided field trip through the Village of Kohler — “a garden community” — seeing where the immigrants settled in this unique community. You’ll also have an introduction to the recreational facilities so you can familiarize yourself with options available throughout the week. With a population just under 2,000, Kohler Village encompasses an area of 4.5 square miles. It is govererned by a board of trustees, and has an excellent school system (pre-kindergarten through grade 12) , three churches, diverse cultural, and recreational amenities. The village was incorporated in 1912, developed as a garden/industrial community by Walter J. Kohler, son of Kohler Company founder John Michael Kohler. Using the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, the noted landscape architect who designed New York's Central Park and the Biltmore Estate's grounds, Walter Kohler developed one of the nation's first and finest planned communities.
 Lunch: Lunch is offered through a voucher program where participants may choose to dine at one of several hotel and area restaurants.
 Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: You will take an insider's guided walking tour of the hotel, exploring the site through an historical lens. You will also get a first-hand experience of immigrant life when you visit The Waelderhaus, a replica of the ancestral home of the Kohler family in Austria. This community building was designed to serve the area Girl Scouts and other groups.
 Dinner: Dinner is offered through the voucher program.
 Evening: LECTURE: Tonight's presentation takes you back to the pre-history of the area. Museum staff will present in costume, explaining artifacts from a local farm turned archeological dig.
   
Accommodations: The American Club
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Kohler Factory and Design Center, Golf Course Construction, Chocolate and Floral Design
(Tuesday, April 24)
   
 Breakfast: Hot Continental Breakfast in meeting room.
 Morning: FIELD TRIP: Docents from the Kohler Factory and Design Center will escort you to the Kohler factory for your first tour. You will take a tour of the factory lasting at least 1.5 hours where you will explore the production of vitreous china, brass and enameled cast iron plumbing products. Here you will see how artist's concepts are incorporated into functional fixtures. Following the factory tour, take in a self-guided tour of the Design Center where you can see a video presentation, art gallery and museum that takes you back to the beginning of plumbing fixtures in America.
 Lunch: Lunch is on your own at area restaurants through the voucher program.
 Afternoon: LECTURE: Discover what goes into creating a championship golf course, The American Club has two -- Whistling Straits and Black Wolf Run. LECTURE: Savor the smell and taste of fine chocolate at The Craverie where Kohler's signature Terrapain chocolates are created.
 Dinner: Dinner is offered through the voucher program. You may wish to join other group members and discuss the day's events. Tonight may be the night to treat yourself to dinner at The Wisconsin Room or The Immigrant Room (reservations required).
 Evening: LECTURE: You've probably been admiring the beautiful fresh flower displays scattered around the hotel all week. Learn more about floral arranging from the head florist and take some tips home to create your own masterpieces.
   
Accommodations: The American Club
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Free Afternoon
(Wednesday, April 25)
   
 Breakfast: Hot continental breakfast in meeting room.
 Morning: FIELD TRIP: Today's first stop is in Sheboygan where you will explore the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, a gem of a cultural center. Focusing on American contemporary art exhibits of paintings, photography, sculpture and other art forms. JMKAC docents will take you through this historic, yet modern gallery. The center was established to allow the artists from the Kohler factory to share their full expressions of art with the community. You will hear a lecture from a resident artist, enabling you to understand art from the artist's perspective. You will also see some of the most beautifully decorated restrooms in the world.
 Lunch: Lunch on your own using the voucher system.
 Afternoon: Free afternoon to enjoy the village, resort and surrounding area.
 Dinner: Group dinner.
 Evening: Evening entertainment.
   
Accommodations: The American Club
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Pastry Chef Demo, Program Wrap Up and Departure
(Thursday, April 26)
   
 Breakfast: Hot continental breakfast in meeting room.
 Morning: LECTURE: Pastry demonstration by Executive Pastry Chef Richard Palm. Turn in evaluations to your Group Leader, check-out of rooms and departure. Thank you for joining us this week; your participation makes the journey worthwhile.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities
  
  Kohler, WI Destination Kohler
Your guide to Kohler. For additional information, visit www.destinationkohler.com
  Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce
Your guide to Sheboygan County. For additional information, visit www.sheboygan.org
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


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