Spring is officially in full bloom, which means flora and fauna everywhere is coming back to life with renewed energy. This of course also means it's prime time to venture out from the dark recesses of our living rooms and explore the outdoors. Mother Nature's been sleeping all Winter, and now she's put on her best Sunday dress, ready to strut her stuff for the world.

For those of you who would like front row seats, we've got several packages designed to bring you closer to the wilderness and put you in touch with your greener side. Have a look:

• Alpenhorn Bed & Breakfast ? Big Bear Lake, California - Located just minutes from Snow Summit Ski Area, Alpenhorn offers a Mountain Backcountry Hikes package, which features, among other things, an all-day guided hike through the San Bernadino Mountains, with lunch provided.
• Beaver Pond Farm Bed & Breakfast ? Warren, Vermont - Not only can you explore the Mad River Valley by biking, kayaking, skiing, and golfing, but Beaver Pond's Three Day Hiker's Weekend package will get you a map and recommendations for hikes, meals, and a car shuttle ride.
• Crystalwood Lodge ? Fort Klamath (Crater Lake area), Oregon - Just a few minutes from Crater Lake National Park, Crystalwood offers a plethora of activities for the adventurous. Besides the scenery, canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and a slough of others, their special Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventure package offers you the opportunity to experience sled-dog racing!
• Hearthstone Lodge - Chatsworth, Georgia - Hearthstone's Outdoor Adventure Weekend includes a picnic basket for you to take with you as you explore the Chattahoochee National Forest or the 100 acres of private land behind the lodge, with its hiking trails and 50' waterfall.
• Devils Tower Lodge, Bed & Breakfast, and Wilderness Retreat - Devils Tower, Wyoming - Devils Tower Lodge offers more than one outdoor appropriate package, but their unique Climbing Package offers a rock climbing experience for the novice or advanced climber. You can receive personal instruction and then spend a day on the summit!

TELL THE INNKEEPER YOU FOUND THEM AT BBOnline.com!

Business Travel Packages

April marks not only National Administrative Professionals Week, but National Administrative Professionals Day (naturally). This day has passed, but let's not forget those people who form the support structures that often allow our businesses to run optimally. While many of them may not be able to take trips themselves (shame on you; they deserve raises), maybe you've got a conference you can attend hundreds of miles away, leaving them to work in a slightly less stressful office for a few days.

Have a look at a few of the B&Bs that feature discounts for all of you enterprising individuals in the business world: 

• The Lennox House Bed & Breakfast ? Colorado Springs, Colorado ? This B&B is located just 10 blocks north of Downtown, and it offers a Business Traveler's Discount on its rates, which includes meals, modem hookups, and a guest internet PC.  
• Adamstown Inns and Cottages - Adamstown, Pennsylvania - Take advantage of Adamstown's Business Travel special by staying five evenings and receive a complimentary massage to work out the stress.
• The Sandhill Crane Bed & Breakfast - Corrales, New Mexico - The Sandhill Crane has a special geared specifically towards women travelers. The Safe and Serene Special, as its name implies, stresses the safety of the surrounding area. Take a leisurely jog on one of the jogging paths, have a diet-conscious breakfast, and let them make your dinner reservations for you.
• Kirkwood Inn & Historic House - Mason, Ohio - This historical lodge was formerly a hitching post in the 1800's. Take advantage of their Business Traveler Package if you're in town for a conference, or secure the All-Inclusive Business Meetings special for brainstorming sessions amidst a park-like setting.
• Three Tree Point Bed & Breakfast - Seattle, Washington - Three Tree Point's Business Person Special includes all their regular amenities, like in-house laundry, workstation, and a private phone line, but it also means the staff will offer to take care of your small errands, such as dry cleaning or grocery shopping, so that you can concentrate on your work.

Last month, with Spring on the horizon and freshness as a theme, we profiled some tasty salad recipes. Well, now that you've worked so hard at fixing your diet and eating healthier, we thought it would be a nice idea to go ahead and help you to reward yourself with some fruity desserts. With fruit, you get a nice combination of something sweet and savory with something fresher and healthier for you. Better to have a fruit cup than a slice of heavy cake, right? Well, that's the idea anyway...

Okay, so some of these recipes aren't necessarily the healthiest, but at the very least, but they're certainly delicious, and everything is relative, so we can justify it by saying we're eating better since we're throwing in some fresh ingredients. Who's with me on that?!

• Apple Delight - Olde English Tudor Inn - Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Mango Melon Soup - Two Sisters Inn - Manitou Springs, Colorado
• Peaches Supreme - Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins - Cascade, Colorado
• Bananas a la Raspberry Chantilly - 1732 Folke Stone Bed & Breakfast - West Chester, Pennsylvania
• Creamy Blueberry Bread Pudding - Gazebo Country Inn - Salido, Colorado
• Swiss Breakfast Parfait - Lavender Hill - Sonora, California
• Strawberries Brulee - WestPort Bed & Breakfast - Manitowoc, Wisconson
• Maple Baked Pears - The Inn at Ludington - Ludington, Michigan

See all of our Fruit Dessert recipes