Recover from the holiday hustle and bustle with the perfect getaway and make New Year's Eve elegant and relaxing.
Always a favorite, the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls
promises guests a romantic retreat less than three hours east of
Cincinnati in Hocking Hills. This "green-certified" B&B is tucked
into a picturesque natural setting, which owners say puts guests in tune
with the harmony of nature and the peace of solitude.
Guests can hike the trails alongside mammoth rock
formations, breathtaking gorges, waterfalls and caves before settling
into their charming cottage, 1840s log cabin or antique-filled B&B
room.
An open kitchen sits at the heart of this bed and
breakfast inside the double log cabin, where guests may chat while
watching gourmet meals being prepared from scratch by gourmet chef
Anthony Schulz. Fine dishes such as pan-seared pork chop with ginger and
pear sauce, or butternut ravioli with peppered sage cream sauce, are on
the menu.
Luxury spa services are available.
Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, 21190 Ohio 374, Logan, OH 43138. (800) 653-2557 or www.innatcedarfalls.com.
Escape to Scotland
Hocking Hills is also home to the Glenlaurel
Scottish Country Inn and Cottages, a peaceful hideaway nestled in 140
acres of private wilderness. The forested grounds are crisscrossed with
hiking trails and streams, and dotted with waterfalls that freeze into
crystalline ice sculptures during the winter.
"You often see deer playing in the meadows and
woods. You'll see the ice on the trees and the snowfall. It is "¢ just a
winter in wonderland picture," says Becky Russell, marketing and guest
services consultant at Glenlaurel.
Hot tubs will keep you warm, and an on-site spa offers massage services in the privacy of your own room or cottage.
Bagpipes call guests to dinner, a six-course
candlelight affair served nightly at the manor house. A complimentary
gourmet breakfast is served every morning, featuring fare such as
buttermilk waffles, fresh fruit and peppered bacon.
"Hurry up and relax," Russell says with a laugh. "Hurry up to get here, and then relax when you're here."
Glenlaurel, 14940 Mount Olive Road, Rockbridge, OH. (740) 385-4070; (800) 809-7378 or www.glenlaurel.com.
All Aboard
Just a two-hour drive southwest to Louisville,
celebrate with an early New Year's Eve buffet dinner aboard the Spirit
of Jefferson, a charming diesel-powered riverboat reminiscent of a
bygone era.
For those who party late into the night, the evening
aboard the ship doesn't have to end. The Spirit of Jefferson will
continue its celebration with its New Year's Eve Gala, with a late-night
bash including delicious hors d'oeuvres, champagne and DJ entertainment.
Steamboat Belle of Louisville, Spirit of Jefferson, 4th Street Wharf, Louisville. (502) 574-2992 or www.belleoflouisville.org.
B&B In A Mansion
When it's time to retire for the night, you won't
have to venture far to check in at one of the top-rated B&Bs in
Kentucky. Just a few miles from the waterfront in historic "Old
Louisville," the 1888 Historic Rocking Horse Manor Bed & Breakfast
is located in a Romanesque mansion built in the late 1800s. It combines
old world charm with modern amenities. Original stained glass, pocket
doors, hand-carved fireplace mantels and 12½-foot ceilings "” it has it
all.
Choose from six beautiful, cozy rooms "” each with its own charm, cable TV and wireless high speed internet.
Pamper yourself in Chelsea's Garden, a large
Victorian room with a four-poster Queen Anne bed, decorated in all the
colors of an English garden. You can enjoy your own private in-room bath
too, with a four-foot claw soaker tub and shower.
Or maybe you'd rather retreat in the Grand
Victorian, an amazing three-room suite with a king-size canopy bed and
private in-room bath with Jacuzzi.
There's also the Anniversary Suite "” both romantic and fun, with a large rose-colored whirlpool for two.
Historic Rocking Horse Manor Bed & Breakfast, 1022 S. Third St., Louisville, 40203. (502) 583-0408 or www.rockinghorse-bb.com.
If you want to stay closer to home, join the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for an evening of classic American music
and dance. Swing to the music of Broadway and Ellington-era big bands.
Pops conductor John Morris Russell, vocalist Kip Wilborn, and the May
Festival Youth Chorus are featured. The New Year's Ball follows the
performance and is sponsored by the Dr. John and Louise Mulford Fund for
the CSO.
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., downtown. (513) 381-3300 or
www.cincinnatisymphony.org.
Discover the magic of a cruise on the Ohio
River aboard BB Riverboats. Board in time for the 9 p.m. departure and
enjoy a buffet, entertainment and champagne for the toast to 2012.
BB Riverboats, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky. (859) 261-8500 or www.bbriverboats.com.
Post-celebration, head to Six Acres Bed and
Breakfast. Guests love the landscaped grounds and cozy rooms, including
Annie's Suite, which has a king sized bed, kitchen, living room, reading
room and private bath.
Six Acres Bed & Breakfast, 5350 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati. (513) 541-0873 or www.sixacresbb.com.