Wine and Spirits Travel

My friend Joan and I headed a few hours away to Itasca, Illinois, for a short girls’ getaway at Eaglewood Resort & Spa . You could see the golf course from the balcony in our room. The Deluxe Room is quite large and suitable for a small family. The spa and fitness center are located in a building across the parking lot from the rooms and other common areas.  The pool center at  Eaglewood  is set up to be enjoyed year-round. It’s totally enclosed in the winter and one side opens up in the summer so you can sit around a patio and enjoy the Olympic-sized pool with accompanying whirlpool. During the warmer months, they also serve cocktails and snacks out there. Three separate rooms were in the fitness center, all with all new equipment. One room had state-of-the art machines.  The second was all about weights, and the third was for classes. We saw someone in there stretching. Within the fitness and spa area  Eaglewood Resort  also has its own bowling

I am not a big football fan, so it seemed odd to many that I would be so anxious to explore the Packers’ Titletown, but when I had the opportunity to spend the weekend checking out this new section of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and stay at a new Kohler hotel , I was ready, willing, and able. Titletown just opened last summer and will continue to add venues, all directly across the street from Lambeau Field. The idea is to give visitors something beyond the game to enjoy when coming to this area of town. I took an early morning flight to Green Bay and arrived just three hours later, even with my plane change in Chicago. My first stop was my home for the weekend and the anchor of Titletown: AAA Four Diamond Lodge Kohler . I’ve stayed at The American Club at Kohler , Wisconsin, so I knew how luxurious this brand was, but I wasn’t quite sure until I arrived how they fit that in the football phenomenon of the Green Bay Packers. Since my friend, Rich, wasn’t joining

We got up early at the Radisson Hotel for our first full day in Branson and had a quick breakfast. Marsha, Brittany, Amanda and I got in the car and headed to Table Rock Lake, where we were going kayaking at Flat Creek Resort in Cape Fear . It was a scenic drive on winding roads, something we didn’t see in Central Illinois. Flat Creek Resort is Just outside the city of Branson and we had been invited to check it out, specifically the kayaking. It was something new they started this season and everyone was excited to be out on the brand-new boats, especially Brittany, who was trying stand up fishing from a kayak for the first time. The staff helped us get started. After Brittany did the fishing kayak for a while, she joined Amanda, while Marsha and I in the other tandem kayak . They were much sturdier than kayaks I had previously been in. It was the perfect partly cloudy and warm day to be out on the water. It was the most relaxing hour I’d had i

Branson, Missouri has been on my list of places to visit in the Midwest for years. Since it was a bit of a drive (about seven hours) and there is a ton to see and do there, I wanted to make sure there was enough time. I planned the time and the crew for a perfect five days girls’ getaway, that would end with an extra-special birthday. Brittany has traveled with me many times, but this was my friend Marsha’s first adventure with us. Marsha and I had actually met on social media when I saw we had mutual friends and a very similar name. She’s Marsha Lynne and I’m Marcia Lynn. As we became closer, our friends started referring to us as ML1 and ML2. So, this was the first of many trips for ML^. We picked up Amanda in Alton, Illinois , and decided our lunch stop was going to be our favorite barbecue place in Missouri, SuperSmokers in Eureka. Their BBQ Nachos, corn chips topped with brisket, chicken, pulled pork, tomatoes, cheese, and baked beans, are not to be match