The Ranch at Rock Creek
Photo Courtesy of The Ranch at Rock Creek
Get a fresh, fantastic take on fall during one of these quick long weekend trips that celebrate the food, drinks and music of the season.
Darby, Montana
It’s hard to imagine a place more inspiring to artists than the landscapes of Montana, and that’s just what Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Triple Creek Ranch is counting on during its two art workshop weekends on October 22 to 26 and October 29 to November 2. Over the course of four days, guests at the rustic-chic escape will take morning and afternoon painting or sculpting workshops with prominent artists such as painter Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey and sculptor Greg Kelsey to create something worthy of bringing home. Also on the docket: welcome and goodbye receptions, dinner with the artists each night and a tour of the ranch’s original Western art collection.
Newport Beach Wine and Food Fest, Photo Courtesy of Soap Creative Group
Newport Beach, California
With last year’s inaugural Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival being such a hit, the event is back for seconds this fall, and this year the daytime fest will be held on October 2 through 4. Sure, you’ll see top chefs like Rick Bayless, Hubert Keller and Montage Laguna Beach’s Lee Smith, and have a chance to sip more than 200 top wines, but when you opt for Five-Star The Resort at Pelican Hill’s festival package, you’ll also get a two-night stay in one of the property’s bungalows, round-trip transportation to the event and two tickets to either Saturday or Sunday’s festivities.
Paris
Maybe it’s hyperbole, maybe it’s not. But one thing’s for certain — Le Bristol Paris’ The Dinner of the Century promises to be one grand evening. The historic hotel’s fabled past will come to life on October 24 thanks to antique cars, 1920s décor and a staff dressed in period costumes (guests are encouraged to don vintage threads, too) all over the grounds. Dinner will feature dishes inspired by the past and remade by chef Eric Frechon and pastry chef Laurent Jeannin. Naturally, dancing will follow the meal, which will be held in the hotel’s oh-so-opulent Salon Versailles. Seems like the only things missing from the itinerary will be Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan sightings.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Even if you didn’t need a reason to visit the magnificent Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, a Five-Star beauty built into black lava rock and overlooking a white sand beach on the Kona-Kohala coast, you have one now — the intimate Chef Fest, part of the Four Seasons Food & Wine global series, brings together resort guests and renowned chefs (including Jonathan Waxman and Hugh Acheson) from October 28 to 31 for a series of dinners, a morning stand-up paddleboarding trip with the toques, interactive cooking classes, a beach cookout, and a champagne and oyster tasting. Of course, there will also be a closing gala and after-party held around the resort’s beachside fire pits.
Philipsburg, Montana
We’re not afraid to admit we’d love to visit Montana twice this month, a time when the magnificent landscape is even more spectacular than usual. Five-Star The Ranch at Rock Creek knows how to do the season up right during its annual Autumn Harvest Weekend (October 15 to 18). Spend your days horseback riding, hiking, fishing or lounging at the spa. When night falls over the Pintler and Sapphire mountain ranges, partake in chef Josh Drage’s celebration harvest dinners, which will feature the bounty from nearby farms. The revelry at the ranch will conclude with an intimate acoustic performance by Grammy-winning country singer LeAnn Rimes in the Buckle Barn.
