Fall Fun

Summer is starting to wrap up with school looming in the next few weeks, so now is the time to get that last "hoorah" in and do some rafting, biking and hiking!!

Here is a great place to get your "raft" on:

www.jtraft.com

Also, there is some really cool stuff starting to go on on the Lehigh Valley Wine trail, for all of you wine lovers and aficianados! Harvest Weekend, September 9-11, 2011, is going to be an awesome time to hit the wine trail, and stay with us for a romantic weekend as well. Here is the info on that:

www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com

There is lots of fun stuff coming up for the next few months, so be sure to schedule your relaxing and romantic weekend away with us!

White Sale!

Jim Thorpe White Sale Days


January 1 - 31, 2011

January continues the gift-giving fun of the Christmas Season courtesy of the shops, accommodations and restaurants of Jim Thorpe, all offering steep discounts of their wares for the entire month of January!

What's Going On
There are great bargains to be found all over town, all within a short walk of the other! Whether it's gifts, some great dining out, a little time off out of town you're looking for - Jim Thorpe businesses would be most happy to help you!
It's a beautiful time of year here for a lot reasons - the blanket of white after a snowfall is especially lovely, and there are many things going on. Jim Thorpe is year-round shops, restaurants, and entertainment.

If you're looking for that special gift, or a warm, cozy meal, or a special getaway that's also close to home, then give us a closer look!
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We have specials through the month of January to accommodate the White Sale, along with Blue Mountain Ski specials, so check back often and see you soon!

Happy New Year!

We at the Alexander Benjamin House would like to wish all of our friends a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!!!

Happy New Year Friends!!

New Year's Eve

We still have limited availability for New Year's Eve, due to a last minute flu cancellation, so it's not too late to get in a beautiful Northeast PA New Year celebration!  Flow Restaurant in Jim Thorpe, part of the Carbon County Cultural Project, is putting together a wonderful party...Here are the particulars:

Greetings!

This New Year's Eve, dine at Flow for your special celebration. We are ready to roll out the red carpet for you with our specially prepared New Year's Eve Celebration Dinner featuring four incredible courses for $75 pp + tax/gratuity.

To accommodate your holiday schedule, we are offering two seatings at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Please join us for FOOD ART DRINK @ FLOW and have a Healthy, Happy, Prosperous and Joyful New Year!
Warmest wishes,

Joan Morykin, Victor Stabin

Chef Butinskyi, Chef Fitzgerald and the entire FLOW/Gallery Staff

MENU AS FOLLOWS:

First Course: (choose from)


Seared Sea Scallop-Carrot Risotto, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Butternut Squash Ravioli-Brussel Sprouts, Mushroom Gravy, Shaved Maytag Blue

Prosciutto- Melon, Fresh Milk Mozzarella, Grilled Flat Bread

Second Course: (choose from)
Arugula Salad- Goat Cheese, Toasted Hazelnuts, Raspberry Vinaigrette

Pear and Celery Soup- Pear Chutney

Mixed Greens- Shaved Fennel, Mint, Blueberries, Citrus Vinaigrette

Third Course: (choose from)
Filet of Beef- Roasted Garlic Potato Puree, Grilled Asparagus, Berry Gloss

Maine Lobster Tail-Bacon Risotto, Local Green Beans, Citrus Bernaise

Stuffed Chicken Breast- Apples, Walnuts,Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Red Onion Gatsrique

Fourth Course: (choose from)
Lavender Creme Brulee-Mixed Berries

Blueberry Cheesecake- Sugar Cookie

Warm Apple Tart- Creme Caramel

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So, come hit the slopes for some New Year's trailblazing, and then head out for an elegant and sumptuous dinner at Flow!!!

Area Fun Stuff!!!

Bull riders--Dave Martin's "Bullride Mania"

Fall is unofficially here, and there is lots and lots of fun stuff coming up in our area in the next few weeks...

First and quite interesting, is, the rodeo is coming to town!!  Dave Martin's "Bullride Mania" will be blowing into town on Saturday, September 7th, at 7 pm, at the Pleasant Valley Ranch.  There will be some really exciting bullriding, plus a cookout, and as they put it, LOTS of INTENSE entertainment.  I'm actually down to see that!  Tickets are available at the gate, or online, at:  http://www.apleasantvalleyranch.com/

Next, we have lots happening over the next few weeks at Hawk Mountain--migration season is starting, and they have lots of activities planned, including a Monarch Migration Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 18th, and the Hawk Mountain Art show and Sale, being held at Cabela's in Hamburg, Saturday and Sunday September 25th and 26th.  Also, several new lecture series are scheduled to begin, including "The Eagle Watchers: Eagles around the World" with Dr. Todd Katzner.  Be sure to check their website for details at:  http://www.hawkmountain.org/

Fall foliage celebration is coming to Jim Thorpe, and that's a biggie!  Lots of festivals,  including the upcoming Anthracite and Heritage Bluegrass Festival, tours, including the upcoming Art Odyssey, hiking, biking, shopping, FOOD, and good times! 

Anyway, don't miss out on the fun stuff that's coming our way--book early and avoid the crunch!

Upcoming Labor Day!

The Lehigh River is still bursting with activity, even now in late August!

Well, summer is fast coming to a close, kiddies go back to school, and all of the fun Fall activities go into full swing~

There is so much coming up, I can only begin to post it in increments, as we go along, which is how I can tackle it with some degree of organization :-)

In the meantime, enjoy summer's last hurrah with a final fling--enjoy some awesome rafting down the Lehigh River!

Here are some cool links to help you arrange that end of summer splash down:

http://www.jtraft.com/

http://www.whitewaterrafting.com/

Weissport Canals/Lehigh Valley Canal System

We took another long, peaceful walk today along the beautiful canals between Weissport and Jim Thorpe.

It's so very peaceful, and this time, we almost went all the way to Jim Thorpe, so we got a nice, healthy walk in. We saw lots of different fish species in the canal, and the dragon flies were plentiful, zipping back and forth over the clear waters. We also saw many frogs, and caught a glimpse of a small, golden colored snake by the reeds of the canal...only when we approached, he jetted very quickly into the green and disappeared.

The broad-winged hawks were flying low over the mountain gorge, so we were able to see all of nature's splendor on this fine, bright blue day!

There were occasional, leisurely bicyclists that would meander onto the path, then back off to the bike trails, and here and there, couples could be seen enjoying each other's company, and the beauty of the day.

Definitely not a place to miss when you come to our place for a lovely Autumn visit!

Dog Days of Summer!

"Inside the chopper" Dutch Springs scuba diving "wreckage" site

Wow, it's been hot and humid! With this kind of weather, one thing springs to mind--WATER!

We have two nice lakes nearby--Mauch Chunk lake in Jim Thorpe, and for the power boat and jet ski enthusiasts, Beltzville (swimmers are welcome too!). Both of these lakes have very nice picnic areas, swim areas with lifeguards, and beautiful, serene scenery for some wonderful family memories. Beltzville is really quite large, and has pavillions for the larger groups, and I really just enjoy it there so much, and have been going there for years. Mauch Chunk offers fishing and boat rentals for a lovely afternoon or overnight trip. Here are the links for these two parks so you can check them out before you check them out:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/beltzville.aspx

http://www.delawareandlehigh.org/index.php/visit/mauch-chunk-lake-park/

For the waterpark enthusiasts, now is the time to hit up Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. They are located about 30 minutes away from us, off of Route 309...this is a great amusement park, with some really cool coasters, and of course, their Wildwater Kingdom. They have a package right now of "All-you-can-eat-meal and Admission" for $47.99. You can check out their upcoming events, and specials below:

http://www.dorneypark.com/

And last, but certainly not least, is an awesome local waterpark that most people out of the area don't know about, and it's also about 30 minutes from us. It's definitely for the adventure-minded, but the kids can have a great time too. It's Dutch Springs, and it offers a 50-acre lake, with scuba diving sites, an aqua park for the whole family, on site restaurants, picnic area, lots of really neat stuff! If you are looking for a new and unusual vacation, or getting scuba certified for a trip, or if you are scuba certified, and would like to take a night dive to a "shipwreck" at 100 foot deep, this is the place for you!!

http://dutchsprings.com/scuba.html

All in all, there is some really hot places locally to cool down at! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Then, come relax with us and have a pampered evening in our country retreat! Hope to see you soon~

Summer Specials!

We have some new summer specials up, so you should check them out. Summer time is really beautiful and fun in this region (actually, ALL of the seasons are really beautiful and fun in this region!) and there are alot of great things going on in our "neighborhood."

For all of you wine lovers, there are lots of things going on...for a quick list, check out:

http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com/

Also, now is a wonderful time of year to go rafting and tubing, so be sure to get your weekend secured for some fun times! Fly fishing, golfing, hiking, bird watching, and historical site seeing are also all awesome this time of year. Bake Oven restaurant has some amazing seasonal dishes going on, and all in all, it's great time to for a fun filled vacation!!

Again, check out our specials, or feel free to contact us if you have a special event in mind.

P.S. We have great midweek nightly specials of $85.00 per night--give us a call for details!!

Fun Stuff!

It's a beautiful time of year, and there is so much going on in the "neighborhood" in terms of fall and holiday events. Handel's Messiah will be playing at the local opera house soon, and many fall festivals and harvest fairs are still in full swing. The vineyards and wineries are in quite busy with harvesting fall and approaching winter wines, and Galen Glen will be hosting a delicious pairing dinner this Saturday night, which of course, we will most definitely be attending!

So, get out your calendars, and schedule a weekend of fun, romance and relaxation...before you know it, it will be ski season and time to hit the slopes, so get your lazy weekend in before the winter fun begins!!