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Fall Drives 2007

(page 3 of 4)

 

Caribou Highlands Lodge

www.caribouhighlands.com

Caribou Highlands Lodge is in a prime North Shore location for enjoying fall’s flashy fashion show. Nestled in Lutsen’s Sawtooth Mountains on the shores of Lake Superior, this family-friendly resort offers colorful views of the changing leaves that could rival a Norman Rockwell painting.

“The panoramic Lake Superior view gives access to the best overlook, anywhere, bar none,” says Barbara Swenson, marketing director. “They say you can see for 100 miles from that vantage point.”

Views on the gondola ride up to the top of Moose Mountain and the vista view from the back side “will take your breath away,” Swenson says. “Bring your camera because words can’t describe the bounty of beauty.”

In addition to brilliant fall colors, the area is known for exceptional hiking along leaf-covered trails, birding, canoeing, and mountain biking.

Courtesy of Eric O'Link

Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior

www.bluefinbay.com

When the autumn air turns chilly, there’s no better place to warm up than Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior, located along Old Highway 61 in the Lutsen-Tofte area. Stay in a seaside vacation home and take advantage of crackling fireplaces, private Jacuzzis, an indoor pool and spa, moonlight strolls, and bonfires on the beach.

Bikers can pedal down the Gitchi-Gami Trail to appreciate autumn in all of its colorful glory. The resort is ten minutes from the Lutsen Mountain Ski Area, with excellent mountain biking terrain and beautiful views of the
changing leaves.

Lutsen Resort

www.lutsenresort.com

Lutsen Resort, just a few miles from Bluefin Bay, is all about blue skies, crisp air, and colorful hillsides during the fall. Lutsen Resort’s “Autumn Women’s Adventure Weekend” from September 14-16; and an all-inclusive “Women’s Retreat” November 1-3 give women a chance to experience the North Shore in a unique way.

The adventure weekend is an active vacation for women of all ages and adventuring experience, says Adam Harju, Lutsen Resort’s activities and recreation director. Activities include sunset hikes, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, kayaking on Lake Superior, yoga, massage, and relaxation. All guide services, equipment, meals, and accommodations are included.

The women’s retreat gives busy women a chance to relax and rejuvenate with massages, guided hikes, natural crafts, scrumptious meals, and wine, cheese, and dessert tastings.

In addition to organized weekends, there are a number of ways guests can take in the fall foliage at this family-friendly northwoods resort. They can go on a driven fall color tour (complete with a stop at a local maple syrup farm), hike along the Superior Hiking Trail, or admire the changing colors from a kayak or canoe on Lake Superior.

“Lutsen Resort is the best place to be in the fall,” says Harju, who loves taking guests out sea kayaking on warm autumn days. Because Lutsen Resort is bordered by the expanse of Lake Superior on one side and mountains of fall color on the other, kayakers and canoers have one of the most unique leaf-viewing vantage points in the state.

Photo from www.thunderbay.ca/media.com

OLG Casino Thunder Bay

www.visitthunderbay.com

OLG Casino Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada is only 45 minutes from the Pigeon River U.S. border crossing off Highway 61.

Located in a Lake Superior harbor just minutes from Marina Park, the casino was designed around the rich shipping history of Lake Superior and Thunder Bay. Ante up for exciting game action in an authentic northwestern Ontario setting, complete with a newly-renovated Winner’s Circle and gaming floor.

While visiting, take in the fall colors at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park or the largest pedestrian suspension bridge spanning Quimet Canyon. Add to this urban parks and trails, exceptional dining, unique hotels and B&Bs, live theatre, a range of galleries, and cultural attractions, and it’s easy to see why Thunder Bay is an ideal fall destination.

Bayfield

www.bayfield.org

Take Highway 13 east from Duluth, up the peninsula, to Bayfield, Wisconsin for a magnificent display of autumn color. “Bayfield is the most beautiful place you could want to be,” says Mary Motiff, marketing manager for the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a hidden treasure. People forget it’s so close, and it’s such an incredible place.”

Situated along Lake Superior’s shoreline at the furthermost tip of Wisconsin, this quaint harbor town not only becomes a kaleidoscope of color in the fall months, it becomes host to numerous festivals and theme weekends.

The Apple Festival, rated among the “Top Ten Festivals in North America” by the Society of American Travel Writers, draws 60,000 visitors to the area for orchard tours, apple treats, games, parades, plays, contests, and entertainment.

A less crowded time to visit the area is during the Scarecrow Festival and Orchard Tours from mid-September through the end of October, Motiff says. “It’s a great way to experience the beauty of the area and the harvest of the season in a more laidback atmosphere,”
she comments.

Besides choosing your favorite scarecrow, you can do some apple and berry picking, sample apple cider and other apple treats, go on a hayride, visit a winery, navigate a field maze, go to a barn dance, or take a lantern-lighted Ghost Walk to hear tales of hidden treasure, undying love, ghostly apparitions and ancient legends. Other fun Bayfield activities include cruises, sailboat rides, hiking, biking, golfing, shopping and great dining, all amidst the beauty of fall colors.

Stay at the Old Ritten House Inn during the fall and enjoy themes ranging from the Fall Brew Weekend to the Red Wine Weekend. Visit Bayfield from September 5-26 for the Apostle Islands lighthouse celebration, or stay from October 16-17 for the Chefs Cooking Class at the prestigious Wild Rice Restaurant. Wine selection and wine-food pairings are emphasized during this day-long workshop. Once the aprons are cast-off, sit down to enjoy the four-course gourmet dinner you helped create.

Madison

www.visitmadison.com

Head down the Mississippi River to Madison, Wisconsin by going south on Highway 61 to 10, crossing over Wisconsin onto Highway 35, then taking the Great River Road into LaCrosse.

“Anywhere along the Great River Road is a good place to stop, look, and take a picture,” says Tom Farley, director of marketing with the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In LaCrosse, continue along Highway 14, straight down University Avenue into the heart of Madison.You’ll be welcomed by the Capitol, the historic University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, and tree-lined streets on fire with autumn intensity.

Three Saturdays in September, the city will explode with Badger mania, with proud fans sporting their red everywhere from Camp Randall to State Street to the nearby communities of New Glarus, Mt. Horeb, and Stoughton. September 1 and 2 also kicks off the “Taste of Madison” around Capital Square, featuring multi-cultural restaurants and local fare (including the much-loved bratwurst).

“Madison is a special place that allows visitors to truly experience the local flavor, as a local would,” Farley comments.

On Sunday, September 9, visitors can cheer on nearly 2,000 athletes as they swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles during the annual Ford Ironman Wisconsin, the ultimate test of strength and endurance.

Don’t miss a trip to the family-friendly Henry Vilas Zoo and Madison Children’s Museum, or a chance to admire the natural beauty of Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the 1,260-acre UW-Arboretum, the perfect spot to appreciate fall colors.

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