Summer heat isn’t the only thing that sizzles - our savings are sizzling too!  I’m thrilled to announce our summer offer: book 3 nights* and save 15%, plus get $25 in dining cash + 3000 bonus goldpoints!

Visit www.countryinns.com/summer to book this great getaway and to read the official terms and conditions.

People of all ages and walks of life come together to stroll around in circles, step by step, slowly and methodically. Some stare downward as they place each foot in front of the other. Some walk with eyes closed, trusting their feet to stay on the layered path. Some even read from a favorite book as they make their way around the narrow maze. By  Brian Crocker
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Minnesota’s Twin Cities are consistently ranked among the top cities in which to raise a family, so naturally they’re a great place for families to visit. With all the recreational activities surrounding the parks and waterways and the kid-friendly amusements and museums, it’s a challenge to pack the possibilities into just one weekend. By Rachel Hutton
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With our pals over at @_WorkingMother_, we’ll be hosting a Twitter Party tomorrow night, centered around the theme of “Family Travel: Disconnect To Reconnect.”  Anybody who wants to jump into the conversation can do so using the hashtag #WMCountry, although if you are interested in being prize-eligible, you must register by emailing RSVP@WorkingMother.com by 2 PM, EST, tomorrow (Tuesday, May 25th). 

The Party Starts promptly at 9 PM EST and will last one hour — expect lots of laughs, learnings, and sore fingers from typing so fast!

Hope to see you there!
~Emily

PS: Your co-hostess with the mostest has donated a 2-night stay at Country Inns & Suites By Carlson as the grand prize… so I THINK you’re gonna want to register!

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (May TK, 2010) – Carlson Hotels, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announced the further expansion of Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM in Kentucky. The opening of Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, Ky. marks the brand’s accelerated expansion in the region as part of its Ambition 2015 growth strategy.

“With 12 Country Inns & Suites hotels in the state and more than 221 locations in the Southern United States, the brand has established a strong footprint in the region,” said Steve Mogck, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Country Inns & Suites By Carlson. “We are focused on building momentum in North America and India as we increase our portfolio of hotels over the next five years.”

Country Inns & Suites offers caring, consistent, comfortable hospitality with a touch of home, and many distinctive product and service innovations, such as the “Friends Hosting Friends” employee training program that has generated tremendous employee engagement scores and high overall guest satisfaction. 

“We are thrilled to be joining the Country Inns & Suites family and are confident that the consistency, value and leadership of this brand and the Carlson Hotels system will result in a successful future for this hotel,” said Prakash Patel, owner of the Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green. 

The 100 percent non-smoking hotel features an indoor pool, fitness center and meeting space for up to 75 guests. The 85-room hotel offers whirlpool suites, studio suites, one-bedroom suites, extended stay suites and guest rooms featuring complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, microwave, refrigerator and flat screen televisions. 

The Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, is conveniently located just two miles from Bowling Green Regional Airport. 

For reservations and information, visit www.countryinns.com or call toll-free +1-800-456-4000.

My Old Kentucky Home
Follow your senses to Kentucky and the heart of bluegrass country.

Sight
Catch glimpses of thoroughbreds at more than 450 horse farms around Lexington.

Sound
Hear the foghorns echo off the banks of the Ohio River on misty spring nights.

Taste
Sip a mint julep to join in a tradition almost as old as the Kentucky Derby itself—first run in 1875 at Louisville’s Churchill Downs.

Touch
Feel the rough wood of the covered bridges, more than a century old, which still dot northern Kentucky.

Smell
Savor the sweet aroma of Kentucky bourbon at one of the area’s famous distilleries.

Road Rules
If you’re from a country other than the United States and plan to operate a motor vehicle in Kentucky, you will need a valid driver’s license from your home country and an international driver’s license. The vehicle’s registration and proof of insurance must be in the vehicle at all times.

Indian food is a jigsaw puzzle,” says Sanjiv Dhar, graduate of prestigious Johnson & Wales University and owner of Kabob and Curry restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. Dhar sees the amazing variety of Indian cuisine as the product of India’s complicated political and social history. Every area, tribe, religious group and wave of invaders has helped to shape the cuisine’s many dishes and many regional varieties. By Mark Caskie
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Nothing beats a top-notch walking tour for experiencing a city with all your senses. If you haven’t looked into them lately, you might be surprised at the variety of walking tours that are now available. Here are a few options that are worth lacing up your shoes for. By Mark Caskie

BOSTON
The Histrionic Academy’s Path to Independence tour follows the Freedom Trail through downtown Boston. And your guides go beyond simply dressing in costume; they perform in character. You’ll be led by the likes of Cpl. Jonathan Hoyt and Capt. David Hawkins, sharing the latest Revolutionary War developments.  

NEW YORK
Chances are good that even if you’ve never been to Central Park, you have an idea of what it looks like from the scores of movies shot there. On Location Tours’ Central Park movie sites tour takes you to the places where scenes from some popular favorites were filmed, such as The Boathouse Cafe in When Harry Met Sally.  

TORONTO
A Taste of the World’s Kensington Foodies Roots Walk gives you a chance to combine two passions, walking and food. Toronto’s multi-ethnic heritage is on display with aromatic tea from the Middle East, South Asian snacks, and Belgian chocolates and truffles. Be sure to skip breakfast so you can enjoy all the treats.

CHICAGO
The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park tour takes you through a neighborhood where the influential architect once lived and worked. Today, the blocks near his house contain many examples of his Prairie Style design. Combine your tour with a visit to his home and studio for a day with all the Wright stuff.

SAN FRANCISCO
Sure, there are lots of tours of Chinatown, but how many are guided by a comic?
Foot! Comedy Walking Tours’ Chasing the Dragon tour will give you a look inside this neighborhood and keep you entertained along the way. Your stand-up will lead you to Chinese herb shops, dim sum restaurants and—of course—a fortune-cookie factory.

Try a few walking tours, and you may just get hooked. They are the perfect way to get to know a city, providing a little fresh air and exercise in the bargain.

Temperatures heat things up, but it’s the desert’s natural beauty—rugged mountains, big blue sky, abundant wildflowers—that repeatedly draws people from all over the world for romantic weekends in Phoenix, Arizona. By Jackie Dishner
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Patience isn’t Ray Parrillo’s strong suit. A sportswriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Parrillo travels frequently covering professional and college sports. And some of the “things people do on planes” really annoy him. Which is why he always travels with a book.

 “I always read when I’m on a flight, usually a novel or something biographical,” Parrillo says. “It’s the only time I sit in one place without being distracted. Reading blocks out my surroundings—an added benefit, aside from the joy of reading something good.”
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