Our Story
A Century of Northwoods Hospitality
In 1926, George and Hazel Blaesing began building Shorewood Vista Resort on Lake George, a modest American Plan resort with four lodge rooms and a single two-bedroom cottage.
Each cottage was simple: pine board exteriors, chamber pots, washbowls, pitchers, linens, and towels. George handled the building and outside work. Hazel ran the kitchen and dining room. In their first year, Shorewood Vista welcomed guests and earned $635.
It was the beginning of something much larger.
Building a Reputation
Over the next 20 years, Shorewood Vista grew steadily. Their daughter, Doris, began helping at a young age, learning firsthand what it meant to serve guests with care and consistency.
The resort developed a reputation for exceptional meals, activities, and one of the first tennis courts at a northern Wisconsin resort. Hospitality was never just business. It was family tradition.
A New Chapter on Lake Thompson
In 1947, Doris married James Zambon of Iron Mountain, Michigan. The following year, the Blaesing family sold Shorewood Vista to Hazel’s brother and purchased property on Lake Thompson.
There, they began a Christmas tree farm and built what would become Holiday Acres Resort.
The first year brought three new cottages, in addition to one already on the property. Each featured fieldstone fireplaces and kitchens with dishwashers, an unheard-of luxury in the Northwoods at the time.
A field house followed, serving as the office and snack bar.
A new legacy had begun.
Growth, Tradition, and Innovation
Christine and Kim Zambon, Doris and Jim’s children, grew up immersed in resort life.
In 1965, The Three Coins Dining Room opened to the public. The Holiday Plan, a modified American plan, became a staple offering. Expansive windows, native stone, and modern design elements reflected a forward-looking vision for Northwoods hospitality.
On January 17, 1971, that vision faced its greatest test. Fire destroyed the main lodge of Holiday Acres, leaving only stonework behind. Reported losses ranged from $200,000 to $500,000, roughly $1.5 to $4 million today. Though the structure was lost, no injuries were reported, and surrounding buildings were saved.
What followed was not an ending, but a rebuilding. A new field house was constructed and designed by associates of Frank Lloyd Wright, blending architectural character with Northwoods tradition. In that same era, winterized cottages welcomed snowmobilers and winter adventurers, and in 1971 Holiday Acres Camping Resort opened with 70 full-hookup campsites.
The resort continued to evolve, strengthened by resilience and guided by family tradition.
Jazz in the Northwoods
In 1971, Doris and Jim fulfilled a lifelong dream: bringing great jazz to northern Wisconsin.
Buddy Rich. Woody Herman. Count Basie Orchestra. The Duke Ellington Band. Maynard Ferguson.
These legends played at Holiday Acres.
In 1986, Holiday Acres hosted its first Jazz Fantasy Camp, which is now an annual tradition. Thanksgiving Weekend of Jazz, Mother’s Day Weekend of Jazz, and the Northwoods Jazz Camp continue that legacy today.
Five Generations Strong
In 1972, Kim Zambon married Kari Johnson of Clarence, New York. Together, they continued the family tradition of hospitality.
Today, the Zambon family still manages Holiday Acres Resort. The fourth generation, Jamie, Katie, and Peter Zambon, have joined the family business. The fifth generation is already growing up on the shores of Lake Thompson, spending summers surrounded by family tradition and Northwoods memories in the making.
From chamber pots to jazz legends.
From $635 in receipts to welcoming generations of returning families.
In 2026, the Zambon family proudly celebrates 100 years of Northwoods hospitality, a century rooted in tradition, family, and welcoming guests back year after year.