Platte County, MO

From Slopes
to Sips

It’s hard to believe this girls’ getaway idea is only a road trip away

“Is it bad that I can’t wait for winter break to be over?” Lora sent to our Mom Tribe text thread. It was as though all of us were just waiting for someone to say it first because all four of us shared the exact same sentiment: We needed a break after the break!

The Escape

“Ok ladies,” I texted, “I’m going to throw a fun idea out there—why don’t we take a road trip? Just the four of us girls. No kids, no husbands, I think we totally deserve a weekend away!” At first, there was a bit of hesitation, especially from the stay-at-home moms: Breanne and Shanna, but it didn’t take long to get them on board with my weekend trip idea. We began to brainstorm our destination of choice. We knew we needed something within driving distance of our hometown of Omaha, but far enough that is actually felt like a vacation. Most of all, we wanted to try something new and exciting; something none of us had ever done before. After a little help from my friend, Google, I found the perfect spot: Platte County, Missouri.

On a balmy Friday morning in January, all four of us kissed our littles and hubbies goodbye, piled into my minivan and began our short road trip to Weston. We pulled up to The Inn at Weston Landing; a Celtic-themed B&B nestled in the heart of Weston. The Inn offers four charming guest rooms all themed around historic Celtic figures. We chose The Squire David Tenby room, as it could sleep all of us together. We all agreed that we didn’t mind sharing beds-most of us were used to getting kicked by a toddler, so this would be an upgrade for sure!

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Hitting The Slopes

After an amazing night’s sleep, we set out for a day of firsts. Stop #1: Skiing at Snow Creek. When the other ladies said they wanted to try something we hadn’t done before, this jumped out at me immediately. The staff at Snow Creek was so patient with us; they provided us with everything we needed to know before we hit the slopes, they answered all our questions, and even mapped out the easiest trails for us. While they do offer lessons for both skiing and snowboarding, everyone agreed to let me teach them how to ski. I was no pro, but grew up taking ski trips to Colorado.“ Deb, how did I let you talk me into this again?” Shanna yelled as we strapped on our skis for the first time. “Just give it a chance, Shan, you might surprise yourself!” I said as the other ladies waddled behind me over to the beginner’s slope, the Oregon Trail.

The ladies each fell about every five feet, but we would just pull each other up and try again. We laughed until our sides hurt and it didn’t surprise us at all Shanna was the first one to make it down the whole trail without falling. I knew she would surprise herself.

Before we knew it, it was after lunchtime; we all agreed that we had earned a trip to a few of the wineries we’d read about.

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The Fruits of
Our Labor

The first place we chose was Pirtle Winery, a small family-owned and operated winery established in 1978, which boasts many award-winning selections both local and international.  We enjoyed samples from each of their categories; whites, reds, fruit wines, and meads. I, of course, went home with a bottle of the Effervescent Rose, but it was great to be able to find something we all enjoyed. Stop #2 was Weston Wine Company. We all loved the diamond-themed cupcake and wine pairings in the adorable tasting room! Up next was TerraVox Tasting Room at the Green Dirt Farm & Creamery. Let’s just say, they knew what they were doing putting a wine tasting room here! . We were able to choose from a list of delightful cheeses to pair with our wine. The final stop on our Tour De Wine was Riverwood Winery. In addition to their wines, they offer gourmet foods, live music, and WHISKEY! Breanne looked over at us with eyes wide and said: “This place has totally solidified my next wedding anniversary trip with John! He won’t need much convincing once I mention they have whiskey!” We all agreed that each of our husbands would love Weston!

After a morning full of falls and an afternoon of sample pours, we felt ready for dinner. We decided to try some Kansas City-style barbeque at Tin Kitchen. If we hadn’t spent the afternoon wine tasting, we would have started with a few of their yummy looking craft cocktails. Southern girl Bre was tempted to get the “Southern Peach Punch” with bourbon and peach juice, and Shanna couldn’t help but point out the “Nutty in Kentucky”, a drink with salted peanuts mixed right into classic bourbon and cola!. For dinner, we decided to share all of the smoked meat options; smoked chicken, pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. We were incredibly full, but knew we had to order the apple dumplings—which were worth having to go immediately back to the hotel to put on stretchy pants!

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It Wouldn’t Be a True Getaway Without It

The next morning, while finishing brunch at The Vineyards Restaurant, we decided to split up for the rest of the day to try different activities. Much to my surprise, Shanna was ready to hit the slopes at Snow Creek again! She and Bre wanted to try their hand at tubing. Lora and I decided our day would be much better spent shopping. After all, it wouldn’t be a true girlfriends’ getaway without some shopping. We browsed the stylish women’s clothing boutiques in the area like Missouri Bluff Boutique, followed by the charming Farmer’s House Market where we browsed products sourced from locally grown produce such as cheese, honey, and home items. Finally, we headed down to Zona Rosa to check out all the great stores the shopping center had to offer.

We picked up our snow bunnies, Shanna and Bre, from the slopes and headed back to the hotel for one last hurrah before heading back to Omaha the next morning. We decided to sit in the comfy main room of the hotel and enjoy our wines from the previous day. All four of us raised a glass to a successful girls’ trip and agreed that we had no idea how much fun we could have so close to home.