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Luxury hideaway revels in a quiet world
For us, romantic weekends always seemed to begin with an airplane ride -- until we found Canoe Bay. The secluded inn, just a two-hour drive from the Twin Cities near Chetek, Wis., offers quiet, gracious service and luxurious rooms -- but no telephones or in-room Internet hookup. Who needs the outside world when you're in a warm, woodsy room next to a quiet lake? Canoe Bay is the Midwest's only Relais & Chateaux, a collection of only the top 440 luxury hotels and restaurants in the world, so it's our area's own gem of a hideaway.
October 9, 2005

Northern byway is fall color Hotspot
A drive north of the Twin Cities in the Chippewa National Forest, located just west of Grand Rapids, Minn., has been named one of the U.S. Forest Service's Fall Foliage Hotspots. Visitors will see the leaves of aspen, birch and maple trees in rich colors of gold, amber and scarlet as they travel through the forest on the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway (Hwy. 38) or the Avenue of Pines (Hwy. 46). Also, visitors can check the Forest Service's hot line (1-800-354-4595; www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/) for weekly updates of peak fall
October 9, 2005

Home exchange is a trip
You can go to the far reaches of the world -- or just the other coast -- without delving too far into your wallet by trying home swapping. The practice, also known as vacation home exchange, lets two virtual strangers trade spaces for a week or two, or even longer. Popular in Europe since the 1950s, the custom has crossed to this side of the pond, with Intervac, one of the largest home exchange networks, reporting a 40-percent increase in U.S.-based members in the past year. So if you want to live like a local, and can roll with the punches (picky people need not apply), here's how to swap
October 9, 2005