PADDLE AROUND OFF GEORGIA Just across a causeway from storied Savannah, Ga., once-fortifed Little Tybee Island became a summer resort when the railroad arrived in 1887. In the winter, the crowds disappear and the island reverts to its near-natural state of long sandy beaches, moss-hung swamps, and marshlands teeming with egrets, herons, plovers, and ospreys. The water is cool but not cold, and Sea Kayak Georgia offers half- and full-day paddling tours that are the best way to glide silently among the chain of marsh hummocks and barrier islands. Watching a heron fish the shallows banishes all thoughts of snow and ice. Experienced paddlers might also consider signing up for advanced courses in such techniques as surf kayaking.
A week's happy ending
Does winter’s approach leave you cold? Not a fan of the season’s inevitable doldrums? Why not plan now for a quick escape?
Watch sandpipers and plovers out your window if you stay right on the beach at the Desoto Beach Hotel (877-786-4542, www.desotobeachhotel.com, $70-$110) for a fraction of the summer rates. Since local shrimpers fish all winter, be sure to order the shrimp and grits at ultra-casual AJ’s Dockside, located on the island’s back river.
DAVID LYON
GO CARVE UP UTAH Grab the 6:30 a.m. direct flight on Delta from Boston to Salt Lake City, drive the 35 minutes to Park City, and you’ll be schussing by 11 — for free. Thanks to Park City’s Quick Start program (www.parkcityinfo.com/quickstart), you can exchange your boarding pass that first day for a complimentary day of skiing at the Canyons, Park City, or Deer Valley ski resorts.
New this winter at the Canyons is a heated, bubble-enclosed quad lift, the first of its kind in North America. The resort also added 300 acres of new terrain and a gondola that transports guests from the center of the village to Red Pine Lodge.
The Empire Canyon area of Deer Valley will see the debut of the new Montage resort (9100 Marsec Ave., 435-604-1300, www.montagedeervalley.com, $845-$5,000) next month, featuring 154 rooms, 66 one- to four-bedroom suites, the Apex Mountain American Grill, and a 35,000-square-foot spa.
In the heart of historic Park City, at the base of the Town Lift sits High West Distillery & Saloon, the first distillery to open legally in Utah since the 1870s. One snifter of the small-batch rye whiskey and you might suddenly have the edge you need to attempt that black diamond trail. Remember it’s the whiskey talking, so don’t do anything rash.
STEPHEN JERMANOK
Advertisement
Advertisement
READER COMMENTS »
View reader comments » Comment on this story »