Out in the open - KitTravels.com

TRAVEL ACTIVE GETAWAY
Out in
the open
When the forecast
is all blue skies,
plan a weekend
getaway around one of
these escapades.
Fun inn
the su
WRITER
Kit Bernardi
Flying
high
This is what ziplining sounds like: It
The three-hour zip-lining adventure
crosses 35 acres of dense trees and
sandstone bluffs bordering the Shawnee
National Forest near Makanda, Illinois,
about 115 miles southeast of St. Louis.
Each segment of the gravity-fed cable
system provides woodsy views and a
thrill as you glide along the course. Zip
No. 6 swoops 40 feet above the forest
floor; No. 8 runs more than 1,000 feet
long and clocks up to 40 mph. In addition
to the zip lines, three short hikes between
platforms squeeze past giant boulders
and cross suspension bridges.
A 20-minute “flight school” prepares
you for the course, covering the how-tos
of launching, riding and breaking at the
end of each zip. But nothing can quite
prepare you for the first heart-pumping
step off a platform high above the ground
and then suddenly, flying.
10
JUNE 2014 | MIDWEST LIVING
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF SHAWNEE BLUFFS CANOPY TOUR
starts as a low hum and then revs up to
a soprano trill as you gain speed. The
aria is broken only by shrieks of delight
as tourgoers zoom through the forest
on a Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour.
TRAVEL ACTIVE GETAWAY
MORE TO
EXPLORE
The Shawnee National Forest
region has al fresco activities,
farm-fresh eats and a cozy
stay. For information, contact
the Southernmost Illinois
Tourism Bureau (800/2484373; southernmost
illinois.com).
What to do
Cobden Peach Festival See
the Peach Queen, dig into
cobbler and enjoy a carnival
ride at Cobden’s annual
stone-fruit celebration, August
1–2 this year (southern
mostillinois.com).
Giant City Stables This
Makanda outfitter leads
horseback rides on the trails of
the Shawnee National Forest;
hour ride, $45 (618/529-4110;
giantcitystables.com).
Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour
The year-round three-hour
course in Makanda costs $85
(855/386-9477;
shawneezip.com).
Shawnee Hills Wine Trail A
dozen wineries dot the
30 miles of this trail
(shawneewinetrail.com).
Where to eat
The Blue Boar Restaurant
Platters of house-smoked
barbecue, Cajun-style cooking
and rum-sauced bread
pudding draw hungry travelers
to Cobden (618/833-7788;
theblueboarrestaurant.com).
Giant City Lodge Tucked into
Giant City State Park, the
lodge serves family-style
chicken dinners and
just-like-Grandma’s biscuits
and gravy (618/457-4921;
giantcitylodge.com).
Where to stay
Makanda Inn Experience
tasteful design, friendly
hospitality and a hot
multicourse breakfast at this
inn. From $119 (618/697-7929;
makandainn.com).
COBDEN PEACH
FESTIVAL
PHOTOGRAPHS: (LODGE) JOHN NOLTNER, (PEACHES) BOB STEFKO
GIANT CITY
LODGE
TRAVEL ACTIVE GETAWAY
A charming small town and a
walkable downtown make Auburn,
Indiana, a great hub for a golfing
weekend. For information, contact
the DeKalb County Visitors Bureau
(260/927-1499; dekalbcvb.org).
Drive time
The thwack of a golf club hitting a ball briefly
interrupts early-morning birdsong at the tee box
at Bridgewater Golf Club in Auburn, Indiana.
And at Cherry Hill Golf Club in Fort Wayne,
17 miles south. And in Marion’s Walnut Creek
Golf Course, 65 miles north of Indianapolis.
These three courses, plus a few more, are
conveniently located along Interstate-69,
running from Indy north to Fort Wayne and
points beyond. If you’re planning a golf-centric
getaway, the formal I69 Golf Trail provides a
great starting point. But you don’t have to stick
to the trail to have a weekend full of engaging
and challenging golf.
What to do
Golf Within easy driving distance
of Auburn’s Bridgewater Creek
Golf Club (260/925-8184;
bridgewatergc.com) is country
clublike Cherry Hill Golf Club in
Fort Wayne (260/485-8727;
cherryhillgc.com) and Walnut
Creek Golf Course, a familyowned course in Marion (765/9987651; walnutcreekgolf.com). The
I69 Golf Trail website highlights
other courses (i69golf.com).
Rounds with a cart start at $30; call
ahead to reserve tee times.
Auburn Cord Duesenberg
Automobile Museum Car-lovers
cruise the luxury car
manufacturer’s 1920s Art Deco
showroom near Auburn’s Main
Street (260/925-1444;
automobilemuseum.org).
National Automotive and Truck
Museum of the United States
Adjacent to the automobile
museum, this former car factory
displays some 190 speedsters,
muscle cars and trucks (260/9259100; natmus.org).
Where to eat
Mad Anthony’s Tap Room Sip
Gabby blonde ale in the tap room
of this local brewery (260/9270500; madbrew.com).
Where to stay
Inn at Windmere Expect spacious
guest rooms at this bed-andbreakfast; from $115 (260/9253303; innatwindmere.com).
PHOTOGRAPH: BRIAN CONFER
MORE TO
EXPLORE
TRAVEL ACTIVE GETAWAY
BREAKFAST AT
MARIGOLD
KITCHEN
MORE TO
EXPLORE
Lakes and a famous market
encourage outdoor fun in
Wisconsin’s capital city. To plan
your trip, contact the Greater
Madison Convention and Visitors
Bureau (608/255-2537;
www.visitmadison.com).
What to do
walk: newbies start on their knees then spend
some shaky time mastering how to rise and
balance. But the learning curve proves short.
“Within 10 minutes, most of our students are
ready to stand up,” says Gary Stone, who owns
Paddleboard Specialists at Lake Mendota in
Madison, Wisconsin.
The smooth, no-wake lake is ideal for learning
standup paddleboarding (SUP) and getting
comfortable with unfamiliar equipment. A wide,
flat board provides plenty of stability (some
peace-seekers even practice yoga on their
boards), and a wide paddle produces maximum
propulsion with minimum effort.
Perhaps that’s why SUP is one of the fastest
growing sports in the country. In a 2013 report,
the Outdoor Foundation noted that SUP drew
more first-timers than any other outdoor sport.
So if you decide to give this rising sport a shot,
don’t worry about the shaky start—you’ll be in
good company.
16
JUNE 2014 | MIDWEST LIVING OUT & ABOUT
Where to eat
Marigold Kitchen Brioche
French toast and pancakes fuel a
day on the water (608/661-5559;
marigoldkitchen.com).
Tipsy Cow This pub’s farm-totable focus makes for überfresh
goat-cheese curds and burgers
(608/287-1455;
tipsycowmadison.com).
Where to stay
Hyatt Place Nestled between
lakes Mendota and Monona, this
hotel puts much of Madison in
walking distance. From $149
(608/257-2700; madison
downtown.place.hyatt.com).
PHOTOGRAPHS: (PADDLEBOARD) ALI STONE, (BREAKFAST) BOB STEFKO
Paddle
power
Learning to paddleboard is a bit like learning to
Paddleboard Specialists Take
75-minute standup
paddleboarding lessons for
$45, including gear (877/473-1199;
paddleboardspecialists.com).
Dane County Farmers Market
On Saturday mornings yearround and summer Wednesday
mornings, stroll the largest
producer-only farmers market in
the nation (608/455-1999;
dcfm.org).
Betty Lou Cruises Hop aboard a
yacht for a history-filled tour of
lakes Mendota and Monona
(608/246-3138;
bettyloucruises.com).