Travelers Can Win 300-Plus Free Nights At Leading B&Bs
Travelers can win a “vacation of a lifetime” with a new contest from Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America. The grand prize winner will be entitled to a free night stay at each of the nearly 350 inns and B&B’s in the Select Registry™ portfolio for a full year. Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast has been a member of Select Registry since 2005. With all the wonderful attractions in our area such as Longwood Gardens, Nemours, Winterthur, Hagley, the Brandywine River Museum, and Philadelphia in our back yard, we would be a great spot to begin your vacation.
“It’s a dream vacation – an opportunity to explore exciting new places and visit family and friends, with complimentary accommodations at the most celebrated inns and bed and breakfasts throughout the U.S. and Canada,” says Will Carlson, executive director, Select Registry.
To enter the Vacation Of A Lifetime Contest, you must register with the Select Registry Golden Quill Loyalty Program at www.SelectRegistry.com/GoldenQuill. After that, each of your qualified Golden Quill nights throughout 2012 will count as an additional entry. It’s that easy.
One grand prize winner will be entitled to a free night’s lodging at each of the nearly 350 Select Registry inns, B&Bs and boutique hotels throughout North America, redeemable for a full year. Additionally, three first-place winners each will get a $500 Select Registry Gift Certificate good at all the portfolio’s properties. Five second-place winners will each receive a $250 Select Registry Gift Certificate.
Select Registry’s Vacation Of A Lifetime Contest is open to travelers ages 18 years of age and older in the U.S. and Canada. The promotion ends midnight EST, Dec. 31, 2012, and winners will be announced in early 2013.
Whether you’re looking for adventure or rest and relaxation, Select Registry inns offer unforgettable escapes. Only 350 inns in North America have earned this designation, passing rigorous inspections to gain and then maintain membership. The result: When you check into a Select Registry inn, you know you’re in for a special travel experience.
You can still enjoy visiting Longwood Gardens. Even though the outside gardens are resting for the winter there is the spectacular indoor gardens in the conservatory. Did you know it is 4 1/2 acres under glass and includes 20 indoor gardens and 5500 varieties of plants? It takes about an hour and a half to stroll through the entire conservatory. The Orchid Extravaganza runs through March 25. And don’t forget about the Philadelphia Flower Show which runs March 4-11, 2012. Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is a short 30 minute drive into Philadelpia and about 15-20 north of Longwood Gardens so we are the perfect location if you are going to visit both shows.
For more information and to purchase tickets click here.
101 THINGS TO DO IN THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY IN THE WINTER. Recently updated 1-17-12 with nos. 8 & 9.
I’ve just started compiling this list so it is no where near complete. We’ll see if I can get to the 101st item by the end of winter. Point is, the Brandywine Valley has lots to do in the winter months and you won’t have to contend with all the crowds.
Think there is nothing to do in January, February, and March in southeast Pennsylvania? Well, think again. Here are just a few of the fun things going on and I’ll add more during the coming weeks. Want to brave the outdoors? How about horse back riding on the magnificent Icelandic horses at Viking Horse Stables in West Chester, Pa. They offer a variety of year round treks through the country side of Chester County, Pa. Each guided trek is customized for you and is offered for as few as one person or up to four people at a time. For more information 610-517-7980 or click here.
1.
Enjoy the bucolic countryside of Chester County on an Icelandic horse at Viking Stables.
2. If horseback riding isn’t for you, there are plenty of trails nearby for hiking and cross country skiing. Enjoy going over the hills and through the woods not to grandmother’s house but past historic buildings in Ridley Creek State Park and Tyler Arboretum which are only a 10 minute drive from Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast. For more information on Tyler Arboretum click here or call 610-566-9134. And for more information on Ridley Creek State park click here.
Ridley Creek Park
3. For a slower pace grab your binoculars and head over to John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at the Tinicum Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is about a 15-20 minutes from us. For more info click here.
Bird watching at John Heinz Wildlife Refuge.
You can still enjoy visiting Longwood Gardens. Even though the outside gardens are resting for the winter there is the spectacular indoor gardens in the conservatory. Did you know it is 4 1/2 acres under glass and includes 20 indoor gardens and 5500 varieties of plants? It takes about an hour and a half to stroll through the entire conservatory. The Orchid Extravaganza begins January 20, 2012 and runs through March 25. For more information
Orchids at Longwood Gardens
5.. February 11-18 – National Curling Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex. For tickets: 610-497-2200
6. January and February Winter bird walks held every Wednesday at Tyler Arboretum 8:15 – 10:15 a.m. 610-566-9134×212.
7 . March 11 – Brandywine Battlefield Charter Day: honors charter between King Charles II and William Penn.
8. Celebrate Chinese New Year – Chinese New Year (also called the Lunar New Year) occurs in the early months of our calendar year, typically January or February and this year falls on January 23rd. This is the first of 15 days of celebration and the start of the Year of the Dragon. For more information on things to do click here.
And, of course, we won’t mind if you come just to enjoy relaxing in front of the fireplace and enjoying a good book and good conversation. We are open all winter and look forward to seeing you.
To all our friends and guests who helped make 2011 such a success, thank you so much. We enjoyed having you stay with us and will look forward to seeing you and your friends next year. I’ve uploaded many pictures of Hamanassett decked out for Christmas on our face book page. Tried to upload pictures here but word press is acting persnickity. All the attractions with Christmas decorations such as Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, Hagley Museum, and the Brandywine River Museum keeps their decorations in place through the first week of the New Year so you still have time to visit us.
Visit Hagley during the holiday season and enjoy a variety of exhibitions, activities, choral performances, crafts, and more! Children 14 and under are admitted free during December. You are sure to be inspired by their Christmas and Twelth Night decorations at the first DuPont home in America. First bus departs from the Visitor Center at 10 AM and the last at 3 PM. You can get on and off at various sites throughout the estate. Hamanassett is a short 20-25 minutes drive.
CHADDSFORD AT CHESTER COUNTY BOOK COMPANY Winemaker Eric Miller will be at local gem Chester County Book Store www.ccbmc.com on Paoli Pike in West Chester on Thursday, December 15th
at 7 p.m. for a book signing and wine tasting. Eric will be signing his
book The Vintner’s Apprentice and pouring samples of Chaddsford Naked
Chardonnay, Merlot, Spiced Apple and Sunset Blush. Stop out and purchase a book,
and have a chat with Eric while he signs your book and pours you a taste of
wine. Wouldn’t a signed copy of The Vintner’s Apprentice be a perfect
gift for the wine lover on your list? Even if you are not into wine you should pay a visit to the Chester County Book Store. Along with Baldwin’s Book Barn, we in the Brandywine Valley are blessed with two locally owned fantastic book stores. You can easily spend hours in each store. Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is within 15 minutes of each book store and 10 minutes from the Chaddsford Winery.
We were honored at Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast to take part in the Bed and Breakfasts for Veterans program. Started last year in West Virginia, the program is now part of the Better Way to Stay program at the Professional Association of International Innkeepers. As a result, hundreds of bed and breakfasts across the United States offered free rooms to our veterans on 11-10-11 to thank them for their service to our country. This year we had the Army, Navy, and Air Force represented.
In addition to the rooms offered by Hamanassett, the good people at the Delaware County’s Brandywine Valley Conference and Visitor’s Bureau secured donations from many of the attractions and local businesses in the area. Included were items like a WALK FOR THE WOUNDED T-shirt (a major fundraising event that draws thousands of people to Delaware County each year to honor soldiers who have been wounded overseas), plus a bottle of Chadds Ford wine, a box of Fudge made by a local candymaker – and a variety of free admission passes to places like Longwood Gardens, the Simeone Car Museum, the American Helicopter Museum, the Brandywine River Museum and more! There was also a $20-25 gift certificate to a local restaurant in each bag.
Both Longwood Gardens and Winterthur are fabulous DuPont estates located only 10 minutes apart in the beautiful Brandywine Valley. Between now and April 30 they are offering a Twice As Nice package which allows you to go to both gardens for the low price of $25.00 per person, a savings of $11.00 per person. Now through March 27 is the Orchid Extravaganza which culminates in the Orchid sale on April 2 from 6-9 PM.
Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is about 15 minutes from Longwood Gardens and 20-25 minutes (depending on traffic) from
Winterthur. While you are here add in a visit to one of the Brandywine Valley wineries or visit Philadelphia which is 30 minutes from Hamanassett. So much see and do in such a small area of southeast Pennslyvania. Check out our Activities button to see everything there is to do in the Brandywine Valley.
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