KOHLER, Wis. -- The men's room at Logan Airport is not where I expected my anticipation to build over my weekend getaway.
But there I was , staring at a row of white porcelain urinals each with the word "Kohler" on it, and growing more curious about what to expect from the small Wisconsin community that is home to one of the world's largest kitchen and bath manufacturers.
And, more importantly, what would there be to do in the village of Kohler, besides flush sleek toilets and take refreshing showers?
It turns out there is much to do in Kohler that has nothing to do with plumbing -- but it should be said that the toilets, sinks, tubs, and showers are pretty cool.
In 48 hours, we discovered a terrific Italian restaurant, a neighboring cigar bar, a beautiful walk alongside Lake Michigan, a scenic jogging trail that vanishes into the woods, a shopping plaza, and a design center that made us want to rush home and redo our bath and kitchen. We also enjoyed a luxurious hotel with a piano bar and afternoon tea, and -- our highlight -- a shallow river where girls and boys, men and women, waded in, cast their fishing lines, and pulled up salmon the size of puppies. It was like watching a National Geographic TV special in living color.
Not to mention the world-class golf course, two nearby enormous state parks filled with hiking trails, and the luxurious Kohler Water Spas -- rated among the country's best -- that we didn't have time to see.
Kohler, population about 2,000, may not be a primary vacation spot, but it's a worthwhile and easy day trip -- or better yet, upscale, luxurious, and romantic weekend escape -- from any number of Midwest destinations. Only 2 1/2 hours north of Chicago, an hour north of Milwaukee, just outside Sheboygan, and an hour south of Green Bay, Kohler is a village that seems descended from the quaint, walkable, garden districts that make some European cities so inviting. And, in fact, those leafy European cities were the inspiration for Walter Kohler (the son of the company's founder) when he hired the Olmsted brothers to create one of the country's first planned communities in the 1920s.
To grasp the village's importance today, the next time you bend down to sip from a drinking fountain, give thanks for an Austrian immigrant named John Michael Kohler. In 1873 he purchased the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry, gave it his name, and 10 years later, sold an enameled horse trough-pig scalder that the catalog said, "when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub." Five years after that came an invention that remains one of the company's biggest contributions to the way we live -- and hydrate. Unlike its trademark faucets that directed water flow down, this new creation forced water an inch into the air. Kohler must have sensed magic in The Bubbler, because he patented its design and trademarked the name. (Other companies copied it and called theirs drinking fountain s.)
The Kohler name expanded into the resort business in 1981 when the company restored the American Club, built in 1918 for the large local Austrian and German immigrant population that had flocked to the area, and turned it into a four-star hotel and dining experience that has routinely been ranked one of the best in the world. The company today does an estimated $5 billion in sales and its holdings include two hotels and spas, eight restaurants, and four golf courses. And business is good. Americans are expected to spend more than $20 billion on luxury remodels this year, up almost 20 percent from last year, according to the trade publication Kitchen and Bath Business Magazine. Not surprisingly, being a successful business in Wisconsin has had its political advantages: Walter Kohler and his son, Walter Jr., both served as governor.
Home prices, even in well-to-do Kohler (median income $75,000), were not the first signs that we had left the crowded East Coast. Those came on our drive from the Milwaukee airport, a drive as calming as the Southeast Expressway is stressful. Cows. Cornfields. Silos. Signs reading "80 Acres for Sale."
Our hotel, Inn on Woodlake, was advertised as "On the shore of picturesque Wood Lake." But at first glance it was disappointing when we saw that it anchored an upscale shopping plaza. Our room, however, washed away those initial worries, with its gorgeous view of the small lake and walking trail around it. The reds, oranges, and greens dotting the landscape reminded us of our favorite fall foliage drives through New England. The room itself was perfect and the Kohler shower had one overhead jet and one jet shooting out the side. Very cool.
Curious and tired from traveling, we spent the afternoon wandering the 25 specialty stores and boutique shops outside our door. With our appetites whetted, we found an outdoor table at a restaurant named Cucina overlooking Wood Lake, and shared a delicious plate of fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes spotted with fresh basil, along with an unusual salad of grape tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, fresh focaccia croutons, and a green olive vinaigrette . Along with our glasses of the house pinot grigio, it was as if we'd been transported to an Italian village.
But our last stop of the day is what draws the crowds to Kohler year - round.
If there is a Metropolitan Museum of Art for plumbing, the Kohler Design Center is it. From sinks to faucets to showers to hot tubs to toilets, Kohler makes water sexy in this ultra cool, 36,000-square - foot space. Since it opened in 1985, the design center has served as a memorial to the Kohler family and their history, and evolved into a place where homeowners, designers, and architects can go to check out the latest in kitchen and bath innovations. Tours of the Kohler factory are available only on weekdays, and must be booked in advance.
The design center basement houses a museum that tells the company's 130-year history; the main floor is a dizzying collection of gorgeous showers, toilets, bathtubs, whirlpools, and faucets; the top floor is where you go to drool, with 25 stocked kitchens and baths designed by Kohler, with Asian themes, beach themes, just about any theme that might work in a house.
The back wall of the design center is worth the trip alone. The "great wall of china" is a floor-to-ceiling array of tubs, sinks, and toilets in various colors, sizes, and shapes. You never imagined these things could be so cool until you see a toilet bowl painted in flowers or a shower with three heads shooting water at you from three directions.
Day two was crisply autumnal and even though we were feeling a little landlocked in the Midwest, a 10-minute drive had us strolling along a lovely lake. Of course, at 22,300 square miles, Lake Michigan is more than twice the size of Massachusetts, so it felt more like the Atlantic Ocean as we walked out on the jetty toward a lighthouse and the waves lapped at the rocks below us.
On our walk back in, a friendly fisherman casting for salmon and trout told us if we really wanted to see fish up close, head for the Kohler Dam on the Sheboygan River. So we did.
The dam is tucked behind Waelderhaus , a replica of an Austrian home from the region where the Kohler family emigrated, and a popular tourist spot. A dirt path and steep steps lead to the dam. It's hard to miss if there happen to be a lot of fishing rods being cast.
When we were there, about 25 people, from middle-aged men in rubber boots pulled over their knees to kids in sandals, shorts, and T-shirts, were wading into the water or casting from the shore. The salmon were everywhere and it seemed hard not to catch one. Every two minutes, a rod would bend, a fish would break the surface, and the fight was on. Some were kept, destined for a plate somewhere . Others were tossed back, spared to swim another day.
Sitting there so relaxed on the bank of the river, watching the fish jump, it was easy to see the appeal of a place that revolves around one company for which water means everything.
Contact Doug Most at dmost@globe.com . 
