My husband and I are interested in taking a 3-day weekend. We would leave Thursday evening from Kansas City and return Sunday afternoon. We have no directional preference, just looking for a nice place to relax and get away from work. Considering Minneapolis, Denver, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Looking for suggestions. We enjoy the outdoors, B&Bs, sports, festivals. Any help is appreciated!

amy - two suggestions - union pier/saugatuck michigan area outside chicago, do a search on this site and you will come up with all the info you know. i think everyone recommends the inn at union pier or if you want to drive you might want to consider big cedar lodge at tablerock lake, we just got back and it is out of this world. three restaraunts (all wonderful), great outdoor, indoor pool, lazy river, boating, wonderful spa and the rooms are to die for (kind of pricy we got a special midweek $99 deal but will not find that in the summer or on weekends). fall lodge is new at big cedar and the rooms have great view with awesome jacuzzi and porches. award winning golf course there too - website is www.bigcedarlodge.com. grounds are beautiful as well. 15 minutes from branson which can be a plus and a minus but somewhere to go for a short break away.

Lake of the Ozarks or Branson would be close enough to drive for a nice weekend.

Chicago or Minneapolis are both great if you are flying. Lots to do in both places and nice hotels to relax in.

How about the Amana Colonies in Eastern Iowa, about 5 hours away?

Great food, wineries, a woollen mill, hand crafted furnature, crafts, smoke houses, B&Bs, history, golf, hiking.

http://www.amanacolonies.com/welcome/

Keith

Minneapolis is a good place for theater (Guthrie Theater + many other choices), shopping (Mall of America"), baseball (Twins or Saints), art museums (Art Institue and Walker Modern Art Museum), good restaurants and of course the lakes and Mississippi River. Hotels are mostly chains, but there are a few small inns (Nicollet Island Inn - on an island in the Mississippi). There are several big events in the summer: The Aquatenial (www.aquatennial.org), the Uptown and Powerderhorn Art Fairs (1st weekend in August), the state fair (largest in attendance in the US) and Rennaisance Festival (August and September). I would also recommend flying - it's a 7-8 hour drive at least from KC.

Or fly up to Minneapolis, rent a car and drive 3 hours north to Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior - BEAUTIFUL in the summer and fall.

Or ...a driveable trip .... have you considered Des Moines, IA? Tour the state capital, go antiquing in West Des Moines, spend a day at Living History Farms, see the bridges of Madison County in Winterset (30 minutes west of Des Moines).

I would second the recommendation of the Mpls./St Paul Area. It is lovely in the summer and there are lots of things to do. I would also recommend if you go to that are you drive to Stillwater and Red Wing and other places on the river. They are fun areas. We also enjoy walking around the Lakes in the Central part of Mpls. We have also been to all of the other places you mentioned and have enjoyed everyone of them but don't think I'd go back to Branson again. We did love the Big Cedar Lodge and Chateau on the Lake tho and would strongly recommend either. The traffic in Branson in the summer is horrendous - and I live in CA. I doubt if you'd have time to go up to Duluth and the North Shore on a 3 days weekend but would highly recommend it for a time when you have more time. It is beautiful and has some quaint little restaurants, lodges, etc. Whatever you decide you'll have fun. Let us know.

If you've not been to Eureka Springs it would be lovely for a weekend! We felt that the spa offered good prices and well worth the treat. I just received a special on the Cresent Hotel this morning. $99.00 http://www.crescent-hotel.com/ You might want to check on it's sister hotel "The Basin" as it's closer to the main street I believe. DeVito's is a wonderful, small Italian restaurant within walking distance. Well, most things are within walking distance.