Beyond the slopes at Midwest resorts

A handful of Midwest venues are wooing non-skiers with diversions such as ice skating, sleigh rides, dog sledding, snowshoeing -- even full-service spa treatments. And all offer a variety of lift/hotel packages to make a winter getaway easier on the pocketbook.

And, if you head to a Midwest resort with the right mindset, you can still have a great vacation -- get ample exercise, eat well and enjoy a variety of other pleasures, some at the resorts themselves or else in nearby towns such as Galena, Ill.; Dubuque, Iowa; Wausau, Wis.; and, in Michigan, Petoskey and Harbor Springs.

Here’s a selective look at what some resorts offer beyond the skiing:

Illinois

Chestnut Mountain Resort, 800-397-1320; chestnutmtn.com.
Tucked away in the hilly northwestern corner of the state, hard by the Mississippi River and 8 miles from historic Galena, the resort is not amenity laden but does offer 100 slope-side rooms, an indoor pool and sauna, minimal spa services and a couple of restaurants. Nearby are more diversions -- sleigh rides, snowshoeing and shopping. Galena’s Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants. And, there are tours of President Ulysses. S. Grant’s home.

Iowa

Sundown Mountain Resort, 563-556-6676; sundownmtn.com.
Five miles west of Dubuque, Sundown offers no accommodations, only ski runs winding through the bluffs and cedar forests above the Mississippi River. Through the Sundown Web site, skiers can choose from varied digs in Dubuque, including the Grand Harbor Resort with its indoor water park and a location near the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.

Michigan

Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, 800-462-6963; boyne.com.
The two resorts, about 3 miles apart, are located near Petoskey and Harbor Springs at the top of the state’s Lower Peninsula. Boyne Mountain is the more extensive of the two, with indoor/outdoor pools, a cedar sauna and an 18,000-square-foot Solace Spa with a menu of services. Other options include the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark (great for kids), horse-drawn sleigh rides and ice skating. Besides its ski runs, Boyne Highlands has a cross-country course, a snowshoe track and dog sledding.

Crystal Mountain, 800-968-7686; crystalmountain.com.
Thirty miles southwest of Traverse City at Thompsonville, Crystal appears to have as many activities as a cruise ship. For non-skiing exercise-minded guests there are snowshoe tours, night hikes, night cross-country touring, hockey practice and ice skating. Also available are yoga classes, water aerobics and a fitness center. A spa offers therapeutic, Swedish, hot stone and sports massage therapy to soothe overworked muscles. Horse-drawn surrey rides also are on the resort’s menu.

Indianhead Mountain Resort, 800-346-3426; indianheadmtn.com.
On average this western Upper Peninsula ski area near Wakefield gets about 17 feet of snow a year, thanks to winds off Lake Superior. Off the slopes, guests can enjoy the Health & Recreation Club, with a pool, sauna and whirlpool. The club also offers workout equipment -- treadmills, elliptical trainers, free weights and other weight-training machines -- and for sore bodies, deep tissue massages.

Nub’s Nob, 800-754-6827; nubsnob.com.
Within 6 miles of Petoskey and 3 miles of Harbor Springs, Nub’s focuses only on skiing and snowboarding. In its A-frame lodge you can plop down in a cushy chair and watch the schussers. At its Nub’s Nob cafeteria you can eat homemade soups, breads and sandwiches. But that’s it. For accommodations in rental condos, hotels and B&Bs, and for dining and other winter activities, skiers must look to Petoskey and Harbor Springs, both searchable from the Nub’s Nob Web site.

Shanty Creek Resorts, 800-678-4111; shantycreek.com.
Located 30 miles northeast of Traverse City, Shanty Creek consists of three villages and lodging facilities with ample outdoor and indoor diversions off the slopes. Snowshoeing, dog sledding, ice skating and evening sleigh rides are among the outdoor options. Or you can splash in two heated outdoor pools. Shanty Creek’s fitness center and spa offers a variety of massages, body wraps and scrubs.

Wisconsin

Cascade Mountain, cascademountain.com.
If you’re going to ski at Cascade, you will stay and play at the Wisconsin Dells, 15 minutes away. Cascade is a ski and snowboarding center in south central Wisconsin. The Dells offers a wide range of lodging/ski packages and includes everything from a Holiday Inn Express to the African-themed Kalahari Resort with an indoor water park.

Devil’s Head Resort, 800-472-6670; devilsheadresort.com.
Also located in the Baraboo Bluffs near the Wisconsin Dells, Devil’s Head is a full-service operation with the options of lodge/inn rooms and condos that sleep up to eight. The resort has an indoor pool, outdoor hot tubs, ice skating for children and horse-and-buggy rides on Saturdays.

Granite Peak, 715-845-2846; skigranitepeak.com.
You can call Granite an urban ski area since it overlooks the city of Wausau (pop. 39,000) in central Wisconsin. Amenities on the 700-foot mountain include a coffee bar, a chalet and grill. After a day on the slopes, skiers head for their digs in town. Lodging packages are available via Granite’s Web site.

Whitecap Mountains Ski Resort, 800-933-7669; skiwhitecap.com.
South of Lake Superior and hard by Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the resort lies 15 minutes west of Hurley in a snow belt that gets some 200 inches a year. Whitecap, pure and simple, is for skiing, not apres ski. There’s an indoor pool and hot tub, a full-service restaurant and that’s about it. You provide your own entertainment whether you stay in Whitecap Lodge or rent a mountain chalet or condo. Hurley, population about 1,700, is a 19th-century mining and logging town and shows off its history in the Iron County Historical Society Museum.