Midwest travel links for May 2011

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• Ohio: The Ice Cream Capital of the Universe-As you can tell from the title of this post at Discovering Ohio, Joe is pretty enthusiastic about the state’s ice cream offerings. We stopped for a pecan-topped sundae at Taggart’s Ice Cream Parlor in Canton, Ohio, last month, and I’d suggest it as a worthy addition to Joe’s list.
  
  
  The Bittner sundae at Taggart's
  
• Riding on Square Wheels-A tricycle with square wheels? Mathematics students in Wisconsin developed such a contraption in 2007, and Ivars tells readers at The Mathematical Tourist about a surprisingly smooth ride he took on a square-wheeled trike in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Grant Wood Studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa-Artist Grant Wood’s American Gothic is one of the most recognizable pieces of American art and holds a certain fascination for many of us in the Midwest. Join Linda and her family at Travels with Children as they check the studio where Wood created the iconic painting.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art-We’ve visited Cleveland’s Museum of Art a couple of times during recent years for special exhibitions, when only a few galleries remained open during the museum’s ongoing renovation and expansion. I enjoyed this update on the museum’s renovation at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus and look forward to visiting again now that more of the galleries are regularly open to visitors.
• Milwaukee Art Museum-I love unusual architecture, and I especially appreciated this look at Milwaukee’s museum with this set of photos taken by Carl for Life in the Great Midwest.
• Top 5 Things to Do and See in Chicago-Visiting Chicago? Check out this list of must-see places from Chicago native Rosalind at Farsighted Fly Girl. She and I agree that the Chicago Cultural Center is a must-see when visiting the city.


Tiffany dome detail from Chicago Cultural Center


• Indiana Wind Farms: Wind Turbines-I see a lot of farms when I’m traveling, especially in Michigan’s Thumb region. I enjoyed learning more about these giant turbines in this story at Little Indiana where Jessica interviews her husband Jeremiah (who she describes as a former “wind farm whisperer”).
• Ways to Enjoy Indiana State Parks-Annual park passes or museum memberships have to be one of the best buys for travelers exploring their own state or region. Nicole tells readers at the Indiana Insider why her annual state park pass is a great investment for her family.
• Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Detroit-Charlie checks out Detroit’s colorful celebration of its 47^th annual Cinco de Mayo parade at Bikes, Books & A Little Music.
• Detroit People Mover: In Honour of Mary Chase Stratton by Pewabic Pottery-Some of Detroit’s most stunning and fascinating public art installations are in the stations along its downtown People Mover route. Check out the beautiful tile work at the Cadillac Center in this post at Visualingual.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Comments

[Joe]

Thanks for the mention! Taggarts is definitely on my short list - my wife's family lives near Canton, so it should be easy to check off the list!

[Dominique King]

Joe-Thanks for stopping by! Several local folks in Canton highly recommended going to Taggart's for a Bittner sundae, so we did. Homemade ice cream mixed in with chocolate sauce and the salty pecans on top made for a great combo.

[Jessica Nunemaker]

What? Ohio is so not the ice cream capital of the world! ;)

Indiana summers are so hot...we Hoosiers can't live without the stuff!!! Ha ha!

Thanks for the Indiana wind farm love. Those babies are monsters!

[Dominique King]

Jessica-I was pretty sure someone would come by and contest Ohio's claim as ice cream capital of the universe. Michigan has some pretty great ice cream as well :)
I'm always curious about those wind farms, so I appreciated a little background on how they worked.