Midwest Guest

Dancing Waters Bed & Breakfast at Michigan's Les Cheneaux Islands

You wouldn't think that you'd find your next bed-and-breakfast stay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula while attending a boat show in East Lansing, but that's exactly how we found a little slice of heaven in Les Cheneaux Islands.

A lot of our most memorable stays happen mostly by chance. We may have a vague idea of where we want to travel, but end up finding a place to stay while looking for something else entirely.

Tim loves canoeing, but illnesses and a death in the family severely curtailed his canoeing opportunities on recent years. So, when he saw a notice for Michigan's Annual Quiet Water Symposium at Michigan State University in East Lansing this past March, he thought it might be a great way to see a few canoes, check out the latest quiet water sports gear and maybe learn a bit about other quiet water sports opportunities in the state.

We drove up to the conference with plans to check out the vendors' booths and attend a few lectures and demonstrations during the day-long event.

We'd previously decided to revisit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising this summer, and perhaps spend a bit more time in the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Quiet Water conference proved to be the perfect place to help us plan the rest of our trip to Michigan's U.P. as some Convention and Visitors' groups set up their booths alongside the kayaks, canoes, sailboats, outfitters, tour guides, outdoor gear companies on the convention floor.

We met Jim Struble as he helped at a booth promoting Les Cheneaux Islands.

Tim and I never visited the area just east of the Mackinac Bridge and on the northern shore of Lake Huron, but at about two  hours from Munising and at the extreme eastern end of the U.P., it fit right into our plans to see something new this trip north to the U.P.

Better yet, we found out that Jim and his wife Betty owned a little bed-and-breakfast in Cedarville, billed as having "the best view in the Cheneaux Islands".

We liked Jim and his enthusiasm for the Cheneaux region, so we booked one of the two guest rooms at his Dancing Waters Bed and Breakfast for a five-day stay in June.

The view from the bed-and-breakfast situated on the most southern point of Hill Island is certainly one of the best selling points at Dancing Waters, but Jim and Betty's hospitality definitely made us fall in love with the place.

We felt like family within hours of hitting the door, settling into the Lake view Room and getting acquainted with the Struble's dog Emma.

I loved visiting the cobble beach in front of the Dancing Waters to sit on the natural limestone bench near the shore and enjoy a 270-degree view of about a half dozen of the 36 Les Cheneaux Islands. You can even catch a glimpse of the Martin Reef Lighthouse from this point or enjoy some beautiful sunrises or sunsets.

It's possible to bring your own canoe or kayak to the B&B and dock it at the Dancing Waters' boathouse, which is an ideal place from which to explore the area's numerous protected channels and bays.

Even though Jim's boat was in for repairs, he arranged for us to have a sailboat tour of the islands with a friend of his!

The B&B is near the historic port towns of Cedarville and Hessel. We spent some time leisurely exploring the immediate area, but this is also a good base location for day trips up to Tahquamenon Falls, St. Ignace or Mackinac Island.

We planned this leg of our eastern U.P. trip as heavy on simply chilling, so we spent a good bit of time just relaxing on the B&B's front deck and getting some up-close-and-personal views of the deer coming to feed in the Struble's yard each day.

You won't go hungry at the Dancing Waters, either!

We had a hearty breakfast each day, often featuring Betty's homemade bread.

And when Betty discovered that I drink a lot of ice tea, even at breakfast, she made sure there was always a pitcher of ice tea available to me in the fridge.

The Dancing Waters B&B is open year round. Be forewarned that they do not take credit cards, so be prepared to pay by cash or check.

Want to learn more about Les Cheneaux Islands? Check out The Les Cheneaux Chronicles: Anatomy of a Community by Philip McM. Pittman or A Brief History of Les Cheneaux Islands, Some New Chapters of Mackinac History by Frank R. Grover.

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Timber Ridge Motel Suites and Lodge in Munising, Michigan

Local owners are often more enthused and informative about their lodging location and, in a case like Munising in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, you can save a lot of money staying in a locally owned motel versus a chain hotel.

We originally stayed at the Timber Ridge Motel and Lodge more than a decade ago at the suggestion of friends who stayed there in the past.

The nine-room motel sits in the Hiawatha National Forest about 10 miles from downtown Munising, which is also nice because you're staying off of a busy highway like M-28 and the price is literally 40 to 50 percent less than the prices I saw quoted for chain motels in town ($69 for a two-room suite at Timber Ridge versus as much as $140 for a room at a chain in town during June of 2013).

Not much had changed at the Timber Ridge since we last stayed there during the late 1990s. The small motel retains its 1950s-style cottage feeling, meaning that it isn't fancy, but it's very clean and comfortable.

The small motel and lodge hosts several photography workshops, and its location along a major snowmobile trail makes it ideal for winter sports enthusiasts. The motel is also located only a few miles away from Wagner Falls, which is one of my favorite waterfalls.

One of the best features of the Timber Ridge in our minds was the beautiful view of Hovey Lake we could enjoy from the balcony of our room.  One of my friends said it looked like a painting when she saw a photo I took from our balcony, and I think that it's an apt description.

Besides the great view, amenities we especially appreciated included a strong free Wi-Fi signal and the kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, coffee maker and dining table.

We had breakfast at the room several mornings of our most recent stay, but the Buckhorn Restaurant is only a quarter mile away from the Timber Ridge, and there are lots of choices for meals available by making the short drive into Munising.

The owners (the Nolan family) were readily available by phone (they live a few minutes off-site) and quickly solved problems like replacing a burned-out light bulb.

The two-room suite could easily accommodate four people with a queen-sized bed and a queen-sized sofa bed.

There is also a small game room with a pool table and a sauna available to Timber Ridge guests.

Visiting during the summer? Bug repellent is a must as mosquitoes always seem plentiful when we visit Munising at this time of the year. This time around, the bugs didn't seem too interested in us after we applied a little bug spray, so we were able to spend a little time during "happy hours" to enjoy the view from our balcony.

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Stay at the Sauder Heritage Inn to extend your Sauder Village visit

You can easily spend the better part of two days exploring the historic Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio, and booking an overnight stay at the neighboring Sauder Heritage Inn allows out-of-town visitors to easily make a weekend of visiting the village.

The 98-room country inn sits steps from the village entrance and includes many amenities to help make the most of your overnight visit.

The inn, built in 1994, recently underwent an expansion with a three-story addition to house a wing featuring an indoor pool, hot tub, pool deck, game room and exercise room.

Common areas like the lobby are comfortable places to sit or meet with a larger group.

I loved discovering numerous gathering spaces tucked around the grounds, including an outdoor seating area with a water feature, which a few ducks deemed a great place to relax as well!

I also loved the homespun touches with the inn's decor that included lots of beautiful quilts hanging on the walls and this unique QR-code quilt displayed in the lobby (yes, it works with a standard QR reader!).

If you prefer camping, the Sauder complex has a campground with 48spaces that include back-in sites and sites accessible for those with special needs that is near the village. Campers can use the inn's amenities like the indoor pool and hot tub, free Wi-Fi, game room access, laundry facilities, showers and, for a small extra fee, the inn's continental breakfast.

We enjoyed having a continental breakfast in the activity room under the "Great Oak", included with our room at the inn. The 25-foot-tall tree is a man-made marvel with a 35-foot canopy and a four-foot diameter trunk that offers a pleasant way to enjoy the feeling of dining al fresco.

We walked across the parking lot from the inn to enjoy dinner at The Barn Restaurant. The 350-seat restaurant was a dilapidated barn that sat on the Mose Stutzman farm just two miles northeast of Sauder Village when village founder Erie Sauder acquired it to restore as a restaurant.

Many folks couldn't envision what Sauder saw in the then-rickety structure, but today the restaurant has several spacious dining areas and serves more than 200,000 meals each year.

Can't decide what to eat? Give the restaurant's buffet a try.

The Sauder Village in Heritage Inn campus includes a Sauder Furniture store and outlet, the Founder's Hall performance and exhibition center, and the Doughbox Bakery.

We made sure we stopped at the bakery before leaving the area to take a taste of the village home with us. The peanut butter blossom and monster cookies were among our favorites.

The frozen cookie dough of frozen unbaked pies might have tempted us if we'd had a cooler or a shorter drive home!

Sauder Village and the campground are open from late April through late October, while the Sauder Heritage Inn, Doughbox Bakery, Sauder Furniture store and performance center are open year round.

Sauder Village is easy to find, just a few minutes off the Ohio Turnpike at exit 25 and about an hour's drive from Toledo, Ohio or Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Thanks to Sauder Village for providing village admission, lodging and meals during my recent visit for my review, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinions about the stay and experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for February 2013

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I read online this past month:

Which Four Presidents Call Cincinnati Home?-Terri has the answer to this question at The Wandering Educators blog. I've managed to visit the home towns of Presidents McKinley and Garfield in northern Ohio, so it was interesting to find out about more about the southern Ohio homes of William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant and William Howard Taft.

President Garfield's home in Mentor, Ohio

Palmer House lobby Chicago: A classic (and classy) hangout-Visiting or live in Chicago? Check out Pola's story in her Jetting Around blog about an elegantly beautiful way to spend an afternoon in an historic setting in her story about afternoon tea at the Palmer House hotel lobby.

St. Louis, MO: Top Day Trips for Kids-Join Adam and his family as they enjoy a few short day trips from their hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Check out their visits to Springfield (Illinois), as well as the Missouri towns of Hannibal, Hermann and Cape Girardeau at the Visit Flyover Country blog.

A weekend in Stevens Point, Wisconsin-Have you got a case of cabin fever? Grab the kids and check out Julie's suggestions at Road Trips for Families for spending a winter weekend in central Wisconsin.

Staying in a state park-I've stayed in several state park lodges in Ohio (Maumee, Punderson and Geneva-on-the-Lake), and I can't wait to try some of the suggestions for park cabins and lodges at parks in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin from the folks at the Midwest Weekends blog.

Cottage at Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio

Capturing winter's beauty-Check out this article chock-full of tips about winter photography at the Midwest Weekends blog. Learn a bit about taking photos in the snow and cold, as well as find suggestions for photography workshops in the Upper Midwest as you look ahead towards planning your travels next winter.

Dayton: Running into a Skyline Shot-Aaron turns a quick stop on a road trip (for a cup of coffee, of course!) into an opportunity to catch a nice skyline shot of Dayton, Ohio, along the Great Miami Rivera and a visit with aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Check it out at The Adventures of elATLboy blog.

Chicago Skyline from St. Joseph, Michigan-On a clear day, you can see Chicago from across Lake Michigan in the southwestern Michigan community of St. Joseph. Jasia shares her tips about capturing this unique view of Chicago at Discover St. Joseph.

New Deal WPA works in Cambridge City, Indiana-America's Depression-era Work Projects Administration program helped many workers feed their family through the 1930s by creating works to benefit the public. Many of the projects still exist today. I've visited some of them like a magnificent lodge in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and WPA buildings at the zoo in Toledo, Ohio. Join Jessica as she shows readers at little Indiana some WPA murals at post offices in Cambridge City and Attica.

Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, Michigan

Indianapolis' Early Automotive Roots-Midwest Guest readers may recall my tales of traveling the Lincoln Highway through West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana, as well as Carl Fisher, the "Father of the Lincoln Highway". Check out this story from Dennis at Historic Indianapolis about Fisher's early days in that city as a young bicycle shop owner, and Fisher's transition into the automotive industry

This wraps up another edition of my monthly Midwest travel links list.

Do you have any other favorite Midwest stories or blogs that I should check out?

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

The Kottage on the Korner in Suttons Bay, Michigan

We've visited the Traverse City area in northern Michigan many times over the years, staying in cottages, at large resorts and at little local motels.

This time, we opted to try one of our favorite styles of stays by booking nearly a week at a cute little bed-and-breakfast inn called the Korner Kottage in downtown Suttons Bay, which is a quick 20-minute ride north of Traverse City.

The 1920s Craftsman-style house sits, most appropriately, on a corner. It fronts M-22, one of my all-time favorite scenic drives, just outside of the wonderfully walkable downtown of the Village of Suttons Bay and a short block walk down to a nice municipal beach and marina along Lake Michigan.

We'd driven through Suttons Bay many times and spotted the house on the corner, but meeting innkeeper Linda Munro on Facebook and Twitter was part of the reason we ultimately booked our stay here last month.

The Korner Kottage is a romantic retreat for couples, which seems appropriate given the home's history started with the story of enduring love between an early 1900s lumberman and his sweetheart.

Martin Severson owned a sawmill and forested property in the area. He fell in love with Olise Olson and, in 1921, he began building a home in anticipation of the couple's future life together.

Olson accepted her beau's proposal in 1922, but there was a problem.

Her parents did not approve of the match.

But true love endures.

Time passed. The young couple became 40-year-olds. Olson's parents passed away, and the couple finally felt free to marry and live in the house that Severson built in Suttons Bay.

The house became the Korner Kottage B&B in 1980.

We stayed in the Paris room, a beautiful second-floor room overlooking the village and decorated with Parisian art and souvenirs that made you feel as if you were at an inn in the City of Lights itself.

Innkeepers Linda and Jim foster the feeling of romance and pamper their guests with amenities like 700-thread-count sheets, cozy bathrobes, lemon chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon and a full breakfast each morning.

We loved Jim's breakfasts, which stressed the use of locally grown and produced ingredients. One day, we had peach jam made by a local woman with locally baked bread. Other days we had breakfast entrees like stuffed French toast, an egg strata featuring local veggies and, always, fresh fruit and Linda's house-made Korner Kottage Krunch granola.

I also appreciated more practical amenities like free and easily accessible WiFi and a small fridge tucked into our closet that meant I could keep a ready supply of the ice tea on hand.

I always love B&Bs that have a house dog. One of my few regrets is that we didn't see much of the inn's Nestle Quik, a sweet and well-behaved dog, during our stay.

You can enjoy the Korner Kottage a home base and great place to relax after exploring the wineries, hiking trails, lakes, lighthouses and the northwestern Michigan foodie scene. Relax in your room, read in the parlor or sit a spell on the enclosed front porch to enjoy a glimpse of village life.

Be sure to check out the art at the Korner Kottage. We particularly enjoyed the quirky sheet-metal figures depicting various musicians by artist Alec Greaves scattered around the house and garden.

I've got to admit that the proofreader in me isn't wild about the Korner Kottage moniker, although I've occasionally threatened to dub the corner where I live as "King's Korner", but name aside, it's a great bed-and-breakfast with a personable style that stays away from being overly frilly as some period-style inns.

We stayed at the Korner Kottage during the week at the end of September, which I think may be one of the best times of the year to enjoy the place as a quiet retreat or spur-of-the-moment destination. The area is very popular during the summer, so you'll need to plan and reserve well in advance if you want to enjoy stay there during the hustle and bustle of the high tourist season.

If you want to take a little piece of the Korner Kottage experience home, you can always purchase some of Linda's granola at the B&B, in selected retail outlets around town, or via the Korner Kottage Web site. The rolled-oat, almond, pecan, pistachio, sunflower seed, flax seed, hemp seed, raisin, dried cherry and maple syrup mix is among the best granolas we've ever tasted, and it was nice to take this sweet reminder of our stay home with us.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Suttons Bay on Dwellable

Revisiting Ohio's Maumee Bay State Park Lodge

I originally visited Maumee Bay State Park Lodge a few years ago with a writers retreat group during a quiet weekend in early April and found it well-suited as host to a series of classes, breakout sessions and just slipping away to a cozy corner somewhere to write.

So what was it like when I recently revisited the state park resort near Toledo, Ohio during the height of a busy summer season?

I loved the opportunity to enjoy more of the lodge's recreational facilities and see how the experience differed from that quiet writers retreat.

This time, the weather was mostly clear and sunny. I enjoyed checking out the lodge's outdoor attractions like the 18-hole golf course, marina and Lake Erie beach. Most attractions are a very quick walk from the lodge, although bicycles and golf carts are also popular ways to get around the park.

I only had a couple of hours to explore the lodge on my own one afternoon, so I opted for taking one of the lodge's rental bikes for a ride around the park.

Geocachers will find lots of treasure to seek at Maumee Bay. I had time to grab one quick cache just off of the trail that circles the lodge during my bicycle ride, but there are more than a half dozen caches hidden inside of the park and others hidden just outside of the park.

New to geocaching? You rent a GPS and pick up some helpful hints for beginning cachers from the lodge's front desk.

I remember the food at my writers conference earning raves from everyone, which is difficult to pull off with a group meal that needs to meet a strict budget.

This time, I had a chance to sample the food at Maumee Bay's Water's Edge Restaurant and during a lakeside clam bake.

Chef Monica Jazwiecki served up imaginative dishes like a truly beautiful layered summer vegetable salad of locally grown zucchini, summer squash, baby eggplant and red onions with a parmesan crisp and dressed with tarragon vinaigrette, baby spinach, local heirloom tomatoes, roasted tomato dressing. Desserts like the grilled peaches and lemon basil ice cream with a pine nut crisp I had at the end of one dinner offered further evidence of her use of a wide range of flavors in unexpectedly great combinations.

Jazwiecki and her crew served up a classic meal for our clam bake that featured her seafood bisque, clams, sweet local corn on the cob, roasted potatoes and a whole steamed lobster (which was a great surprise treat for this lobster fan!).

I especially enjoyed watching the summer sun set from the lodge's expansive lawn fronting Lake Erie while our group enjoyed roasting s'mores over an open fire.

The lodge remained largely as I remember it from my first visit, but there was one change I particularly appreciated as someone whose work as a travel writer often sees me traveling with a computer or tablet to take notes, do a little research, write or edit photos during my travels.

Several years ago, you had to pay an Internet access of nearly $10 a day at the lodge, although I got a few dollars off of that as a conference discount when I was there with my writers group. The resort replaced those fees with a much smaller "tech fee" levied against rooms and cabins to cover costs for things like online access and local phone calls.

High charges for online access tacked on top of lodging charges is a personal peeve of many travelers, especially those who travel for business, so I'm glad to see this change at Maumee Bay.

This last trip was quick and packed with activity, but it was possible to grab a quiet moment enjoying the view from the patio of my lakeside room.

Even as the lodge hummed with activity, the resort's sprawling grounds and spacious facilities meant that you never felt as if it was overcrowded. The lodge rooms were a quiet retreat from the bustle of activity in the lobby, and over two dozen quiet sitting areas scattered through the lodge hallways and conference wing offered plenty of places for a quiet conversation or place to relax with a good book.

I look forward to seeing what new discoveries I'll make next time I revisit Maumee Bay.

Thanks to Xanterra Parks and Resorts and Maumee Bay State Park Lodge, which provided lodging, meals and on-site activities for my review, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinion about my stay and experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Discover Maumee Bay State Park Lodge at Discovering Ohio

I love a great image and happened to capture this one of a couple enjoying the Lake Erie sunset during my most recent visit to Maumee State Park Lodge just east of Toledo, Ohio.

I'd visited the lodge in the past, but my recent trip with a group of travel writers sponsored by the lodge and Xanterra Parks and Resorts was an opportunity to enjoy some familiar places, as well as a chance to further explore the park via bicycle, sample some great meals and get a behind-the-scenes look at other Toledo-area sites.

Check out my latest story at the Ohio Tourism Division's Discovering Ohio blog, Enjoying the sunset...and much more...at Maumee Bay State Park Lodge.

Also, look for more stories about the trip in coming weeks here at Midwest Guest.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Top 10 things to Play, Shop, Eat in Onekama

David Letterman has nothing on Jessie Voigts, who checks in today with a great "Top Ten" list of things to do in the northern Michigan town of Onekama. Her list (no surprise if you've read some of her stories here in the past!) starts off with an ice cream stop and includes more great suggestions for places to eat, shop, play and stay in town.

Onekama is a lovely small town on the Sunset Coast of Michigan, north of Manistee and south of Frankfort. It is on Portage Lake, which leads into Lake Michigan. Gorgeous flowers line the streets in the summer, the library has free Wi-Fi, there’s plenty of fish to go around, and much to see and do. If you’re in the area for a weekend (or a week!), try to hit these local gems:

Eat:

Ice Cream! Right next to the public park is Annie & Teddy’s Ice Cream shop. Perfect for warm summer evening concerts in the park, or a cool-down after a long day at the beach.

My favorite place is the Blue Slipper. (http://www.midwestguest.com/2012/04/foodie-finds-blue-slipper-bistro-onekama-michigan.html). They have delicious, fresh food and a convivial atmosphere. Be sure to get the balsamic dressing for your house salad – it’s amazing!

Eat at the Glenwood for a special occasion – their food is incredible and the view of Portage Lake is outstanding. I highly recommend the perch tower – but if you bring your own fish (yay you!), they’ll cook it up for you, just the way you want it. They also offer beef, lamb, pasta, seafood, and salads. Try their desserts or freshly baked breads.

Drink:

On your way to the big lake, toward Portage Point Inn, stop by the artesian well on the roadside. You’ll know it from the tall curving cedar trees that shelter it, and the line of cars that have stopped to fill their water bottles, or get a drink. Best water EVER.

Stay:

Where else, but the Portage Point Inn?  A century+ old inn, it’s also a yacht club, with moorings, tennis courts, and plenty of space for your boats.  If you need more space, there are also rental houses available in town, by the week.

Shop:

My favorite is the Lookout Shoppe, an upscale resale shop. I’ve found Dooney & Burke purses, a tortilla press, amazing jewelry, furniture, beautiful upscale clothes, and more. You never know what you’ll find on the racks and shelves, but you WILL find the owner, who’s always smiling and warmly welcomes us back each time.

Also hit up MacBeth & Co. With its beautiful white interiors and plenty of gifts, you’ll be sure to be in “lake mode” pretty quickly.

New this year is Lakeside Treats – where you can find up north clothes, books, treats, and toys galore. Forgot your kite? Find it here! A welcome addition to Onekama, for sure.

Play:

Next to the Ice cream shop is a public park. There are clean bathrooms, a boat ramp, concerts in the summer, a nice playground, and several covered shelters if your family’s too big to eat elsewhere (reunion time?). Each Memorial Day weekend, the local Garden Club has a huge plant sale in these shelters – get there early for the best selection from these master gardeners.

Lake Michigan!

Past the Portage Point Inn and the Onekama Sailing Club, on an extremely narrow, winding road, you’ll find Portage Point Beach. It’s one of my top 10 beach towns on Michigan’s Sunset Coast (http://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/top-10/top-10-beach-towns-michigans-sunset-coast.html) and here’s why: there’s a pier, a sheltered beach, a gazebo, and a wide, clear, clean sandy beach. There’s easy entry to the lake with smooth sand. And, of course, swimming in Lake Michigan is one of my very favorite things to do. A day at Portage Point Beach, and you’ll concur.

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com

Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2012 All rights reserved, used with permission

Kalahari Waterpark Resort: A bit of Africa in the Midwest

Feeling the need for a quick tropical getaway? Check out this report from Jessie Voigts about her family's adventures at the Kalahari Waterpark Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, and in the Wisconsin Dells.

If you’re at all like me, you want warmth in winter. Somewhere tropical, perhaps, to take the chill off the cold Michigan winters. In lieu of heading to Costa Rica, I’ve found somewhere closer to home that is perfect for a few days away – the Kalahari Waterpark Resort. There are two locations – the original location in the Wisconsin Dells, and in Sandusky, Ohio.

Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

The waterparks are an 86 balmy degrees. While this might not seem like it’s that tropical, add in the millions of gallons of rushing water, the skylights letting the sun beam in, and you’re one happy clam in the midst of winter.

Kalahari, Sandusky

Each Kalahari location has its own unique attractions. Both have an excellent indoor waterpark – a lazy river, many slides, a zip coaster, small kids play areas and slides, surfing on flowriders, hot tubs, wave pools, and more. That would be enough for anyone. Both have an outdoor waterpark area for warmer weather – outdoor pools, fountains, slides, and the like. And both have an extensive arcade area, with mini golf, arcade games, bowling, and lots of prizes (yes, your kids will love it). Each location has a spa. There are several restaurants and even wild animals brought in by rehabilitation places for people to see. But wait, there’s more!

Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

At the Wisconsin Dells location, there is an incredible indoor Theme Park, with a 6-story Ferris Wheel, ropes course, climbing wall, bowling, golf simulators, go-carts, arcade games, and our 7-year-old daughter's favorite, Laser Tag. Our family played Laser Tag for hours. It’s a nice break from the waterpark, if you’re a bit waterlogged.  At the Sandusky location, there is a zip lining course around the outdoor waterpark (in warm weather, of course).

Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

It’s a perfect family outing – there’s something for everyone to do, plenty of places to play, and the rooms are a tranquil oasis from the noise and activity. If you can only go on weekends, be aware that there will be huge lines for rides – it’s a very popular place to stay. If you can sneak away mid-week, it’s well worth it – fewer people, more time for rides, and plenty of room to stretch out and play.

Kalahari, Sandusky

For more information on the Kalahari Resort and Indoor Water Parks, please see
http://www.kalahariresorts.com

Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

Jessie tells me that Kalahari has an interesting history, which you can learn about at her Wandering Educators site. You can trace Kalahari's beginnings from a small local pizza shop in the Wisconsin Dells that developed into a popular 600-seat restaurant--a success that encouraged the owners to open what became Wisconsin's largest indoor waterpark with more than one million square feet that includes a 752-room resort. I've stopped to meet friends for lunch at the Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio, and that's pretty impressive as well!

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com

Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2012 All rights reserved, used with permission

Visit the Inn at Honey Run in Ohio's Amish Country

We enjoyed a serene getaway amid beautiful flowers and birds this past spring at the Inn at Honey Run, and I suspect this country inn tucked into the heart of Ohio's Amish Country would prove equally beautiful and relaxing at any other time of the year.

This bed and breakfast inn sits on 70 acres laced by walking trails, meadows and farmland in central Ohio's Holmes County, home to the world's largest Amish community.

The Amish communities of Millersburg and Berlin are close by, and we found the inn a perfect base from which to tour area cheese and country markets.

The Inn at Honey Run has about 40 guest rooms, suites or cottages. Many of the main lodge's two-dozen rooms have window walls or decks, but we opted to stay in one of the rooms in the Honeycombs, a unique building set into the earth overlooking meadow and farmland.

A soothing instrumental CD was playing as we first entered our room, and we spent time during our four-day stay bird watching and relaxing on our patio.

Bird watchers have identified over 100 species of birds visiting the habitat, bird feeders and bird houses that dot the grounds at Honey Run.

Spring is also a great time for checking out some of the 1,200 plant species folks have identified along the inn's nature trails. We were there just as the trilliums were in bloom, making for some nice photo opportunities.

Most of the nature trails at Honey Run are short, but a few of them can be a bit steep. Taking the trail up to the Honeycombs from the dining room was a bit of a workout after a full meal!

We ate breakfast at the inn every day during our stay and enjoyed dinner out on the deck one evening. Eating in the deck's treetop setting was a special pleasure as it was a bit cool and we had the deck to ourselves--kind of like having our own private dining room.

Tim enjoys dining on the deck

The restaurant recently announced the results of an ongoing renovation and rebranding under the guidance of Executive Chef Scott Fetty.

Fetty arrived at the inn in January 2010 after more than a decade as an instructor at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh. He developed a new menu and new identity for the inn's restaurant, announcing the new name, Tarragon, earlier this autumn.

Tarragon grows naturally in the region, and the name evokes the nature and natural colors surrounding the inn.

The food was great during our visit, but I'd love to go back and check it out again when we could sample meats, fish or cheese from the inn's onsite smokehouse.

The inn is within two hours of Cleveland and Columbus, but it is miles away from the big city in location and in spirit.

Established in 1982, it is one of a handful of Ohio inns on the Select Registry of luxury B&Bs. There are about 400 inns on the registry, which conducts regular inspections of each property. We received a guidebook listing all of the Select Registry inns when we checked out at the Inn at Honey Run.

The Inn at Honey Run is nice for a romantic getaway, special occasion or small conference. Children over the age of 12 can stay in the main lodge, but rooms at the Honeycombs are adults-only.

Wi-Fi is available in the main lodge, but connectivity is pretty much nonexistent in the Honeycombs. That was all right by me, as I had no problem scooting down to the main lobby for quick online check-ins and spending my time out at the Honeycombs with the birds and the stars in the night skies.

Don't expect a hot club scene or neon-lit nightlife in the area, but do expect a great atmosphere to relax and enjoy all that nature has to offer at Honey Run.

Check out the latest news on the Inn at Honey Run's site, which features links to its newsletter and blogs from the inn's chef and horticulturalist. You can also connect with the inn on Facebook or Twitter.

Want to know more about our trip to Holmes County? Read Amish cheese and more in Holmes County, Ohio and Driving in Amish Country.

Learn more about the Amish and Mennonite communities in Holmes County with Holmespun: An Intimate Portrait of an Amish and Mennonite Community by Laura Hurwitz.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved