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Above: Enjoy the magic of a winter woods during a hike at Brown County State Park in southern Indiana. Brown County CVB photo
Below: Skate with the family at Crown Center’s Ice Terrace in Kansas City. Warm up later at a local steak house for great food and hot jazz. Kansas City Metropolitan photo |
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These six Midwest winter getaways–all a day’s drive away (or less)–include great activities, welcoming accommodations and comforting food. Bundle up, turn your face to the wind and have a blast.
Eagle watching in Alton
American bald eagles–following the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers–arrive in Alton, Ill., each year to fish in open waters. Although eagles can arrive as early as mid-November, the best viewing is mid-December through the end of winter.
It’s possible to spot an eagle while driving along the scenic Great River Road (state Highway 100) between Alton and Grafton, but you’ll have a better chance of an encounter by taking a tour.
Free eagle tours are offered through Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton. Meet at the park’s visitor center on the Great River Road at 8:30 a.m. and join Site Interpreter Scott Isringhausen on a full-day tour that starts with an orientation lecture followed by a brief ride across the river on the Brussels Ferry. The tour continues north to Hardin after a stop at Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge at Swan Lake to see eagles and other migratory and water fowl. A lunch break at Barefoot Restaurant that overlooks the river closes out the morning and the group continues on the tour, returning around 3 p.m. Participants are responsible for lunch and transportation, although the first dozen or so to make a reservation can ride in the park’s van with Isringhausen.
“I’ve been doing these tours for about 17 years and we’ve always seen eagles,” he said. But make reservations early, because he can take up to 50 people per day on the 50-mile round-trip. A schedule is on the Alton Convention and Visitor Bureau’s Web site. The bureau also produces an informative Eagle Watchers’ Guide. Pick one up for free at the bureau’s office on Piasa Street in Alton.
Want a tour but can’t invest a full day? Sign up at the bureau for a 75-minute trip with Bluff City Tours that orientates visitors to eagle watching and includes a short jaunt to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton. Then, with your Eagle Watchers’ Guide in hand, you’re free to explore other sites, ride the ferry, grab a bite at a local restaurant or shop. Early risers might consider The Mississippi Half Step in Grafton for a Bald Eagle Breakfast, rib-sticking biscuits, eggs, gravy and more for about $5–$7.
Last year I traveled the Great River Road but couldn’t find a single eagle. What’s the trick to spotting these birds?
“I tell people to look for a white baseball in a tree and there will be an eagle attached to it,” Isringhausen said, adding an eagle gets the distinctive white head when it reaches maturity at 5 years of age.
The Alton area has overnight accommodations, largely bed-and-breakfast rooms, some with excellent river views. Pere Marquette Lodge has a $99 eagle-watching package Sunday through Thursday that includes welcome cheese and glass of wine in their tasting room and a $10 certificate for breakfast in the restaurant, which is good enough to have its own following. The package isn’t offered on weekends when rates are higher. After a day of eagle watching, come in from the cold and warm up at the immense stone fireplace in the lobby. Guests can take a warming whirlpool soak, sauna or a dip in the indoor pool. Call (618) 786-2331 or visit www.pmlodge.net for reservations.
A new twist for eagle-watching families is the addition of geo-caching. Caches can be found at several eagle-related sites. Rent a GPS at the visitor center if you don’t already have one.
And as Illinois celebrates the bicentennial of President Lincoln’s birth, ask for Alton’s new guide to the Lincoln and Civil War Legacy Trail, an easy walking tour that’s filled with history. For information about visiting Alton, call (800) 258-6645 or click on www.VisitAlton.com.
Skiing (and more) in Galena
Tucked in the northwestern corner of Illinois, Galena looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. Although most visitors come for striking fall foliage, winter in Galena has its own charm.
Jo Daviess County is a Midwest skier’s dream and Chestnut Mountain Resort accommodates every level of skier. Snowboarders have a home here, too, and the lodge has overnight accommodations.
The AAA three Diamond Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa has winter recreation for those of us who seek fewer thrills. Northern Illinois gets an average of 30 inches of snow annually, which makes it easy to try cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or sledding. Enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride and cuddle under warm blankets. Sore muscles find relief at the resort’s Stonedrift Spa. For reservations, call (800) 892-2269 and ask about the AAA discount.
Come in from the cold for Glaze and Graze offered by two local businesses. On Friday evening, create a three-piece bisque dinnerware set at the Artists’ Annex Pottery Studio on Spring Street. Visit The Great Galena Cookery upstairs on Saturday evening and make a gourmet meal that will be served on your new dinnerware. Reservations are $120 per person and include the two classes, the dinnerware, a recipe folder and the meal. Call (815) 777-0354 for more information.
Round out a ski weekend by browsing galleries and shops, taking in a community theater performance or listening to live music.
For information about visiting Galena, call the convention and visitors bureau (877) Go Galena (877-464-2536) or visit www.galena.org.
Southern Indiana’s winter woods
The beauty of the woods in winter has been frozen in time by poet Robert Frost (“the woods are lovely, dark and deep…”), and while enjoying his poem curled up in a chair by a fire is good, experiencing nature at Brown County State Park in Nashville, Ind., is better.
The eighth annual winter hike will be at 9 a.m. on Jan. 17. Two self-guided trails take hikers through scenic areas of the state’s largest park and interpreters discuss how wildlife survive in winter. Warm up at shelter houses on the trails. Have breakfast at 7 a.m. with naturalists or enjoy a buffet lunch after your hike at Abe Martin Lodge. Hiker’s fee is $1 per person, breakfast is $8 and lunch $9. Make sure to try the area’s specialty: fried biscuits with apple butter.
Cozy accommodations in the park are available at Abe Martin Lodge, and the new indoor water park brings a touch of summer fun to a cold winter day. Ask about the winter special, two nights for the price of one night, available through February. Call the lodge at (877) 563-4371 or click on www.indianainns.com for reservations. The state park office number is (812) 988-6406.
For information about visiting Brown County, call (800) 753-3255 or visit www.browncounty.com.
Hit the trails in Iowa
Most state parks in Iowa have trails suitable for cross-country skiers and snowmobiles. If you have the gear for this type of winter fun, check out one of the parks, such as Elk Rock that is south of Des Moines. With 13 miles of trails for skiing and snowmobiling, Elk Rock can provide great outdoor recreation.
For a touch of European ambiance, stay and play in Pella, about 10 miles east of Elk Rock State Park. Probably best known for the tulips that bloom in May, Pella provides guests with diversions like the Historical Village with the wind-powered Vermeer Mill that grinds wheat into flour. The molengracht, Dutch for mill canal, starts at the mill and winds through the middle of downtown. Buildings that reflect 18th century Dutch architecture dot brick pedestrian paths, and a full-size working drawbridge spans the canal.
Take in this European streetscape from your room at the Royal Amsterdam Hotel on East First Street, which offers a winter special of $79 a night for a standard room. There’s also a two-night weekend package for two for $300 and includes money to spend at Monarchs restaurant, flowers, chocolates, wine or champagne and two movie passes. Start your dinner with the house salad that includes eggs, bacon and mayonnaise-mustard poppy seed dressing. Follow that with the Dutch spiced beef served with red cabbage and potatoes. This meal at Monarchs will surely warm you.
For information about Elk Rock State Park, call (641) 842-6008 or visit www.iowa dnr.gov. To visit Pella, contact the local chamber at (888) 746-3882 or www.pella.org.
Extreme outdoor fun
Imagine diving into a frigid lake, ice floating at the surface, and living to tell about it. Each year, thousands of people across Missouri do just that to raise money for the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge now in its 14th year.
Mandi Mueller, public relations coordinator for Special Olympics Missouri, said the dozen Polar Bear Plunges last year raised about $550,000 with more than 2,000 participants diving into the fundraiser.
“We love it because it’s so unique,” she said. “People do it as a way to beat the winter blues.”
At Lake of the Ozarks State Park last year, more than 500 participants–many dressed in costume–took the plunge at Grand Glaize Beach. This year, the event at the lake will be Feb. 28 with a separate three-mile Polar Bear Strut starting at 10 a.m. followed by the plunge at 2:30 p.m.
And no matter the weather, the event goes on as planned.
“Most water temps are mid-30s. Lake of the Ozarks was 37 degrees last year,” she said.
With about a dozen events planned across Missouri, it’s likely a Polar Bear Plunge will be near your hometown in February, but for those who want to travel to Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri for the event, treat yourself afterwards to a Japanese cleansing ritual, a signature treatment at Spa Shiki located at The Lodge of Four Seasons. The 110-minute treatment costs about $190.
For Polar Bear Plunge registration information, visit www.somo.org/plunge or call (800) 846-2682 . For lodge or spa information, call (800) THE-LAKE (800-843-5253) or visit www.4seasonsresort.com.
Skating in Kansas City
In Kansas City, Crown Center’s Ice Terrace is open for its 36th season. The city’s only public outdoor skating rink is a winter tradition for date night or a family outing.
Crown Center spokesman Chris Ronan said guests skate to music, and concessions–like coffee and hot chocolate–keep skaters toasty. Lessons are available for those of us with rusty skating skills. Interested guests can call (816) 274-8411 for details.
Ice Terrace admission is $6 and skate rental is $3. Skaters 60 and older or younger than 5 are admitted for free.
After skating, warm up with some hot jazz at The Majestic Steakhouse, 931 Broadway Blvd. Enjoy that Kansas City steak while listening to jazz. Can’t splurge on a steak? Warm up with a glass of wine or cocktail at the downstairs jazz bar, which was originally a speakeasy back in the day. Laren Mahoney, communications manager for the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, recommends the Majestic on Friday or Saturday night when the Bram Wijands Trio plays.
Mahoney also suggested Jardine’s Restaurant & Jazz Club or Plaza III Steakhouse.
Come to Kansas City before Jan. 11 and catch the final glimpse of the holiday lights at the center and Country Club Plaza.
For more information, contact the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association at (800) 767-7700 or www.visitkc.com.
A plus to living in the Midwest is the ability to experience all four seasons. Don’t shortchange winter and all it can offer. Get out and enjoy.
Deborah Reinhardt Palmer is managing editor of AAA Midwest Traveler.
