We here at Skimbaco Lifestyle often choose to be silent when bad things happen, or when there is a political issue, or even a natural disaster. It’s not because we don’t care, we do, but Skimbaco Lifestyle is not a newspaper, we are not in the front lines reporting, and we are not taking a strong stand when it comes to politics, or religion for instance. I hope YOU take a stand, YOU fight for the causes you believe in, and YOU take action. I hope you come to us to find a silver lining for your day, or to be reminded that our world indeed is a beautiful place.

Boston Strong

I wanted to dedicate one post to Boston, and publish a few of my Boston photos. Boston is an amazing coastal city to visit, and it is surrounded by gorgeous small coastal towns. I hope you put visiting Boston in your travel list this summer to support a city, which went through a horrible terror during the Boston marathon. Did you know that the week following the Boston marathon usually is the most lucrative time of the year for many small business owners in the area due the visitors who come to the city for the marathon? Many small business owners were counting in for the business of those days.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared free parking on the surrounding areas of Boylston Street for a few days after the area opened again to encourage locals to go back to the Boylston Street area, go to the restaurants, shops and get involved in the recovery effort. The free parking time is all over by now, but it is just one of those things that shows how the city wants to get back to normal business as soon as possible. I hope you consider visiting Boston this summer to enjoy the best the city has to offer and give them the support they deserve.

Here are a few of my suggestions what to see and do in Boston.

Awesome things to do in Boston

Visit the Little Italy of Boston in the North End, and have as authentic Italian food as you can get on the US soil.

Visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace for fun Boston-flavored shopping. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace was built already in 1742, but throughout the years fell into disrepair, but finally restored in 1976 and it has been a vital landmark and loved by locals and tourists alike ever since. The marketplace is full of shops, restaurants and the Faneuil Hall Marketplace is known for their street performers entertaining the visitors. The statue of Samuel Adams stands majestically in the front of the Marketplace.

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a great spot for getting a cup of coffee from the Red Barn Coffee Roasters, and your Boston-souvenirs, like the Red Sox fan gear.

South Boston, also called Southie or Sobo, is another great historic district to visit, and you can find Dorchester Heights there. Dorchester Heights was and is remembered in American history for an action in the American Revolutionary War known as the Fortification of Dorchester Heights. The South Boston is one of America’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods and still remains the “European district” of Boston with Irish, Polish and Lithuanian communities.

You can’t visit Boston without visiting one of the many Irish Pubs, and you don’t even have to go to South Boston to enjoy a Guinness.

Walk the Freedom Trail and discover the history of Boston. The Freedom Trail is a walk tour of Colonial Revolutionary time Boston. The walk tour takes you to several buildings of notice, like the Massachusetts State House pictured above. The Trail takes the visitor to 16 historical sites in the course of two or three hours and covers two and a half centuries of America’s most significant past. You can follow the Trail by the red brick or painted line in the streets of Boston.

If you stop at several sights and museums, you can even take two days just for discovering everything on the Freedom Trail.

One of the stops on the Freedom Trail is Paul Revere House. It’s downtown Boston’s oldest building, built in about 1680, and one of the few remaining from an early era in the history of colonial America. My kids liked learning about Paul Revere and also seeing how people lived back in that time.

After all of the walking in Boston, I really wanted to jump on one of these awesome-looking trolleys with Boston Trolley Tours.

Boston is full of gorgeous parks – and like you already guessed, famous statues and history. The Christopher Columbus Park overlooking Boston Harbor is a great picnic spot on the walking distance of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Last but not least… Enjoy the Boston Harbor itself at the Long Wharf. Stop for dinner at the Chart House in the marina, it has the best dinner options with great surroundings. The kids love the New England Aquarium in the Central Wharf, next to the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. I highly recommend the hotel itself by the way, perfect spot for sightseeing Boston and the views from many rooms are spectacular.

How to get to Boston?

Did you know that it only takes three and a half hours to get to Boston on Acela Express train from New York City? Amtrak has scheduled train service to Boston from New York and other points in the Northeast Corridor. The Logan Airport is located in East Boston and you fly directly to Boston from most major cities/airport hubs in the US, and also from the largest hubs of Europe.

Mother’s Day is not always about pretty packages and bows; you can take Mom to tea in a luxury hotel, delight her at home with a special tea luncheon, serve her breakfast in bed, or pamper her at your local spa.

Luxury Hotel Spas Pamper Mom

Luxury hotels welcome moms this time of year with special Mother’s Day packages, but remember that Mom will enjoy that trip to the spa just as much in June, September, or November. It doesn’t have to be on Mother’s Day itself. Think of Mom throughout the year. Many of the hotels and cities that we’ve featured on Skimbaco Lifestyle this past year have great luxury spas available to pamper Mom. Napa, Aspen, Iceland, Seattle, Paris, Charlotte, Bali, New York. You get the idea. Luxury hotel spas or even day spas are wherever you go and in your own hometown.

I enjoy a trip to the spa more than ever now that I’m a mom. In fact, sitting in the spa lounge in peace and quiet is almost as special as the spa treatment itself. I don’t talk about my children much here, but I have a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. They are a constant source of noise, which is why the relaxation and quiet at a spa is like heaven to me at this stage of parenting.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, NC

I recently slipped away to the Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, North Carolina, and treated myself to a facial. It had been over a year since I had this type of skincare treatment. My esthetician said that ideally, a facial is recommended monthly as women age, especially at my age of 44. But since monthly facials are not in my beauty budget, she recommends that women schedule a facial at least quarterly.

My 60-minute facial was catered to my individual skin-care needs, which is a combination of dry and oily. The highlight of the treatment was a special masque by H. Maloha skin-care products. This masque, available only in spas, has natural anti-aging antioxidants native to Hawaii. I was also encouraged to add oil to my skin-care routine, and continue to keep my skin hydrated.

After my session, I had never felt better, and even allowed staff at Old Edwards to take a photo of me in the lounge sans makeup immediately after my treatment.

I must have been on cloud nine in the spa because I usually don’t show myself makeup free in any photo. But when you have the right treatment, you feel as if your skin is glowing and looks best with less.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa is about two hours from Atlanta, Georgia, and two hours from Asheville, North Carolina. It currently has the “May Slip Away Package” for two nights that includes two spa treatments. To learn more about the Old Edwards Inn and Spa, visit the HinesSight blog for my latest “Pack Your Bags” feature on this exceptional property.

I can assure you that your mom will love a facial, manicure, massage, or pedicure any time of year.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Disclosure: I was a media guest of the Old Edwards Inn and Spa. My spa treatment was complimentary.  As always, my opinions and experiences are my own.

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As millions of families plan their summer vacations this year, their focus is usually on their final destination. Many will travel by plane, but the majority will pack the family car and drive nonstop to their resort, only stopping for a bathroom break.

I say:

Don’t be in such a rush!

Take time on your route, get off the Interstate, explore a new town, and even spend the night in a new city.

OK. I admit that I don’t like being trapped in my car with my children for long periods of time, so I like to break up our drive if it is over four hours and spend a little time in places along my travel route. I may be unusual, but my way of traveling is creating new family memories. It gives us the opportunity to experience new cities or areas that we wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.

Last year, I spent some time in Roanoke, Virginia, before starting our resort vacation at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. Before that trip, I probably would have never thought about visiting that part of Virginia, but when I looked at the map and started planning out our drive to Hot Springs, a stopover in Roanoke made perfect sense. I’m so glad we took some time to explore Roanoke, and because of that, I’ve started embracing the family road trip even more. I don’t dread the ride, but rather look forward to that stopping-off point.

Over Spring Break I did it again. I broke up the six-hour drive to Highlands, North Carolina, and chose to stop in Asheville, North Carolina, for one night, which is about four hours from my home in Raleigh and two hours away from Highlands.

Asheville is a great city to explore as its own vacation destination, as I highlighted in my most recent posts about the Biltmore Estate. But for this trip, it also made a great “layover” city for us to spend some quality time visiting as a family. It provided the stop we needed without being crabby because we stayed “too long” in the car.

Biltmore Park Town Square in Asheville, NC

I chose to stay in a new area in Asheville called Biltmore Park Town Square. I felt it was the perfect stop for us because once we checked into the Asheville Hilton, we didn’t have to move our car. The area truly is like being in a small town within a “bigger city” equipped with a movie theatre, shopping, medical offices, and an assortment of restaurants in an upscale environment. Yet it’s easy access to anywhere you want to go in the city of Asheville, if you chose the area as a vacation base.

The Asheville Hilton

After dinner at a little pub called Hickory Tavern, we let the kids swim in the Hilton’s beautiful indoor pool. This environmentally friendly boutique hotel is sleek, modern, and a bang for your buck in terms of luxury versus price. It even impressed me with Peter Thomas Roth bath products. This was the first Hilton I’ve stayed in since 2003, and I was pleased.

Depending on the season, your room rate can include a buffet breakfast in the Hilton’s restaurant, “Roux,” for less than $200 a night. “Roux” prides itself with farm-fresh ingredients, and my children adored the chocolate chip pancakes made on order right in front of their eyes.

Breaking up our drive does cause us to spend less time at the main resort hotel on our vacation, but at the same time, it stretches the budget because these “layover” stops are not as expensive per night as the main vacation hotel, typically.

As you plan your next vacation, take out the map, pick a place along the route to stop and explore, even if it is just for a few hours. I promise you will be glad you did.

Visit Explore Asheville for more information on Asheville as a vacation destination, and hop over to my blog for an inside look at the Inn on Biltmore at the Biltmore Estate, a hotel inside the gates.

Disclosure: I was a guest of the Asheville Hilton at a special travel rate arranged by Biltmore Farms Hotels, and the rate included the buffet breakfast at Roux for my family. Dinner expenses while at Biltmore Park Town Square were our own.

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VJB Vineyards and Cellars

 VJB Vineyards and Cellars, one of Sonoma Valley’s most popular new destination, brings a bit of Italy’s Tuscan countryside to Kenwood, the small wine country town where I live about 75-miles north of San Francisco.

They opened their doors to the stunning ten thousand square foot property last summer. Prior to that, they had a small, cozy tasting room next door where they poured their wines, served Italian coffees, and ran a small gift shop for ten years.

VJB is family owned by the Belmonte family. Vittorio and Maria, longtime food and wine lovers, moved to the U.S. from Italy in 1963 with their two sons, Henry and Victor. The family lived on the east coast for several years before moving to California in 1975. Once in the Sonoma wine country, which reminded them of Italy, they decided to start a business that combined their mutual love of food and wine. They opened Caffe Portofino, an Italian restaurant in nearby Santa Rosa, that soon became a popular dining establishment. In the late 1990’s the two brothers decided they wanted to make wine to sell to their restaurant’s customers.

In 1999, shortly after the first harvest of grapes was finished and ready for bottling, Victor died unexpectedly. The family vowed to carry on Victor’s dream of winemaking and chose to label their wines and name their winery “VJB”, Victor’s initials, to honor his life.

Vittorio, Maria and their son, Henry, operate the winery. Set on nearly two acres of Montepulciano and Aglianico vines, you can’t help but feel that you’re not in California, but in a piazza in a small Tuscan village.

VJB has a comfortable and inviting tasting room and offers a variety of California wines as well as Italian varietals including Sangiovese, Barbera and Nero d’Avola. They also offer a delightfully light and flavorful Prosecco which is produced in the Valdobbiadene region of Italy and imported to VJB. It’s my favorite! I also love Dante, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, a favorite combination of Victor’s and VJB’s flagship wine. It’s made in the old world style of a Super Tuscan wine.

Next to the tasting room is La Cucina where you can satisfy your cravings for all things Italian. From antipastis to imported Italian meats and cheeses to Illy espressos and cappuncinos, it’s hard to remember you’re in California.

Maria Belmonte is an accomplished cook and Executive chef for VJB. She teaches at local culinary schools, has published two cookbooks and creates new recipes to send out to VJB’s wine club members throughout the year.  Maria’s newest cookbook, Maria’s Cucina, is available for sale at VJB.

Browse the Italian marketplace adjacent to the cold cases and feast your eyes upon olive oils, including VJB’s own estate oil, Italian sea salts, dry pastas, and even Maria Belmonte’s own pasta sauces, tapenades and pestos can be found there.

With a wood-fired oven outdoors in the piazza, you can order an authentic Italian-style pizza, ribs, chicken and paninis.

Find a seat at one of their many café tables and relax while you wait for your food and sip on a glass of their Rosso blend, Primitivo or any VJB wine.

Kenwood Pasta is their newest venture. Fresh pasta will soon be handmade and sold at VJB so that customers can enjoy even more Italian flavor.

After you’ve tasted the wine, cheeses and salumis, filled up on pizza and ribs, you will want something sweet for your palate. How about gelato, a scoop of seasonal sorbetto, or local chocolates infused with wine? Wine Truffle Boutique has a wide array of gelato flavors and lots and lots of chocolate. Did you know that chocolate is an excellent accompaniment to red wine? It’s true!

If you are looking for a great Mother’s Day gift for the wine and food loving mom in your life, give the gift of Maria’s Club Cucina. Six times a year she’ll get a gift box filled with two bottles of wine, one of Maria’s sauces and pestos and a recipe. It’s $65 per shipment will call or $85 shipped. The best part? Mom might be so happy with her gift, she’ll invite you over for dinner and wine!

VJB Vineyards and Cellars is a top wine and food destination and gathering place for locals and travelers alike. Enjoy everything Tuscany has to offer in the heart of Sonoma Valley!

VJB Vineyards and Cellars

60 Shaw Avenue Kenwood, CA

www.vjbcellars.com

Our team is pretty excited about the new movie The Big Wedding coming in theaters on April 26th, but our reasons are as different as our team is! Some of us love wedding movies, because we never really had a big wedding, for others it reminds of their big wedding day, and some in our team are still single ladies (and a guy) still waiting for their big day. We thought it would be fun to feature our different weddings – all very different, but all with the same happy ending! Read also more about the Big Wedding movie and how to treat your better half or a friend for movies for free.

Big Southern Wedding – Leigh’s Wedding Story

Leigh, our Luxury Travel Editor, had a Southern April wedding that rivaled the pomp and circumstance of British royal weddings on a smaller scale, of course. She and Will married in a downtown cathedral in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 6, 2002 at 12 p.m. And yes, she had those church bells ring 12 times before she made that long walk down the aisle with a 12-feet-Belgium lace veil, which was purchased by her mother-in-law in Belgium in 1961, cascading behind her.

Her reception was held in a stately, historic Raleigh landmark, which houses the five-star restaurant, Second-Empire Restaurant and Tavern. Long before William and Kate made it fashionable, guests at Leigh’s reception mingled over Butler-passed canapés. Her monogrammed wedding cake came straight from the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings.

Leigh says the entire ceremony went off without a hitch, but 11 years later, it is a complete blur except for one specific wedding memory. Leigh, who is not really a morning person, had to be at her stylist’s salon for her hair and make-up at 6 a.m. She had several cups of coffee to keep her awake, but she certainly did not expect a locked bathroom at the salon with the key accidentally left inside. By the time, her roommate picked her up at 9:30 a.m.; this Southern bride couldn’t get home quickly enough. She left the salon with a veil attached to her head, and one hand holding a shopping bag containing the rest of the 12-feet Belgium lace attached to her wedding veil, and the other hand holding her crotch. That’s not quite how you picture a Southern bride on the morning of her wedding, but at least, she can laugh about it now.

Private Hawaiian beach wedding – Adrienne’s Wedding Story

Adrienne, our California travel and fashion writer, decided after purchasing a home in Sonoma Valley with her fiancée, to forgo a big wedding in California and elope in Maui instead. The Hawaiian vacation had already been planned for months. It was to be a simple week-long getaway.
The day before leaving on the trip, her fiancée Bill suggested half-jokingly, that they elope while in Maui as they had been engaged for a year and a half with no date set. Adrienne jumped at the idea!

Once they arrived in Maui and got settled in their rented condo, they got to work on planning their elopement ceremony. Every place they contacted was booked for that Saturday, October 14th. Not surprisingly, they had their pick of places and times for Friday, October 13th. And it was a full moon. Everything was open!

Bill and Adrienne, who are not superstitious, had no problem marrying on Friday the 13th. They quickly found a Hawaiian officiant, booked a time at the Kea Lani Hotel in Wailea, applied for a marriage license, bought Adrienne a dress and a bouquet of flowers, and called their jeweler in California to overnight their wedding bands. Aside from their wedding bands being temporarily lost in the mail, everything went smoothly from start to finish.

After their ceremony, they checked into the most luxurious hotel on the island, Grand Wailea. They had reserved a garden room, the least expensive available, for one week. When they were told their room was not available, they panicked. The front desk staff gave them a key to another room and told them to come back if they weren’t satisfied with the accommodations. They made their way to the room, passing through a gated-off section of the hotel and went up the elevator to the top floor. Soon they found themselves standing before double doors. They looked at each other in shock and delight. Once they opened the doors they found a gorgeous, plush and enormous room, about 1500 square feet, with a spacious lanai overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It would be their home for the next week; an ocean view luxury suite at a bargain garden room price. Now who says Friday the 13th is an unlucky day? Certainly not Adrienne and Bill!

Courthouse wedding in Alabama – Katja’s Wedding Story

If you have heard Katja’s wedding story before… you know she didn’t really have a wedding. Katja met her husband Matt in Germany, and they are from the other sides of the world. Katja moved to the US four months later and they got engaged immediately. They lived in Alabama, where Matt was attending the US Army flight school at the time, and neither had any family or friends there. So not the romantic wedding story you’d like to hear!

Katja and Matt got married on a lunch break in a court house on July 2nd, 1998 in Enterprise, Alabama. Their witnesses were Matt’s family and his classmates, dressed in army uniforms and green flight suits, reminding of the movie Top Gun – if Maverick had married Charlie, that’s how they would have done it too. The thought made Katja smile on her wedding day – she was a young girl when Top Gun came out and she remembers riding her bicycle home from the movie theater swearing that she’d marry a pilot one day. Some girls dream of the big weddings they see in the movies, Katja just wanted the right pilot to keep her above the clouds the rest of her life.

The lace in Katja’s dress? Not heirloom, she bought it from a fabric boutique in Finland and designed her own dress and her mom sewed it. The beach? Not Hawaii, but a long weekend “honeymoon” in Panama City Beach, Florida – with the new in-laws! The wedding photos? Taken in Austin, Texas later that year, and they wore an evening gown and dress uniform to celebrate Matt’s “wings” from the flight school.

Outdoor Village Wedding in Slovenia – Satu’s Wedding Story

When friends and family heard that Satu, our Adventure Travel Editor was planning to get married in Slovenia, they immediately thought that she, a Finn, and her British husband wanted to get married in a “mutual ground”. But no, the main reason was that they wanted to give everyone little taste of the outdoor life they enjoy, whether it was rafting, kayaking, climbing, biking or hiking. And for those that really wanted some city life, shopping in Venice and Ljublana wasn’t far either.

When planning the wedding, Satu and Simon thought that it was going to be a mix of Finnish and British traditions, but little they knew that their local friends and villagers had some additional plans: the local traditions were to be in the mix too! According to the local customs, Satu was to come and get her husband-to-be from his house on the wedding day before the outdoor ceremony, as he owned a property in the village. So after spending a relaxing morning with her bridesmaids in the hair-saloon and hotel where she was to stay for the night, Satu made her way to the village and to their house. But, instead of simply getting her husband and heading for the ceremony, they had to face a series of challenges to make sure they were ready for the marriage. These ranged from putting on a diaper on a baby doll for Satu, to Simon having to tie a fly to demonstrate that he can catch food for the whole family. Best of all Satu had to prove her sportiness by rollerskating up and down the main road running through the village, in her wedding dress! Luckily there were many to catch her when on the way back she couldn’t quite brake with the skis…

Looking back, Satu remarks that the day couldn’t have been any better. The weather was amazing, the food which was organised by their local friends who own a fine-dine restaurant was fabulous, and most importantly many of their close friends and family had been able to make the journey to join their special day. “I want to get married again, to the same man and in the same place” she says.

Last Minute Winter Wedding in Finland – Reeta’s Wedding Story

Reeta and her Spanish husband Bruno had planned to get married for years, but the one time they had booked a date and venue, her cousin had booked the same day, so Reeta cancelled hers. She was determined to get married before they had children, so they sort of did in the end – two months before their first daughter was born! The whole event was planned in nine days, and was a small one. Reeta was working in England and her husband-to-be in Denmark at the time, and they flew in a day before the wedding back to her native country Finland. The required wedding certificate had been lost in the mail, so they weren’t even sure if the whole was going to happen or not until hours before the big event!

The wedding took place in December 2003 in the Greek Orthodox cathedral in Turku, Western Finland, and the wedding couple wore grey (perfectly matching to the weather): Reeta had bought her maternity outfit in Chicago in a recent business trip, and the groom wore almost matching light summer suit from Armani – not quite what she had dreamed of. Her fingers got swollen from the flight and the ring didn’t fit on; and truth be told she only started to wear it last year after getting it re-sized as her fingers never recovered! The happy couple didn’t have time to book a wedding photographer, so the groom’s father took (very few) photos and they honeymoon is still waiting to happen – hopefully in French Polynesia in the near future. This was certainly a very unusual affair and a day to be remembered!

Big Wedding – the movie

With an all-star cast led by Robert DeNiro, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, with Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams, THE BIG WEDDING is an uproarious romantic comedy about a charmingly modern family trying to survive a weekend wedding celebration that has the potential to become a full blown family fiasco. In theaters on April 26th. When you buy your tickets now to BUY ONE GET ONE FREE – movies and weddings are always more fun with a plus one! Get two tickets to see the Big Wedding for $12 at The Big Wedding movie official website.

Spring makes me think of beautiful china, cucumber sandwiches, petit fours, and blueberry scones with Devonshire cream. You know I love high tea yearround, but there is just something about the springtime that makes me want to call a friend, run to the nearest luxury hotel, and chat for hours over tea.

Afternoon Tea at Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, NC

My son and I did just that recently with a dear friend of mine and her daughter. Our children have known each other since they were babies, but now that they are in elementary school at different schools and live in different areas of the Triangle, their time together is extremely limited. We decided to catch up over high tea at the luxurious Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, N.C. Tea here certainly didn’t disappoint, and it’s now the place I recommend in the Triangle for traditional afternoon tea. They also have a fabulous menu for children.

Afternoon tea is a great way to reconnect with a friend, family member, or even a spouse. It’s typically served during the hours of 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Depending on demand, some hotels serve afternoon tea daily, while many properties serve tea only a few days a week.

Afternoon Tea is Available in Most Cities with a Luxury Hotel

If you’re looking to spend some time in a luxury hotel, and perhaps partaking in a full dinner at the hotel is not in your budget since you splurged on those sought-after theatre tickets, afternoon tea is a great way to dine before the show.

Book a 4 p.m. tea time, and I promise you that you will be very full when that theatre curtain rises. I had tea as early as 2:30 p.m. and am still full by bedtime.

Yes, teas in luxury hotels are that good. When you visit your next destination, check to see what hotels serve afternoon tea, and give it a try.

If you are in the Raleigh-Durham area, try tea at the Washington Duke Inn. Tea is served Wednesday through Sunday, and reservations are required.

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North Carolina Beer Month

 If you love food and spirits then a trip to North Carolina should be on your agenda this April. 2013 marks the first year for the month long celebration of North’s Carolina’s craft brew industry. The Tarheel State boasts the largest number of craft breweries in the American South, with more than 50 breweries and brewpubs. It is also the most decorated state in the South with more medals from the World Beer Cup® and the Great American Beer Festival than any of its neighboring states.

North Carolina will be celebrating with special craft beer dinners, festivals, and special travel packages. I am a huge craft brew fan, and I’ll be visiting the Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva, NC and will taste their beer for the first time this week. Don’t be surprised if I’m sampling brews all month. I am so proud of the brewery industry in my State that I usually only stock my fridge with NC brews. Here are a few of my favorite breweries. As you can tell, I still have lots more to try.

Leigh’s Favorite NC Brews

Red Oak Brewery, Greensboro, NC
Full Steam Brewery, Durham, NC
Highland Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Mother Earth Brewing Company, Kinston, NC
Duck Rabbit, Farmville, NC
Big Boss Brewing Company, Raleigh, NC
Biltmore Brewing Company, Asheville, NC (Currently only available at Biltmore Estate)

Many NC restaurants are featuring NC beers on the bar menu now, and basically, that is how I became such of a fan of these NC brews.  In the spring, I love to sit outside at Raleigh Times Bar, and have a NC beer.  This may surprise you, but I’ve become a fan of stouts. I adore Highland’s Black Mocha Stout, and the seasonal Thunderstruck Coffee Porter. It’s like having a good cup of coffee, but in a beer.

Visit NC Beer Month for an entire list of events. Hotels and restaurants have joined together to help travelers enjoy this special month. I’m going to love it.

Photo Credit: Hines-Sight Blog

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B.R. Cohn Winery and Olive Oil Company in Sonoma

Recently, a friend gave me a special gift. She bid on and won a private tasting for six at B.R. Cohn during an auction then gave it to me because she knows how much I love wine and visiting wineries in Sonoma.

Since my friend didn’t want to go with me, I invited several other girlfriends and made an ordinary Monday afternoon into something special.

B. R. Cohn is owned by Bruce Cohn, who you may know as long-time manager of the legendary band, The Doobie Brothers. But wine lovers know him as the founder and owner of B.R. Cohn Winery and Olive Oil Company. We arrived for our scheduled tour and tasting and met our host, Justin. He had us taste some of their wines before going on the tour, which we thought was a brilliant idea!

We tasted a few whites and a couple of reds. I liked them all, especially the Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon for which B R. Cohn is known for.

Once our first tasting was concluded, we made our way outside to the front of the winery.

Justin told us how Cohn bought the property in 1974 and initially sold grapes to other wineries. In 1984, he founded his own winery and eventually began making and selling olive oil from the nearly 150-year-old olive trees on his property.

We stopped to admire the old olive trees, impressed that they were still producing fruit after all these many years. The variety of olive grown on the property is called Picholine, a French variety that is known for being fruity with a hint of bitterness. Just the way I like my olive oil!

As we walked around the property, I noticed there were several friendly dogs roaming around. It seems some employees bring their pooches to work with them, a sign of the overall laid-back feel of B.R. Cohn that I appreciate.

While on our tour, Justin told us about the annual Charity Fall Music festival at B. R. Cohn. The Doobie Brothers and numerous other musical guests perform over the course of a weekend. This September will be the 27th year the event will be held. Over the years Cohn has raised over 6 million dollars for various local and national charities.

Once we returned to finish tasting their fantastic array of wines, Justin showed us a section of the tasting room where Cohn’s memorabilia is on display. He has had such an interesting life in both the entertainment and the wine industries thus far.

With our private tour complete, we made our way next door to the olive oil shop where the estate Picholine olive oil, as well as several other blended and flavored olive oils can be tasted and purchased. They also offer outstanding hand-crafted vinegars in five wine-inspired flavors. Both the oils and the vinegars make great gifts for the foodie in your life.

Interested in visiting B.R. Cohn Winery and Olive Oil Company?

They are located at:

15000 Sonoma Highway
 Glen Ellen,

CA 95442
 
Open Daily: 10:00am to 5:00pm

New York!

Greetings from one of my favorite cities in the world: New York City. We are here only for a very short time, and spending some time also in Connecticut and in Beacon, NY in our old neighborhood. Follow me on Instagram to see my travel photos from New York and Connecticut. A reminder, I’m Skimbaco on Instagram.

My family spent some time in Asheville, North Carolina, exploring the Biltmore Estate last month. My children did well exploring the 250-room mansion that was built by George Vanderbilt in 1895. I shared some inside tips on touring the estate with kids this month on Skimbaco.

It was a frigid 25 degrees on the day we visited, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time and getting the most out of our visit. After touring the house, we skipped the gardens and went straight for Antler Village, which is also included in your estate admission ticket.

Antler Hill Village

This charming village matches the architecture of the estate and houses the estate’s Outdoor Adventure Center, Antler Hill Farm, the Winery, the Biltmore Legacy Museum, and a few shops and restaurants. This is the place where children can be children and have a little fun.

So what if it was a chilly 25 degrees. My children went through the children’s maze not once, but twice, and would have done it again and again if their parents didn’t want to go to the winery to get warm. This free, fun-filled activity is made up of 500 trees and is patterned after a traditional boxwood maze. And it’s really not that easy to find your way out, either. We did, though, and went up the short hill to Antler Hill Farm.

Antler Hill Farm

This area on the Biltmore Estate will provide lots of entertainment for adults and children of all ages. After touring the mansion where our children had to be on their best behavior, it was a delight to see signs that said, “Please Climb on Me!”

Visitors here can immerse themselves into 19th-century farm life by stepping into the everyday life of families who lived on the estate raising livestock, tending crops, and working at Biltmore Dairy in the 1890s. The Barn in Antler Hill Village—once the social and work center for these families—is alive again with blacksmiths, woodworkers, and other craft demonstrations. There are crafts for the kids, educational videos, and a display of farm equipment through the years. A highlight of our visit was watching the blacksmith get ready to close shop for the day.

Kids will also enjoying getting to know some of the livestock on the farm. We stepped in right before the animals go in for the night, and they all were ready for dinner. The farm is open daily until 5 p.m.

The Biltmore Winery

Biltmore’s winery was originally a dairy barn, and guests who enter from the village take a walk through the cellar before getting into the complimentary tasting room. Now, many may think this is not a place for children, but they were very welcomed and even got complimentary grape juice. We only tasted a few of Biltmore’s wines because our two children can sit for only so long. I particularly enjoyed Biltmore’s Cardinal Crest, a red wine. This is an easy-to-drink wine with hints of blackberry, cherry, and oak. I think it’s great for sipping while cooking dinner.

I liked it so much that I had staff send some back to the room for me to take home. That is a perk of staying on property. Biltmore will pack up purchases from any of their shops and send them to your room at the Inn free of charge.

Biltmore wines are available in 21 states and online in the virtual wine shop.

The Biltmore Creamery and Cedric’s Tavern

When at Antler Hill Village, you must make room for ice cream or other sweets. It was too cold for me on this trip so I warmed up with a cappuccino, but Biltmore’s ice cream is an old-fashioned delight. The creamery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also serves pastries and cupcakes.

Cedric’s Tavern is Biltmore’s newest restaurant. Named after the Vanderbilt’s beloved St. Bernard, this family-friendly restaurant serves up fresh pub fare with a field-to-table emphasis. On tap are Biltmore’s own brews, and I’m a big fan of Cedric’s Brown Ale now. The house specialty is fish and chips, which get four thumbs up from my husband and son. I chose the mountain trout, and it was exceptional. Dinner for my family ran just over $100, and in the evenings live entertainment abounds.

We did splurge on cocktails, after-dinner “Toffee Coffee” drinks, and a shared dessert for the kids. I have always been a fan of dining on the Biltmore Estate, and my experience at Cedric’s was delightful.

Also in the village is the farm-to-table restaurant, The Bistro, which highlights local ingredients in season. This restaurant is a little more formal in atmosphere and in cost, but it is also family-friendly with a children’s menu.

The Spring Biltmore Experience

With 8,000 acres, the Biltmore Estate is nature’s playground. The Outdoor Adventure Center, located in Antler Hill Village, can help your family plan hikes, biking trips, float trips down the French Broad River, and much more. Biltmore is truly a vacation destination, and the perfect time to get a start on your outdoor adventure is during the Estate’s Festival of Flowers season which is now  through May 31.

To plan your visit to Asheville, North Carolina visit Biltmore Estate.com and Explore Asheville.

For more on my N.C. travels and a look at the Inn at Biltmore, located on the Biltmore Estate, visit the Hines-Sight Blog  for more stories. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @Hinessightblog for more scenic photos of my travels.

Disclosure: I was a media guest of the Biltmore Estate, and received free Estate admission, and discounts to stay on property.  All food costs associated with this visit were my own.

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