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.

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.

Sunny San Diego
Southern California is beautiful year-round, and San Diego has cultural attractions and sandy beaches to make everyone happy. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North is 7 miles from downtown and is a great home base for your trip.

Take a picnic to Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Zoo and 15 museums. The grounds of the park are free to explore, and you can choose to visit the attractions based on your interest and budget. The park also has miles of hiking trails, a miniature railroad and a carousel.

San Diego also has beautiful beaches close to downtown. Drive or take the ferry across the bay to Coronado and enjoy one of the wide, family-friendly Coronado Beaches. And while you’re there, stroll the charming shops and restaurants of this lovely seaside town.

Action-Packed Atlanta
This southern city is brimming with attractions and events for families or couples. And there are plenty ofCountry Inn & Suites By Carlson^SM locations to choose from, all convenient to major sites.

Enjoy the warm, late-summer weather by exploring Piedmont Park, more than 180 acres in the city center with a lake and walking trails. It’s adjacent to the Atlanta Botanical Garden where you can spot native birds and walk through the treetops on a canopy bridge.

Phoenix combines the best of the outdoors with the pleasures of city life.  By Mark Caskie

Known as the Valley of the Sun, the metropolitan Phoenix (http://www.visitphoenix.com/index.aspx) area covers approximately 2,000 square miles and includes scores of other municipalities. The entire area has seen so much growth in the past 50 years that it’s now one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States (http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/). Part of the region’s charm is its more than 300 days of sunshine per year, with low humidity. This temperate climate—on all but the hottest summer days—encourages locals and visitors alike to get outside and explore all kinds of recreation. If golf is at the top of your list, you’ll find that the valley offers more than 200 golf courses, catering to players of all abilities and budgets.

Desert Glories

The surrounding Sonoran Desert is full of possibilities as well, including hot-air ballooning, Jeep and Hummer tours, horseback riding, biking, rock-climbing and hiking. To take advantage of these opportunities, you won’t have to travel far. Nearby South Mountain Park/Preserve (http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/hikesoth.html), for instance, has more than 50 miles of hiking and riding trails and a great view of Phoenix from Dobbins Lookout. But if your time is limited, try the Desert Botanical Garden (http://www.dbg.org/) in the city’s Papago Park (http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/hikepapa.html). The 65-acre garden is home to rare desert plant species from around the world, as well as desert animals. Go at dusk to view the night-blooming flowers.

City Sights: Phoenix and Scottsdale

Of course, the city also offers urban pursuits. The Heard Museum (http://www.heard.org/) provides insight into the indigenous cultures of the region with exhibits that include a Hopi Kachina collection, Cochiti storyteller figures, and fine examples of North American Indian handicrafts such as turquoise jewelry, blankets and basketry. Other popular options include a visit to Scottsdale (http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/), where the thriving arts district boasts more than 120 galleries, and a trip to Mill Avenue (http://www.millavenue.com/) in Tempe (http://www.tempetourism.com/)—home of Arizona State University (http://www.asu.edu/)—for its lively college-town atmosphere.

“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.

Often, they do what the locals do—hike Piestewa Peak. A better option involves the orange cliffs of the Superstitions (Tonto National Forest /$6 parking fee). This mountain range an hour east of Phoenix has numerous trails. Try the first two miles of Dutchman’s (a four-mile round trip) for an easy walk through a desert wash to a saguaro forest. Turn back when you reach the arched rock formation called Miner’s Needle. For your safety, bring water and sunscreen, and wear a hat.

The nearby Boyce Thompson Arboretum (37615 Hwy. 60; 520-689-2811; US$7.50) offers an optional two-mile self-guided tour through herb and cactus gardens, blooming Palo Verde trees, a eucalyptus forest, and other desert vegetation from around the world.

For lunch on your return to the city, a popular hangout in Tempe is Pita Jungle (1250 E. Apache Blvd., #110; 480-804-0234; average $9). Order pita sandwiches and red bell pepper hummus. Or try a favorite of Mexican-food lovers, Los Dos Molinos —the specialty is slow-roasted ribs (8646 S. Central Ave.; 602-243-9113; $20 for two).

Then visit Old Town Scottsdale, where you can sip an espresso and listen to local music at Sola Coffee Bar (7124 E. Fifth Ave.).

For dinner, reserve an outside table beneath a canopy of grapevines at Tempe’s House of Tricks (114 E. Seventh St.; $29 and under for entrees). Share a bottle of wine in this garden setting, and order the ahi tuna, served with wasabi mashed potatoes.

Sleep in on Sunday before brunch at the Wrigley Mansion (2501 E. Telawa Trail; $45 per person, includes the club fee). The staff at this 75-year-old landmark serves champagne with a buffet-style meal that includes made-to-order omelets, shrimp cocktail, prime rib, desserts and magnificent views.

Maybe you can manage to get tickets to a special show by the Phoenix Symphony Pops Orchestra (455 N. Third St., #390;), such as Michael Christie conducting American favorites like Gershwin, Bernstein and Copland.

At the world-famous Heard Museum (2301 N. Central Ave.; $12), you’ll see outstanding American Indian art ranging from artifacts to contemporary pieces. The gift shop carries authentic jewelry handcrafted by award-winning American Indian artists. Inspired by the art, you can reflect, rekindle and renew a vow often made in Phoenix—a promise to return.

Phoenix native Jackie Dishner likes everything about her hometown.

Along an unhurried drive, the Sonoran Desert presents delicate, just-emerging cactus blossoms. In downtown Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art offers a special exhibit of the classic, black-and-white images of Ansel Adams. You can check the matinee at the adjacent Scottsdale Center for the Arts to see if an acclaimed musical artist or perhaps an edgy drama holds afternoon appeal. Meanwhile, a burger at quirky AZ88 supplies sustenance.

Or you might stroll across Scottsdale Road to the Arts & Antiques District, where Main Street galleries purvey Western-style art. International and contemporary art galleries line Marshall Way, and Fifth Avenue’s American Indian jewelry and crafts shops offer exquisite take-home treasures of turquoise and silver.

When evening comes, a twilight amble along Main Street brings you to Old Town Tortilla Factory, where you’re guided to a table for two on a twinkle-lighted patio under a hundred-year-old pecan tree. You begin with a pair of icy margaritas and a cilantro pesto quesadilla, and then linger over spicy blackened mahi-mahi, or perhaps a platter of build-your-own tacos, trading samples of each other’s choices.

After coffee and fresh berry flan, you head back to the car for the brief motor to Stetson Drive and a nightcap. The street winds among shops, restaurants and boutiques, so snag a parking space when you find one.

Your destination is Kazimierz World Wine Bar, hidden in an off-street passageway behind a restaurant called Cowboy Ciao. Once your eyes adjust to the subdued candlelight, you scan the 800-bottle wine list, deliberating over more than two dozen themed wine flights. Snuggled into a cushy couch, you let your conversation drift back over the events of the day.

Fill the rest of the weekend with a round of golf, a petroglyph hike, a desert jeep trip or a browse through ancient ruins. The Sonoran Desert makes this destination unique; your weekend getaway for two makes them unforgettable.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Midland, TX
920 W. Interstate 20
Midland, TX 79701
432-218-7980
 http://www.countryinns.com/midlandtx