Category: Uncategorized (Page 65 of 174)

The historic Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake has been providing guests with memorable vacations since 1916. It is their mission to continue the legacy of high standard of service, dedicated staff, and unique atmosphere that has been upheld for over 100 years. Explore a variety of activities, two championship golf courses, the rejuvenating Glacial Waters Spa, a collection of distinctive dining venues and some of the best accommodations in the Midwest. The resort is located at 23521 Nokomis Avenue in Nisswa Minnesota. For more information, click here.

During the summer months, guests can enjoy a wide variety of activities, including: a 2,500 foot beach, 45 roles of championship golf, paddle-boarding, bike trails outside dining, horse back riding, bon fires, and a fabulous summer concert series! This is just the start of all the summer activities available at Grand View Lodge.

During the winter, you can enjoy a wine tasting, splash your way down the indoor waterslide, relax in an outdoor hot tub, or enjoy cross-country skiing in the snow —bingo, and of course the award winning spa is always available.  There is also 8 fantastic restaurants to choose from. No matter your interests, you’ll find just the right activity for your time here. Adventure awaits for all ages!

There are numerous lodging options available, to fit your families needs. Grand View Lodge is spread across several hundred acres with lodging located in select areas to provide the maximum privacy, enjoyment, scenic views, and convenience to our guests. There is the East-side Beach house, the golf course villa, Roy Lake Cabin, he Boutique Hotel, and the Main Property Lodge.

Glacial Waters Spa is also located on site. and is nestled in a soothing atmosphere of pines and nature, embrace the restorative nature of water at Grand View Lodge spa resort. Minnesota has a rich history of water. Come. Renew. Celebrate the beauty of life as your resort spa experience awakens and gently calms your mind, body and spirit. The spa offers a wide variety of wraps massages, soaks, and even nail services are available.

The resort is located on Gull and Roy lakes and has plenty of lake front activities. This is also an incredible location for viewing the Northern Lights.

This is the perfect place for your next family vacation, and your sure to have a fantastic time and create memories that will last a lifetime!

For more great lodging options, click here.

The college wrestling season is quickly approaching and i’m getting so pumped for the upcoming year. Numerous story-lines have already begun emerging. Will AJ Ferrari return? Is Spencer Lee healthy? Will the departure of Vince McMahon, lead to the return of Gable Steveson? ETC ETC. In this article I will examine some of the matches i’m looking forward to the most in the upcoming season. Some of these may not even happen, and that’s okay. It’s still fun to speculate.

1 Dayton Fix VS Roman Bravo Young

If Dayton Fix doesn’t win a NCAA title this year, he will likely go down as the best wrestler to never win an NCAA title. While this is quite an honor, to someone like Fix it will represent a major failure in his life. It’s because of this he has been training extra hard all summer long. He has made changes in his speed and strength training, and seems more focused than ever. RBY has been working nonstop with world champion Thomas Gillman, and as a result has taken his hand fighting to another level. With his lightning fast reflexes, and superior game planning he will be extremely difficult to defeat. More then likely these two will meet in the NCAA finals for the 3rd straight year. Young is the defending 2x NCAA champion and is looking to add to his legacy. Fix is a world class wrestler, capable of beating anyone at any given time. We have already seen this match before, but that doesn’t mean its any less of a dream match-up for wrestling fans.

2 David Carr VS Keegan O’Toole

Two NCAA Champions looking to add more hardware to their trophy case.

Carr brings in a 68-2 college record and is a 2x all-american, and a 2021 NCAA Champion at 157 pounds. he is also a 3x Big 12 Champion, and a 2019 Junior World Champion. In two NCAA tournaments he has finished 3rd in 2022, and was an NCAA Champion in 2021.

O’Toole comes in with a 44-1, record and is also a 2x all-american, and a 2022 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds. He is a 2x Big 12 Champion, finishing 1st and 3rd at the national tournament. He is also a 2021 Junior World Champion.

Both of these athletes are world class competitors, and the real winners of this match is the wrestling fans. There is a strong chance these two will meet more then once during the season.

3 Penn State Vs Missouri

In the tournament setting, this match-up isn’t the least bit exciting. In a dual meet, it gets very interesting.

Penn State returns 4 NCAA Champions and is set to repeat as tournament champions, but also has a lot of new and unproven faces in the lineup.

Missouri returns 10 national qualifiers, with all 10 of them ranked within Intermat’s preseason national rankings, including their own 165 lb NCAA Champion in Keegan O’Toole.

This meet if it happens could come down to the very last match, and its really a toss up on which team would walk away the victor.

4 Greg Kerkvliet VS Cohlton Schultz

This is a battle for the ages, currently ranked number 1 and 2 in the country. Both are former world champions, both returning All-Americans. At last years NCAA tournament they were both defeated by Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson. Greg lost 8-3 while Cohlton lost in the finals 6-2. Both wrestlers are still sophomores as well so there is still a lot of wrestling that could take place between the two of them.

5 Mekhi Lewis VS Carter Starocci

Another battle of returning NCAA Champions, we saw this one play out last season in the 174 NCAA finals, in which Starocci emerged victorious after two tie breakers. The big question is if Mekhi can stay healthy this season, he has battled injuries most of his college career. Mekhi was a 2018 Junior World Champion while Carter is a 2X NCAA Champion, making this a battle of two outstanding wrestlers!

6 Austin Gomez VS Yianni Diakomihalis

On paper this doesn’t seem like a great match-up. I mean the best Austin has ever done at the NCAA tournament is placing 4th, while losing  twice to a guy most people have never heard of. Yanni on the other hand is a world beater, he is a 3x NCAA Champion, and a 2X age-group World Champion. The thing is though, they are two of the most exciting wrestlers in college wrestling today, and Austin can never be counted out of a match, as he showed against Roman Bravo Young scoring the second period pin over the future NCAA Champion. Gomez is so dangerous with his throws and he loves to press the action, while Yianni is a technical wizard on the mat. Either way this is a fun match to watch.

7 Max Dean Vs Aj Ferrari

This match is a real long shot, as Ferrari is currently not enrolled in college and is facing serious legal problems. But that’s what this list is about in the first place. Matches we will hopefully see, and this one is near the top of everyone’s list. Another match-up of returning NCAA Champions.

Ferrari had a Cinderella season his freshman year, entering as the number 4 seed and battling all the way to the NCAA title. he was poised to repeat last season and was a perfect 11-0, before suffering a season ending injury the result of a terrible car crash.

Dean transferred into Penn State and has looked incredible since doing so. Last year he battled his way through the NCAA tournament, defeating Iowa’s Jacob Warner in the Finals 3-2. (Ferrari beat Warner a year earlier 4-3)

It’s hard to say if this match will happen or if we will ever see Ferrari wrestle again. But if these two ever take the mat its sure to be a battle for the ages.

8 Spencer Lee Vs Patrick Glory

This is another match that isn’t really in super high demand, but I couldn’t leave Spencer off the list and this match isn’t nearly as one sided as it may seem.

Spencer Lee is a once a generation type of talent and its been an absolute pleasure watching him compete these last few years. He has run roughshod over the 125 lb division and has some of the fastest tech-falls I have ever seen at the college level. As far as I can tell these two have wrestled twice already in their college careers. This first match was a 18-2 2nd period technical fall. The second match at Midlands was a 12-5 war in which Lee was rode out the entire third period.

Since that time Spencer has become one of the most dominant champions in NCAA history. Already a 3x NCAA Champion, Lee is on a quest to win his 4th straight national title and Glory is just another wrestler in his way. Lee is also recovering from season ending knee surgery, and has faced a long layoff.

Glory on the other hand, had a fantastic year last season. After trading wins and losses with the outstanding Vito Arujau, Glory reached the NCAA finals for the first time. While he lost a close match against 2x NCAA Champion Nick Suriano, Glory proved to everyone that he was the real deal, and could compete with the best in the division.

Both Lee and Glory are hammers on top, and seem to have similar abilities in the take-down department. Glory seems to have a deeper gas tank, but Lee can put up points very quickly. The health of Lee is also a question. this is his 3rd knee injury in college. Its hard to say how he will look. If Lee is in top form, this match may not be close at all. Glory will also likely have to get through the always tough Arujau to reach Lee. No matter what happens, Spencer Lee is always must see TV.

9 Mason Parris VS Cohlton Schultz

This is a match-up of two GREAT heavyweights, neither of which has yet one a NCAA title. Both of these wrestlers are world class and both have already won their own World Title. In most other years these two would have already won an NCAA title or two. But the Gable Steveson era has prevented several outstanding wrestlers from reaching the top of the podium. These two met in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA tournament with Schultz escaping with a 6-5 win. The match was much closer than the score reflects, and a rematch is likely to be another classic!

10 Iowa VS Penn State

This is one of those dual meets that just needs to happen EVERY YEAR.  The last few years its been back and fourth, and as a result wrestling benefits. The meet has been mentioned on ESPN, Fox Sports and many other news outlets that rarely cover college wrestling.  Both have massive fan bases, and regularly compete in sold out arenas. During the 19-20 season Iowa won the dual meet, and again defeated PSU at the Big 10 Tournament. In the 20-21 season Iowa again defeated Penn State at the Big 10 and National Tournament. In the  21-22 season Penn State defeated Iowa in the dual meet, and at the Big 10, and NCAA tournament. Once again they are ranked number 1 and 2 in the country, although Penn State is heavily favored this year. This is a meet that simply needs to happen. Every year!

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of haunted places in Illinois. This list is just for fun so take it all with a grain of salt.

Raven’s Grin Inn

Conveniently nestled at the end of a dark, dead in road sitting on a cliff across from a cemetery,  lies the Raven’s Grin Inn!  Just the site of the building is enough to gives visitors chills. Inside the house, gets even creepier. There is a labyrinth of twists and turns that would be easy to get lost in.  The Ravens Grin Inn is open year round.  411 N Carroll St, Mt Carroll, IL 61053. For more information, click here.

McPike Mansion

The McPike Mansion has a history of paranormal occurrences, it is known for it’s haunting’s. Numerous photos have been taken that add to it’s mystery.  Balls of light go unexplained by professional photographers, human-shaped outlines appear in the windows, shadowy or glowing, they were not seen by human eyes until photos were developed. For more information, click here.

Wrigley Field

The list of haunts within the friendly confines is quite long. Slamming doors, cold spots, strange entities in the bleachers, disappearing baseballs, and even the spirit of Harry Caray are all some of the stories locals and field workers have claimed to have seen over the years. Tours of Wrigley Field, last about 90 minutes and give you a behind the scenes look of some of the most frightening sites within Wrigley. Tickets range from $25-$35 per person. For more information, click here.

Sylvian Island

Abandoned industrial site that is approximately 37 acres by the Mississippi/Sylvan Slough. Offering crushed limestone hiking trails & dirt bike trails. The park is riddled with ancient ruins from the industrial era, and is a popular spot for fishing, picnic’s and bird-watching. According to hauntedillinois.com the island is also thee most haunted place in Illinois. The island is located at 1st Ave & 2nd Street, Moline, IL. For more information, click here.

Cry Baby Bridge

Cry Baby Bridge is a small steel bridge spanning Cedar Creek near the stone quarry and the former Olmstead’s mill, four miles northwest of Monmouth. Legend has it that a school bus full of children once plunged off the bridge, killing everyone aboard. Another story is that a young unwed mother once tossed her unwanted infant son off the bridge. The story today is that if you drive your car onto the bridge and put it in neutral the dead spirits will push your car across the bridge, this includes a slight uphill climb. To add to the experiment you can put baby powder on your bumper and see if hand prints appear after you cross. For directions to the bridge, click here.

To see a list of Iowa’s most haunted places, click here.

When you stay at Honey Creek Resort, you’ll enjoy the ultimate vacation destination, with a wide array of on-site activities and outdoor adventures just steps away from where you stay. Cruise through the waters of gorgeous Rathbun Lake, splash around at the indoor water park, tee up at the 18-hole championship golf course, discover nature’s wonders with the hands-on educational programs, indulge your taste buds at the restaurant, or head outdoors for endless adventures. Honey Creek Resort is located at 12633 Resort Drive in Moravia, Iowa. For more information, click here.

Discover all the things to do on a quick vacation getaway to Honey Creek Resort on Rathbun Lake in Iowa.

With 16,000 acres of preserved forests, prairies, and peninsulas, Honey Creek Resort offers ample opportunities for outdoor exploration. Explore miles of walking trails and paved bike paths, watch for wildlife, picnic by the lake, and let the kids run around at a playground. Bring your own bike or choose from a variety of bike rentals. The opportunities are endless! Read on to discover the many activities available at Honey Creek Resort.

Whatever floats your boat, Rathbun Lake has something for you. With 11,000 acres of gorgeous water and 150 miles of shoreline, it’s Iowa’s second largest lake. Bring your own watercraft and use our marina with a boat launch, fishing pier, and 40 boat slips. Or, rent a pontoon boat and explore the lake at your leisure.

Tee off at our 18-hole championship golf course, The Preserve at Rathbun Lake. It offers challenge levels to suit every golfer, as well as PGA golf lessons and club fittings. Meandering through scenic prairie and oak savannas, The Preserve is also Audubon-certified in recognition of its sustainable practices.

Whatever the weather outside, it’s a tropical party at our Buccaneer Bay Indoor Water Park. Zoom down the two-story water slide, float down the lazy river, relax poolside and soak in the hot tub. Buccaneer Bay also features a snack bar and arcade, and it’s the perfect place for kids’ birthday parties.

Stop by our Activities Building for hands-on educational programs and activities led by our on-site naturalist staff. Join naturalists for guided hikes, meet live animals, listen to stories by the campfire, and enjoy nature-themed games and crafts. Plus, throughout the year, we host festive seasonal and holiday-themed events perfect for families.

Dine at our restaurant, the Rathbun Lakeshore Grille, and enjoy the lounge and patio overlooking Rathbun Lake. Plus, pick up some chef secrets at one of our cooking classes and demonstrations.

Honey Creek Resort has a wide variety of lodging options available. From lakefront cottages, to RV sites to the gorgeous Lodge, you can take your pick of Iowa’s best accommodations. When you book a stay at Honey Creek Resort, you’re not just reserving a place to stay for the night; you’re planning an adventure! With a range of on-site activities including golfing, hiking, boating, hunting, or playing at our indoor water park or outdoor Aqua Park, there’s something to keep every member of your party entertained.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources manages both Honey Creek Resort and the original 850-acre Honey Creek State Park. Honey Creek State Park offers camping, cabins, heated shower facilities, trails, and a boat ramp. For more information, call 641-724-3739.

For more great lodging options in Iowa, click here.

Grand Harbor Resort is Ideally situated in the Port of Dubuque, Iowa and featuring a winning combination of service, amenities and entertainment, the Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark is the Midwest’s premier destination for meetings, group events and family vacations. For more information, click here. The resort is located at 350 Bell Street, in Dubuque, Iowa.

Dubuque Iowa is a fantastic city to visit in its own right. There are numerous worthy attractions that provide loads of family fun. There is Crystal Lake Cave, The Mines of Spain, and even the world’s shortest steepest cable car. Sundown Mountain ski resort is also a Dubuque attraction making it a great family destination year round. If that wasn’t enough the city is also located on the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River and there are numerous river related activities you can enjoy as well. Grand Harbor Resort is located right along the river and offers a fantastic resort style experience.

Also located within walking distance of the resort, is The Mississippi River Museum, and the Diamond Jo Casino!

Guests can enjoy year-round fun in the 25,000 square foot indoor waterpark that offers a variety of rides and attractions for teenagers, kids, pint-sized toddlers and the young at heart. This is the perfect place to get wet and wild during the long Midwest winters!

This exciting waterpark with its thrilling waterslides, inside/outside tube ride, rope ladders, waterspouts, lazy river, activity pools and two giant hot tub whirlpools offers fantastic fun for the whole family.

While the fantastic location– in the Port of Dubuque with views of Historic Downtown, the bluffs and the Mississippi River – is arguably the most stunning feature, the resort also offers a wide range of other fantastic hotel amenities that will delight business travelers and families alike.

Onsite, amenities include the world-famous Tony Roma’s Restaurant and Lounge, a large fitness canter, a Kidz Club, the Lazer Maze, and arcade. there is also The Bait Shack snack bar located near the pool.

With spacious and well appointed rooms, the Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark provides an atmosphere that encourages both relaxation and recreation. The hotel has 193 comfortably furnished hotel rooms. Each of the rooms and suites boasts picturesque views of either historic downtown Dubuque or the city bluffs or the mighty Mississippi River.

For more amazing lodging options in Iowa, click here.