5 Breweries That Actually Want You To Stay The Night

Facebook / Woodstock Inn & Station

Ale trails and beer passport programs combine two things we love: travel and frosty, cold pints. But, there are only so many breweries you can (or should) visit in a day.

So, where do you overnight on a beer-inspired adventure? A brewery, of course! More and more breweries now offer onsite accommodations, some with perks including tours and samplers. The next time you’re ready for a beer-cation, check into one of these brewery-owned inns and hotels.

Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery (North Woodstock, NH): Located near Dartmouth College, the Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery has 40 guestrooms spread throughout six buildings with several rooms situated over the combined restaurant and brewery. Beer lovers can join the daily brewery tour ($9 per person for a tour, a tasting, and a keepsake pint glass) or book a Brewer’s Weekend package (from $271 per person), which includes a two-night stay, a multi-course beer-pairing dinner on Saturday, and a crash course in the beer-making process.

Norwich Inn

Norwich Inn (Norwich, VT): President James Monroe dined at the Norwich Inn in 1817. Although there’s no historical record of whether Monroe enjoyed a beer with his meal, we like to think he did. Today, the charming 39-room inn houses an award-winning brewery, Jasper Murdock Alehouse, in its historic livery. Watch for beer-themed events and packages, such as the Bake & Beer Weekday Experience in July, which features beer tastings and beer baking classes with King Arthur Flour (from $279.50 per person).

McMenamins Kennedy School/Flickr/Curtis Cronn

McMenamins Kennedy School (Portland, OR): Brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin started with one humble pub in 1974. Today, their empire includes breweries, restaurants, historic hotels, music venues, movie theaters, and more. (They even have a McMenamins Passport for their properties.) While McMenamins Edgefield has more than 100 guestrooms, plus a brewery, a distillery, and a winery, we prefer the 57-room McMenamins Kennedy School, where you can sip beer from the onsite brewery in class and smoke a cigar in detention. Your best bet for a beer-cation is the Beer 101 package, which includes lodging for two, two brewery taster trays, and a growler filled with your choice of McMenamins ales (from $190 per night).

Brewhouse Inn

Brewhouse Inn & Suites (Milwaukee, WI): Although Brewhouse Inn & Suites doesn’t have an onsite brewery, it used to be one. The 90-room inn occupies what was once the Pabst Blue Ribbon Factory, and you’ll see evidence of its past throughout the building, including the tops of the copper brew kettles in the common areas and original signage and artwork. There’s also a restored stained-glass window depicting the patron saint of beer in the lobby and a front desk constructed out of 1,500 beer bottles from local breweries. Next door, the former mill is now Jackson’s Blue Ribbon Pub, where you can, naturally, order PBR on tap.

Fredericksburg Brewing Company/Flickr/Carlos Macasaet

Fredericksburg Brewing Company (Fredericksburg, TX): Not only is Fredericksburg Brewing Company the oldest brewpub in Texas, it often ranks among the state’s best. The ground floor of the restored 1890s building on Main Street comprises the brewery, a restaurant, and an air-conditioned biergarten; the second floor is reserved for the brewery’s 12-guestroom Bed & Brew. As part of the stay, each guest receives a sampler of four beers every booked night (from $99).

by Teresa Bitler- See more at: http://blog.shermanstravel.com/2016/how-to-spend-the-night-in-a-brewery/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Escapes%20Newsletter:%2004.02.16&utm_term=National:%20Bulletin%20/%20Trip%20Ideas%20/%20ROS#sthash.ZBMI7mYW.dpuf

Celebrate America's National Parks Centennial With A Small Ship Cruise

Small ship cruise expert AdventureSmith Explorations (http://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/) in the spirit of 2016’s National Park Centennial Celebration offers the most unique way to experience our National Parks: cruise a park.
 
While Alaska has the whale’s share of cruises in National Parks, and thus choices of ship size and amenities, the San Juan Islands and Oregon’s Columbia River are key players as well.
 
ALASKA
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve covers over three million acres with open ocean and fjord coastlines spanning most of its perimeter. This means that the small vessels that AdventureSmith Explorations employs access many of the coves and landings around hundreds of miles. Examples of itineraries here are three eight-day programs: Exploring Muir’s Wilderness on the 84-guest Safari Endeavor; Northern Passages & Glacier Bay on the 60-guest Wilderness Adventurer, 74-guest Wilderness Explorer or 76-guest Wilderness Discoverer; and Discoverers Glacier Country on the 22-guest Safari Quest, the 36-guest Safari Explorer, the 60-guest Wilderness Adventurer or the 84-guest Safari Endeavour. Itineraries have themed departures the week of Aug. 25, 2016 celebrating the Centennial, with commemoration gifts, guest speakers, evening onboard presentations focused on the history of the National Parks, surprise birthday celebrations and special presentations by Park Rangers on board while in Glacier Bay.
 
For those that want to see as much of Glacier Bay National Park as possible on a cruise, the six-day Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise is the only Inside Passage small ship cruise that spends most of its itinerary inside the park. The itinerary travels from waterfall-laden Geike Inlet to the barren mountain faces of the East and West arms of Glacier Bay National Park, then routes outside the park to Point Adolphus for whale watching. Hundreds of miles of glacial fjords are here for kayaking, hiking and small ship cruising. The base of exploration is the historic 12-passenger small ship M/V Sea Wolf, owned and operated by Alaskans.
 
Kenai Fjords National Park, on the edge of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage, covers an area of nearly 670,000 acres, 51 percent of which is ice. A number of lodge-based itineraries allow guests to spend ample time on the water boating through Kenai Fjords. To access most of these remote lodges, guests embark by boat from Seward on a five-hour wildlife and tidewater glacier journey. Kenai Fjords Backcountry Explorer over seven days reveals by raft and boat and on shore the many of the activities and animals on the Native-owned, 1,700-acre Pedersen Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary. The eight-day Ultimate Alaska Adventure pairs backcountry adventure and wild Alaska by sea kayaking in Kenai Fjords National Park, a helicopter landing onto a glacial snowpack, a floatplane journey to a remote mountain lake and more.
 
LOWER 48
Olympic National Park, at nearly 1 million acres along Washington’s coast, is famed for its diversity of ecosystems and rich cultural history. Olympic Wilderness & San Juan Islands is an eight-day-expedition along this coastline from the comfort of the 60-guest Wilderness Adventurer or the 76-guest Wilderness Discoverer. Kayaks and paddleboards sail aboard, allowing guests to actively explore the park’s coves and canals.  
 
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park at Fort Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon, is a hub focusing on the lore of early explorers. Two small ship itineraries visiting here herald the legacy of two great western rivers: the Columbia and the Snake. Columbia & Snake Rivers Journey over seven days embraces culture and history with food and wine bounties of the Pacific Northwest. This trip recently acquired Food Alliance affiliation ensuring that local and sustainable are prominent in in every culinary presentation. Guests will be on board either 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird or 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Lion. Over eight days on Legacy of Discoveryguests aboard the 88-guest S.S. Legacy that emulates a turn-of-century steamer traverse the nearly 1,000 miles of history on the Columbia River Gorge.
 
ARRIVE BY TRAIN OR PLANE
Some of AdventureSmith Explorations’ itineraries define remote to its core, with guests going beyond the boat, being transported to a National Park by small plane or train. There are fly-to itineraries accessing Katmai National Park including Brown Bears of Katmai, a five-day program recommended as a cruise extension. On Denali Backcountry Explorerguests explore the wilderness from a lodge deep in Denali National Park and Preservewith access that may include a bus or train from Anchorage.
 
Alaska Coast to Denali is a cruise-a-park highlight, visiting two national parks over seven days via boat and train. The itinerary starts with a small boat cruise into a Kenai Fjords National Park lodge, travels overland to Denali National Park and Preserve and then concludes with a scenic train ride on the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage.
 
See this blog post for a comprehensive list of 18 ways to “Cruise a Park”:
http://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/cruise-a-park-national-centennial-small-ship. Learn more unique ways to travel our National Parks by following AdventureSmith’s #cruiseapark hashtag.
 
For current cruise specials and early-booking offers worldwide see:http://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/special-offers. For information on all of AdventureSmith’s small ship cruises, itineraries, availability and 2015-2016 reservations, Phone: 800-728-2875 toll-free or visit www.adventuresmithexplorations.com.
 
About AdventureSmith Explorations - Think Outside the Boat!
Founded in 2003, AdventureSmith Explorations is based in Tahoe City, CA, along the northern shore of Lake Tahoe. A recognized leader in small ship cruising, in 2012 owner Todd Smith joined the ranks of Conde Nast Traveler's prestigious Annual Travel Specialists List as the world’s expert on small ship expeditions. 

Enjoy The Beauty Of Oregon's Fall Foliage

Riders pass over six covered bridges and through a bright yellow tunnel of cottonwoods on the Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway in Cottage Grove. (Photo credit: Russ Roca)

Summer wanes, the temperatures drop and Oregon’s forests move into fall party mode. From mountain forests to river valleys around the state, a riot of color celebrates the changing of the seasons. Get out and join the festivities by bike, by car, by train or on foot. Make sure to check the statewide fall foliage blog, OregonFallFoliage.com, before your trip. Beginning September 5, weekly updates will point you to where you can find the best fall color around the state. You can also follow fall foliage updates onTwitter and share your own fall photos by tagging them #ORFallFoliage and #traveloregon on Instagram.

Bike ridesTake in views of autumn fields and vineyards along the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. The 134-mile route starts in Champoeg State Park north of Salem and ends in Armitage County Park in Coburg, and can be ridden in its entirety or in sections. Look for the fiery reds and oranges of maturing grapevines and golden leaves of walnut trees in towns along the route. The 37-mile Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway starts and ends in Cottage Grove. Riders pass over six covered bridges (three on the historic register) and through a bright yellow tunnel of cottonwoods. You’ll see colorful oaks along the hillsides.

Car ridesFollow the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway from Gold Hill east of Grants Pass north toward Crater Lake (an easy side trip) then west through Glide to Roseburg. The route takes you past several volcanic peaks, rushing rivers and fall splendor in the Umpqua National Forest. The Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway follows the river from Troutdale to Cascade Locks and Mosier to The Dalles, passing dozens of waterfalls, overlooks and forests bright with seasonal color.

Train ridesThe Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, departing out of Wheeler, offers the Nehalem River Fall Splendor Excursion Train with gorgeous views of Nehalem Bay and the red and orange palette of maple and poplar trees among the evergreens. Eagle Cap Excursion Train winds out of Elgin and into lovely roadless forests along the Grande Ronde River to meet up with the Wild and Scenic Wallowa River near the mountains. Check out the Fall Foliage Photography Train, Autumn Train Robbery and Fall Foliage Train. You’ll see golden larches (aka tamaracks) and bright yellow leaves of cottonwood and willow trees. Hop aboard the Sumpter Valley Railroad, a vintage 1915 steam locomotive near Baker City, as it travels through old mining country. October sees Fall Color Trains and two special weekends for photography.

HikesJust off the highway near Terrebone, hike Gray Butte for backdoor access to Smith Rock State Park. The 5-mile, easy, out-and-back can be hiked all year. The end point overlook offers scenic views of snowcapped peaks, majestic Smith Rock, the Crooked River and sagebrush-covered hillsides. TheStrawberry Mountain Wilderness lights up with golden larches, dogwoods and cottonwoods in the autumn. An easy 5.8-mile route along the East Fork Canyon Creek hike (with a trailhead south of Canyon City) is a good bet for fall color and solitude.

• Contributed by Eileen Garvin
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