���ϳԹ���

With miles of untrodden island coastline and a web of bike trails, Martha's Vineyard is the optimal family getaway, but until recently, with area zoning laws limiting commercial construction, there wasn't a decent family resort. That changed last summer when Mark and Gwenn Snider opened The Winnetu Inn and Resort at the south end of Edgartown. They demolished the shell of a run-down hotel-cum-condo-building and made a grand shingled New England-style hotel in which every spacious suite affords ocean or dune views.

My family first met Mark as he pulled up in his 1945 fire truck, ringing the bell. This father of three will do almost anything to entertain children. He's organized pee-wee tennis clinics that start in summer at 8 a.m. and activities like scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, sand-castle contests, and bodysurfing on adjacent three-mile-long South Beach. In the evening, kids can go to the clubhouse for food and games while parents opt for fine dining at the resort's seaside restaurant, Opus, or head into Edgartown, the island's oldest settlement.
We favored getting on our rented bikes and hitting the trails. One day we pedaled to Edgartown and took the two-minute ferry across to Chappaquiddick, and then rode to the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, a stretch of coast that's home to threatened piping plovers and ospreys. On our final day, we ventured ten miles to Oak Bluffs, stopping at the windswept dunes of Joseph Sylvia State Beach to swim, and ending at the Flying Horses Carousel, the country's oldest operating carousel, built in 1876. Not surprisingly, Snider picked us up by boat to escort us back to the resort.

Harrison, Idaho

Hidden Creek Ranch
CAPACITY – 40 guests
SADDLE UP – This is touchy-feely ranching: Guests learn “centered riding,” an awareness technique to improve body language on a horse. Ride the foothills of the Bitterroot Range surrounding the ranch, 28 miles southeast of Coeur d'Alene. Stargaze on evening rides.
OUT OF THE SADDLE – Pontoon boat tours float you up the Coeur d'Alene River into Blue Lake for swimming, or practice moves on the 58-foot outdoor climbing wall. There's yoga daily and a weekly session at a sweat lodge.
LODGING – Each of the six log cabins has two to four bedrooms and a bathroom and overlooks the horse stables in the Hidden Creek valley.
GRUB HIGHLIGHT – The dark-chocolate-mousse napoleon.
KIDS – Free program covers educational topics, like animal care and plant identification, and gets kids (ages three to 11) out on a ropes course.
COST – $2,165 per adult per week; $1,776 per child three to 11; kids under three stay free.
CONTACT – 800-446-3833,

Roy, New Mexico

Hidden Creek Ranch
CAPACITY – 40 guests
SADDLE UP – This is touchy-feely ranching: Guests learn “centered riding,” an awareness technique to improve body language on a horse. Ride the foothills of the Bitterroot Range surrounding the ranch, 28 miles southeast of Coeur d'Alene. Stargaze on evening rides.
OUT OF THE SADDLE – Pontoon boat tours float you up the Coeur d'Alene River into Blue Lake for swimming, or practice moves on the 58-foot outdoor climbing wall. There's yoga daily and a weekly session at a sweat lodge.
LODGING – Each of the six log cabins has two to four bedrooms and a bathroom and overlooks the horse stables in the Hidden Creek valley.
GRUB HIGHLIGHT – The dark-chocolate-mousse napoleon.
KIDS – Free program covers educational topics, like animal care and plant identification, and gets kids (ages three to 11) out on a ropes course.
COST – $2,165 per adult per week; $1,776 per child three to 11; kids under three stay free.
CONTACT – 800-446-3833,

Kamas, Utah

The Diamond J Ranch
CAPACITY – 16 guests
SADDLE UP – Rides fan out from the ranch, 13 miles east of Park City between the Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges, and vary from two to eight hours—destinations include Mirror Lake at 11,000 feet. Sunset and overnight rides are offered.
OUT OF THE SADDLE – Swim, hike, and fish for trout at the Jordanelle Reservoir. Rent mountain bikes in Kamas and tear up beginner to advanced trails out your back door.
LODGING – The luxurious five-bedroom, Spanish-style lodge has two suites and three double rooms. It’s flanked by another building with three bedrooms. Each has a private deck, kitchen, fireplace, and hot tub.
GRUB HIGHLIGHT – Stuffed cinnamon-raisin French toast. (Lunch and dinner are not included in the weekly price, but you can order dinners at the ranch.)
KIDS – There’s no set program, but kids like feeding horses and day trips to Park City.
COST – Rent the five-bedroom lodge for $12,500 per week; one bedroom, from $2,500.
CONTACT – 866-346-6635,

Del Rio, Tennessee

The Diamond J Ranch
CAPACITY – 16 guests
SADDLE UP – Rides fan out from the ranch, 13 miles east of Park City between the Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges, and vary from two to eight hours—destinations include Mirror Lake at 11,000 feet. Sunset and overnight rides are offered.
OUT OF THE SADDLE – Swim, hike, and fish for trout at the Jordanelle Reservoir. Rent mountain bikes in Kamas and tear up beginner to advanced trails out your back door.
LODGING – The luxurious five-bedroom, Spanish-style lodge has two suites and three double rooms. It’s flanked by another building with three bedrooms. Each has a private deck, kitchen, fireplace, and hot tub.
GRUB HIGHLIGHT – Stuffed cinnamon-raisin French toast. (Lunch and dinner are not included in the weekly price, but you can order dinners at the ranch.)
KIDS – There’s no set program, but kids like feeding horses and day trips to Park City.
COST – Rent the five-bedroom lodge for $12,500 per week; one bedroom, from $2,500.
CONTACT – 866-346-6635,

Utica, Montana

The Diamond J Ranch
CAPACITY – 16 guests
SADDLE UP – Rides fan out from the ranch, 13 miles east of Park City between the Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges, and vary from two to eight hours—destinations include Mirror Lake at 11,000 feet. Sunset and overnight rides are offered.
OUT OF THE SADDLE – Swim, hike, and fish for trout at the Jordanelle Reservoir. Rent mountain bikes in Kamas and tear up beginner to advanced trails out your back door.
LODGING – The luxurious five-bedroom, Spanish-style lodge has two suites and three double rooms. It's flanked by another building with three bedrooms. Each has a private deck, kitchen, fireplace, and hot tub.
GRUB HIGHLIGHT – Stuffed cinnamon-raisin French toast. (Lunch and dinner are not included in the weekly price, but you can order dinners at the ranch.)
KIDS – There's no set program, but kids like feeding horses and day trips to Park City.
COST – Rent the five-bedroom lodge for $12,500 per week; one bedroom, from $2,500.
CONTACT – 866-346-6635,

Ridgway, Colorado

Little house in the valley.

MacTiernan's San Juan Guest Ranch
CAPACITY – 35 guests

SADDLE UP – Ride from the Uncompahgre Valley up to ridges above 12,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. The daily rides last from an hour to all day; after riding, linger near the barn for steer-roping lessons.

OUT OF THE SADDLE – Fish for trout in the ranch's stocked ponds or join a wrangler to fly-fish the nearby Uncompahgre River. Hike in the San Juans or just soak in the Ouray Hot Springs, five miles from the ranch. A hot-air balloon ride is offered for $125.

LODGING – The lodge is painted to resemble a barn and has nine suites, each with a private bathroom and small refrigerator, that accommodate two to eight people.

GRUB HIGHLIGHT – The peach cobbler baked over an open fire.

KIDS – Free program includes trout fishing and panning for gold near an abandoned mining cabin (ages five to ten).

COST – $1,495 per adult per week; $1,195 for kids five to ten; $350 for kids under five.

CONTACT – 800-331-3015,