While visiting cousins on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I needed to stay somewhere equidistant to Palm Harbor and Dunedin. All I wanted was someplace convenient, not too expensive, and simple. During my search, I discovered Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort, perfectly situated between my relatives’ homes and surprisingly affordable, but this resort, home to a prestigious PGA tournament, was anything but simple. Read more >
Author Archives: stephentravels
A Taste of the World at The Silk Road in Missoula
When I arrived in Montana, I was fully prepared to start consuming higher-than-normal quantities of beef. After all, this is a state where cattle outnumber people (2.6 million versus 1 million) and livestock makes up about two-thirds of the agriculture industry. No wonder that I had conjured up plentiful images of steaks and burgers. So I was a little suspicious and more than a little curious when the owners of the Gibson Mansion Bed & Breakfast where I was staying recommended a restaurant that had an international menu with dishes from countries as far-ranging as Japan, Ethiopia, and Austria. But their suggestion was spot-on, and dinner at The Silk Road proved to be a surprisingly cosmopolitan — and scrumptious — affair. Read more >
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Vicksburg’s Baer House Inn: Refinement and Comfort — and an Irresistible History
My interest in the past is always piqued whenever I travel in the Deep South, where everything seems to drip with history like Spanish moss off a Southern live oak tree. So when I chose to stay at the Baer House Inn in Vicksburg, Mississippi, I knew I would be lodged in refined and comfortable accommodations in the heart of a city brimming with all kinds of references to yore, from its rough-and-tumble era with rampant gambling and prostitution that would ultimately give birth to the term “kangaroo court” to its pivotal role in the Civil War. What I didn’t expect, however, was the utterly engrossing story of the Baer House itself and how one very spirited daughter of Jewish immigrants got her ultimate revenge on her wealthy, controlling mother. Read more >
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A Danish Royal Palace for — and of — the Ages
For nearly a millennium, the center of Danish government — whether it was headed by an autocratic monarch or a multi-party Parliament — has been located in the same spot in Copenhagen, but most definitely not in the same building. Through centuries of fires, demolition, and construction, Christiansborg Slot has risen, fallen, and returned multiple times. Now in its fifth incarnation, the castle offers a comprehensive look at the way the government of Denmark operates within its lush interior, as well as how the Danes manage to keep such a tremendous place shipshape, despite the 500,000 visitors who pass through it every year. Read more >
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Visiting the Feathered Guests at Güira Oga
Güira Oga, a refuge and rehabilitation center for injured animals tucked deep in the jungle off the main road to Parque Nacional Iguazú in northeastern Argentina, serves a virtuous purpose. The “guests” at this refuge have been rescued from roadside accidents, from traffickers’ inhumane shipping methods, and from owners who abandoned animals that were never intended to be pets. Before exploring the national park’s majestic waterfalls, I spent a couple of hours here, learning exactly how to re-train a wounded bird of prey to survive in the wild. Read more >
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Five Churches in Ireland That Require Your Attendance
With thousands of churches all over the Emerald Isle, you never have to go very far to find a house of worship. Their styles span nearly a millennium, their denominations vary — and going to church has never been more interesting. Combining fascinating history, spectacular architecture, and centuries of spirituality and tradition, they have become irreplaceable components of both the cities in which they stand and the typically green countryside that they adorn. These are my top five churches in Ireland. Read more >
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Students Create Culinary Art at Montpelier’s NECI on Main
As soon as I discovered that the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, operated a restaurant downtown, I knew exactly where I was going to have lunch. Just a short and charming walk from the campus, NECI on Main serves as a working laboratory for the students who may very well become tomorrow’s master chefs. Taught the mantras of organic, sustainable, and seasonal foods, NECI students channel what they learn in the classroom and on field trips to local farms into works of art on a plate. Don’t feel apprehensive about their relative inexperience — these students are serious about what they produce and how it’s presented. Judging by the meal I enjoyed, they’ll graduate with honors. Read more >
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A Peaceful B&B Between the Lakes in Madison, Wisconsin
Consistently ranked as one of the most livable small cities in the United States, Madison, Wisconsin, has much to admire, including a grand capitol, dozens of parks, the sprawling campus of the University of Wisconsin, and an enviable setting between lakes Mendota and Monona. The Mendota Lake House B&B takes full advantage of this wonderful isthmus locale and emerges as one of the best bed and breakfasts in the capital of the Badger State. Read more >
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Five Train Stations That Will Make You Rethink Flying
Not that long ago, when travel by train was the preferred and quickest way to embark on a vacation or business trip, railroad companies made sure their passengers were impressed by and made comfortable in their stations, whether it was a charming small-town depot or a massive big-city terminal. Many of these stations are still in use today, offering a far more pleasant experience than generic, isolated airports with countless hassles, endless lines, and crushing rules and regulations. Although some have been repurposed to function as everything but what they were originally intended for, they remain architectural jewels in our urban landscape. These are my five favorite train stations in the world. Read more >
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Lake Bled Remains a Romantic Idyll in Any Weather
Slovenia is one of the greenest countries in Europe, thanks to its also being one of the wettest — a challenge to my plans to take in one of the most idyllic places on the continent after a week in brilliantly sunny Croatia next door. Ultimately, Mother Nature did not cooperate, but even a cloudy day at Lake Bled proved to be magical. Read more >
Stephen Travels 