Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) began 75 years ago with a community of climbers in search of quality outdoor gear. It has now grown to 129 stores, eight in Colorado alone. But Denver is a “flagship” store, making it a must-see if you are in town. A flagship store in the retail world means a large store with unique features that stands out as a showcase for the brand. In other words, not your everyday shopping experience.
If you like horses, country music, fried food, beer, a thrilling ride down a steep bluff in the back of a pickup truck, and sitting inside a large cave, then Tuscumbia, Alabama, has a spot just for you. Seven Springs Lodge and Rattlesnake Saloon are located on a 6,000-acre plot of land on Mount Mills Road. Just turn left at the sign pointing to the Coon Dog Cemetery. (Yes, Coon Dog Cemetery. Think Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas in the movie Sweet Home Alabama.) It’s off of Highway 157/Alternate Highway 72 West. Meander around the curves and woods on Highway 247, and you’ll be getting close.
This is The Berry Barn, a unique combination of working U-pick farm, plant nursery, garden and gift shops, restaurant, and wedding event venue — a mini-getaway in a unique country setting, a family-friendly destination where you can pick berries, shop, eat, or simply relax.
Gerbaud Chocolates is a versatile facility designed to host many different kinds of activities and events: shopping, workshops, tea room, themed tastings, and live production of chocolates. It is a large, modern, bright space that is unique among the many old-fashioned chocolate shops that surround it.
The local experience of the chefs may influence the comfort level the kitchen has with working with local pork and duck, Carolina coastal shrimp and oysters, South Carolina peaches and figs, and a variety of squashes, peas, beans, and greens.
From the oven to your table, the pizza arrives in uncut, unadulterated layers of cheese, vegetables, meats, even fried eggs. It is your duty — nay, your pleasure — to slice into it yourself, fold the thin pieces over like a sandwich, and slip them into your mouth before all the toppings slide out. For the traveler and Milanese alike, stomachs stretch like reptilian jaws after a day of city walking, so there’s no need to feel guilty at eating a whole pizza yourself. Your neighboring diners surely will.
With their “grain-to-glass” philosophy, it’s the ideal setting, from the ingredients (grains including rye, wheat, malting barley, and potatoes) harvested from local Alberta farms, to the water from the Canadian Rockies, to the history of Turner Valley’s prohibition times of the 1920s.
Gingerly I step through the crumbling watchtower at Samatai West and onto the Great Wall of China. I will never forget that first moment. The wall snaking off in either direction as far as the eye can see, the trail undulating up and down along the crest of the mountain ridge. It stops you in your tracks. It takes your breath away. Steep, narrow trails up to watchtowers where guards in centuries past would have watched for invaders, followed by crumbling steps down the other side where we would pick our way carefully and make our way back down.
Charleston, South Carolina is a food town. Good old southern cooking is available, but so is fresh farm to table cuisine. Located at 18 Pinckney Street in the historic district is a charming old house off the beaten path with culinary magic happening inside.
The golden sun sparkling on the rolling sea, the salty wind kissing my cheeks, and a massive gray whale skimming through the water before diving down below — for years I had dreamed of beholding this blue ballet up close from a whale watching boat. Alas, what I had also imagined was spending the entire tour turning sickly green and vomiting in front of strangers. At forty years old, my seafaring fantasy finally turned into a barf-free reality. Here are five tips to help you enjoy the beautiful beasts of the deep without feeding every fish in the sea.
