The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (26 page)

Even if you don’t take a tour, you’ll likely glimpse midshipmen strolling across the bricks—don’t call them cobblestones—as you wander the city’s historic district, home to more 18th-century brick buildings than any other U.S. city. Stop in at the
1774 Hammond-Harwood House
(19 Maryland Ave., 410-263-4683,
www.hammondharwoodhouse.org
, guided tours, $6), dubbed the “most beautiful doorway in America,” for a glimpse into Georgian life. Check out the
Maryland State House
(100 State Circle, 410-974-3400,
www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/home.html
), the nation’s oldest state house in continuous legislative use and the national capitol from November 1783 to August 1784. Free tours are offered daily except Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day; closed Christmas.

If you’re up for more history and houses, you’ve got plenty of options, including the
Charles Carroll House
(107 Duke of Gloucester St., 410-269-1737,
www.charlescarrollhouse.com
, open limited days), which belonged to the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the
William Paca House and Garden
(186 Prince George St., 410-990-4538,
www.annapolis.org
, $8). But if your feet are worn or you’re ready for a break, take to the water.

You can catch an excursion on a schooner, take a kayak tour, or rent an electric boat. For a wallet-friendly alternative, take a
water taxi
(410-263-0033,
www.watermarkcruises.com
). Rides cost $2–$6, depending on your destination. (One popular route runs from City Dock to Eastport’s restaurant row.)
[$
PLURGE
: If your timing is right and you’re up for a splurge, tours to the 1875
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
are offered on specific weekend dates for $70; reservations are required. The trips leave from the
Annapolis Maritime Museum
(723 2nd St., Eastport, 410-295-0104,
www.amaritime.org
).] Set in an old oyster packing plant, the museum is worth a visit for its displays about the life of watermen and the seafood industry of years past.

Or you could just watch the boating scene from land. Annapolis is known as the sailing capital of America, and each Wednesday night during summer a hundred-plus sailboats race through the bay; first gun is at 6:05 p.m. (410-263-9270,
www.annapolisyc.com
). Any day, don’t miss the yachtie fave,
Boatyard Bar & Grill
(400 4th St., Eastport, 410-216-6206), hailed by
Sail Magazine
as one of the world’s top ten sailing bars. Remarkably, it’s family friendly.

More dining recommendations: afternoon tea at the historic
Reynolds Tavern
(7 Church Circle, 410-295-9555) and steamed crabs at either
Cantler’s Riverside Inn
(458 Forest Beach Rd., 410-757-1311) or the South River side
Mike’s Crab House
(3030 Riva Rd., 410-956-2784) in nearby Riva. And if you venture to
Chick & Ruth’s Delly
(165 Main St., 410-269-6737) for breakfast, don’t be late: At 8:30 sharp each weekday (9:30 weekends), patrons stand and deliver the Pledge of Allegiance.

Lodging-wise, what you pay will depend on when you visit. Summer weekends are prime time for weekenders from Washington; event weekends at the Naval Academy also mean high prices. Chain lodgings found a few miles outside of town can be a price-savvy option. Bed-and-breakfasts in town start at $125; for information check out
www.annapolisbandb.com
. The
SpringHill Suites
(189 Admiral Cochrane Dr., 443-321-2500,
www.marriott.com
) offers rooms from $139. At the style-savvy
Aloft Hotel
(1741 W. Nursery Rd., Linthicum, 410-691-6969,
www.alofthotelbwi.com
) at BWI Airport, rooms start at $89.

SEE THE CADETS IN ACTION

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point—the Army training ground for Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, and George S. Patton, among others—may also be visited via guided tours ($11–$13). The academy is located at Highland Falls, New York, about 40 miles north of New York City. Tours must be booked through
www.westpointtours.com
or 845-938-2638.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau,
888-302-2852,
www.visitannapolis.org
.

eat pie

UPPER MIDWEST

Vegetables are a must on a diet.

I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.

—
JIM DAVIS, “GARFIELD” CARTOONIST

28 |
Whether sweet or tart, flaky or crusty, pie is an American tradition. Apple pie, sure. But how about huckleberry or banana cream? It’s hard to go wrong with choices like these.

So why not build a vacation around pie? Think of it as a cultural field trip. A tasty journey through the heartland. Because truth is that despite the abundance of celebrity chefs on both coasts, you’ve got to head to the upper Midwest for your pie fix. “You find Germans and Scandinavians there,” says Minneapolis food writer Carla Waldemar. And, she notes, “they’re good bakers.”

A word of advice: Order ice cream on the side. You don’t want to get up from the table hungry.

Start your pie quest two hours east of Minneapolis in the tiny town of
Osseo,
Wisconsin, where you’ll find
Norske Nook
(13804 7th St., 715-597-3069,
www.norskenook.com
) and an introduction to the dilemma you’ll face on this trip. What to order? The obvious choice is sour-cream raisin, a meringue concoction on graham cracker crust that is legendary. But not so fast. This Norwegian outpost has won national pie awards for choices like its double-crust baked strawberry. Then there’s “Dutch” (strudel-topped) peach melba, nut-topped pies like pecan stout, and whipped-topped wonders like coconut pineapple dream. All cost $3.29 a slice. Other locations of this shop can be found in Hayward, Rice Lake, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Head 25 miles north to
Eau Claire,
where you can work off a few calories hiking or biking the
Chippewa River State Trail
(715-232-1242,
http://dnr.wi.gov/Org/land/parks/specific/chiprivertrail/
), a rail line turned park that mostly parallels the Chippewa River and is now part of a 37-mile hiking system. Use of the trail is free within the city of Eau Claire; otherwise you’ll need to purchase a day pass ($4).

Now head north 180 miles to the Lake Superior coast. You’ll be rewarded with stunning scenery and, in
Bayfield,
the
Candy Shoppe
(217 Rittenhouse Ave., 715-779-3668), which uses local berries and apples to make exceptional pies. Choose wisely because the pies are only sold whole ($11). Also try the wine bread, a pastry with fruit and cheese that resembles coffee cake.

WORLD’S BEST DONUTS

Finally, if you need a little variety in your treats, Grand Marais is home to the
World’s Best Donuts
(10 E. Wisconsin St., 218-387-1345,
www.worldsbestdonutsmn.com
). It’s a grand claim perhaps, but they clearly know their doughnuts, which start at 75 cents or $6 for a dozen.

Bayfield is the jumping-off point to visit the
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
(visitor center, 415 Washington Ave., 715-779-3397,
www.nps.gov/apis
); all 21 islands are only accessible by private boat/kayak, by ferry (Madeline only), or by excursion boat (Apostle Islands Cruise Service, 715-779-3925). If it’s berry season (June–Sept.), you can pick your own to help tide you over for the next leg of the trip. Visit
http://bayfield.org/orchards_and_berry_farms_berry_schedule.php
for a list of orchards and berry farms. Spend the night in Bayfield at the
Seagull Bay Motel
(325 S. 7th St., 715-779-5558,
www.seagullbay.com
), which offers lake views and rooms from $75.

Now it’s time to head 125 miles west to Minnesota’s Highway 61, which could be called the national “pieway.” In the town of
Two Harbors,
you’ll find pie, and some debate. Betty’s Pies has long been a regional favorite, but many local residents swear by upstarts like Rustic Inn Café & Gifts. Try them both and decide for yourself.

Betty’s Pies
(1633 Hwy. 61, 877-269-7494 or 218-834-3367,
www.bettyspies.com
) began as a smoked fish shack in the 1950s. It eventually expanded its offerings, and became a local legend. Now it bakes 300 pies a day during the summer, and offers next-day shipping on Internet orders. You can’t go wrong with Great Lakes Crunch with apples, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and strawberries. Slices run around $4. For something unique (or horrifying), try the Polar Pie Shake ($6.25), a slice of pie dropped into a blender with ice cream and milk.

Outside of Two Harbors, you’ll find about two dozen made-from-scratch choices at the
Rustic Inn Café & Gifts
(2773 Hwy. 61, 218-834-2488). The restaurant is nearly a century old, and it still features log walls, birch floors, and checkered tablecloths. The berry pies are popular, of course, but don’t overlook the five-layer chocolate or caramel apple pecan. Slices run around $5.

Take a serving and head over to
Gooseberry Falls State Park
(3206 Hwy. 61, Two Harbors, 218-834-3855,
www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/gooseberry_falls
) for hiking to the namesake series of falls on the Gooseberry River. If you don’t want to camp, try
Superior Shores Resort
(1521 Superior Shores Dr., Two Harbors, 800-242-1988 or 218-834-5671,
www.superiorshores.com
), with rooms beginning at $79 on weekdays during the summer high season.

For your final destination, head 75 miles north to
Grand Marais.
The name-says-it-all
Pie Place
(2017 W. Hwy. 61, 218-387-1513,
http://northshorepieplace.com, closed Mon
.) is a ramshackle house known for leisurely service and great pie. For this final stop, choose whatever slice you want. But both the frozen banana split and maple apple cream come highly recommended. Slices run $5.95.

[
CHAPTER
2]

into the wild

S
ometimes it seems as if the nation has been covered in asphalt. The landscape, you’re convinced, holds nothing more than highways, drive-thrus, and strip malls. When that feeling hits, it’s time to head out of town. Because as photographers (and philosophers) have often maintained, when you change your location, you change your perspective, too.

In just a day, you can find yourself marveling at waterfalls, kayaking with dolphins, or zipping through trees. You can gasp at the wonders of nature and geology, and quite literally find yourself alone in the wilderness—a place where deadlines and career highlights don’t matter. When you’re moving under your own power—by foot, paddle, or with the kick of a flipper—you won’t go as far as you would in a minivan or SUV, but you’ll see so much more. And when you arrive, you’ll know instinctively that life is simpler, yet infinitely more complex, than you ever imagined.

How does this magic happen? There were no committee meetings to design the whale shark, the largest fish on the planet. No flow chart organizes the elaborate ecosystem of a rain forest. And caves were formed without benefit of architects and interior decorators. But as you spend time in and around these wonders of nature, you’ll feel connected to the world around you, and part of something much bigger than a towering interstate interchange.