Inns offer travelers hands-on experiences

Inns offer travelershands-on experiences
NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. -- Be a grape-crusher at a Rhode Island vineyard. Learn to make maple syrup in Vermont. Work on a lobster boat for a day in Maine, then cook what you catch.
These are a few of the "Epicurean Experiences" being offered as part of a hotel or inn stay through the New England Inns and Resorts association.
Travelers interested in wine production can turn their hands purple at a program run by the Castle Hill Inn & amp; Resort in Newport, R.I., while the "Maple Magic" workshop is held at the Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vt. The lobstering experience is offered by the Inn by the Sea, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
For more details, go to www.NewEnglandInnsandResorts.com or call (888) 705-5353.
Garden festival offersmore than just flowers
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Spring flowers attract big crowds at public gardens, but autumn is not without its charms at gardens like Middleton Place.
Middleton is hosting the Charleston Garden Festival, Oct. 21-23. Events will include lunch with a chef, an English tea, horticultural tours, exhibit gardens, lectures and vendors.
Middleton is also offering "Rice Walks" daily in September from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Take the guided tour of the Garden Rice Field to learn how slaves planted, maintained and harvested "Carolina Gold."
For details, go to www.middletonplace.org or call (843) 556-6020.
Indoor gardens atDuke Farms reopen
HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. -- The indoor display gardens at Duke Farms close each summer, but they reopened Sept. 1 in all their glory. The 11 conservatories feature fountains, statues, pools, bridges, trees, plants and flowers from around the world.
Guided tours of the estate, which belonged to the late tobacco heiress Doris Duke, are also available to show you the property's wildlife habitats, waterfalls, woodlands, sculptures and historic buildings.
New this year is a tour of the Country Manor, originally a modest 18th century Dutch farmhouse that was gradually expanded to a 55-room mansion. The Duke family lived here from 1893 to 1993. Tours illustrate how plants were used to bring outdoor elements into the home.
For more information, go to www.dukefarms.org or call (908) 722-3700.
Associated Press