This was an excellent overnight trip Phillip planned for the two of us. I highly recommend Hermann, MO as a get-away for couples (could work for families too, I suppose). I'm not sure what this little town is like during their many Fests (it might get raucous since they are known for their wine), but we've enjoyed the two times we've been there when it was quiet.
It's a beautiful drive first of all. I love driving through the country when everything is green and the crops are growing. I'm not sure I could make it to the town without turning around several times; but Phillip is handy with Maps on iPhone, and if we got lost, I sure didn't know it.
There are some neat places to visit. We visited Stonehill Winery both times we've been there. They have a quaint restaurant made from an old barn, I believe. The food was very good; I especially enjoyed the black forest cake. After lunch we toured the winery. At one time, Missouri was the second largest wine-producing state in the nation. Prohibition shut that down, of course. The people of Hermann do not appreciate Prohibition in the least. It was brought up on several occasions during our time there. I took a picture of our tour guide because........ well, doesn't he just look like he'd know everything there is to know about Hermann and wine production history? He looks like he's 12! He did do a thorough job though.
We drove around a bit (steep hills; not sure how they drive those things in the winter time!). Then we headed to our couples-only Hermann Hill Bed and Breakfast Vineyard Inn. I had forgotten that Phillip made reservations for us. He had asked if I wanted to see pictures of the room, and I had declined so that I would be surprised. Then I forgot all about it. But when we got there ~ it was so neat!
It's a cross between a bed-and-breakfast and a hotel. It looks like a home, but you have private rooms with all the amenities a hotel would provide. Each room has a balcony overlooking the vineyard and the town below: gorgeous views, comfortable breeze in the afternoons and evenings, beautiful sunrise (time provided for you when you arrive). They bring you a welcome tray once you are settled which includes bread, cheese, fruit and grape juice. They bring you homemade cookies and ice cream with a homemade chocolate sauce at 10 pm. And they, of course, bring your choice of breakfast to your room (or you can get it to go) at the time of your choosing. Wow! We did not need supper, that's for sure. There's a little walking trail and a bookshelf of movies and books. There are three coffee stations at various places around the Inn and a refrigerator with snacks in your room. The towel racks warm your towels!! I was dyin'! It was just such an unexpectedly charming experience. Phillip really did a great job. I want to go back in the fall sometime so we can see the countryside blazing with fall colors and cozy up to the fireplace in our room.
