Today we arrived in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We checked into the Hampton Inn hotel and once we got settled in we decided to drive to Lambeau Field to take a tour since we are leaving tomorrow morning.
We were lucky enough to get a ticket for the last 2-hour tour of the Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field. It was a great tour we were able to see private suites and the tour guide was quite funny which made the visit even better.
After the tour we were starving so we drove to this famous burger place called Kroll’s Tavern. They have been serving Green Bay with their legendary Buttered burger since 1945.
Today we arrived in Duluth, Minnesota and checked into the Hampton Inn hotel since we were spending two days here we didn’t have to rush, rush, rush everything. Either way, since we are from New York, we still rush through everything lol.
After the museum, we walked to the S.S. William A. Irvin which is an Iron Ore Ship. I never saw one of these types of ships, and we both learned a lot which was great.
August 26, 2017
Today we woke up and had a quick breakfast and decided that we would take the 3-hour scenic drive up to Ontario, since we were by the border. The trip to Canada was pretty; unfortunately, it was foggy so we didn’t get the best views but it was still lovely. Along the way, we saw signs for a waterfall in Gooseberry Falls State Park, so we decided to check it out. We hiked to the waterfalls which were pretty. The second thing we checked out along the way was Split Rock Lighthouse. Once again I’ve never been inside of a lighthouse, so that was exciting. Once we arrived in Ontario we took a short drive around town grabbed a bite to eat at Neebing Roadhouse and started our long journey back to Duluth.
Today we drove to Minneapolis, Minnesota and checked into the Marquette Hotel. We decided to hit the town right away because once again we were only spending one night so we have to see as much as we can. We walked the Riverwalk which was pretty with all the old buildings along the river. We stopped at a place called Astor Cafe and had a glass of wine and a few delicious appetizers to hold us over until dinner. On our way back to the hotel we decided to take advantage of the skywalk. It’s 6 miles of indoor buildings interconnected walkway with a bunch of hotels and stores nearby.
We walked back to the hotel and relaxed a bit before getting ready for dinner. We had booked a reservation at this place called 112 Eatery. Apparently, it’s where all the local chefs go to eat, and it’s difficult to get a reservation there so if you’re interested in going make sure you book early. The food was delightful and interesting at the same time. The menu isn’t simple which is nice for a change.
The next morning we packed the car and drove to see the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul, National Shrine of the Apostle Paul which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. We drove around the Cathedral to see some of the homes which were magnificent.
Today we drove to Des Moines, Iowa and along our drive, we happened to see a few horse-drawn carriages still being used which were cool. When we arrived at our hotel while checking in, the receptionist told us that they had happy hour every day between 4 pm and 6 pm, so we decided to have a drink on the house before walking to Splash Seafood Bar & Grill for our seafood dinner. After a fabulous meal, we walked back to our hotel. I have to say the walk was pleasant the town has pretty buildings and everything is lit up nicely.
The next day we decided to visit the State Capitol, and when we got there, we were able to walk around ourselves which was great.
Iowa State’s Official Constitution.Secretary of State’s OfficeSecretary of State’s Private office is the only office in the Capitol to have a vaulted ceiling. The ceiling features artwork from 1884.
Three story vault is in the Secretary of State’s Office
Amazing library
Our visit to State Historical Museum
The lobby in our hotel The Embassy Suites had a cool waterfall
First visit to St. Louis was May 23, 2017 and the second time we visited St. Louis was August 20th – 23rd, 2017 below are the pictures from our first visit.
Today we arrived in St. Louis, Missouri and had already looked into visiting the Budweiser factory. I am a beer drinker more than John is, but it’s still interesting to visit these factories and distilleries. We saw the stable where they keep about twenty Clydesdales the rest are in a different location. After visiting the stable, we went into where they bottle the beer. They told us that they bottle 1,600 bottles per minute which is insane. They also said that they are open 364 days a year the only day they are closed is Christmas, and it’s not even the whole day it’s only half the day. It’s pretty amazing to be so busy.
After the Budweiser factory, we decided to get a bite to eat and then we went to the hotel to relax before having to get ready to have dinner. We had dinner at this fabulous place called The Tenderloin Room. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready to continue our road trip.
August 20th – 21st, 2017
Today we flew to St. Louis in the hopes of seeing the 2017 Solar Eclipse. Who is crazy enough to fly so far for the sun but for us. We checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, and we were lucky enough again to get a room with a view of the Gateway Arch. We were excited about the eclipse because we were going to be at the Warm Springs Ranch where they breed the Budweiser Clydesdales. They are my favorite horses, so we get to spend the whole day with them. Luckily we got to see the full eclipse even though it ended up being cloudy as soon as it happened there was a window through the cloud, and we saw it perfectly. John and I both tried to take pictures, but they didn’t come out right, so I borrowed one from someone else’s Instagram page. After the eclipse party, we decided to have dinner at Cielo which is at the Four Seasons Hotel.
August 22, 2017
The next day we took a tour of the Fabulous Fox Theatre. This theatre was terrific they restored it and made it look beautiful. It’s a tour you must do if you are in St. Louis. After this tour, we decided to visit the special exhibition of The Discovery of King Tut at the science center. The exhibit was cool and completely covered in gold. I can only imagine how exciting it must have been to find the treasure. We asked a couple of the local where we should get a bite to eat for lunch and we were told to go to Salt & Smoke which was a delicious BBQ place The last thing we did today was visited the Gateway Arch once again it was terrific. You get breathtaking views of Saint Louis 630 feet in the air. Afterward, we decided to go to the hotel and relax before dinner. Tonight we were going to eat dinner at Tony’s which was also very good. The service was excellent, and the food was excellent.
August 23, 2017
Today before we hit the road we decided to visit Ted’s Famous Custard which we read and heard a lot about, and they were on point. The frozen custard was to die for. If I lived close by it would become an issue!
Today we drove to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit our friends Phil & Sylvia who live on a lake. We arrived at their house and dropped off our stuff because we wanted to get to Charlotte Motor Speedway to see the qualifying race. We purchased great tickets that were inside a suite, so we weren’t going to be sitting in the hot sun. We decided to go out of the suite to check out that view, and we couldn’t believe how loud the racecars were. It’s incredible how some people were sitting in the stands without their ears covered.
After the race, we drove back to our friend’s house, and we had a fun time talking and catching up with them.
The next morning Phil and Sylvia took us out on their boat to check out some other fabulous homes on the lake. Their home was located in a great spot. I have posted some pictures down below.
Today we visited the beautiful Biltmore Estate. Construction began in 1889 and was finished in 1895. Out of 250 rooms, we only had a chance to see about 50 of them. The rest of the house is closed to the public it costs a lot of money to air condition and heat the stone home, so they shut off certain parts of the massive home. The part of the house we did see was breathtaking every ceiling was coiffured, and every room had a massive fireplace. It’s a must-see while visiting Asheville. If you would like more facts and info on the estate click here —> Biltmore.
Today we arrived in Nashville, Tennessee and we checked into this beautiful hotel with the best service we have ever received, it was The Hermitage Hotel. We have stayed in some of the best hotels, but this hotel exceeds all expectations. Upon check-in, we settled in and decided to walk into town and check things out. We had a drink downtown at a rooftop bar which was pretty cool and the weather was perfect.
May 25, 2017
We woke up today and decided to visit the Grand Ole Opry we scheduled a tour of the venue which was terrific. The history and all the stars who have sung in that building was great. My dad loved country music, and he introduced me to it, so I was familiar with most of the singers who have performed there. After our tour, we decided to check out the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and upon arrival, we had a rare chance to see a hawk tear apart an eat what looked like a squirrel. It was amazing the hawk didn’t care how close we were or that ten people were watching it eat. Moving into the hotel, they have stores, restaurants and coffee shops there but what we were more fascinated with were the water shows and the floral displays. It’s almost as if we were in Texas because they do say everything is bigger and better in Texas I would have to say this is a good contender. For lunch, we decided to walk to a local place the Peg Leg Porker which was highly recommended by Zagat’s and they were on point the food was mouthwatering.
On the way to Asheville, we drove by and visited the Jack Daniels Distillery which was once again a cool experience. I recommend visiting this distillery if you are a fan of their whiskey.
Today we drove to Louisville, Kentucky and we had a tour set up of the grounds at Churchill Downs. When we arrived, we had some time to check out the museum with all the original handmade Kentucky Derby hats which were cool and unique. The tour was great we got to see where the trainers and the jockeys live and saw some hot walkers walk the horses around and also saw them taking care of the prized horses.
The next morning we were lucky enough to be able to come back for free to see the trainers work with the horses and run them on the track. Watching the trainers train the horses were terrific John and I both loved it. We love horses, so this was something exciting for us. When John was younger, he had a job as a hot walker at Belmont Racetrack.
We hope to one day be a part of the Kentucky Derby.
On the way to Bowling Green we stopped and took a tour of the Jim Beam Distillery which was exciting since it’s my favorite Bourbon. We had a chance to bottle our own bottle of Knob Creek and put our thumbprint in the wax seal which was very cool.
Today we drove to Kansas City, Missouri and had nothing planned so when we arrived we checked in and decided to walk around the city since we were only going to be here for one night. We had a great steak dinner at The Majestic which is in an old building that was built in 1909. The dinner was fabulous which is expected since Kansas City is known for their meat.
 
