Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington, MN
Spend the weekend taking on America’s largest mall, the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. With more than 400 stores to explore, you should have no problem finding that perfect gift. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington’s “Shop ’Til You Drop” package includes a Mall of America coupon book, shopping bag (to fill up with all your great purchases) and two bottles of water to quench your thirst while power shopping.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bothell, WA
For shoppers on the hunt for deals in the Pacific Northwest, look no further than the Country Inn & Suites, Bothell, near Seattle. This package includes a $10 dining voucher for room service, discount coupons to Country Village Shops and Seattle Premium Outlets and a pedicure at Blooming Nails & Spa (because your feet are going to be super tired). And don’t forget, after you’ve had your fill at the mall and the spa, make sure to relax your mind and body in your room (or upgrade to a suite)—where else are you going to store all your shopping bags?

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley, AZ
Shopping isn’t a treat for everyone. Which is why Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley (outside of Phoenix) wants to help you make it an enjoyable experience. Their shopping package comes with an Arrowhead Towne Center goody bag that includes a $40 gift certificate to spend anywhere in the mall! And when you’re all shopped out, the hotel’s complimentary shuttle service will pick you up and bring you back to your room where you can relax and take a dip in the heated pool and whirlpool.

Westfield Mall in San Diego
Marathon shoppers will be in heaven at Westfield Mall in San Diego. With 114 stores, including Macy’s, Nordstrom and the Apple Store, you’ll have no problem finding something for everyone on your list.

The shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North, makes your day even sweeter with a $100 gift card to the mall and a welcome bag with an energy bar, bottled water and more! A complimentary shuttle with take you from the hotel to the mall and back.

Legends Outlets in Kansas City
See the savings stack up at Legends Outlets in Kansas City. The stores and restaurants stretch over 1.2 million square feet! Your shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Kansas City at Village West includes a $50 gift card you can use at any of the stores or restaurants. After a day of exploring Legends, rest your tired feel at the hotel’s heated indoor pool and hot tub.

Shop Your Style in Covington, LA
Browse through the antique shops in search of a one-of-a-kind gift, or hit the new shopping districts for the latest designer fashions. Your shopping package from the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Covington, LA, includes a $50 Visa Gift Card you can spend wherever you’d like. The hotel is convenient to fantastic shopping, and you’ll get coupons and shopping guides to help you navigate the deals. Warm chocolate chip cookies will be waiting upon your return. And you’ll have plenty of room for all of those shopping bags in your upgraded suite.

Go Caving in Kentucky
Lost River Cave offers Kentucky’s only underground boat tour, taking visitors through some of the largest caves east of the Mississippi River. While at the park, you can hike nature trails, go bird watching or visit the butterfly habitat—a whole day’s worth of fun activities.

The Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, is only four miles from Lost River Cave, and has an indoor pool and fitness center. The Lost River Cave Package includes an overnight stay in a quality suite, plus two adult tickets to Lost River Cave.

Hit the Links in North Carolina
There are plenty of blue-sky days to spend on the fairways this fall. Birkdale Golf and Country Club in Lake Norman, NC, is an 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf course right outside of Charlotte. This acclaimed course has well-manicured greens and challenging water hazards to keep you on your toes.

As part of the golf package at Country Inn & Suites, Lake Norman, you’ll get a suite with a king-sized bed and 18 holes of golf for two adults at Birkdale Golf Club. Also included is bottled water and various snacks for when you hit the course.

Bike through Lehigh Gorge
The trails that crisscross Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Gorge State Park take you through a railroad bed along the river, making for an unforgettable bike trip. Take the 15-mile ride down the Mid-Way trail, which is 100 percent downhill and takes about 2 to 4 hours to complete. Or for more of a challenge, opt for the 25-mile ride, which takes 3 to 5 hours and canvasses just a slightly downhill grade.

The Country Inn & Suites, Lehighton has biking packages for either route you choose. The packages include overnight accommodations, bike rental and shuttle service for two.

And don’t forget, any stay at a Country Inn & Suites by Carlson hotel always includes our free hot breakfast to help you start the day!

Another benefit is the opportunity to meet interesting people. Some tours, such as New York’s Big Apple Greeter, actually pair travelers with resident New Yorkers based on language, neighborhoods requested and interests. All that, and it’s free of charge.

Your Walking Guide:

• There’s a tour for that. Is your passion architecture, food, history, gardens or neighborhood culture? Chances are, in most cities and towns, a walking tour awaits. Some tours, such as those offered by Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program, or the Coronado Historical Association in San Diego, are also offered on bicycle.
• Take a foodie tour and skip lunch. Sign up for a stroll through Pittsburgh’s Strip District with ‘Burgh Bits & Bites or San Francisco’s Chinatown with Wok Wiz, and you’ll eat your way through colorful storefronts selling everything from homemade sausage to Peking duck.
• Calling all preservationists. PreservationDirectory.com is a great resource for history buffs. The website is a clearinghouse for history-focused strolls, both guided and solo. Searching by state and region, you may find a route through bewitching Salem, Mass., or along the Art Deco facades of South Beach in Miami.
• Dabble in the weird. If you’re looking for the offbeat, Weird Chicago fits the bill. Follow in the steps of serial killer H.H. Holmes, relive the bloody St. Valentine’s Day mob massacre or chase elusive ghosts for a few hours. With its voodoo-laced past, New Orleans is another city that loves to make you shiver. Explore the shady and sinister side of the Vieux Carré with Haunted History Tours or trek to an above-ground cemetery for a lesson in Big Easy burial customs and a gander at Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau’s final resting place. (Or is it?).
• All by yourself. Sites like City Slicker (Charleston, S.C.), GPSmyCity (multiple, including Indianapolis and Portland, Ore.) and Trek Exchange (multiple, including Philadelphia and San Antonio) offer self-guided tours you can download to your smartphone and do on your own schedule. Check the city’s local tourism or convention and visitor’s bureau sites for more, and sometimes even free, options. Your job is just to show up with a curious mind and a good pair of walking shoes.

• New York’s Adirondacks. The Lake George area in New York’s Adirondack Mountains is bursting with yellow, red and amber hues each fall. Get a close-up view of the beautiful scenery as you hike one of the many trails winding through the mountains. Or enjoy the peaceful lakes and charming towns that dot the countryside. This region is known for its fine wines, and you’ll get a souvenir bottle and two tickets to the Adirondack Winery as part of the romance package at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson in Lake George.

• North Carolina High Country. Wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway and fall foliage against the Carolina-blue sky greet you in Boone, N.C. Relax in a rocking chair and do some people watching at the famous Mast General Store downtown. The mild autumn weather is ideal for taking a hayride at The Orchard at Altapass. This 102-year-old apple orchard is a cultural hub where you’ll find local art and plenty of mountain music and storytelling. For a panoramic view of the mountains, head to Grandfather Mountain and cross the Mile High Swinging Bridge. At the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson in Boone, your romance package includes a Jacuzzi Suite, a bottle of champagne and breakfast in bed!

• Discover Denver. The Mile-High City offers restaurants and attractions to keep you and your loved one busy. Browse the fascinating American Indian art collection at the Denver Art Museum, which includes Pueblo ceramics and Plains beadwork, or look through more than 150,000 titles at the Tattered Cover Book Store. If your sweetie has a sweet tooth, be sure to visit Hammond’s Candy for a complimentary tour. Hammond’s has been making homemade lollipops and candy since 1920. If craft beer is more your style, stop at one of the city’s many local breweries to enjoy a pint. After your day of exploring, watch a complimentary pay-per-view movie as part of your romance package at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson in Denver.

• Escape Into Bass Country – There’s nothing more relaxing than hitting the open water and passing the day away fishing with friends and family. Head to Portage, Ind., and test your bassing skills before checking out the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. This package includes:
  • $50 gift certificate to the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World (per stay)
  • Complimentary gift bag
  • Complimentary upgrade

• Dam Release Whitewater Rafting – Get ready to get soaked! Paddle on over to Lehighton, Pa., and take on 17 rapids while screaming, laughing and having an excellent day. Enjoy 12 miles and five hours of Class III whitewater rafting on this exciting package.
  • Admission for two on the whitewater raft trip

• Escape in Town Trail Ride – Hit the trails by horseback in Shoreview, Minn., and encounter a true north woods experience. Begin at Bunker Park Stable-Anoka County Parks for a one-hour trail ride before taking the plunge on the giant weekend water slide, pool and whirlpool at the Country Inn & Suites Shoreview. This package includes:
  • $10.00 discount trail ride ticket

But before heading off on your Montana adventure, make sure you add these must-see sites to your itinerary:

• Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument – Take in the sites of one of the most significant battles in American history. At Custer’s Last Stand, in 1876, 263 soldiers were killed in combat with several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Admission is $10 per vehicle, and $5 for pedestrians and motorcycle riders.
• Billings – Bordered on the north by distinctive rock formations known as rimrocks, Billings was established in 1882 and is where Montana Territory began. Don’t miss the Western Heritage Center, Zoo Montana and MetraPark. After a long day of exploring the city, rest up at Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Billings, where you can curl up by the fire with a book from the Read It & Return Lending Library^SM, relax in the whirlpool or enjoy some fresh cookies before bed.
• Yellowstone National Park – Teddy Roosevelt declared Yellowstone the first national park in 1872. Home to hundreds of varieties of wildlife (elk, bison, grizzly bears and wolves), the park also includes geysers and hot springs, geological wonders that are more spectacular than words can describe. Drive through the park yourself or enjoy a guided bus tour. Prices range from $29 to $68 per person.
• Glacier National Park – Picture wide, open and rugged landscapes. Craggy peaks jut into the sky that the resident mountain goats climb. A gravity-defying two-lane road named, appropriately enough, the Going-to-the-Sun Road, stretches 50 miles while clinging to the edge of the world as cars—and bikes—cross over the Continental Divide. With wildflowers, alpine vistas and waterfalls along the way, prepare for an experience you’ll never forget.

Toronto is the place to see and shop for Inuit art. By Stephen Smith

A thousand years ago, Inuit nomads carved stone and bone and wood into figures of the animals they hunted across the eastern Canadian Arctic. Today, the descendants of those hunters continue to captivate collectors from around the world with the grace and spare beauty of their work. It comes in a variety of forms, from tapestries depicting northern scenes and stone-cut wildlife prints to what many consider a signature of the spirit of Canada’s far north: sculpture.

Toronto may be 1,200 miles from the tundra of Pangnirtung and Cape Dorset, where the works originate, but it’s also a must-visit center for anyone in the market for a musk ox or snow goose of serpentine. The best place to start the hunt? For a bit of background, browse the 200-odd pieces and interpretive displays in the Inuit collection at the Royal Ontario Museum also accessible for virtual browsing.

When it comes to buying, collectors know to head to established galleries such as the Mind Hat Gallery. You’ll find the city’s oldest dealer at The Guild Shop, where Inuit and Native art specialist Blandina Makkik (herself a native of Baffin Island) can help you navigate a collection of close to 300 pieces, priced $90 and up.

Walrus at rest or modern-day hunter riding a snowmobile? It’s up to you to choose between myth-based traditional work by carvers like Siutiapik Ragee and Ottokie Samayualie and more contemporary-themed pieces by artists like Ovilu Tunnillie. Polar bears hold an important place in Inuit spirituality, and it’s hard not to fall under the animal’s spell when you see the authority, grace and fluid power of Samayualie’s dancing bear in dappled black serpentine for approximately $1,600. Pick him up and you’ll have a hard time putting him down again.

Finished shopping? Time for lunch? Just down the street at Sassafraz, the menu has a perfect match with its creole spiced shrimp with double smoked bacon and corn risotto.

INSIDER’S TIP: The Guild Shop’s Makkik doesn’t mince words: “There’s a lot of bad imitation carving out there.” To be sure you’re getting the real thing, buy at reputable galleries and avoid tourist shops. Inuit carvings are unique, so there shouldn’t be duplicates on the shelf. Look for the distinctive igloo tag with which the Canadian government certifies original, museum-quality work.

Originally created out of turf grass and 77 feet in diameter, the labyrinth was rebuilt in September 2005 of brick for more year-round accessibility. Its design is a copy of the 13th-century stone labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. Traditionally, many labyrinths are set near water; the Toronto Public Labyrinth is located above the former course of Taddle Creek, a stream that has been buried for more than 150 years. Although the sound of flowing water can no longer be heard, several rows of trees surround the park and serve as a buffer to keep out the noise of the nearby city. Installed as a millennium project for Canada’s largest city, the labyrinth serves as an easily followed track for those in search of peace and serenity.

Today Fredericksburg remembers its Old World beginnings with German-style fachwerk buildings with exposed beams and masonry fill. Those roots are also evident at the downtown Fredericksburg Winery, where signature labels feature artwork and local history—such as the light Texas Chardonnay “Adelsverein” ($15), named for the society formed by German princes to help emigrants to the new Republic of Texas. Or try the oak-barrel-aged Port Carlshafen ($40), a full-bodied port.

Like many local wineries, this is a family-run operation, headed by no-nonsense Cord Switzer, along with his wife Sandy, brothers Jene and Bert, and mother “Oma,” charged with labeling each bottle by hand. The Switzers are happy to give travelers a taste of the fruits of their labor; prices start at $13, or $40 for port.

For visitors who have more time, the winery lies within walking distance of many of Fredericksburg’s more than 150 boutiques. Homestead offers antiques, while Zertz tempts with items such as cheese trays made from flattened wine bottles. Nearby, the casual Fredericksburg Brewing Company, lined with copper and stainless brewing tanks, features Schinken Schnitzel, a veal cutlet crowned with Black Forest ham and Swiss cheese.

Next, go east, where “bouquet” describes not only wine but wildflowers. Stop and smell the bluebonnets at Wildseed Farms, the nation’s largest wildflower seed farm. Then head over for a tour and a tasting at Grape Creek Vineyards, on the banks of namesake South Grape Creek. Here acres of climbing vines yielded the prize-winning 2002 Fumé Blanc, made from 100 percent sauvignon blanc grapes. The wine is aged in oak barrels for eight months, which brings out a mélange of vanilla, black currant, bell pepper and berry flavors.

Becker Vineyards, with 46 acres of French Vinifera vines, boasts Texas’ largest underground wine cellar. It’s filled with specialties such as the 2002 Viognier, an elegant wine with a hint of violets, peach and apricot, served at a dinner for Australia’s prime minister at President Bush’s Prairie Chapel Ranch, and the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($24.95).

Dine at Austin’s restaurant, in Rose Hill Manor near Fredericksburg, open Wednesday through Sunday nights. Specialties such as New Zealand venison medallions are accompanied by an extensive wine list showcasing Hill Country vintages—the perfect end to a day of wine touring.

Hill Country residents Paris Permenter and John Bigley like to pair barbecue and bordeaux.