It’s a different take on Winter Break. American Historic Inns, Inc. has compiled a list of holiday getaways that are memorable and special not only for their locations at some of our best bed and breakfasts on www.iloveinns.com, but also for their vacation packages that take the traveler out of the malls and into the snow for a truly memorable holiday.
A Dickens of a Christmas
Put on your bonnet and party like Charles Dickens. The Victorian Winter Weekend at Hansen House Mansion in Chicago combines fine dining, magic shows, and Victorian sing-alongs. Guests can also take a walking tour of the Nineteenth-Century homes that line the street of this Old Town district within a bright, busy city. Then take a long soak in a vintage claw-foot bathtub with homemade bath salts. It’s a different way to experience history that’s reminiscent of your favorite winter tales like Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol.”
Hot Chocolate Sleigh Rides
Retro is the new extreme for winter sports: instead of skiing, try a sleigh ride. Several of our mountain inns offer this quaint alternative to skiing and snowboarding. At the Wild Horse Inn, guests can enjoy the winter weather with a cup of hot chocolate in a horse-drawn sleigh. The Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vermont prides itself on its “on trail” snowmaking technology that paves a clear path for their horse-drawn sleighs and dog sleds. It doesn’t take any grace or speed of your own to take a ride with these beautiful animals.
Private Paths for Cross-Country Skiing
If you can’t wait to ski, you’ll have the Run of the River in Leavenworth, Washington. Make your trip unique by getting away from crowded winter hot spots (or rather, cold spots.) Run of the River is off the beaten path, promising no lift lines and private tracks for cross-country skiing.
Equestrian Weekend
The Inn at Clamber Hill in central Mass. has teamed up with Windswept Farms to provide EIGHT hours of riding instruction spread over three days with renowned New England trainer/instructor Wendy Warner in Windswept's indoor arena. No matter the weather or your skill level, inside the equine clinic, both you and your horse will be spoiled and pampered. The weekend also includes breakfasts, lunch buffets, cocktail hours and three 3-course dinners.
Art in the Snow
There’s no better way to think outside the gift box than a weekend with the arts. Blue Ridge Mountain Inn has a “Winter Clay Experience Weekend” of pottery classes set in the snowy mountains of Stanardsville, Virginia. Take the wheel and make your own gifts this year. The professional artists of Blue Ridge Pottery will teach you pottery wheel and hand-building basics. The tasteful décor alone of this five-room inn will inspire confidence that you’ll leave with a masterpiece as well as a memory.
Culinary Weekend
Branch out into the culinary arts with a wine and cheese class at Biscuit Hill in Canyon Lake, Texas. This Saturday course unravels the mysteries of pairing wine and cheese to help guests work their way through the sixteen vineyards and wineries that line the nearby Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. Choose a new favorite wine to take home and toast the New Year.
However you celebrate the holidays, our “Unique Winter Weekends” will help this year stand out like the shiny nose of Santa’s favorite reindeer. Winter will never be the same.
Hansen House Mansion
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/illinois/hansenhousemansion.htm
Wild Horse Inn
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/colorado/wildhorse.htm
The Moutain Top Inn
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/vermont/mountaintopresort.htm
Run of the River
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/washington/runofriver.htm
The Inn at Clamber Hill
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/massachusetts/clamberhill.htm
Blue Ridge Mountain Inn
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/virginia/blueridgemountaininn.htm
Biscuit Hill
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/texas/biscuithill.htm
Still undecided? Log onto www.iloveinns.com and browse through the 19,000 B&Bs and country inns that specialize in other events and locations that may interest you. Many of the properties listed above are also in the best-selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with a Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Certificate. ILoveInns also offers Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificates, a perfect solution to help celebrate any occasion.
About American Historic Inns and iLoveInns.com
American Historic Inns, Inc. (www.iloveinns.com), founded in 1981, is the leading publisher of bed & breakfast guidebooks, with more than 2.5 million bed & breakfast guidebooks sold, and runs iLoveInns.com, a top bed & breakfast and country inns directory.
Note: For photos or interviews, please contact Deborah Sakach at 949-497-2232, ext. 308.
