Wine and Spirits Travel

It was the end of the trip to the new Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee,Illinois , but it was far from the end of fun for the weekend. The day started with a farewell breakfast for the journalists and their families. In my case, it was with Brittany, Shaun, and Kyler. The buffet filled with delicious food was in one of the resort’s convention rooms. In addition to the writers, the public relations staff, and the hotel’s management, we were greeted by Wiley the Wolf, who took the time to visit with all the kids. After breakfast, we had a chance to enjoy one of the cabana’s (which guests can rent) as we did our last round in the waterpark. (I stuck with the lazy river.) Then we headed around Great Wolf Lodge to see if there were any spots we missed. We never did make it to Ten Paw Alley. With just two lanes of bowling, there was always a wait and there seemed like so much else to do without waiting. We walked through the Build-A-Bear Workshop without a purcha...

As the weather warms, it’s always a great time for an outdoor day trip. I had never been to Knights Action Park in nearby Springfield, Illinois , before and I was anxious to check it out. For a small amusement park, Knights Action packs a lot in. They have a waterpark, amusement rides, miniature golf and a golf range, and a racing track. I had a teen and a pre-teen with me who were anxious to hit the long slides, while I am always happy to grab a tube an relax in a lazy river. I enjoyed that for a while and ten hit the wave pool, where I met up with Brittany, Jacob, and  Kyler. We walked around for a while and saw the Seal Bay area for younger kids, as well as the river, where they have paddle boats. Unfortunately, the paddle boats weren’t available the day we where there. It’s something I’d definitely enjoy next time I’m back. There is a snack bar inside at  Knights Action Park , but the consensus was to go outside and take a short dr...

It was the last full day in Branson for Marsha, Brittany, Amanda, and I. We had a full day of fun planned, as well as a very special nighttime celebration. We were up and out of the Radisson Hotel Branson early to head to Silver Dollar City, one of Branson’s most popular attractions. I expected an amusement park, but I also got a period attraction that reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg. Silver Dollar City has as many depictions of historical sites as rides, including period costumes and vehicles, an old school house, animals, walkways that looked like streets from long ago, woodworkers, a glassware maker, a pottery store, and other shops that had a lot more than your typical theme park souvenirs. The park also has lots of shows, such as “Mean Murphy Rides Again” at the Saloon, McHaffie’s Homestead, and the Silver Dollar City Street Troupe. They also have seasonal shows in the fall and Christmas shows in December. Unlike most amusement parks, Silv...

It was day three in Branson and I continued to enjoy this Missouri city with my friends Marsha, Brittany, and Amanda. Our first stop for the day was at an attraction new to the city this year, Bigfoot on the Strip.  We thought it would be a quick stop, but we soon realized there was so much to do (and eat) that it was fun for the day. Bigfoot, a joint adventure by three locals, who also happen to be in the food business (more below), is an adventure park with unique activities to keep kids and adults occupied and having fun. Brittany and Amanda took off for the maze immediately. It was nothing like you’d find at chuck E Cheese. This one required a lot of climbing and crawling, with stops in a tall water tower and the opportunity to jump onto a trampoline-like pit. Before checking out anything else, we stopped for lunch at Bigfoot’s food trucks, Big Ds BBQ and P arlor Pizza Wood Fired Pizza . It was a unique and delicious alternative to a snack b...