Beautifully Obsessed – Kansas City: Art

What Happens When a City Becomes a Canvas?

Kansas City is known for barbecue, jazz, fountains, sports, and its crossroads location in America. But look a little closer, and another Kansas City begins to emerge.

A city shaped by artists.

Painters. Sculptors. Ceramicists. Photographers. Muralists. Architects. Designers. Gallery owners. Collectors. Curators. Teachers. Restorers. And wonderfully creative people who became beautifully obsessed with making something and, in the process, helped shape the way Kansas City sees itself.

That is the Kansas City we're dreaming about exploring.

Beautifully Obsessed – Kansas City: Art

isn't envisioned as a museum tour or a checklist of galleries. We're curious about the people behind the art, the stories behind the canvas, and the creative energy that has quietly made Kansas City an extraordinary place to experience art.

Beautifully Obsessed – Kansas City: Art Begins with the Masters

Any exploration of Kansas City's artistic story eventually encounters Thomas Hart Benton.

Benton lived and worked in Kansas City for decades, creating art that told distinctly American stories. His influence remains visible throughout the city, from his preserved home and studio to important works held by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

But seeing Benton's paintings is only the beginning.

What did he see in America that others didn't? How did Kansas City influence him? Who did he influence in return? And what can his studio, brushes, sketches, surroundings, and unfinished ideas tell us about the person behind the celebrated name?

Those are the kinds of questions we want to follow.

Beyond the Museum Walls

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art would naturally be part of the conversation, as would the Kansas City Art Institute and the creative neighborhoods surrounding them.

But Beautifully Obsessed – Kansas City: Art should take us beyond institutions.

Into studios.

Behind gallery doors.

Down alleys covered in murals.

Into neighborhoods transformed by creative people.

Perhaps into the workshop of someone who restores paintings or the studio of an artist whose work we've just encountered.

We want to meet the people who make art, preserve it, collect it, teach it, champion it, and sometimes challenge us to reconsider what art even is.

The Artists Who Tell Kansas City's Story

Some of the most meaningful encounters may come from artists whose stories aren't found on the traditional visitor's map.

One artist may introduce us to a creative legacy passed from one generation to another. Another may help us understand the evolution of Kansas City's contemporary art scene. A gallery owner might explain what makes them stop in front of an unknown artist's work. A muralist might reveal why a particular wall, neighborhood, or story needed painting.

These aren't simply opportunities to look at art.

They're opportunities to understand why someone felt compelled to create it.

That's where Beautifully Obsessed becomes something different.

A City That Creates

The Crossroads Arts District gives us another thread to follow. Warehouses and commercial buildings became studios and galleries. Murals turned blank walls into enormous canvases. First Fridays brought artists and the public together.

But even that raises more questions.

Who were the people who saw possibility in those buildings before everyone else did? How did artists influence the rebirth of the neighborhood? Where are Kansas City's creative communities emerging next?

And how does a city's architecture, public sculpture, fashion, photography, music, food, and design become part of its larger artistic identity?

Perhaps the boundaries of this Journey aren't nearly as clear as we first imagined.

We like that.

What If We Learned to See Differently?

There may be an even bigger idea behind Beautifully Obsessed – Kansas City: Art.

What if the Journey isn't ultimately about art?

What if it's about learning to see?

Artists notice things most of us walk past. They see color, shadow, shape, emotion, contradiction, beauty, decay, humor, injustice, and possibility.

Spend enough time with people who see the world that way, and perhaps we begin noticing things differently ourselves.

So somewhere along this Journey, we may create something. Not because anyone needs to become an artist, but because making something forces us to observe.

And at the end, perhaps the question isn't:

What art did you see?

It's:

What do you see now that you didn't see before?

That is the Journey we're dreaming about.

Kansas City is the canvas.

The artists are waiting to tell their stories.

And we're curious to discover where those stories might lead us.

Explore Your World Epically.

Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa

When Passion Becomes a Place

What makes someone spend decades building a grotto from stones gathered from around the world? What inspires two Iowa farm brothers to spend their winters carving increasingly elaborate mechanical clocks? Why do some people become so passionate about an idea, a craft, a collection or a place that it becomes part of their life's story?

Those are the questions behind Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa.

Part of our Epic America Collection, this journey explores some of Iowa's most unusual places through the remarkable people who imagined, created and preserved them.

This isn't a road trip built around quirky roadside attractions.

We're interested in something deeper.

What happens when curiosity becomes passion—and passion becomes obsession?

Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa Begins with the People

In West Bend stands the extraordinary Grotto of the Redemption, the life's work of Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein. Beginning in the early 1900s, Dobberstein devoted decades to creating an enormous series of grottos using stones, minerals, fossils and shells gathered from around the world.

We certainly want to see the Grotto.

But Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa asks a different question:

Why would someone spend a lifetime building it?

That question takes us northeast to Spillville and the Bily brothers.

Frank and Joseph Bily were Iowa farmers who began carving during the winter months. What started as a pastime evolved into an extraordinary collection of monumental carved clocks filled with intricate details, historical scenes and mechanical movement.

They reportedly turned down substantial offers for their creations.

They weren't building clocks to become wealthy.

They simply kept creating.

And that makes their story even more intriguing.

When Obsession Becomes Community

Then there are the Amana Colonies.

Here, the story expands beyond an individual creator. Seven villages preserve a distinctive history of communal living, German heritage, craftsmanship, architecture, food and tradition.

But preservation doesn't happen accidentally.

Generations of people have decided that these buildings, traditions, recipes, skills and stories are worth protecting.

That, too, might be a form of beautiful obsession.

Searching for Iowa's Hidden Gems

Those three places give us anchors, but they don't define the journey.

Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa gives us permission to wander.

We can follow two-lane highways into small towns, visit unusual museums, discover folk artists and craftspeople, explore historic communities and stop when something along the road makes us wonder:

What's the story behind that?

Perhaps we'll meet a collector whose hobby escaped the confines of his house and became a museum.

Maybe we'll find an artist who has spent decades perfecting one obscure craft.

Or someone trying to save a building everyone else forgot.

Those are the people we're looking for.

Whenever possible, we want to meet the curators, historians, craftspeople, collectors and local characters who know the stories behind Iowa's unusual places.

Because seeing something unusual is interesting.

Understanding why someone created it is an exploration.

An Epic America Journey

Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa isn't really about grottos, clocks, museums or roadside curiosities.

It's about imagination.

Persistence.

Craftsmanship.

Individuality.

And the wonderfully human tendency to become completely fascinated by something and decide, against all reasonable expectations, I'm going to do this.

Some people dream about things.

Others become beautifully obsessed with them.

And sometimes their obsession leaves behind something extraordinary for the rest of us to discover.

Beautifully Obsessed – Iowa is our invitation to go looking for those people, those places and those stories.

Because sometimes the most memorable journeys aren't about traveling farther.

They're about looking closer.

 

Susana Balbo Wines: Beyond the Vineyard in Mendoza

Where a pioneering spirit, family heritage, and the art of living well come together in Argentina's wine country.

Some places are worth visiting for their scenery. Others for their food, their history, or the remarkable things people create there.

And occasionally, you discover a place where all those elements come together around one extraordinary individual.

In Mendoza, Argentina, that individual is Susana Balbo.

As Argentina's first female winemaker, Susana challenged conventions, helped shape the international reputation of Argentine wine, and built a family enterprise rooted in innovation, determination, and a deep appreciation for the land.

But what intrigues us most isn't simply what she has accomplished. It's the world she and her family have created around those accomplishments.

A world where vineyards stretch toward the Andes, food becomes a conversation, wine tells the story of the soil, and hospitality feels less like a service and more like a personal invitation.

At Epic Explorations, we believe those are the stories worth traveling to discover.

And that's why Susana Balbo Wines and the family's remarkable hospitality experiences are On Our Radar.

The Woman Who Changed the Conversation

Susana Balbo: A Pioneer in Argentine Winemaking

Every great wine has a story. Sometimes, the most fascinating story belongs to the person who made it.

Susana Balbo entered Argentina's wine industry when opportunities for women in winemaking were exceptionally limited. Rather than accept the industry's expectations, she helped redefine them.

Her career became a story of perseverance, experimentation, and the courage to challenge established traditions.

In 1999, she founded her own winery in Mendoza, bringing together the knowledge she had acquired over decades with a distinctly personal vision of what Argentine wine could become.

Today, the family enterprise includes her children, José and Ana, who contribute to the continuing evolution of its wines and hospitality experiences.

The result is something much more interesting than a successful winery.

It is a multigenerational story of ambition, creativity, and the determination to leave something meaningful for those who follow.

Susana Balbo Wines: Where the Land Becomes Part of the Story

Discovering Mendoza Beyond the Tasting Glass

Mendoza has earned its place among the world's celebrated wine regions. Its vineyards, high-altitude landscapes, sunshine, and proximity to the Andes create extraordinary conditions for growing grapes.

Yet understanding Mendoza requires more than learning about Malbec.

It means discovering how geography shapes flavor, how generations of growers have adapted to the environment, and how winemakers balance tradition with innovation.

At Susana Balbo Wines, located in Agrelo in the Luján de Cuyo region, visitors can explore that relationship through the winery's vineyards, production facilities, and carefully developed wine experiences.

The winery's portfolio includes CRIOS, BenMarco, Susana Balbo Signature, and Nosotros—different expressions of the family's approach to winemaking.

But for Epic Explorations, the real attraction is not collecting tasting notes.

It is understanding the decisions behind the wine.

Why does one vineyard produce something so different from another? How does a winemaker recognize potential in a particular grape? What happens when creativity challenges conventional wisdom?

And perhaps most importantly, what can wine teach us about the people and places from which it comes?

Those are the conversations that transform an ordinary winery visit into an experience worth remembering.

An Invitation Into the Balbo Family's World

Susana Balbo's Winemaker's House & Spa Suites

Just beyond the vineyards, in the charming Mendoza community of Chacras de Coria, another dimension of the Balbo family's vision comes to life.

Susana Balbo's Winemaker's House & Spa Suites is not a conventional wine-country hotel.

Created by Susana and her daughter Ana, this intimate property combines contemporary design, Argentine hospitality, wellness, and a deep appreciation for wine culture.

Seven private spa suites, individual gardens, thoughtfully designed spaces, and personalized experiences create an atmosphere that encourages guests to slow down and appreciate their surroundings.

There is an intentional intimacy to the property.

It isn't about how much can be packed into a day. It's about having the freedom to savor the moments that make a journey special.

Perhaps that's a quiet morning in the garden, a conversation over breakfast, a restorative spa experience, or an evening discovering how exceptional wines and thoughtful cuisine can elevate one another.

We know firsthand how memorable this property can be. During our 2024 Argentina journey, our guests stayed at Susana Balbo's Winemaker's House, and the experience left a lasting impression. One guest described it as the nicest hotel they had ever stayed in.

That is the kind of response that gets our attention.

Not because luxury alone makes a journey exceptional, but because genuine hospitality, careful attention to detail, and a powerful sense of place can turn a beautiful stay into an enduring memory.

When Wine, Food, and Culture Share the Table

The Culinary Side of Susana Balbo's Mendoza

In Argentina, food and wine are inseparable from hospitality.

A meal is rarely just a meal. It is an opportunity to gather, share stories, celebrate traditions, and enjoy the company of others.

The Balbo family's culinary experiences embrace that philosophy.

At the winery, Osadía de Crear explores the relationship between regional ingredients, contemporary cooking, and the wines that emerge from Mendoza's vineyards.

At the Winemaker's House, La VidA offers an intimate dining experience built around carefully composed menus and thoughtful pairings.

Both provide opportunities to discover how the region's culinary identity continues to evolve.

Imagine exploring the traditions behind an Argentine asado, discovering unfamiliar regional ingredients, or discussing the choices that transform a simple local product into something extraordinary.

Imagine a meal where the conversation matters just as much as the food.

For us, that's the real attraction.

The best culinary experiences don't simply introduce you to new flavors.

They introduce you to the people who give those flavors meaning.

What Could an Epic Exploration Look Like?

Imagining an Experiential Journey Through Mendoza

We're not interested in creating another itinerary that moves travelers from one tasting room to the next.

We're imagining something more personal.

An intimate, hosted journey built around the stories, relationships, and experiences that make Mendoza distinctive.

Perhaps our exploration could include:

• The people behind the wine. Conversations with winemakers, vineyard specialists, and local producers about their craft, challenges, and ambitions.

• A closer look at terroir. Exploring how altitude, climate, soil, and human decisions shape the wines of Mendoza.

• A hands-on blending experience. Discovering the creative decisions behind winemaking through an interactive workshop.

• Argentine cuisine beyond the restaurant. Learning about regional ingredients, culinary traditions, and the people preserving them.

• An exceptional sense of place. Experiencing the hospitality of the Balbo family's Winemaker's House or another thoughtfully selected Mendoza property.

• The broader Mendoza story. Discovering local artisans, agricultural traditions, mountain landscapes, and communities beyond the familiar wine routes.

These are possibilities, not a published itinerary. The winery already offers experiences such as blending workshops, cooking activities, and curated wine visits that could help inspire a future journey.

The final experience would depend on the people we bring together, the opportunities available, and the relationships that make meaningful encounters possible.

We believe the most memorable journeys leave room for discovery.

And sometimes, the best moments are the ones nobody thought to put on the itinerary.

Why Susana Balbo Is On Our Radar

More Than Wine. More Than Luxury. A Story Worth Sharing.

At Epic Explorations, we're drawn to people who see possibilities where others see limitations.

People who pursue their passions, challenge expectations, and create something that reflects their own values.

Susana Balbo's story embodies that spirit.

Her achievements in winemaking are remarkable, but equally intriguing is the way her family's work has expanded into hospitality, culinary experiences, and opportunities for visitors to connect with Argentine culture.

It is a reminder that the most interesting travel experiences often begin with a person rather than a destination.

We're watching how this remarkable collection of experiences might become part of a future Epic Exploration.

Not simply a wine tour.

Not simply a luxury escape.

But a journey into the people, traditions, and creative spirit of Mendoza.

One that might change how we think about the relationship between the land, the people who work it, and the extraordinary things they create.

Could This Be Your Kind of Epic Exploration?

Join the Conversation About Mendoza, Argentina

Some of our favorite journeys begin with a simple conversation.

Someone shares an interest. Someone asks a question. Someone imagines what it might be like to experience a place differently.

And before long, an idea begins taking shape.

We're exploring the possibilities for an intimate, experiential group journey into Mendoza's wine country, with Susana Balbo's remarkable story helping inspire the experience.

Perhaps you're passionate about wine. Perhaps you love exceptional food, fascinating people, and places with stories worth discovering.

Or perhaps you're simply curious about what lies beyond the familiar.

Susana Balbo Wines

Susana Balbo Unique Stays

Visit Argentina

Viña Cobos — Where Argentina's Malbec Found Its Voice

An Exploration of Wine, Vision, and the Extraordinary Terroir of Mendoza

There are places where the landscape shapes the wine. And then there are places where a remarkable wine helps change the way the world sees an entire country.

Viña Cobos, nestled in Argentina's celebrated Mendoza wine region, is one of those places.

Against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes Mountains, American winemaker Paul Hobbs recognized something extraordinary in Argentina's vineyards. He saw possibilities in the land, the climate, the people, and a grape variety that had not yet achieved its full international recognition.

What followed was more than the creation of an exceptional winery. It became part of a transformation that helped establish Argentine Malbec among the world's most respected wines.

At Epic Explorations, stories like this capture our imagination. Because behind every remarkable bottle is a much larger story waiting to be discovered.

Viña Cobos: A Vision That Helped Redefine Argentine Wine

The Man Who Saw Something Extraordinary

When Paul Hobbs first traveled to Argentina in 1988, Mendoza was already producing wine. What intrigued him was the region's largely untapped potential to produce wines capable of competing with the finest in the world.

He found a landscape of remarkable contrasts: vineyards flourishing beneath towering mountains, warm sunshine tempered by cool nights, and ancient soils shaped by the forces of nature.

But perhaps most importantly, he found people whose knowledge, traditions, and connection to the land offered possibilities that extended far beyond conventional winemaking.

In 1998, Hobbs established Viña Cobos, pursuing an ambitious vision: to create wines that expressed the distinctive character of Mendoza's individual vineyards.

The inaugural 1999 Cobos Malbec helped demonstrate what Argentina could achieve at the highest levels of winemaking.

Today, Viña Cobos represents a compelling intersection of innovation, agricultural heritage, craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to place.

And that is precisely the kind of story we love exploring.

Beyond the Bottle: Discovering the Terroir of Mendoza

Where the Andes, the Land, and the People Meet

To understand Viña Cobos, we must first understand Mendoza.

Here, vineyards stretch across landscapes shaped by the Andes Mountains. Snowmelt feeds irrigation systems that sustain vines in an otherwise dry environment. Elevation, sunlight, temperature, and soil composition create distinctive growing conditions that influence the character of each wine.

Yet terroir is more than geography.

It is also the accumulated knowledge of generations, the decisions made in the vineyard, and the relationship between those cultivating the land and the environment surrounding them.

Viña Cobos explores these distinctions through vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, producing wines that reveal how dramatically a grape's expression can change from one location to another.

Imagine tasting Malbec from different vineyard sites while learning why their soils, elevations, and growing conditions produce such different results.

Imagine discovering how the same grape can tell several entirely different stories.

That is when wine becomes something far more interesting than a beverage.

It becomes a window into a place.

An Experience Worth Exploring

What Might a Viña Cobos Journey Look Like?

Our interest in Viña Cobos goes well beyond arranging a conventional winery visit.

We envision the possibility of incorporating this remarkable destination into a thoughtfully curated, small-group exploration of Mendoza's wine culture.

Depending on access, availability, and the relationships we develop, the experience might include a deeper introduction to the philosophy behind Viña Cobos, conversations with knowledgeable members of its hospitality or winemaking team, and guided tastings that reveal the remarkable diversity of Mendoza's terroir.

We would love to explore the possibility of comparing wines from different vineyard sites, discovering the decisions that influence their production, and understanding how Paul Hobbs and his Argentine colleagues helped elevate the international standing of Malbec.

And because wine never exists in isolation, we would want to explore the culinary traditions that belong alongside it.

Perhaps a beautifully prepared Argentine asado, conversations about local ingredients, or encounters with the people whose livelihoods remain connected to the vineyards.

These are possibilities rather than confirmed arrangements, but they illustrate the kind of experience that captures our attention.

The objective wouldn't be to see how many wineries we could visit in a day.

It would be to understand why this particular winery, these particular vineyards, and these particular people matter.

More Than a Winery: A Story of People and Possibility

The Human Side of an Extraordinary Vision

One of the most intriguing aspects of Viña Cobos is the relationship between an American winemaker and the Argentine people and landscape that inspired him.

Great wine rarely emerges from one person's vision alone.

It requires the knowledge of vineyard workers, the instincts of winemakers, the dedication of agricultural families, and countless decisions made across growing seasons and generations.

That human dimension is what makes Viña Cobos especially interesting to Epic Explorations.

We are drawn to the stories of people who recognize possibilities where others may see only familiar surroundings.

People willing to challenge conventional thinking, pursue excellence, and create something that reflects both their own vision and the character of the place they call home.

Paul Hobbs's journey in Argentina offers an opportunity to explore those themes through one of the country's most compelling wine stories.

And perhaps to meet some of the people who continue bringing that vision to life.

Why Viña Cobos Is On Our Radar

The Kind of Experience That Stays With You

At Epic Explorations, we are constantly searching for places where a remarkable story, extraordinary people, and a distinctive sense of place come together.

Viña Cobos checks all three boxes.

Its story connects the agricultural traditions of Mendoza with a pioneering approach to winemaking. Its vineyards offer a fascinating exploration of terroir. And its wines provide an opportunity to understand how Argentina emerged as a major force in the international fine-wine community.

But what intrigues us most is the possibility of building a deeper experience around those elements.

Not simply tasting extraordinary wines, but understanding the decisions, relationships, and landscapes that made them possible.

Not simply visiting Mendoza, but discovering something meaningful about the people who call it home.

And not simply returning with a few favorite bottles, but with stories and connections worth sharing long after the journey ends.

That is why Viña Cobos has earned a place On Our Radar.

Could Viña Cobos Become Part of Your Epic Exploration?

Some Journeys Begin With a Shared Curiosity

Perhaps you're a wine enthusiast who has always wanted to explore Mendoza beyond the familiar tasting-room experience.

Perhaps you're part of a wine club, a group of friends, or a community of curious travelers who would enjoy discovering Argentina through its vineyards, cuisine, and people.

Or perhaps the story of Paul Hobbs and Viña Cobos simply intrigues you.

We would love to hear what captures your imagination.

At Epic Explorations, some of our most memorable journey ideas begin with a conversation. An intriguing destination. A shared interest. A question about what might be possible.

Viña Cobos is currently On Our Radar, meaning we're exploring its potential as part of a future curated experience. No group departure or special-access program is being announced at this stage.

But the possibilities are certainly worth a conversation.