Wilmette, Illinois

Wilmette Harbor Boats for Hire
courtesy Chicago's North Shore CVB

Enjoy Chicago's North Shore

With a fabulous location directly on the shores of Lake Michigan, the enchanting lakefront community of Wilmette is located just 16 miles north of downtown Chicago and is easily accessible by car, bus, bike and even boat! Many visitors to Wilmette choose to enjoy the ease of Metra, Chicago's premier commuter rail system, which makes a convenient stop in the center of one of Wilmette's most exciting shopping areas.

A progressive community with a strong commitment to its history, Wilmette abounds with glorious tree-lined cobblestone streets, an antique street lighting system (which was first installed in 1925!), gorgeous turn-of-the century Victorian-style homes, stately mansions, interesting boutiques and shops, wonderful restaurants, and, of course, its spectacular lakefront beaches and parks.

For those who enjoy natural beauty, Wilmette is a recreational paradise. The village boasts 18 beautifully landscaped public parks and playgrounds on 300-plus acres of land. Wilmette also offers scenic lakefront jogging and biking trails, an outdoor amphitheater featuring live shows and concerts, two well-manicured golf courses, and Gillson Park with its gorgeous sandy beaches ideally suited for picnicking, swimming, sailing or a pick-up game of volleyball.

Wilmette is the quintessential North Shore community - see for yourself!

Visit www.cnscvb.com

Sedona, Arizona

Time For A Fall Retreat To Sedona

It’s that time of year again. The kids are going back to school and soon everybody will be busy doing their own thing; football practice, band practice, after school get-togethers, etc… This is the time to get in one last getaway before all the craziness ensues. And what better place to connect than in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by spectacular Red Rocks.

Of course one will need accommodations. Preferably something that is family friendly. The perfect place is the Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort. Located on the Sedona Golf Resort and surrounded by Red Rocks, the Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort offers views galore.

Want to get up close to those famous Red Rocks? One of the most popular ways is a Jeep Tour. Get the family together in one Jeep and hold on! These tours are very exciting and really take one into the Red Rocks and canyons. How about a Wild West adventure? The Blazin’ M Ranch is fun for the entire family, with cowboy shoot-outs, roping, and more. Then at the end of the day one is treated to a chuck wagon dinner and Western show. Finally, what better way to connect then visiting a natural wonder: the Grand Canyon. In just a couple of hours from Sedona one can be enjoying this National State Park. Once there, one can view The Canyon so many ways; by helicopter, by guided tour or even by donkey!

Take that one last vacation before the madness of the school year really sets in… Enjoy the family and make the memories that they will cherish forever.

For more info visit www.arizonatourismcenter.com

Test Your Texas Trivia

McKinney Falls State Park - courtesy Texas Tourism

• Texas is the largest of the contiguous states with 267,277 square miles.

• More than 5,000 flowering plants are native to Texas.

• Texas has more than 4,959-square miles of fresh water more than any state except Alaska.

• Texas’ four national forests and the Big Thicket National Preserve offer more than 730,000 acres of woodland recreation.

• Caddo Lake in East Texas is the state's largest natural lake.

• The King Ranch in Kingsville is the largest ranch in Texas and is slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

• Texas has more than 624 miles (1,000 km.) of coastline to explore.

• Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are among the nation's 10 largest cities. Texas is the second most populous state in the nation estimated at more than 23 million residents.

• The largest concentration of bats in the world is found in Bracken Cave near San Antonio, home to some 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats.

• Texas is the fifth largest wine producer in the United States.

• The tallest Texan stands a whopping 52 feet tall – it’s Big Tex, the friendly cowboy who welcomes visitors to the State Fair of Texas.

• The world's third largest single structure telescope is atop Mount Fowlkes in the Davis Mountains.

• The longest footbridge in the U.S. is in Rusk.

• First word transmitted by a human from the moon: "Houston."

For more info on Texas visit www.traveltex.com

Sun Valley, Idaho

Trailing of the Sheep, Steve Platzer, courtesy Sun Valley CVB

Annual Trailing of the Sheep festival October 9 – 11, 2009

Festival honors rich & colorful history of sheepherding in the Wood River Valley, Idaho.

The annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival will be held this year Friday, October 9th through Sunday, October 11th, 2009 in the Wood River Valley of Idaho.

Every year the popular Trailing of the Sheep Festival celebrates the century and a half long traditions of moving sheep from mountain summer pastures south through the Wood River Valley to traditional winter desert areas. This annual migration is not a reenactment Rather it's living history and a weekend long festival that highlights the people, cultures, and traditions of sheep ranching in Idaho and the west.

Today as in the early part of the century, sheep migrate north each spring from the Snake River plain of Southern Idaho region, traveling in bands of close to 1,500 sheep, through the Wood River Valley to summer high mountain pastures. This traditional route takes them up Highway 75 through residential areas and the towns of Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum. Some continue their journey over Galena summit into the Sawtooth Mountains. In the fall, the animals retrace this trail south to desert fields. In October of 1997 the first annual "Trailing of the Sheep Celebration" was held.

2009 marks the 13th year of the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival. It has grown into a 3-day event including sheep poetry readings and music, a full day Folklife Fair with sheep shearing, wool spinning and sheep arts and crafts. There is dancing, singing, music and food honoring the tradition of welcoming fathers, brothers, sons and family home from a long winter of grazing in the mountains.

This year, in addition to the history, stories, dancers, musicians and workshops, we are featuring "Food and Fiber"- the importance of warm, natural, sustainable wool in today's world. There will be expert spinners, weavers and knitters. We have also invited sheep ranchers and others involved with using wool as insulation - the latest in green building.

A perfect affordable family weekend vacation and a must do this year! Fun and educational for people of all ages.

For more info visit www.visitsunvalley.com