Midwest travel links for January 2013

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I read online as we opened the books on 2013:

Things to do in Chicago in winter-I love winter and enjoy seeing people embrace the snow and cold weather when they travel. Visiting the zoo during the winter is always on my list of suggestions for things to do in the Detroit area, and Scott's great list of suggestions at his Quirky Travel Guy blog for things to do for free in Chicago during this time of the year includes visiting the city's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Chicago

Ice Climbing in Munising-If you're really adventurous, you might want to get up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and try ice climbing. Check out the photo of an ice climber dwarfed by the massive ice formation in Munising at farlane's Michigan in Pictures site.

Ice Castles at Mall of America-Beth shares a she took with her family to see the mall's Ice Castles at The Vacation Gals blog. Unlike the usual ice sculptures created with snow or ice blocks, these structures start with organically grown icicles fused together to form a walk-through maze. Very cool!

Friday Freebie: Chook-Optional-You think the snow and ice are pretty, but you prefer to enjoy the beauty from the warmth of your own living room? Check out Kath's list of Web cams featuring winter scenes from around the Great Lakes. As Kath points out on her Great Lakes Gazette blog, this is one winter tour that doesn't require that you wear a UP "chook" (warm hat) or layers of winter wear.

Sip Michigan wines at new tasting room in Metro Detroit-Here's yet another warm winter tour option. Join Becks at Detroit Moxie for a visit to metro Detroit's Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room to sample some of the state's finest wines.

Chicago Movie Tour-Check out this post at the Viator Travel Blog where Scott lists these Chicago sites seen in various big-screen films over the years, including one of my favorite flicks...The Blues Brothers! Scott's list also includes one of my favorite architectural sights along the Chicago River, Marina City and it's "Corn Cob" towers, which movie goers saw in The Hunter (starring Steve McQueen) and Nothing in Common (starring Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks).

10 Soul Food Destinations that are Live and Kickin' It-Hungry? Mike shares a list of some of his favorite Indiana stops for Soul Food sure to warm you up!  Salmon patties? Fried okra? Mac 'n' cheese? Grits and greens? Fried chicken? Count me in! Check it out at Visit Indiana's Indiana Insider blog.

Exploring Cleveland's hipster hotspots (yes, hipsters exist in Ohio)-Adam shares the evidence of hipsters' existence in Ohio with readers of Travels of Adam. Explore Ohio City (home to the fab West Side Market), as well as the Tremont and Gordon Street neighborhoods with Adam.

West Side Market, Cleveland

Walgreens-Noel State Bank Building-Vitamins in a bank vault? Find them here! OK, so I know travelers often have to visit a drug store to pick up forgotten toiletries, tools for a quick road repair or snacks, but here is a drug store worthy of a stop just to see it. The guys at Designslinger take readers to this uniquely repurposed 1920s-era bank building. Read the fascinating history of the Noel family here, too.

The Capitol Building-It's been years since I visited Michigan's beautiful Capitol building, but Erin's story at A Beautiful Fiction blog reminds me that it's time for a return visit. Meanwhile, I'll read this story to learn a bit about the building's history and architecture.

Taking Hennepin Across the River in Style-Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that I love writing about (and reading about) bridges. This story at the Nokohaha blog caught my eye because the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh built the north half of the bridge in 1888, and the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio built the south half of the span in 1890. Unfortunately, the vintage steel arches had to make way for the current span in 1990.

An existing Wrought Iron Bridge Co. span near Ann Arbor, Michigan

Wild West Road Trip: Great Platte River Road Archway-Sonja writes about another famous span at The {Happy} Travel Bug blog. This archway spans I-80 in Kearney, Nebraska, but it is so much more than a simple span across the road. It's a history museum. Learn about the state's history from the 1800s pioneers crossing Nebraska in covered wagons and the state's development through to the present day. The bonus here for me would be to learn a little more about the Lincoln Highway!

OK, so that wraps up another monthly Midwest link love list. Do you have any other favorite Midwest stories or blogs that I should check out?

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Comments

[Sonja @ The {Happy} Travel Bug]

Wow, thanks so much for featuring my blog on here. I am glad you enjoyed the Great Platte River Road Archway post. I enjoyed reading what everyone else is up to as well.

[Dominique King]

Sonja-
Thanks for stopping by! I'm always looking for great posts about the Midwest (especially about places I've yet to have a chance to visit myself), so I enjoyed discovering your blog as well :)

[Kristian]

If you haven't checked it out already, I have a blog about festivals all throughout Ohio. There's also a great festival schedule page and calendar (building as I confirm dates).

http://ohiofestivals.net

Hope you like it and find it useful!

[Dominique King]

Thanks for stopping by, Kristian! I have stopped by your site in the past...lots of fun stuff there :)

[Adam]

Thanks so much for featuring my post about Cleveland! I've done a small amount of traveling in the Midwest and have always found it surprisingly hip in places. Plan is to visit Chicago later this year!

[Dominique King]

Thanks for stopping by, Adam!

We just came back from a couple of days in Cleveland. We've visited many times, but we always find something new to do when we're there.
Chicago is another place I need to get back to soon!

[Scott - Quirky Travel Guy]

Thanks for featuring my post. Nice roundup!

[Dominique King]

Thanks for stopping by, Scott!
Yup, definitely need to get back to Chicago one of these days :)