When a travel writer (hi!) and her editor had not heard of a resort just 60 miles outside their backyards, you know it’s an exclusive property. More than exclusive, Bunker Hills Farms was an invitation-only vacation spot in Woodstock that drew the likes of musicians Steven Tyler and Darius Rucker and many other celebrities. But when the 450-acre farm decided to start accepting rentals from anyone willing to fork over $1,150 per day plus a one-time fee of $500, it got my attention — and the attention of others in the Chicago area who had been relegated to taking nearby vacations in Wisconsin or southwest Michigan.
Now Chicagoans can book a holiday in Woodstock, the Illinois farming community made famous for its brief appearance in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Bunker Hill Farms was created by Mike Domek, who made his fortune by founding ticketsnow.com and selling it to TicketMaster in 2008 for $265 million.
He and his wife, Amy, started building their dream vacation home in 2005, tossing in all his holiday fantasies, big and small: an 18-hole golf course; a 70-foot manufactured lake; a 7,300-square-foot lodge with a 7,000-square-foot terrace; a sledding hill and about 15 miles of trails for riding all-terrain vehicles and cycling. What started with 150 acres has grown to more than 450 acres. But it became clear almost immediately that this vacation property, which sleeps 20, including all the land enveloping the McHenry County farm, was the ideal place for entertaining an.