What’s the origin story of Blackberry Farm?

My in-laws, Kreis Beall White and Sandy Beall, started Blackberry Farm as a six-room inn. So, it was certainly a much smaller operation than it is today. It truly began as welcoming people to their home, and that’s exactly what we want guests to feel when we welcome them today. Kreis and Sandy were young, excited about this land, and passionate about great hospitality. Kreis wanted a place where people felt comfortable and taken care of, where they could gather at the table like family. Those humble beginnings created the ethos of Blackberry Farm, and that spirit is what has made Blackberry Farm so special to so many people over the last 50 years.

What was the original vision for Blackberry Farm?

I think the vision was simply to run an inn. Kreis wanted to host, welcome, and cook, and she and Sandy wanted to share the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains with visitors. When they first opened in 1976, they started with hosting corporate retreats. Then in 1990, they fully opened to the public. In the years since, we’ve added restaurants, built Bramble Hall, a beautiful venue, expanded the gardens, and hosted all kinds of events, including music, wellness, cycling, food and wine and many more. So, the vision has evolved over the years and continues to evolve five decades in. The Bealls have always been dreamers, and aren’t we all so lucky that they dreamed big.

What would you say is the heart and soul of the property?

The team, absolutely, is the heart and soul of Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain. Great hospitality comes from the people. You can have the most beautiful setting in the world (and I’m biased, but I think we do), but it takes the best people to make guests from all over the world feel welcome and important.

What makes the cellar so special?

For one, the tunnel. It never gets old watching someone descend the stairs and experience the view of the wine tunnel for the first time. But, of course, what’s most special is the bottles it holds. The wine collection has been so thoughtfully curated over the years, and the bottles represent the incredible stories and lives of some of the greatest winemakers and importers in the world. It started with my husband, Sam, and continues with Andy Chabot and his team, but the effort to forge genuine relationships with vintners, producers, sommeliers, and leaders across the industry is the reason we have the collection we do today.

How has the spa evolved?

The spa had its own humble beginnings. It’s amazing how much the wellness industry has changed over the years, and I’m thankful for a thoughtful and talented team who help us maintain the ethos of our spa programming while evolving our treatments to create the most enjoyable and effective experiences for our guests. We keep a holistic connection to the land around us while always researching and learning about the best natural products and innovative techniques.

What is some of the newest programming that you’ve added to the property?

One of the incredible things about experiencing life in the Great Smoky Mountains is that while going on a guided hike, a horseback ride, or a fly fishing adventure – just to name a few! – may not be “new” programming at the Farm, you will never have the same experience twice. There is always something new to discover! You never know what surprises the land will offer that day. Our Blackberry Year events also create really unique opportunities to experience Blackberry Farm in a way that will only happen at that event with those people. We are so lucky to welcome leaders in culinary, wine, wellness and beyond who partner with the Blackberry team to create truly one-of-a-kind experiences. 

What was the inspiration for Blackberry Mountain?

When we first started thinking about Blackberry Mountain, it really wasn’t about how much we could build, it was about how much we could protect. Half of Blackberry Mountain’s 5,200 acres are in conservation, ensuring the land gets to prosper undisturbed. So we kept things intentionally low density and took our time placing everything where it felt right, rather than forcing the land to fit a plan. The goal was always for it to feel like the Mountain is still the main character, and we’re just lucky enough to be part of it. 

During the winter, we did some exciting renovations to the Lodge. We enclosed the dining terrace to create a new dining space, redesigned the Whippoorwill Bar, and installed beautiful new lighting and artwork. We also redesigned the Classroom in the Hub to accommodate an even broader range of classes. We’re finishing renovations now to reimagine the lower floor of the Lodge as a new private dining experience, and we’re finalizing some updates to the spa, Nest. We’ve added new wellness programming as well. 

What do the next 10 years at Blackberry look like?

You never know. Of course, we have some ideas and goals, but one of the beautiful things about Blackberry and the team here is that a new big idea may spark tomorrow, and this team will make it happen.

The post Celebrating 50 Years of Blackberry Farm appeared first on All Roads North.

Credit Left: Jared Chambers, Credit Right: Anais Wade

How is Paintrock Canyon different from your previous guest ranches in Colorado?

Scale-wise, it’s similar, but it has a lot more layers. There are more opportunities to experience day-to-day ranch work, like moving cattle, irrigating, fencing, and even observing baby calves being born. Paintrock Creek flows through the middle of the ranch, so guests have opportunities to swim and fish. We have access to one of the best fisheries in northern Wyoming and the rainbow and brown trout fishing is incredible. There is also great birding here. At the previous properties, we’d have to drive guests to trailheads for hiking, but we have so much that’s close here. And the vistas are so diverse. You have everything from huge mountains and beautiful rock formations to open prairie and the creek. The scenery is really multi-dimensional.

Credit: Anais Wade

What’s a typical ranch stay like?

The closest town is the speck of Hyattville, which is one-and-a-half hours from Cody and three hours from Billings, Montana. Guests arrive on a Sunday and depart on Friday for a five-night stay. We really cater to what guests are looking to experience. Some people want to ride a horse all day or help move the cattle. Some people want to hike. Others just want to sit and read at camp. We have 14 safari-style tents, all comfortably furnished and within a short walk to bathrooms and hot showers. I tell friends, this is not camping. You’re a 16th of an inch from nature all night long without being adversely affected by it. All meals are cooked outdoors over fire and served at communal tables. Our chef uses Ranchlands beef for many of the dishes. We also host wellness retreats, writing retreats led by notable authors like Molly Wizenberg, and workshops and clinics on everything from outdoor skills to stockmanship.

Credit Left: Claudia Elise, Credit Right: Megan Rogers

How are ranching and conservation intertwined?

Conservation is a product we produce, just like beef. We see ourselves as stewards of the land. It’s not an obligation, it’s an honor. From a business standpoint, the better we care for the land the more productive it will be. We graze our cattle in a way that restores the land, mimicking historic mobile herds. But it’s also a moral responsibility. When you live on the land you develop a relationship with it and the animals who live on it. You see a coyote every morning or the eagles nesting and want to protect them. People come here and it opens their eyes to how a working landscape can work in harmony with nature.

Duke Phillips was interviewed by Jen Murphy for All Roads North in April 2026.

To start planning your own journey through the American West, perhaps including Paintrock Canyon, please get in touch to speak with a Destination Specialist.

The post Ranchlands: Duke Phillips III talks Paintrock Canyon Ranch appeared first on All Roads North.

“We specialize in the Art of the Road Trip. From meticulously designed routes and individually crafted journey guides to personal round-the-clock concierge service, we’ve reimagined the road trip to provide our clients with one-of-a-kind journeys that they’ll never forget. Our trips put the emphasis on the journey as a whole, and the people and places you’ll encounter, rather than starting with five star hotels and drawing a straight line between them to create a generic “Best of X, Y, or Z State’ itinerary. Each road trip we design is different from the last but sample itineraries include: ‘Land to Sea in Sonoma and Mendocino’, ‘Fall’s Magic Window: Phoenix to San Francisco’, ‘Back to the Future in New Mexico’, or ‘The Wilds of West Texas: A Private Ranch Road Trip’.”

Commenting on his selection, Sam added: “Since founding All Roads North our sole focus has been on unearthing the very best of the United States for our clients and connecting them to the people and places that reveal the true essence of this country in a way I didn’t see other travel companies doing. To be recognized by such a highly regarded publication and to sit alongside some of the best in the business is a fantastic honor.”

You can read more about how All Roads North was founded here.

The post Sam Highley Named Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist Five Years in a Row appeared first on All Roads North.

At All Roads North, we believe that a place is nothing without its people. So often, when we ask our clients the most memorable parts of their journey, it’s not the Instagram-worthy landscape or acclaimed hotel that they mention, it’s the encounters they had along the way.  That’s why our trips are carefully designed to make those connections, providing you with an authentic and immersive experience. These experiences– whether it be with a local craftsman, musician, chef or marine biologist– are the inspiration for our Connections series, where we talk to friends of All Roads North to get an insider’s look at some of our favorite places across the U.S.

Tell us about your Jackson story?

I moved to Jackson in 2003 to work on a guest ranch and I decided to stay. I got a word from God telling me to move here– and I had never even been here before. 

What three words sum up Jackson for you?

Outdoor lovers paradise

What major Jackson Hole attraction lives up to the hype?

The grandeur of the Grand Tetons. They are absolute magic. They rise up in the distance and are so expansive. When you’re staring straight at the mountain range it’s incredibly humbling. 

What’s your favorite neighborhood to wander?

Wilson. It’s a little community in Teton county. It’s still a place where old timers, long time Jackson locals and newcomers all live. 

Underrated in Jackson Hole, overrated in Jackson Hole, and personal favorite?

What’s underrated is how close Jackson is to the wild. What’s overrated is that Jackson isn’t something here for everyone. This is an outdoor place. There aren’t many indoor options. There’s great restaurants and things like that, but there’s not really much to do indoors.

A personal favorite is a small cafe called Healthy Being Juicery. They have all fresh ingredients, and create their juices and nut milks in small batches. It’s just a small cafe. I love getting the bagel and lox. 

By Joeseph Haeberle

What’s your Sunday morning in Jackson Hole?

My Sunday morning looks like church, at the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole with my family. I’ve been going to this church for several years with my husband and children.

What restaurant do you take friends from out of town for dinner, a casual local’s favorite, and a weekend brunch?

I’d take friends to Local Restaurant. A favorite local’s spot is Persephone Bakery. And Cafe Genevieve is a great place for a weekend brunch.

Where do you go to get into nature?

I love to hike the local trails. These spaces are so special and precious to locals. I love to get a hard workout in a short amount of time and I love being outside. The sounds and smells, and the beautiful views of nature here. Sometimes I will be able to see wildlife, like deer and elk.

What inspired you to begin your hat business?

I had a similar experience entering hat making as I did moving out here. I heard a word from God in the middle of my happy life to do something different. Both times, it fully uprooted my life. I was working, then this idea to make hats entered my head out of the blue. I did an apprenticeship about a year after I had the idea, and I started my business in 2018. I could try to sound cooler and explain a more concrete reason, but it wouldn’t be true. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Connections: Jackson, WY with Hatmaker Christy Sing Robertson appeared first on All Roads North.

At All Roads North, we believe that a place is nothing without its people. So often, when we ask our clients the most memorable parts of their journey, it’s not the Instagram-worthy landscape or acclaimed hotel that they mention, it’s the encounters they had along the way.  That’s why our trips are carefully designed to make those connections, providing you with an authentic and immersive experience. These experiences– whether it be with a local craftsman, musician, chef or marine biologist– are the inspiration for our Connections series, where we talk to friends of All Roads North to get an insider’s look at some of our favorite places across the U.S.

Tell us about your New Orleans story?

The first time I visited New Orleans was during Carnival, 1984. My mom came for a work conference so I tagged along. I was 20 years old, in college and had just started working on clarinet. I remember hearing a band in Jackson Square and the music really got under my skin because there was nothing electric, it was all coming straight out of the instruments and hitting my body. 

I came back for JazzFest in 1987 and ’88 and the second time I lucked into a house-sitting situation. Went home, got my clarinet, my bike, some clothes and about $100. Came back, got a restaurant job and started house sitting everywhere I could. Started Panorama Jazz Band with a couple friends to play a wedding in 1995.  It has gradually evolved into 2 bands (the other is a marching band, Panorama BRASS Band) plus a bunch of recordings under the name PanoramaLand (Check out our song-of-the-month club Good Music For You on BandCamp.com). We play every 1st, 3rd (and occasional 5th) Saturday of the month at The Spotted Cat Music Club, 623 Frenchmen St.

Ben Schenck on the clarinet

What’s something that New Orleans does better than anywhere else?  

Celebrate.

What major New Orleans attraction lives up to the hype?  

A real neighborhood second-line. There’s nothing else like it anywhere.

A New Orleans Second Line

What’s your favorite neighborhood to wander? 

I do wander around uptown with my dog a fair amount but I still love the Bywater. It has gentrified quite a bit since I lived down there in the 90s. It’s less authentic, less working-class, but spiffier and still very charming.

Underrated in New Orleans, overrated in New Orleans, personal favorite, and recent discovery?  

Underrated – the parks, the live oaks; Overrated – most of the tourist traps in the French Quarter; Personal favorite just riding my bike around a pretty day. Dropping in on friends. Recent discovery – A tiny Indian restaurant in Algiers called Plume. Unreal tastes.

What’s your Sunday morning in New Orleans?  

Lately, the New York Times with breakfast and green tea followed by meeting for worship at the Friends Meeting of New Orleans (I’m a Quaker).

What restaurant do you take friends from out of town for dinner, a casual local’s favorite, and a weekend brunch? 

Dinner: High Hat Cafe on Freret St. Casual local’s favorite: Sarita’s Latin Fusion: they’re like family over there. Weekend brunch: my house!

Where do you go to get into nature? 

New Orleans City Park

In City Park, some of the golf courses went to seed after Hurricane Katrina. So there are these wild, overgrown spaces with little sidewalks running through them. There’s also a disc golf course nearby and I like that.

What are the best places to hear live music in New Orleans? 

I can vouch for Frenchmen St. It can be hit-or-miss but you can sometimes catch a great band having a good night with an attentive, appreciative audience and you’ll never forget that.

The post Connections: New Orleans with Jazz Musician Ben Schenck appeared first on All Roads North.

Orange wine gets its ochre hue from macerating white grapes (aka soaking white grape skins in their grape juice)– a step that imbues the wine with tannins and flavor, and is used in the making of red wine. The country of Georgia has been known to practice this method of winemaking for thousands of years, leaving their wine on the skins in large clay vessels called Kvevri. 

The Rise of Orange Wine in the U.S.

Cellar Master Jarad Bivins washing out the Spanish Tinaja that produces the orange wine at Two Vinters.

Morgan Lee, winemaker at Two Vintners in Woodinville, Washington, says he was one of the first to begin producing orange wine in the state. The inspiration hit on a business trip to Baltimore when a distributor asked him if anyone in Washington was making orange wine. 

“I was still in my twenties, and at the time I had never heard of it,” Morgan Lee said. “I replied that we don’t grow citrus fruit in Washington, and he had a chuckle over that.”

After explaining that orange wine has nothing to do with the fruit, the distributor said he was seeing a growing segment of people asking for it. 

“I have an affinity for different things,” Lee said. “I really like making things that other people are not making.”

That very harvest in 2010, Lee made his first batch using Gewürztraminer grapes sourced from Yakima Valley for their aromatic nature. By the 2019 vintage, Lee was able to get his hands on some Spanish clay tinajas (giant clay pots) to use in the winemaking process, just like orange wine is traditionally made in Old World countries. 

“I really think it’s the best wine in our whole program,” Lee said, “But it’s not for everybody… I like to make wines that make people think, and some people love it and some just can’t wrap their head around it. 

Going Back to Basics

Orange Wines from AmByth Estate

Further south in Paso Robles, California, Gelert Hart is winemaker and vineyard manager for family-run, biodynamic winery AmByth Estate. 

“[Orange wine] is very much a big part of the market now since the last 10 years or so, and we are seeing a lot more producers get into it,” Hart said. “Especially from natural wine producers that seem to be more likely to embrace the significant flavor difference you find in orange wines.”

Even so, not all orange wine is natural wine, even though the two seem to be somewhat conflated in the public imagination. Perhaps this is because orange wine in the traditional sense, was left to ferment on the skins for long periods of time with no additives– a hands-off approach that natural winemaking shares. 

For George Nosis, winemaker at Atwater Vineyards located in the Finger Lakes area of New York, learning about orange wine was a source of ancient inspiration. Nosis said that learning about the Old World techniques of making orange wine reminds us to go back to basics. In an age where so much winemaking has become a large-scale production that lacks any soul, small-batch wineries such as Atwood don’t actually need to use as many additives as industrial producers.

Orange Wine Tasting Notes

Traditional Georgian Kvevri

It could be said that orange wine is an even more versatile and expansive category than red or white wines, according to Lee. The styles range from light wines similar to rosé to big flavor, Old World wines that are left on the skins for up to a year.

Phillip Hart, founder and original winegrower at AmByth Estate, shared the varied tasting notes from his first orange wines produced in 2006. 

“I made four different orange wines from our four [grape] varietals and discovered how very different orange wines are from each other,” Phillip Hart said. “Grenache Blanc – fairly big on the palate, quite forward. Viognier – the time on the skins brought out huge floral notes, extremely distinctive. Roussanne – the most delicate of the four. Marsanne – huge, monstrous, tannic, a beast.”

Since the early 2000s, Nosis has also experimented with several grape varietals in his orange winemaking. He said the best kinds of grapes tend to be those with low acid and high aromatics. He’s played with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer, to name a few. The best part is discovering something completely new from a grape that had once been old hat. 

“You can taste that it’s a Gewurztraminer but now it’s this whole different expression,” Nosis said. “All of a sudden something you thought was mundane takes on new life. It’s like if you found out that your grandma was a rockstar.”

How to Pair Orange Wine

Atwater Vineyards

Most of the wine experts we spoke with emphasized that orange wine is extremely interesting to pair with food. 

“[Orange wine] works well with Indian and Thai curries with coconut milk,” Lee said. “In the Northwest here, it’s fantastic with seafood. Halibut with butter sauce. Things that have some fat to them.”

As for if orange wine should be served chilled or room temperature?

“It really depends on whether you are having it with food or not,” Gelert Hart said. “To better express the tannins we treat it like any good red wine, at room temperature. If they are being enjoyed on their own, they are really nice to have chilled.” 

However, the most important pairing for orange wine is curiosity and an open mind. The common thread between both wine experts and non-experts alike is that their introduction to orange wine provided a deeper insight into the world of wine. Winemakers saw the ancient practice as a stimulus to a new creative expression of their work. Everyday wine drinkers were invited into learning the process of winemaking in a way they may have never experienced before.

The post Orange Is the New White: The Rising Star of American Wine appeared first on All Roads North.

At All Roads North, we believe that a place is nothing without its people. So often, when we ask our clients the most memorable parts of their journey, it’s not the Instagram-worthy landscape or acclaimed hotel that they mention, it’s the encounters they had along the way.  That’s why our trips are carefully designed to make those connections, providing you with an authentic and immersive experience. These experiences– whether it be with a local craftsman, musician, chef or marine biologist– are the inspiration for our Connections series, where we talk to friends of All Roads North to get an insider’s look at some of our favorite places across the U.S.

Tell us about your Santa Fe story?

My family settled in Santa Fe in 1692; I am the former historian for the city. I am the author of eight books on New Mexico history and the founding publisher and editor of La Herencia, a quarterly magazine on New Mexico history from 1994 through 2009.

What three words sum up Santa Fe for you? 

City of Holy Faith.

What’s something that Santa Fe does better than anywhere else? 

Santa Fe is a beacon for those in search of healing, self-discovery, and growth. (It has to do with the surrounding mountain vortex). 

Canyon Road

What major tourist attraction lives up to the hype? 

Canyon Road, which has the highest density of art galleries in the world.

What’s your favorite neighborhood to wander? 

The Barrio de Analco, which features the oldest church in the U.S., the San Miguel Mission Church built between 1605 -1608. The Barrio de Analco was given its name by the Tlaxcalan Indians who came as slaves from Mexico with the Spanish Conquistadors in 1598. Analco means “on the other side of the river” in Nahuatl, the native language of the Tlaxcalans. During the day, the Barrio Analco is buzzing with the activity of people visiting the San Miguel Mission. San Miguel is the oldest church in the U.S. built between 1605–1608. Just up the street is the New Mexico State capitol where people like to meander. Santa Fe is such an art town that you can visit the Governor’s Gallery on the top floor of the rotunda – New Mexico’s state capitol is the only round state capitol in the country. Most of the buildings on the east side of the neighborhood were built upon the San Miguel cemetery, the oldest cemetery in town. Throughout the decades there have been several instances of ghost sightings. Few people wander around the Barrio Analco at night for that reason but for those adventurous souls’ ghost hunting is always an option!

Underrated in Santa Fe, overrated in Santa Fe, personal favorite, and recent discovery? 

Underrated: The artist market at the Santa Fe Railyard. More visitors need to experience the work of local artists. Overrated: Some of Santa Fe’s high-end restaurants, too expensive with a lack of continuity—one great experience doesn’t equate to an exceptional second visit. Personal favorite: You can’t go wrong with a Frito Pie in Santa Fe. Recent discovery: This summer a street vendor was selling bizcochito ice cream sandwiches on the Santa Fe Plaza. The bizcochito is the New Mexico state cookie made with anise.

What restaurant do you take friends from out of town for dinner, a casual local’s favorite, and a weekend brunch? 

The Compound for dinner, Rancho de Chimayo for lunch and La Plazuela at La Fonda hotel for brunch. 

Where do you go to get into nature? 

Santa Fe is surrounded by parks and trails, so I just walk a couple of blocks from my home to enjoy the great outdoors. I like to walk along Alameda Street which runs parallel to Canyon Road and the Santa Fe River. In the autumn, the leaves of the cottonwood trees changing color and the smell of green chile roasting makes for the most enjoyable two-mile walk in Santa Fe.

What trends are you noticing in Santa Fe right now? 

An emphasis on modern art versus traditional and historic art forms.

From your perspective as a historian, what fascinates you the most about Santa Fe’s history? 

The history of this nation would not be complete without the story of Santa Fe. Santa Fe is the most historically significant city in this country that has impacted the world through different historical events during different centuries. For example, in 1943 the Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb had their genesis in Santa Fe. Both triumphant and tragic, the development of the bomb changed the course of world history. 

The post Connections: Sante Fe with Historian Ana Pacheco appeared first on All Roads North.

In Seattle and Portland, the past several years has seen the rise of Native American-owned eateries with a mission to share Indigenous foods, from cafes to food trucks to coffee houses. Three examples at the forefront of this movement are Off the Rez, Bison Coffeehouse and ʔálʔal Café. Not only offering delicious Indigenous meals, these restaurants are spaces where tradition is honored, stories are told, and support is paid back to the Native American community. 

Off the Rez: Seattle’s First Native Food Truck

Credit: KUOW Photo by Megan Farmer

Mark McConnell’s mother grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. McConnell himself grew up in Seattle, but has many fond childhood memories of going back to Montana and spending time with family around traditional food.

Fed up with craving the Native comfort foods that his mom used to make and no restaurant in the area providing a place to buy them, McConnell took matters into his own hands.

“There wasn’t any market for [Native foods] here in Seattle,” McConnell said. “There wasn’t anyone doing it, so we wanted to be the first ones to share our culture’s food out here.”

Along with his partner Cecilia Rikard and childhood friend Chef Donovan MacInnis, the trio transformed an old linen truck into Seattle’s very first Native American food truck. They used several recipes that McConnell’s mom had passed down to him, such as bison tacos and frybread. In McConnell’s memories, the crispy, pillowy frybread was reserved for special occasions, and Indian tacos and sweet frybread were staples at birthday parties and powwows. Off the Rez created homemade preserves, jams and all types of toppings over the years to complement their best-selling frybread. 

As the first to introduce Native food to the area commercially, the food truck had several customers who were encountering this type of cuisine for the first time.  For Native people from other regions, the food evoked nostalgia and a connection to their own traditions.

“We try to collaborate with Native suppliers as much as we can,” McConnell said. Sometimes the team sources bison from Montana. When we spoke to McConnell, he had just bought fresh salmon from the nearby Muckleshoot tribe.

Beyond the infamous Off the Rez food truck, the brand has expanded to a brick and mortar location at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. The museum has a focus on dinosaurs, fossils, Northwest Native art, plant and animal collections, and cultural pieces from across the globe– making it the perfect place to connect marry the culinary experience with a historical and cultural one.

“There’s a lot of ties between the food and the culture and history [in the museum],” McConnell said. “It’s a great experience to come and try the food, but also go and see artwork and carvings from different periods in our culture.”

Bison Coffee House: A Symbol of Resilience

By Ashley Anderson

Loretta Guzman’s journey to founding Bison Coffee House began with a battle against cancer that led her back to her family on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. Loretta herself was born in Portland, but spent her childhood going back and forth between the Oregon town and the Idaho reservation. 

While recovering, Loretta had a vision of a majestic bison approaching her. Her stepfather, recognizing the significance, assured her that it was her grandparents healing her in the spirit world. Miraculously, she went into remission, and the vision of the bison became the symbol that marked her coffee shop.

“For the Bannock, the bison are a big part of our history,” Guzman said. “Our Bannock people are bison hunters. So I thought, I have to represent the present and the past.”

When you walk into the coffee shop, a giant bison head holds court over the cafe as a symbol of the resilience of Native American peoples and of Guzman’s own personal journey. 

By Ashley Anderson

Along with help from her daughter and other family members, Guzman sells coffee and an array of fresh baked goods that are all made in house, such as espresso coffee cake and green chile pepper jack bacon biscuits. Her cafe is not just about coffee; it’s an avenue to give back to Native American communities. 

“Every year, I pick one of the MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) organizations to donate to,” Guzman said. “But I make sure I research them and see it’s a legitimate organization, and that they are really helping our people.” 

Guzman has given to the MMIW Database, the Sahnish Scouts, and the Medicine Wheel Ride to name a few of the organizations making a difference. 

ʔálʔal Café: Decolonizing Native Food

ʔálʔal Café’s moniker, pronounced “All All,” is the Lushootseed word for “home.” The word perfectly encapsulates the vision of the Chief Seattle Club, which owns and operates the cafe. 

“We envision a future where our Native community is safe, healthy, housed, and connected to community that respects and celebrates Native cultures,” Akemi Boyd, Grant Writer for Chief Seattle Club, said. 

The cafe puts an emphasis on “de-colonized food,” meaning dishes and ingredients that take back the way Native food was prepared before colonization. Bison barbacoa tacos, rabbit stew, blue corn mush, three sisters wild rice grain bowl, and maple sugar mocha are just a few of the items on the menu.The cafe sources ingredients and products from tribes and Native businesses, such as bison from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, wild rice from the Red Lake Nation, and blue corn from Navajo Nation.

“Food is our most immediate connection to culture,” Boyd said. “Through colonization and attempted genocide, many Indigenous people lost connection to their traditional foods. Reintroducing those foods is a healing process and a small step in regaining a sense of self.”

Beyond food, ʔálʔal Café serves as a hub for cultural exchange. The café hosts workshops and events, opening doors to conversations about Indigenous experiences, sovereignty, and heritage.

“The ʔálʔal Café serves as a gateway for the Pioneer Square Community to interact with members and café staff,” Boyd said. “This is a great opportunity for people who may not understand the Native culture, to learn what culture looks and feels like from our perspective.”

Explore the Pacific Northwest:

The Pacific Coast and Willamette Valley: From your starting point in Portland, you will find yourself in a city ringed by old growth fir forests, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient cliffs adorned with tumbling waterfalls, fertile farmland and vineyards, and hundreds of miles of undeveloped coast ripe for exploration. This luxury Oregon road trip provides an unmatched concentration of stunning, diverse Pacific Northwest landscapes enriched by unique adventures and connections with local producers.

Olympic Peninsula and San Juan Islands: Coastal Wanderings: Experience the remote wonders of the Olympic Peninsula, the relaxed pace of life on the San Juan Islands and the buzz of downtown Seattle on this loop around Washington’s idyllic islands and verdant peninsulas. Charming waterfront inns and boutique hotels allow you to sample in style all of the natural wonders and culinary delights that this special corner of the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

The post The Native-Owned Businesses Championing Indigenous Food in the PNW appeared first on All Roads North.

At All Roads North, we believe that a place is nothing without its people. So often, when we ask our clients the most memorable parts of their journey, it’s not the Instagram-worthy landscape or acclaimed hotel that they mention, it’s the encounters they had along the way.  That’s why our trips are carefully designed to make those connections, providing you with an authentic and immersive experience. These experiences– whether it be with a local craftsman, musician, chef or marine biologist– are the inspiration for our Connections series, where we talk to friends of All Roads North to get an insider’s look at some of our favorite places across the U.S.

Tell us about your Woodstock story?

My parents Jack and Marion Ayres were back to the land folks who purchased the farm and 525 acres in 1945. My grandparents were from southern Vermont, but my parents were living first in Brooklyn and then in New Jersey but wanting to move to the country. They started making candy and selling local cheese that my father figured out a way to wax in cracker sized bars to sell to my Grandmother’s Christmas card list folks and some local stores. 

I spent my teenage years earning money for my horse’s upkeep by wrapping cheese. In 1962, I married a sugarmaker/dairy farmer, and we started our maple business and sent our milk from our herd of Jersey cows out to local co-op cheese plants to be made into cheese for us. The mail order business grew especially after the internet became popular and after my Mother’s death, we made her living quarters in the 1865 farmhouse into our farm store.  

My two sons, Jeff and Ralph, grew up on the farm, have built homes here and make all the maple syrup from our 10,000 maple trees. We now have two grandchildren in their late 20s that have joined the farm business and hopefully will continue the tradition. I have spent all but the first two years of my life in Woodstock, attended school there, and have been involved with local activities.

What three words sum up Woodstock for you?

Historic, Pretty, Elite

What’s something that Woodstock does better than anywhere else?

Woodstock gives a peaceful setting to help folks relax but still has lots of offers in the way of history, natural beauty, arts, theater, community dinners, and farm-to-table dinners.   

Billings Farm Jersey cows

What tourist attraction lives up to the hype?

A few of the events that live up to the hype are Wassail (in early December), Christmas weekend, Bookstock (think authors and book sales), and Taste of Woodstock. As far as attractions go, I think Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Park and Billings Farm and Museum live up to the history part, as well as Calvin Coolidge Historic Homestead in nearby Plymouth.  In the arts, Woodstock and neighboring towns have Pentangle Arts, Feast and Field dinners and art, Artistree with Grange Theatre, concerts, gallery and all kinds of art classes. For nature, we have Mt. Tom and Mt. Peg with great hiking trails as well as a river walk.

What’s your favorite neighborhood to wander?

Since Woodstock is pretty small, the village comprises two short main streets with very old buildings and tasteful shops. The “Green,” our village park, is the center of the town with lovely old homes, a covered bridge, historic courthouse and library as well as three lovely churches.

Underrated in Woodstock?

Underrated in Woodstock are our gravel (we call the dirt) roads that let visitors see the real Vermont with beautiful, restored farmhouses, great views, and beautiful stone walls. One news story about our farm said, “ Just the ride to the farm is worth the whole trip.”

What’s your Sunday morning in Woodstock?

Since our farm store is open 9-5 seven days a week, my Sunday morning is the same as any other morning– getting our samples ready for the visitors who come to the farm to taste cheese, maple syrup and our various local jams and mustards.

What restaurant do you take friends from out of town for dinner, a casual local’s favorite, and a weekend brunch?

Best dinner would be Prince and Pauper, a casual local spot would-be Mountain Creamery, and weekend breakfast would be Soulfully Good.

Where do you go to get into nature?

I go on my own 550 acres for nature– we have two well laid out walking and hiking trails for our guests but we also have more secluded walking trails for our own family hidden in the maple woods. Mt. Tom which is part of Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Park has many trails which are all free.

South Peak on Mt. Tom

What trends are you noticing in Woodstock right now?

Lots more farm-to-table places to eat. Vermont has more farmers markets per capita than any other state. There are also more young folks moving to Vermont to start small farms and, since COVID, more professionals moving to Vermont to work remotely.

We love sending clients to places that portray an authentic sense of place. How is Sugarbush Farm a reflection of Woodstock?

You can’t come up with a sense of place more than Sugarbush farm. With three generations of family working together, the history of a farm first settled right after the Revolutionary War, working out of an 1865 farmhouse and so much beauty any time of the year.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

The post Connections: Woodstock, Vermont with Farmer Betsy Luce appeared first on All Roads North.

Farnsworth Art Museum, in the small coastal town of Rockland, Maine, is the perfect example of this phenomenon. Founded in 1948, the museum displays approximately 15,000 works of American art from the 18th century to the present day, the quality of which could stand up to any major metropolitan collection. Particularly, the museum’s vast collection of works from three generations of Wyeths– the famous family of artists renowned for capturing the essence of the American experience. From the Wyeths to Edward Hopper to George Bellows, the museum’s perhaps most interesting aspect is the mission and tether that holds the impressive collection together: to celebrate Maine’s role in American art. 

We spoke with David Troup, who’s worked for Farnsworth Art Museum for sixteen years as Communications and Marketing Manager, to learn more about how the museum achieves this distinct mission. 

How the Farnsworth Celebrates Maine’s Place in American Art

The artists whose work is displayed at the museum have various levels of connection to the state, but all have something in common: Maine has at some point inspired their artistic works. 

“When you look at the names of the artists who have called Maine home or who have come to Maine in years gone by– including the 19th century, 20th century and still today– because of the lower cost of living, you’re dealing with some of the greatest names in American art history. From the Bellows and the Homers to Hopper,” Troup said. 

The lower cost of living and natural beauty are the two main draws that have long had artists flocking to Maine. 

“The great move that happened post-World War II when Alex Katz and so many of his contemporaries moved up to Maine, because they had been working in tiny lofts in New York City and suddenly found they could– for a tenth of the price– get a house with some land,” Troup said.

Instead of taking the subway for an hour to find a natural setting for plein-air painting, these artists could step into their own backyard and find immediate inspiration. So whether from artists who were born and raised in Maine or spent time working in the Pine Tree State, each of the Farnsworth galleries celebrate one aspect or another of their Maine-focused mission.

Three Generations of the Wyeth Family at the Farnsworth

Another notable aspect of the Farnsworth’s collection is their Wyeth connection. The museum displays artwork from three generations of the renowned family of American artists, from N.C. to Andrew to Jamie. Because of its association with the Wyeth Foundation of American Art, the museum has access to the 7,000 works by Andrew Wyeth, only 11% of which have ever been exhibited. Troup said over the next few years, Farnsworth Art Museum and Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania will be exploring and revealing these works through many different themes.

N.C. Wyeth, Treasure Island, 1997

The Wyeths’ connection to Maine began in 1920 when N.C. Wyeth– legendary illustrator and patriarch of the artistic family– bought a country house in Port Clyde, Maine (about 20 minutes away from the current location of the Farnsworth). Thus the family spent their summers in the area, as the next two generations of Wyeths came of age into their own artistic careers. 

Andrew Wyeth, son of N.C., is celebrated for his realistic and detailed depictions of rural life and landscapes, particularly in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania and coastal Maine.

“The works of Andrew Wyeth that we show here in our collection were all painted here in Maine,” Troup said. “If you go to the Brandywine in Pennsylvania, they showcase the works he did at Kuerner Farm and near Chadds Ford. So those are the Pennsylvania works and we’re split very clearly along those lines.”

Andrew Wyeth, Her Room, 1963

Son of Andrew Jamie Wyeth’s art has continued the family tradition of capturing the landscapes and people of rural America, but with a more contemporary and often surreal twist. 

Troup said Farnsworth’s relationship with the Wyeths goes back to 1944, four years before the museum opened to the public. Many times, a museum is started when an art collector dies and their personal collection becomes a museum. 

“That’s not what happened here,” Troup said. “What happened here was that Lucy Farnsworth left $1.3 million for a museum to be built, but there was no collection. A man by the name of Robert Bellows started purchasing works to add to the collection. And one of the first artists he zeroed in on was a young, still unknown Andrew Wyeth in New York. He purchased six works in 1944, four years before the museum opened.”

Planning a Visit to the Farnsworth

Lynne Drexler, Saha, 1959, Oil on canvas

Maine may be the common link between all the work at Farnsworth, but that inspiration manifested across a wide array of artistic forms. The museum is home to art of every style of work, from oil paintings to sculpture to video art. You have Lynne Drexler’s abstract bursts of color in oil paint. Jason Brown (also known as Firefly) is a member of the Penobscot Nation who works in digital film and composes his own music. Jeremy Frey is renowned as a skilled basket weaver, working out of Maine to create his masterpieces with ash and porcupine quills. The variety and creativity Farnsworth has on display truly has no bounds. 

Reflecting its setting in the small Maine town, the museum atmosphere is warm, personable and friendly. It’s primarily a gallery-centric experience with some immersive, video displays as well. 

Apart from the main museum, you can visit The Farnsworth Homestead, the 19th-century home of museum benefactor Lucy Farnsworth. Additionally, there’s the Olson House, a National Historic Landmark well-known as the setting of Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” and around 300 other paintings.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, 1948

As a New Yorker with an art background, Troup recalled visiting Farnsworth Art Museum for the first time when he and his wife moved to Maine. 

“I walked into Farnsworth and I really couldn’t believe the quality of the works that were on view,” Troup said. “It’s not what I was expecting in a small town on the seaside in Maine.”

Goes Well With This Journey:

Islands and Inlets: Maine Maritime Adventures: With thousands of miles of jagged coastline; countless rugged islands, inland lakes and ponds; a labyrinth of streams and rivers; and a culture still driven by nautical history, Maine is a place best discovered on the water. Whether pulling traps on a lobster boat, paddling deep-woods ponds in search of moose, or commuting between islands by mail boat, this adventurous Maine road trip offers a new experience on the water nearly every day. In the evenings, rest your head on dry land while listening to lapping water and loon calls from your secluded inn or lodge.

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