Jackson Hole

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Stay at - The Wort Hotel
Jackson Lake Lodge
Jenny Lake Lodge


Go shopping - right in town, or at Teton Village

Eat at - The Blue Lion
Nora's Fish Creek Inn
Jedediah's House of Sourdough

Take side trips to - Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Snake River Canyon

Be sure to visit - the National Elk Refuge at the north end of town on the way to Grand Teton National Park. Don't miss the antler arches in the Town Square, or stops to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar or the Silver Dollar Bar at The Wort.

Best time of year to go - Memorial Day to Labor Day, occasionally early September

Best things to buy - Western art, antiques, photography, sculpture, clothing, food

Best indulgence - watching the sun rise over the Tetons

Fly into - Jackson (JAC) or Salt Lake City (SLC)

Transportation - Rent a car unless you are bringing your own. Most of downtown Jackson is quite walkable, but you will need a vehicle to get up into the National Parks and explore the local scenery.

Colorado Springs

Stay at - The Broadmoor

Go shopping - The Promenade Shops at Briargate
The Citadel
various art and antiques galleries in the area

Eat at - The Penrose Room at The Broadmoor
Charles Court at The Broadmoor
Craftwood Inn, Manitou Springs

Take side trips to - Pikes Peak
Cripple Creek
Garden of the Gods
Royal Gorge Bridge
US Air Force Academy

Be sure to visit - the chapel at the US Air Force Academy.

Best time of year to go - June through October

Best things to buy - art, antiques, clothing, Western and Southwestern gifts, spa, wine

Best indulgence - dinner and dancing at The Penrose Room after a day of spa treatments

Fly into - Colorado Springs (COS) or Denver (DIA)

Transportation - Rent a car unless you are bringing your own. Community and charter bus service and taxis are available. Take the Cog Railway at Pike's Peak.

Amana Colonies, Iowa

A lovely quiet oasis of creativity spread among seven historic villages just off Interstate 80 in southern Iowa, home of Amana appliances, Amana Woolen Mills and Amana Furniture, where you can lose yourself for a few days surrounded with handmade quilts, preserves, broomsticks and out-of-this-world German home cooking.

Stay at - Clarion Inn Amana Colonies, Williamsburg (on I-80)
Zuber's Homestead Hotel, Homestead

Go shopping - in the villages of the Amana Colonies
Tanger Outlet Mall on I-80

Eat at - The Ronneburg
The Ox Yoke Inn

Take side trips to - Cedar Rapids
Iowa City
Kalona Historic Village
Nauvoo, Illinois

Be sure to visit - the many arts and crafts studios in the villages. The Clarion Amana Colonies has an indoor waterpark if you are bringing children.

Best time of year to go - June through September

Best things to buy - Amana woolens, furniture, clocks, crafts, quilts, antiques, wine, preserves

Best indulgence - dinner at The Ronneburg with a glass of German white wine after a day of sightseeing

Fly into - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID)

Transportation - A car is a necessity; rent one unless you are bringing your own.

Hana, Maui

Synonymous with serenity, Hana is a tiny jewel of the Pacific nestled on the north shore of Maui at the end of a scenic but forbidding highway, your own Bali Hai, where the pace slows to a near standstill alongside black sand beaches.

Stay at - Hotel Hana Maui/Sea Ranch Cottages

Go shopping - most available shopping is at the resort, little in town

Eat at - Ka'uiki at Hotel Hana Maui
Paniolo Lounge at Hotel Hana Maui
Hana Ranch Restaurant, Town Center, part of Hotel Hana Maui
Mama's Fish House, Paia, if you are flying in or out of Kahului (short drive from Kahului Airport)

Take side trips to - Road to Hana
Paia
Hana Bay
Black sand beaches
Ohe'o Gulch
Wai'anapanapa State Park
Lindbergh's Grave, Kipahilu

Be sure to visit - the black sand beaches in the area, and attend a resort luau if you can

Best time of year to go - February and March, during prime humpback whale season

Best things to buy - Hawaiiana, art, woodcarving, clothing, local food

Best indulgence - sitting out on the lanai in a private hot tub at a Sea Ranch Cottage overlooking the ocean, under moonlight, after a day at the spa

Fly into - Hana Airport (HNM) or Kahului (OGG). Kahului is the main airport on Maui, with regular service to the US Mainland, Honolulu, and the other islands, and is a 57 mile scenic, but challenging, drive from Hana. The Hana Airport is much smaller, and has flights from Kahului and Honolulu. I recommend flying directly into Hana unless you have someone taking you into Hana, or have driven the road previously and are familiar with it. It will take several hours to drive from Kahului to Hana, so don't be fooled by the distance.

Transportation - Hotel Hana Maui has courtesy transportation to and from Hana Airport, which can occasionally be arranged for other locations near the resort. Courtesy pickups at Hana Airport by the resort transportation must be prearranged. If you are renting a car, you must pick it up at Kahului Airport. Off-site resort activites generally include resort-provided transportation. Private air charters can be arranged to the neighbor islands. The town itself is very small and quite walkable.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Not to be confused with Niagara Falls, nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, is a charming storybook bed-and-breakfast village on the Canadian side which each summer hosts a world-famous theatrical festival in homage to the playwright George Bernard Shaw.

Stay at - The Oban Inn

Go shopping - up and down the streets of the village

Eat at - The Dining Room of The Oban Inn
Prince of Wales Hotel for afternoon tea
The Buttery
There are a number of local wineries with terrific restaurants - try Hillebrand Estates

Take side trips to - Niagara Falls, Toronto

Be sure to visit - The Shaw Festival
local wineries
Niagara Falls, if you're so inclined and have never been

Best time of year to go - When the Shaw Festival is on, April through October. I favor August.

Best things to buy - Shaw miscellany, books, British goods, tea, preserves, housewares, culinary, local souvenirs, wine

Best indulgence - Great seats for an evening performance of a favorite Shaw play, after an idyllic meal

Fly into - Toronto (YYZ) or Buffalo (BNIA)

Transportation - Rent a car. If you're coming from the US, remember you'll be crossing a border into Canada, and will need a current passport. There are taxicabs and horse-and-carriage operators in town. There is also a shuttle from Toronto airport to Niagara-on-the-Lake, if you'd prefer not to drive.

Oak Park

One of the loveliest and most liveable suburbs of the metropolitan Chicago area and an architect's dream, Oak Park is a few miles west on the Eisenhower, home of McDonalds' founder Ray Kroc, writer Ernest Hemingway and Prairie architect Frank Lloyd Wright, with the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings in the world.



Stay at - The Carleton of Oak Park

Go shopping - Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street

Eat at - Philander's, The Carleton
Poor Phil's, The Carleton
Hemmingway's, The Write Inn

Take side trips to - downtown Chicago

Be sure to visit - the many Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Oak Park
Hemingway Museum

Best time of year to go - April through October

Best things to buy - Local arts and crafts, antiques, furnishings, clothing

Best indulgence - An evening at Philander's with live music

Fly into - Chicago O'Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW)

Transportation - Take suburban cabs from the airports, which have a flat rate to Oak Park. While in Oak Park, there are good local cabs available, and much of the downtown is very walkable. Elevated trains ("The L") runs right from downtown Oak Park to downtown Chicago and The Loop. Unless you've driven your own car to the Chicago area, you shouldn't need one, but rental cars are readily available at both airports and in the suburbs.

Kauai

Bali Hai, South Pacific, the quintessential pot of gold at the end of the island rainbow, the oldest, wettest, greenest, and arguably most beautiful of all the Hawaiian islands.


Stay at - Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club at Nawiliwili

Go shopping - north shore, south shore and Lihue
Be sure to shop at Kilohana Plantation for some great arts and crafts

Eat at - Gaylord's at Kilohana
Duane's Ono Char Burger
Duke's Canoe Club

Take side trips to - Oahu
Maui

Be sure to visit - Kilauea Lighthouse
Ke'e Beach
Poipu

Kauai Museum in Lihue
Hanalei
Princeville

Best time of year to go - February and March

Best things to buy - Ni'ihau shells and shell leis, art, Hawaiiana

Best indulgence - A helicopter ride over Mount Waialeale and along the Napali Coast. I recommend Jack Harter.

Fly into - Lihue (LIH)

Transportation - Rent a car at Lihue Airport. Kauai has one road which runs from the north shore to the south, with very few traffic lights in between, lots of covered bridges, and plenty of scenery. A car is the only way you'll get around, as public transportation is essentially non-existent.