The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (62 page)

How much of a difference can you make? Plenty. Even if you only have a week, the programs here can help you touch others. At the end of your vacation you may feel tired, but you’ll also feel strengthened by a sense of mission and the knowledge that regardless of your place in it, this truly is one world.

slip into hot water

SOUTHWEST MONTANA

I can’t think of any sorrow in the world that a hot bath wouldn’t help, just a little bit.

—
PULITZER PRIZE–WINNING PLAYWRIGHT AND AUTHOR SUSAN GLASPELL,
THE VISIONING
(1911)

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Spas have boomed in the past decades, offering pleasure palaces in which to retreat and rejuvenate. But a spa doesn’t have to be a climate-controlled room with piped-in Andean flute music located deep in a hotel. You can find peace and relaxation on the fringes of Yellowstone National Park, where you can soak in an open-air pool or a river eddy fed by natural hot springs. The greater Yellowstone area sits over a geothermal hot spot, which over eons has fueled volcanoes and geysers—and in the last century or so, spawned resorts, small inns, and naturally heated pools.

Start your supersoaking tour in
Chico Hot Springs,
located in Pray, Montana, just north of Yellowstone. This historic spring comforted Native Americans for centuries, and then became a favorite stop for miners. Now guests find two hot springs pools, with average temperatures from 96°F to 103°F (translation: just about perfect). Pools are free to hotel guests; room rates begin at $79 for a cabin for two. Chico has a day spa with a 30-minute spot massage running $50.
[$
PLURGE
: For a splurge try the hundred-minute geotherapy with spring-heated hot basalt stones for $170.]

And then have dinner in the hotel’s celebrated restaurant. Try the barbecue bison short rib ravioli appetizer ($11) and, if you’re truly indulgent, the beef Wellington for two ($55), which is carved tableside. Many of the vegetables are grown in the inn’s geothermal-heated greenhouse.

Your next stop is within Yellowstone itself. At the
Boiling River
(307-344-7381,
www.nps.gov/yell
), bathers lounge in natural pools along the edge of the Gardner River, where chilly snowmelt mixes with natural heated water. Instead of turning a tap, you control the temperature by rearranging rocks to regulate the flow of water. The area is just 2 miles south of the park’s North Entrance and then a half-mile hike from a parking lot. You’ll find bathrooms for changing, but keep in mind the area’s closed from spring to midsummer due to high water. While in Yellowstone, take a hike or two. Beaver Ponds Loop Trail, a 5-mile path located near the park’s nearby Mammoth Hot Springs area, offers the chance to see wildlife, including moose and even bear.

To get to your next stop, leave the park via West Yellowstone, where you should grab a bite to eat at
Kiwi Takeaway
(237 Firehole Ave., 406-640-0187), which has huge burgers, meat pies, and fish-and-chips. Now head north on U.S. 191 to
Bozeman Hot Springs
($8.50, towel and suit rentals $1), a watery wonderland with nine pools ranging in temperature from 56°F to 106°F. Moving from hot to cold and back to hot pools is invigorating to say the least. Or visit the sauna and steam room. At bedtime, check into the nearby
Canyon Cabins Lodging
(101 Ruby Mountain Way, 406-763-4248,
www.canyoncabinsmontana.com
) in Gallatin Gateway, with bunkhouse cabins available from $95 from May to October.

Before soaking in water again, try riding on it.
Geyser Whitewater Expeditions
(800-914-9031,
www.raftmontana.com
) and
Montana Whitewater Raft Company
(800-799-4465,
www.montanawhitewater.com
) offer half-day excursions on the Gallatin River for around $50.

Look for a geodesic dome and you’ll find your final stop,
Norris Hot Springs
($5, suit and towel rentals $1), which calls itself the “water of the gods” it’s located in Norris on Highway 84, a quarter mile east of Route 287. This laid-back wooden pool uses sprayers and jets to cool the 120°F water. It also sports a café specializing in food sourced within 50 miles and is home to the No Loose Dogs bar, which serves Montana microbrews. There’s live music Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after 7 p.m., when admission is $7.

While in the area, take a two-hour, 2-mile walking tour of
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park
(Whitehall, 406-287-3541,
http://fwp.mt.gov/parks/visit
, closed Oct.–April, tours $10), home to a colony of western big-eared bats. Then for dinner, make the half-hour trip to
Willow Creek Cafe & Saloon
(21 Main St., Willow Creek, 406-285-3698), which serves some of the best barbecue ribs west of the Mississippi, with a half rack under $15.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Bozeman Hot Springs,
81123 E. Gallatin Rd., U.S. 191, Bozeman, MT 59718, 406-586-6492,
www.bozemanhotsprings.biz
.

Chico Hot Springs,
1 Old Chico Rd., Pray, MT 59065, 800-468-9232 or 406-333-4933,
www.chicohotsprings.com
.

Norris Hot Springs,
P. O. Box 2933, Norris, MT 59745, 406-685-3303,
www.norrishotsprings.com
.

MONTANA’S DINO COUNTRY

Dinosaur fossils have been unearthed across Montana and new wonders continue to be discovered. Some of the most spectacular finds are exhibited in the Siebel Dinosaur Complex at Bozeman’s
Museum of the Rockies.
Displays include the world’s largest
Tyrannosaurus rex
skull, a tail with fossilized skin impressions, and rare fossilized dinosaur embryos and nests.

But another star of the museum is curator and paleontologist Jack Horner. He discovered and named the duck-billed
Maiasaura,
or “good mother lizard,” and proved that dinosaurs cared for their young. He also served as a technical adviser for the
Jurassic Park
films and is said to be the inspiration for one of its lead characters. Many of the exhibits showcase his finds and research.
Museum of the Rockies, 600 W. Kagy Blvd., Bozeman, MT 59717, 406-994-3466,
www.museumoftherockies.org
, $13.

step into a wyeth painting

BRANDYWINE VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA

I don’t really have studios. I wander around, around people’s attics, out in fields, in cellars, anyplace I find that invites me.

—
PAINTER ANDREW WYETH (1917–2009)

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Critics often derided the late Andrew Wyeth’s paintings as illustrations. But for his many fans, the superrealistic depictions—of barren landscapes, the trappings of rural life, and his hardworking country neighbors—offer a hauntingly honest glimpse of America of the 1950s and beyond.

On a visit to Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley region near the town of Chadds Ford, you can judge for yourself. Though the area has grown since Wyeth grew up here, in places this countryside 45 minutes southwest of Philadelphia looks much as it appears in Wyeth’s paintings. In the red barn of the snug Kuerner Farm sits the stone tub once used to cool milk—a scene captured in Wyeth’s “Spring Fed”—and the kitchen window of the wooden white farmhouse in “Groundhog Day.” Nearby is the rolling hill of “Winter 1946” and “Snow Hill”—not far from the railroad crossing where his father and nephew were killed decades ago in what some suspect was an act of suicide.

Tours of the Kuerner Farm are offered Thursday through Sunday by the
Brandywine River Museum
(1 Hoffman’s Mill Rd., Chadds Ford, 610-388-2700,
www.brandywinemuseum.org
, $10), a must-stop for anyone with an interest in the Wyeth family. Here you’ll find a gallery of remarkable color illustrations that his father, acclaimed artist N. C. Wyeth, painted for James Fenimore Cooper’s
Last of the Mohicans
and Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Kidnapped
and
Treasure Island,
plus works by other regional artists, including family members Jamie Wyeth, Henriette Wyeth, Carolyn Wyeth, Peter Hurd, and John W. McCoy. And, of course, temperas and watercolors by Andrew Wyeth.

The museum also owns the 1911 house where Andrew Wyeth grew up, and if you’ve got the time, you’ll want to visit it. N. C. Wyeth’s studio lies behind the house and looks much as it did the day he died in 1945. The museum offers tours of the house and studio Thursday through Sunday for a fee of $5 per person in addition to the regular museum entry of $10 for adults. Both tours should be booked at least a day in advance at 610-388-8326.

For the ultimate Wyeth experience, time your visit to catch a guided gallery tour of the Brandywine River Museum led by Victoria Browning Wyeth (Andrew’s granddaughter and Jamie’s niece); she peppers her talk with family anecdotes. (Her aunt Carolyn, she may tell you, was such a character that the family disposed of her ashes in a firecracker.) Her tours are held most Thursdays and Fridays (July–Aug. excluded) on a first-come basis (free with regular museum entry).

The full Wyeth immersion requires a minimum of a day and a half. Diehard Wyeth fans can stay minutes from the Brandywine River Museum at the
Brandywine River Hotel
(1609 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 877-320-0664,
www.brandywineriverhotel.com
, rates for a double room from $139). Other accommodations can be found nearby in chain lodgings.

For cheap authentic eats, check out
Hank’s Place
(corner of Rte. 1 & Rte. 100, 610-388-7061), an Andrew Wyeth favorite for meat loaf and other hearty fare where the entrees start under $10, and another Wyeth family favorite,
Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shop
(1507 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, 610-459-3083), which is due to reopen in 2011 after a fire, for sandwiches and hot dogs. For an affordable splurge, hit the
Gables at Chadds Ford
(423 Baltimore Pike, 610-388-7700,
www.thegablesatchaddsford.com
) in a converted 1800s barn, where the contemporary menu (American with French and Asian twists) features dinner entrees around $30. Many are available in half portions.

THE WYETHS IN MAINE

The Wyeth family has long spent summers in the mid-coast region of Maine.
Rockland’s Farnsworth Art Museum
(16 Museum St., 207-596-6457,
www.farnsworthmuseum.org
, $12) features an extensive collection of works by various Wyeth family members.

To fully experience Maine as portrayed in Andrew Wyeth’s paintings, drive to Port Clyde (about 30 mins. S of Rockland) and take the hour-plus boat ride to
Monhegan Island
(207-372-8848,
www.monheganboat.com
, $32 round-trip, several times daily in summer but limited in winter). You probably won’t run into any Wyeth family members—but you never know.

When you’re ready for a break from Wyeth family lore, stop in at the
Chaddsford Winery
(632 Baltimore Pike, 610-388-6221,
www.chaddsford.com
), open daily from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for free tours and tastings from $8. About 30 minutes away, in Nottingham, the
Herr’s Snack Factory
(20 Herr Dr., 800-637-6225,
www.herrs.com
) offers free tours mornings Monday through Friday, and afternoons Monday through Thursday; reserve in advance. The 300-acre
Linvilla Orchards
(137 W. Knowlton Rd., Media, 610-876-7116,
www.linvilla.com
) features a farm market, hayrides, and seasonal activities.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Brandywine Conference & Visitors Bureau,
800-343-3983,
www.brandywinecountry.org
.

nurture the big cats

ZOLFO SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals “love” them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more.

—
EDWIN WAY TEALE,
CIRCLE OF THE SEASONS
(1953)

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For a few months, a tiger kitten is cuddly, a baby bear irresistible. But something inevitably happens. It gets bigger, its teeth grow sharper, and its behavior becomes more destructive and dangerous. That’s when many folks who have acquired wild animals as pets put them in cages, and sometimes begin to abuse them.