Tom: Hi. Tom, here. Any questions? Fire away. I'm chained to the desk for an hour.

Old Blu: Good place for a group (12/16 guys) for golf trip. Want nice accomadations and decent golf courses. Price important, but value considered.

Tom Uhlenbrock: Best close golfing destinations for a group would be Lake of the Ozarks (Lodge of the Four Seasons and Tan-Tar-A), Branson (the city has 11 golf courses now, with another under construction, plus a lot of hotels) and French Lick, Ind., which has two courses, a third under costruction on a mountaintop and two great historic hotels, French Like Springs and Baden Springs. The last one is gorgeous. If you don't stay there, at least visit for a cocktail beneath the atrium. Fore! TU

Jon: Tom:
I beleive it was you that wrote in the Sunday Travel about web sites that market condo rentals. Do you recall this or more specifically the three or four sites you referenced?
Thank you,
Jon

Tom Uhlenbrock: Hi Jon. You might try these sites: vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner),. evrentals.com (owned by Wyndham Hotels Corp.) and rentalo.com. Those will get you started. Good luck. TU

Courtney Sallens: Do you know of any great ski resorts that are great for beginners? We don't mind taking a small road trip just as long as we can stay at the resort or very close to the slopes. We just came back from Chestnut Mountain in Illinois. Despite the outdated furniture (1960s), smell of mildew, horrible service every time we dined(except once), outrageous bar tab($500 for two people in one day); we still managed to have a great time. Probably will never go back there, but would love to hear of other options available. Thanks

Tom Uhlenbrock: You're in luck. Our resident ski expert, Mandy St. Amant, is here and will answer for you. Heeeere's Mandy: Okay, it's actually St. Amand, but Tom is my friend and I can forgive him.

The only problem with your question is "small" road trip, because the best ski resorts for beginners are the best ski resorts, overall. And to find a good ski resort, you really need to be willing to travel a decent distance. There are nice resorts in norther Michigan (Boyne Mountain, Crystal Mountain) that have excellent ski schools and better hills/mountains than you will find in Illinois or Missouri, but we're talking 10-12 hours. For that distance, you can almost be in the mountains of Colorado, where Copper Mountain is a GREAT place to learn. The mountain is naturally set up with the easier slopes on one end and the steeper stuff on the other, so beginners don't face the danger of getting someone whipping down the mountain and plowing into someone who is still using the wedge to stop or slow down.

You also have the advantage of skiing on real snow if you go further north or west (Colorado, Michigan, etc) because the smaller hills that are within a 4-6 hour drive don't get enough snow. So they make snow, which very quickly can turn to icy conditions that are really tough to ski on. The advantage, however, is that if you can ski on icy crud like that, real powder and the dry snow of Colorado will be a delight. If there's any way you can take the time, go west. It's worth it.

larry: Tom,
Have you been to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park or Ashville? What can you tell me about that area as far as a family vacation is concerned? Thanks.

Tom Uhlenbrock: Yep, and yep. The park is beautiful; there's a nice drive-through road and plenty of little side hikes. At the entrance is Gatlinburg, which is kind of commercial (think Branson) but has plenty of inexpensive hotels and attractions for kids. Dollywood is there and great for the kids. Ashville has a lot of arts and crafts shop, but is mainly known for the Biltmore Estate, which is a fabulous tour. There also is the new Inn at Biltmore, which allows you to stay on the grounds, but is a bit pricey. Even the kids will be impressed by the Vanderbilt's money, and how they spent it. Cheers. TU