07/01/2026
Seven years of owning Highland Lodge. 🤍
It’s hard to believe it has already been seven years. When I look back, I see so much work, change, growth, and learning. Year after year, we’ve poured ourselves into this place, updating, remodeling, improving, making mistakes, learning from them, and continuing to move forward.
Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart. There have been plenty of hard days, long nights, tears, lessons, and moments where I’ve had to take a deep breath and keep going.
But then I think about all the good.
Over the years, we’ve had the honor of welcoming guests from all over the country and even around the world. We’ve watched families gather, couples celebrate wedding weekends and rehearsal dinners, and loved ones come together for bridal showers, baby showers, family reunions, holiday dinners, and quiet little moments that have filled this lodge with life. Stepping into micro-weddings and private events has been a wild, beautiful ride, and having people choose Highland Lodge for some of their most meaningful memories is something I will never take lightly.
One of the community connections I’m most thankful for is our relationship with The Castle Vineyard. Being able to work alongside the Castle Vineyard team and help create a full wedding-weekend experience for couples and families coming in from all over the country is something we truly love and appreciate. It has brought so many wonderful people through our doors, and we’re thankful to be even a small part of those celebrations.
Along with that, I also love pointing our guests toward the other small-town businesses that make this area so special: Rupp's Supperclub for a great steak dinner, Hika Bay Tavern for a nightcap, The Smiling Moose Saloon & Grill, LLC - Moose on the Loose Catering for wing night, great music, or a fun band, and even Bondes Quik Mart for some fried chicken or a road-trip snack. These are places I truly love, places I frequent myself, and places that help make this little corner of Wisconsin feel like home.
Highland Lodge may be small, but I’ve always believed small businesses can still make a meaningful difference. I try to encourage the guests who support us to also support the other small businesses in our community. There is so much beauty and goodness in these tucked-away places if you’re willing to see it, and at the end of the day, community is built by the people willing to show up for one another.
Highland Lodge is more than just a business to me. It is my home, my work, and a place I have had the privilege of watching grow over the past 7 years.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us, stayed with us, celebrated with us, and believed in what we are building here.
Cheers to seven years of Highland Lodge and to continuing to grow, learn, and create something special. 🤍
— Elle Toeller
