The Christmas Tree at the Pub at 1785 Inn and Restaurant

Are you looking for a relaxing weekend getaway before the craziness of late December kicks in?  The Inn to Inn Cookie Tour, an event I attended last year, is the perfect way to relax, enjoy some beautiful holiday decorations, and get into the Christmas spirit.

The Inn to Inn Cookie Tour, which takes place in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on December 10th and 11th, 2011, will include 12 participating inns and bed and breakfasts.  In the self-guided tour, you can sample cookies at each inn, as well as view their specially decorated Christmas tree.  No inn is more than 15 minutes from another (and most are much closer), and you can take your time visiting each one on your own schedule.

Last year, when I attended, I loved the chance to see how each inn was decorated for the holidays – they all have their own distinct personality, and each was very different.

Special VIP packages are available for those who want to combine the cookie tour with a one- or two-night stay, and include breakfast, a keepsake ornament, discounted dining coupons, a cookbook, and other fun keepsakes.  To book a package, or learn more about the tour, visit the website.

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

Disclosure: Last year, we were given free tickets to the Cookie Tour, two night’s stay at the Covered Bridge House, and dinner at the 1785 Inn.

Purple Roofs is “your GLBT key to world travel” and features Gay and Lesbian Bed & Breakfasts, Inns, Guesthouses, Hotels, Travel Agents, & Tour Operators.

The site is run by Mark and Scott and they have been kind enough to share some of their favorite vacations with us.

Today we’re looking at the weekend getaway of Amador County in Northern California for wine tasting, bed and breakfasts and everything in between.

When most people think of California wines they think of two places: the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley, and then they go there by the busload.  This premier wine region in Northern California overflows with tourists in the summertime, and wine tastings are often $5, $10, or $15 a glass.  Yes, for a tasting.

However, there are a number of other lesser-known wine regions in California that offer fantastic local varietals, scenic vine-covered hills, and best of all, elbow room.

The Shenandoah Valley in Amador County is such a place.  It is a lovely wine-growing region about an hour southeast of Sacramento. There are at least 32 wineries here within 15 minutes of each other, most of them can be found on one large loop of road that makes it easy to enjoy the grand tour.

How to Get There:

From the East (Lake Tahoe/Highway 50), catch Highway 49 in Placerville south. In 14 1/2 miles, you’ll reach the small town of Plymouth – make a left onto Fiddletown Rd., and you’re there.

From Sacramento proper, you have a couple options. The shorter route is to take Highway 50 up to El Dorado Hills. Take the Latrobe Rd. Exit (it only goes south), and follow Latrobe Rd. about 14 miles south to Old Sacramento Rd. This runs about 5 miles into Plymouth, and becomes Fiddletown Rd., leading you right into the wine region.

For a slightly longer scenic route, exit Highway 50 at How Ave. Go South on Howe and make an almost immediate left onto Folsom Blvd. Stay to your right – in about a block, Folsom veers left and Jackson Highway (16) veers right. Stay on 16 for about 30 1/2 miles, passing through lots of farmland and rural scenery. 16 then becomes 49 north bound and veers to the right – a little more than 2 miles takes you into Plymouth. Make a right onto Fiddletown, and you’ve arrived. Read More »

A lot of folks have a love affair with Vermont.  It’s got scenic mountains and natural resources, quaint towns and farms, charming shops, and scores of romantic inns and bed and breakfasts.

Me?  I never fell for Vermont.  I see a lot of nothing to do and nowhere to go.  I also see a state that looks an awful lot like it never left 1962.  That, I suppose, it what attracts most other people.  There is one great thing I’ve found in Vermont though.  Actually three great things.  Factory tours.

I know what you’re thinking—factory tours are even more boring than Vermont.  And when the whole family comes along there’s sure to be at least one or two of you kicking at the floor just begging to get out.  But it’s different here and that’s because—and I know this is cliché—there’s something for everyone when it comes to Vermont factory tours.

Within just a few miles of each other, Vermont vacationers can tour Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, and the Magic Hat Brewing Company.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne is definitely the favorite of young kids.  And if your kid loves stuffed animals don’t expect to get out without buying a teddy bear—even if there are two or three dozen at home already.  Vermont Teddy Bear is famous for dressing and accessorizing its bears for any occasion and for its Bear-Grams—bears sent as gifts through the mail in boxes complete with air holes. The thirty-minute factory tour shows visitors where and how these bears are “born” including cutting, sewing, assembling, stuffing, dressing, and even pointing out the “Made in Vermont” twinkle in each bear’s eye. You’ll even see where bears can come back to the “hospital” to be repaired at no cost if they ever get hurt or damaged.  Before or after the tour, hungry families can stop at the Hungry Bear Café. The factory is open year-round seven days each week except for New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is only $2.00 for adults and teenagers and free for kids 12 and under.  Seasonal hours are available at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory website.

The Magic Hat Artifactory

The Magic Hat Brewing Company’s factory—or the “Artifactory” as they call it—is not a place for the kids. Located in South Burlington, the artifactory has as dark and funky a look and feeling as Magic Hat’s brews with their odd names, labels and hocus-pocus phrases under the caps.  (Magic Hat is well known in New England and may have reached the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, but I don’t think they’ve gone nationwide.) Seriously, the lobby and shop look like they were decorated by carnies of the Something Wicked This Way Comes variety.  Some folks find the guided or self-guided tours and all the beer-talk boring, but the tours are free so there’s no damage. Another thing that’s free is samples—that’s right, there’s free sampling of at least eight or more different brews.  If you do have kids with you, you can still stop in and visit the gift shop packed with Magic Hat merchandise like hats, shirts, glasses, mugs, bottle openers, and even weirder things like “beer soap.”  The Magic Hat Artifactory is open seven days a week—Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory

The factory that’s probably going to please just about everyone in the family is Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury. For anyone who doesn’t know, Ben & Jerry’s makes ice cream.  At the factory, visitors get a short “moovie” (their word, not mine) in the Cow Over the Moon Theatre about how friends Ben and Jerry started in the ice cream business, how they operate their business, and how they’re advocates and examples of giving back to the community.  The tour continues on an enclosed mezzanine above the ice cream-making plant and ends up in the “FlavoRoom” where you get to taste a couple of samples—maybe even of some flavors that haven’t been released to stores yet.  There’s also, of course, the obligatory gift shop and a “Scoop Shop” for more of that famous ice cream.  Outside are cows, a playground for the kids (don’t worry, the playground isn’t in the same spot as the cows), and Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard where “dearly de-pinted” flavors no longer in production—like Peanut Butter & Jelly and Ethan Almond—go to rest.  The Ben & Jerry’s Factory is open year-round seven days a week except for New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Tours are $3.00 for adults and teens, $2.00 for seniors, and free for kids 12 and under. Information on seasonal hours and other deals is available by clicking on Tour Info at the factory website.

Whether you’re a fan of scenic mountains or not, young or old, with kids or without, you’re likely to enjoy at least one of these tours.  And if you’re really into factory tours—or teddy bears, beer and ice cream—you might just love them all.

Like many travelers, I’ve often taken for granted the vacation attractions in my own backyard.  For this post however, I’m going with a no-place-like-home approach and sharing some family destinations close to my own home in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

With bright fall colors, farm harvests, crisp days and cool nights, autumn is an especially excellent time to visit New England.  Because of milder temperatures, the sharp colors of foliage in southern New England often last into early November. During this time of year, Litchfield County in Northwest Connecticut may even be one of the most scenic destinations in America.

Actually a northern part of the Appalachian Trail, the Litchfield Hills contain hills (obviously), lakes, rivers, small towns and villages, and dozens of state parks and natural attractions.  While adults may enjoy the scenic roads and views themselves, kids will love stops at spots like Kent Falls—one of New England’s highest waterfalls with kid-friendly climbing trails offering frequent spots for resting and overlooking the falls.  The White Memorial Conservation Center, a private organization in Litchfield, offers trails, wildlife sanctuaries and observation platforms, and a nature center with programs and exhibits focusing on natural history, conservation and ecology.  Kids might also love the surprises at Action Wildlife Foundation in nearby Goshen where more than 350 exotic animals are found on “safari” and in a petting zoo for domesticated animals and their babies.  A Museum and Exploration Center includes additional displays and exhibits of animal life. For local produce and more activities, farms like March Farm in Bethlehem offer quite a few pick-your-own items, scenic trails, cornstalk mazes in the fall, farm-themed playscapes for the kids, and shops offering food and gifts.

Most area parks and nature centers include picnic areas, hiking trails of various levels, scenic views, and are close to accommodations and dining.  For families who want to immerse themselves in nature, several parks offer camping facilities.  Others—who think roughing it means no room service—can find rooms at motels, bed and breakfasts, and some of the most attractive and luxurious inns in New England including the Litchfield Inn and Washington’s Mayflower Inn and Spa which has been voted the finest destination spa in the United States by Conde Nast Traveler.  From family luncheonettes and grilles to extravagant romantic dining, restaurant choices are also plentiful and diverse throughout the county.

For a family-friendly vacation that can provide both relaxation and dramatic natural surroundings for adults as well as an endless supply of outdoor activities to wear out the kids, the Litchfield Hills are an easily-reached destination from anywhere in the Northeast or from any location by flying into either Hartford or nearby Boston or New York.  Even any pocketbook can be accommodated from the most modest budget to expense accounts that would make corporate executives proud.  The real attraction, however, is that money can’t buy the stunning natural surroundings and activities that you’ll find in the Litchfield Hills in a Connecticut autumn. I’m not much of an autumn lover (I’m more of a summer guy), but I think I even just convinced myself that my home at this time of year is a sweet place to be.

Photos courtesy and copyright of Darren Farrington.