A down home, family fun kind of place

When the notice appeared in my e-mail inbox that I had won two tickets to the Osmond Brothers concert at the Bearcreek Farms Country Resort in Bryant, Indiana, it was a no brainer. “Heck, yes, I’m going.”

Never mind that Donny wasn’t going to be there, or that my musical tastes have changed since the day when a frenzied friend pushed past me to get close to the stage in Columbia, South Carolina where Donny crooned “Puppy Love” to a packed arena of swarming girls. Seeing only Jay and his brothers, including Jimmy, this time around would do.

Besides, heading to the concert from Columbus, Ohio was road trip material. I corralled my husband, my then teen-aged daughter and 7 year-old son for the up and back excursion. To her credit, my daughter didn’t roll her eyes when I told her she was to be my concert date. Bearcreek Farms Country Resort became one of those surprise finds to tell folks about.

Bearcreek Farm's lake

Bryant, Indiana is smack dab in the middle of Indiana’s farm country that looks a lot like next door Ohio’s farm country–flat and fertile. After a few hours stop at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum (I highly recommend the place) in Wapokoneta, roughly halfway between Bryant and Columbus, we pulled into the parking lot of the Bearcreek Farms Country Resort in time to browse the resort’s country store before dinner and the concert. 

What started out more than 3o years ago as a small restaurant venue in a barn, complete with a petting zoo, is a rambling establishment that includes the Homestead Restaurant– big enough for 600 diners at one time, retail stores, a theater/concert hall, a chapel and several one room cottages and cabins with private bathrooms. Both cottages and cabins have two double beds. There’s also a 60 site RV park.

Where there's a buffet of country comfort food

The combination of live theater, concerts, heaps of food and lodging is a Midwestern people magnet.

As part of my two free ticket deal, we had to buy two buffet dinners. At $12.50 a pop, it was a screaming deal of comfort fare complete with country favorites like fried chicken, green beans with flecks of ham, and for dessert items like bread pudding, cakes, pies and ice-cream. The meal my daughter and I ate were part of the concert package.

The 2012 concert series begins on March 22 and the Osmonds are returning. Hmmm. Should I head to Bearcreek Resort on July 21? I just might. The 2009 concert was splendid.

The cottages are one lodging option

Bearcreek Farms Country Resort offers several activities reminiscent of simpler times. From the end of April through the summer, bikes, shuffle board, paddle boat rides on the lake and an outdoor pool are part of the entertainment menu.

Contact information:

Bearcreek Farms Country Resort
8339 North 400 East
Bryant, Indiana 47326

Reservations: 260-997-6822

Before you go, check out the website for package deals. The restaurant is also open to those who are just coming for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Photos courtesy of Bearcreek Farms Country Resort

Related Posts: Romantic Hotels in Indiana

Leading up to chic with ties to past

In New York City, The Bowery House , one of Manhattan’s newer lodging options, gives a nod to the city’s mixed bag of gentrification, history, scruffiness and chic. By Manhattan’s standards, a night here is cheap.

Opened in 1927 as the Prince Hotel, the Bowery House, like The Jane hotel, has served as a landing spot –think flophouse–for people in transition. At The Jane, sailors frequented the place after it opened in 1907. During WWII, soldiers stayed at the Prince Hotel.  On the bottom two floors, tenants live here still. The Bowery House is on the top two floors.

Accessed by a separate entrance, the Bowery House has been rennovated to combine elements of the building’s original purpose–the rooms are teeny tiny–with boutique upscale. Think marble floors, hipster colors and lighting and artwork made by independent artists.

The Bowery House’s lounge serves as a common area for hotel guests and also combines the aethetics of the Prince Hotel with an upscale eye for detail. The hotel’s  Bowery Bodega are where snacks, toiletries and drinks can be purchased. For those seeking a bit of space, head to the landscaped roof garden.

A cabin bunk

Lately, the Bowery section of New York which has a history that includes the freed slaves that first settled there, wealthy mansion dwellers, and those down on their luck, has seen a surge of interest in its development as a trendy destination.

Within walking distance to the art galleries and boutique shops of SoHo and the great eats of Chinatown, as well as easy access to the ferries that go to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and Governor’s Island, it’s no wonder developers have turned to The Bowery. The Bowery House is just one indication of the changes that have arrived.

If you go: A  bunk starts at $42 and cabins at $54. Bathrooms are shared. Wifi is free and bicycle rentals are available.

The Bowery House
220 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
Ph: 212.837.2373

Photos courtesy of The Bowery House

Related Posts: NYC Hotels: Go boutique or familiar chain

Waiting for your flight may just have become more bareable

There is nothing easy about trying to grab a few hours’ sleep between connecting flights on those uncomfortable airport chairs, where plastic armrests and wafer thin foam pads hinder any chance of comfort. Combined with the drone of security and boarding announcement, excited children and stressed parents (not to mention the sounds and smells coming from the person next to you) it’s usually a long, trying and uncomfortable wait before you are able to board your flight for yet more insufficient rest.
While some airport terminals do have connecting hotels where you can gather a few hours of contented rest (probably the only time most of us would consider paying for a hotel by the hour), the rates are usually too steep for most to consider this an option.

An affordable solution is on the horizon however and may be coming to an airport (or even train or bus station) near you.

The Sleep Box is a budget friendly, compact hotel room featuring a modest 4sq meters of space, with single bed and a lockable door so weary travelers are able to grab a little rest in peace and security.

There are no en suite facilities and with just a plug needed to connect the rooms’ electricity, units are entirely mobile (think small garden shed with a bed inside) and can be installed in any space, without the need for extensive renovations or remodeling, making this new innovation not only practical but very affordable.

They are gradually being seen in hotels, hostels and even offices (for overworked employees) around Europe with plans to introduce these to the USA in 2012.

Prices range depending on location but are typically around $50 per night or $15 an hour for those in airport terminals.

Photo Credit: SleepBox

A lodging option in the heart of Chicago

Through March, and possibly further, Days Inn Chicago, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood has a screamin’ deal special offer–as low as $50 plus tax per night from Sunday to Thursday and $100 a night on the weekends. This is 50% of  the normal rate.

This particular Days Inn, a modernized 1920s hotel,  is a boutique version several notches above the Days Inn where I stayed in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Plus, this particular Days Inn has  a unique history connected to Rock and Roll.

Several bands stayed here before fame and fortune hit. The guest list is impressive, for sure. Black Keys, Sheryl Crow, Smashing Pumpkins, and Foo Fighters, to name a few. Here’s a link to the page with the whole list —an eclectic mix that serves as a memory lane of sorts, as in, “Oh, yeah. I know them.”

A business class room

Along with its Rock and Roll connection (some groups do stay here still), The Days Inn, Chicago is worth considering for its walking distance proximity to several Chicago attractions: Wrigley Field, Lincoln Park Zoo, Kingston Mines-”Chicago’s oldest and largest real Blues club” and The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, among others.

When you’re not out and about enjoying Chicago’s bustle, the Days Inn offers: complimentary Wi-Fi, deluxe continental breakfast and access to Bally’s Total Fitness.

The breakfast room serves up waffles, fresh squeezed oj and more

To get the discounted rate, book the room by calling the hotel at 888-LPN-DAYS or 773-525-7010 ext. 0 and ask for the Youpon rate, code “LKQP.”

As an idea, give a stay in the hotel for a gift. Gift certificates are available.

Days Inn Chicago
644 West Diversey Parkway
Corner Diversey/Clark/Broadway
Chicago, IL 60614

Related posts:

• Chinatown Hotel Chicago: Budget deal for the non-picky traveler
• American Idol-David Cook wants Fan-Free Hotel Rooms

Photos courtesy of Days Inn, Chicago.

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