Take a Women’s Retreat Into The Great Outdoors
I met Mimi on a recent visit to Hocking Hills, Ohio. She was teaching my family of four to kayak around Lake Hope and we got to talking about what she does when she’s not paddling around a lake with amateurs. Turns out, Mimi’s passion is taking groups of women off into the woods.
That would be creepy if Mimi wasn’t so adorable and smiley.
Mimi runs Touch the Earth Adventures, a tour company that specializes in women’s hiking and kayaking retreats. For $1,150 per person, women enjoy a week of outdoor adventure in various locations all over the country. Good news: tents aren’t needed as Mimi lines up beautiful lodging as part of her weekly packages. She also arranges for activities like yoga sessions and spa treatments.
It’s no wonder her customers come out of the woods feeling empowered!
Mimi told me she takes groups of women who already know each other as well as groups of individual women who meet on the trip. Her groups can be as small as 5 women and as large as 20. Women can explore the outdoors of Ohio, where Mimi is based, or take a trip to the Carolinas. Her next week-long retreat will be in November to Charleston, South Carolina.
I would love to do this with my girlfriends and the women in my family. It sounds like an incredible girl power getaway!
Photo: Britt Reints
Atlanta’s Botanical Garden – Gorgeous in All Seasons
The gorgeous Atlanta Botanical Garden
The first time I tried to visit Atlanta’s Botanical Garden was in early March of 2010. My then fiance and I were on a date, and I was looking for something romantic and peaceful to enjoy. As we walked up to the Botanical Garden’s entrance, I quickly realized that most of the plants were still in their “sleepy” winter state. In other words, most of them were rather dead and sad looking. Even though it was late winter, the day was beautifully sunny with clear, blue skies, and it had never occurred to me that late winter was not the best time to go.
“Do you still want to go in?” my fiance asked.
“No,” I admitted. And that was that.
If only we had persisted with our original plan! Now, after four years of living in Atlanta, Georgia, I can happily report that I finally made it to the Botanical Garden, and now that I have, I truly cannot believe that I had never visited before. The gardens are truly spectacular, and much larger than I had anticipated. “This is a world-class botanical garden,” my dad exclaimed, and he was right.
We picked a great day – partly sunny with just a hint of coolness in the air. It was in mid-September, so the Fall plants were starting to hit their stride and yet it was warm enough for many of the summer flowers to still be in bloom. One of the most impressive parts of the garden was the 600-foot long pedestrian bridge. It gradually slopes up until you are suspended among the tree tops, and the bridge’s construction makes it appear as though there is nothing really supporting the bridge.
The pedestrian bridge at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
As a gardening newbie, I loved the Wall of Herbs! A large variety of herbs are arranged vertically on a wall. The smell as you walk by this wall is just heavenly. The herbs are located in an area called the Edible Gardens, where you can admire rows of seasonal vegetables and fruits being grown. I had never actually seen a pomegranate tree before, so that was neat. Just past the edible gardens was The Orchid House, which serene and lovely. It felt like you were walking through a tropical rain forest, and the place like a giant, blooming flower. I saw many different orchid varieties I had never seen before, including one that only blooms at night. Neat
The incredible vertical Wall of Herbs at Atlanta's Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden is one of those places that you need to visit in different seasons in order to really appreciate it. Afterwards, I found out that if we had gone inside during early March, there would have been plenty to see and enjoy including the Winter Garden. Here in Atlanta, we are fortunate to have many plants which bloom year-round due to the relatively mild winters we normally have. I’ll just have to head back to the gardens this winter to see what there is to see.
If you do go, plan on spending at least 3-4 hours exploring, though even that is nowhere near enough time to fully appreciate all there is to see and do. You really need an entire day; next time, I plan to bring food and have a little picnic on a bench somewhere. Can’t beat that for some relaxing afternoon fun! And don’t worry about getting bored from looking at too many plants and flowers — there’s a wonderful assortment of sculptures and art work scattered throughout the grounds to keep everyone’s interest piqued.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert
Sculpture Gardens in Minnesota: Kid-Friendly Art Museums
Sculpture gardens present some of the most accessible of art options for families; instead of a quiet atmosphere filled with ancient treasures, children can roam about the artwork, exclaiming their delight. For those who enjoy seeing art outdoors, Minnesota has several sculpture gardens that families can enjoy.
Perhaps the most widely known is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden next to the Walker Art Center near downtown Minneapolis. Home of the “cherry on the spoon,” this park includes many other sculptures in various shapes, sizes, and media, as well as a garden walk and an indoor conservatory of tropical plants. Children will like wandering the grassy areas of this large park and seeing the variety of artwork as they round each bend.
Spoonbridge and Cherry at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
North of the Twin Cities on U.S. Highway 8, the Franconia Sculpture Park is a work in progress, and chances are decent that you might encounter an artist at work if you visit. The sculptures here include many reclaimed materials, such as a basketball court and tractor. The mown paths among the prairie grasses and flowers take visitors past the creations, but kids will likely want to spend most of their time at the sculpture that is a useable playground.
Playground Sculpture at Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota
On the other side of the state, the tiny town of Arco sits near the South Dakota border in the midst of farm fields and prairie lands. Arco has its own sculpture garden of sorts, a “scenic rock garden” in the city park which borders a lake just outside of town. Here, replicas of the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Bell made out of rocks found in the area are the highlights of the stop. A drive into town yields a look at the rock building that was formerly a gas station, done in the same style by the same artist. If you enjoy the off-beat or quirky, you’ll like a peek at the Arco sculptures.
Statue of Liberty Replica at Scenic Rock Garden in Arco, Minnesota
While art enthusiasts will enjoy the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Weisman Art Center, and other quality art museums in Minnesota, youngsters will be drawn to the larger-than-life artwork in these sculpture gardens in the state.
Related: Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Photo credits: the author
Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children.
New Destination Guide Website With a Twist
“Travel guides for major tourist destinations are a dime a dozen on the Internet. We focus on the not-so-major destinations… the true undiscovered gems!” says the new website, 511Destinations.com.
511destinations.com is a different kind of travel guide. While most vacation guides on the Internet concentrate on the major tourist destinations, this new website presents smaller market and off the beaten path destinations… with a twist.
Rather than being bombarded with local information to sift thru, each 511destination is a snapshot. Where to stay, eat, go and how to get around are the basics, presented in a clean, well designed layout with eye-catching graphics and great functionality.
What’s more, users are encouraged to build their own destination guide simply by submitting a brief overview. Right now, there are no limits. You can be a proud resident that wants to tell the world about your town, a traveler that’s itching to share a destination they’ve discovered, or a business looking to promote themselves via a little local information.
It’s a great little website loaded with information that you often just can’t find anywhere else. 511destinations.com is also built to accommodate viewing on smartphones and mobile devices!
Behold Hawaiian Beauty at Chicago Botanic Gardens
A Hawaiian orchid
The bitter, Midwestern weather and flat prairie lands of Chicago are probably about as far away as you can get aesthetically to the lush, tropical beauty of Hawaii but this weekend, touches of Hawaiian beauty and culture will be explored at the Chicago Botanic Gardens for the ‘Food Network Magazine and The Hawaiian Islands Weekend” free event on October 1st and 2nd.
Visitors will get the chance to take in the singular beauty of Hawaii flora and botany as well as sample ingredients found only on the Hawaiian Islands. From 10-4PM each day, demonstrations and seminars on a dizzying variety of Hawaiian culture and botany will be supplied. The Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Island will be decked out in all the flowers, plants and fruits of a Hawaiian paradise. Highlights include a poi pounding and making workshop, a lei-making demonstration with fresh orchids and plumeria from Moloka’i, instructions on the ancient art of la au lapa’au or Hawaiian herbal healing, and an in-depth examination of the Hawaiian ahupua’au land division system. The Garden Cafe will also be serving up tastes of the Hawaiian islands including Mauna Loa macadamia nuts, Waialua Estate Cacao and Molaka’i style tisane tea. After visiting Hawaii, switch back to the Midwest with a stop by nearby Prairie Grass Cafe, which focuses on locally grown, seasonal ingredients. Try the sauteed whitefish with lemon, caper and tomato.
Photo courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden
Experience Chocolate Making at Ann Arbor’s Mindo Chocolate
Roasted cacao beans
There’s no nirvana quite like the aroma of fresh cacao beans roasting during the chocolate making process. If you’ve never experienced this special treat, a visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Mindo Chocolate Makers is a requirement. These artisan chocolate makers process organic chocolate right from the cacao pod to handmade and dipped chocolate. This family-owned business operates a joint production in Mindo, Ecuador and Ann Arbor for a one-of-kind chocolate trip.
Mindo operates out of a house in Ann Arbor, where you can purchase delicacies including 77% pure chocolate bars dipped in sea salt or stuffed with Michigan cherries. Visitors can also take a hands on “Bean To Bar Chocolate Making Class” and participate in taking dried cacao beans and adding chocolate liquor, organic evaporated cane juice and cocoa butter to make hand crafted chocolate. Observing the cocoa nibs being grinded into cocoa liquor and watching the cocoa butter form is a fascinating episode. Tasting lots of chocolate samples is a popular part of the process as well as purchasing handfuls of bars to take home. You must make reservations for tours or chocolate making classes at mindochocolate.com.
Vinology
Extend your rarefied Ann Arbor culinary experience by dropping by Vinology wine bar and restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor. The stunning space is designed with stainless steel, cork and glass to evoke the wine making process. There are even custom-made boxes over each table filled with quirky wine-related elements like chalk soil from the Champagne region of France and colorful shards of wine glasses. The gourmet menu is coordinated with the extensive wine list for innovative pairings. Try the crispy duck wings, sweet potato samosas and slider trio.
Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Travel The Globe at Chicago’s World Music Festival
The Creole Choir of Cuba perform at the Chicago World Music Fest
Visit the Windy City this week and you can grab the added bonus of traveling around the world without any extra cost. The annual Chicago World Music Fest presents rhythms from around the globe , transporting listeners to exotic places like Mali, Cuba, Finland and Egypt. The 13th annual event takes place city-wide in multiple venues including museums. parks, theaters and clubs.
The non-stop melodies run From September 15-22 and feature world renowned artists sharing their music and culture. Today’s finale concerts feature a free Malian independence celebration in Daley Plaza, featuring Malian musician Sidi Toure as well as an all day concert, “One World Under One Roof,” at the Chicago Cultural Center that runs until 11:30 PM. Performers include Hawaiian band Kaumakaiwa Kanaka ‘ole, Finish musicians Frigg, Nawal Quartet from the Comoros Islands , Brock McGuire Band from Ireland and the Creole Choir of Cuba. This all-ages concert is free. After sampling such a diverse musical menu, head over to Rumba Restaurant for diverse cuisine and more live music and dancing. This elegant supper club offers Latin fusion dishes along with live Latin music. Start with Havana crab cakes or empanadas de la rumba and work your way to Caribbean steak or coconut and plantain encrusted sea bass and you’ll be fortified for the all night dancing.
Photo courtesy of Chicago World Music Festival
Discover an Odd Museum in a Small Ohio Town
We were in Milan, Ohio to visit the Edison Birthplace Museum and had been invited to checkout the Milan Historical Museum while we were in town. The two museums were only a couple of blocks apart and there didn’t appear to be anything else in Milan, so we figured “what the heck.” Two hours later, we left in awe of the bizarre collection that had been amassed by Milan citizens and historians.
The Milan Historical Museum complex includes nine buildings situated around a courtyard. Only two of these buildings actually have any historical significance while the others were either built specifically to showcase collectibles or converted from garages and storage sheds for the same purpose. It seemed odd, at first, this forced reverence to a history that hadn’t been carefully preserved. However the sheer volume of the items that jammed these old buildings – almost all donations from past and present town residents – indicated that history had in fact been treasured privately, if not on a larger scale. Everything from dolls to old potato diggers (which were once manufactured in the area) are part of the exhibit, and you get the feeling you’re wandering through an episode of American Pickers in some spots.
Among the various odds and ends are a few spectacular pieces, like the collection of vaseline glass that glows neon green under a black light due to traces of uranium. There’s also an impressive model of a massive ship that would have been built in one of the old shipyards when a canal still ran through the town in the early 1800s. Along side the pressed glass and wood craftsmanship you’ll also find a blunderbuss, a rare firearm used primarily in the 17th and 18th century.
The very existence of a historical museum in a town the size and significance of Milan, Ohio is an oddity. The collection of artifacts, then, is perfect.
Photo by Britt Reints
Minnesota Grown: Where to Find Fresh, Local Foods in Minnesota
As I was in my kitchen up to my elbows in apple juice that will become jelly tomorrow, travel was the last thing on my mind. At this time of year, it’s hard to find time to run for groceries, much less think of something fun to do.
But then I started thinking about grapes, and how nice it would be to have some grapes so that I could make grape jelly along with my apple jelly. We had nary a grape on our decades-old vine this year, so if I want grapes, I’m going to have to beg from my neighbors, or find a place to buy some.
One might think it could be difficult to find a place to buy some grapes for making jelly, but in Minnesota we have it easy. We have the Minnesota Grown Directory, available in both print and online formats, to direct us to farms that sell grapes or apples or meat or honey or other farm-to-market items in the state.
With just a few clicks of the mouse at minnesotagrown.com, I’d found five places within a reasonable driving distance that sell grapes, some for wine, some for juice and eating at the table, as well as contact information to learn about pricing and availability.
I’ve used Minnesota Grown before, often in the fall when looking for a new orchard to visit. It was through the Minnesota Grown Directory that I found Holmberg Orchard and others that have become favorites for family activities as well as sweet fall pickings. If I want to find a pumpkin patch for the kids, I turn to Minnesota Grown. Farmers’ markets, CSAs, Christmas tree farms, and more are also included in the directory.
The free print version of the Minnesota Grown Directory is updated each spring, and this year marks its 30th anniversary of being a resource for those looking for fresh, local food. If you’re looking for a new source of good food, or even a fun family fall outing in Minnesota, Minnesota Grown should be your first stop.
Photo credit: minnemom on flickr
Linda (minnemom) writes about family travel at Travels with Children.
Destination Guide – Celebration, Florida
Celebration has the flavor of a southern American village from the 1930s. Residential neighborhoods are clustered around a small, pedestrian-friendly downtown area. Market Street has a storybook atmosphere with a Caribbean flavor. Sided in brightly-colored stucco, the downtown buildings have wide overhangs, shutters, verandas, and arcades.