Ernest Hemingway came to Sun Valley, Idaho for the first time in 1939 for a lot of the same reasons visitors come now -- the incredible mountain scenery, clean air and low key atmosphere. A-listers like Tom Hanks and Mark Zuckerberg still like it because they can walk around relatively unbothered and enjoy two distinct recreation seasons -- golf and skiing.
When you go, you can stay at the same resort Hemingway did. Suite 206 in the iconic, x-shaped Sun Valley Lodge -- where Hemingway finished writing For Whom the Bell Tolls -- isn't a part of the resort's fall Aspen Glow promotion, but you can get a standard room at the Lodge or related Sun Valley Inn and a round of golf at the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Trail Creek course for $179 per person through September 28th. A night in the Lodge normally starts at $324, and the green fee ranges from $79 to $149.
Don't let all of the snowy photographs of Sun Valley's world-class Bald Mountain ski area trick you. The average daytime high in September is still in the low 70s early in the month and mid 60s late, while average lows dip into the 30s. Play 18 holes and take meandering fall color tour around nearby Warm Springs, where Hemingway spent his final years in a house overlooking the Wood River.
Head back to the Lodge afterward and lose the jackets and go for a nighttime swim in the famous circular outdoor pool adjacent to the lobby. It's open year round and heated to 102 degrees, perfect for nursing a cocktail and looking at the stars.
The Hailey airport is 14 miles from the resort, and it has daily non-stop flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Salt Lake and Seattle. Follow @RudyWriter
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