"A taste of France in the Midwest? No, it’s not a questionable new theme park attraction: La Crosse, Wisconsin was actually settled by French fur traders. It was French people who named this small city on the Mississippi River, and referred to the region’s high ridges as <em>coulées</em>, a term that’s still used today (sans acute accent). La Crosse comes by its French heritage honestly, so it’s no wonder that the cool new hotel in town is called the Charmant Hotel — that’s “charming hotel,” in case you took Spanish in high school." - Tablet Hotels