Midwest Guest

Midwest travel links for March 2016

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Harley-Davidson Museum: Exploring and American Icon-Here's a site Tim and I hoped to get to this year. That may take a while for us, but fortunately we can take a virtual trip with Connie now. Check out her tale about her first time atop a Harley in the drivers' seat as she shares her story about visiting this shrine to the history of Harley-Davidsons. Lots of cool rides here! Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

North Country Trail in Wisconsin-Want a less speedy mode of travel, yet still be able to see some of the most scenic landscape in Wisconsin? Check out the North Country National Scenic Trail as the route meanders through parks and forests, past lakes, rivers and waterfalls, and past a number of other scenic points of interest. Check out Kenneth's helpful guide to hiking the trail on the Wisconsin Explorer blog, complete with helpful hints like where to camp and distances between a number of points along the trail as it runs between the Michigan and Minnesota borders.   

Mohican State Park in Winter-We loved visiting Ohio's Mohican State Park during the summer, but it looks like there is plenty to do and explore in the park during the colder months as well. Join Deb and Bob as they take us on a tour of the snowy landscape at Mohican. Check out their report at the TrekOhio.Com blog.

 

 

Know Nebraska: Lincoln Highway North Platte to Wood River-Muriel's Road Trip along the Nebraska section of the Lincoln Highway continues in this edition of the Nebraska Outback blog. Here story includes lots of images of vintage architecture along the route that include historic homes, ghost signs remaining on former service stations, taverns and other business buildings,  as well as barns, bridges and other iconic sites along the way.

National Women's History Month: Midwesterners make their mark-Check out this story about several notable Midwestern women in this story from The Walking Tourists. I've read a bit about famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart and author Willa Cather, but I particularly enjoyed reading about Mildred Brown in this story. I was not as familiar with Brown, who owned the Omaha Star newspaper with her husband. She assumed sole ownership of the newspaper after the couple's divorce and folks believe that Brown became the longest-serving owner of an African-American weekly newspaper in the United States by the time of her death in 1989.

Fort Wayne's Embassy Theatre Unveils New Features-The Embassy Theatre immediately caught my eye when we first traveled through this northern Indiana town, and we were thrilled when reps from Visit Fort Wayne arranged for us to tour the classic 1928 theater and learn about its storied history. Check out Kayleen's report on the theater's most recent renovation and restoration at the Indiana Insider blog.

 

 

A Day in Arch City-Ronny Salerno is not a fan of the term "flyover city" and takes readers along as he takes a closer look at Columbus, Ohio. Salerno's eye for detail and always excellent images makes the most of his quick trip to Columbus to catch up with a childhood friend. Check it out at the Queen City Discovery blog.  

Leave your passport at home and visit Dublin, Ohio-Join Karyn as she visits Dublin on a recent sunny St. Patrick's Day to celebrate all that is Irish in this Ohio town. Discover what it is to become Irish for a day in Dublin at Karyn's Sand and Snow...and everywhere in between blog.

How Many 100-Year-Old Bridges Are There in Chicago?-Patrick attempts to answer this question on the Chicago Architecture blog. There are four Chicago spans seeing their 100th anniversary this year in the city, including four that still serve as working drawbridges, according to this story. I'm not sure if Patrick manages to names all of the bridges that are 100-plus years old in Chicago, but this list and the accompanying images are well worth checking out!

 

 

Testicle Festival: Deerfield, Michigan-Everyone seems to celebrate St. Patrick's Day whether they are Irish or not, but how about a lesser known celebration? Kristian Campana usually writes about festivals and celebrations in Ohio, but I noticed that he recently ventured into Michigan to visit the Testicle Festival! Check it out at the OhioFestivals.net blog.

Ephemeral City: Election Day Sign-As crazily as this year's election season seems to be shaping up, today's heated debates, contentious campaign rallies and argumentative sniping between candidates don't seem to compare in terms of violence as the 1934 election season in Kansas City, Missouri. Check out John's story about this notorious election that certainly seemed to generate far more heat than light (and inspired Kansas City, a movie directed by Robert Altman in 1996) at the Paris of the Plains blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for November 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

4 Places to Capture Chicago Music History-Some of you may remember my review of the book, Exploring Chicago Blues by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, late last year. Well, Rosalind tells us that she is writing for a lot of other publications this year in addition to her Farsighted Fly Girl blog. Check out Rosalind's latest story about Chicago Blues at the Good to Go blog.

 

 

How to Piss Off a South Dakotan-Not that you want to do that, mind you, but Laura gives us a list of peeves that drive her crazy when folks ask her about her home state. Check out her story on the Matador Network blog.

Overland Park Arboretum beauty abounds-Check out how much fall color remained at this beautiful nature center near Kansas City, Kansas during early November! Tim and Lisa of The Walking Tourists' blog had fun exploring the gardens, statuary and other attractions here to share with their readers.

Kansas City Holiday Bucket List-Discover polar bears, barbecue, bright lights and more in the Kansas City area during the winter holidays! I'm thinking those sound like great ideas to me, and I also like the idea of visiting the Union Station to check out the trains and the Mayor's 100-foot-tall tree. Check it all out in both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri at Kim's Oh My! Omaha blog.

Home Sweet...Dymaxion Dwelling Machine?-Inventor and designer R. Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller had a lot of innovative ideas that he most famously expressed in his design of the geodesic dome home. Fuller first developed his pre-fab and environmentally friendly home during the 1920s, but didn't see it mass-produced until after World War II in an aircraft factory in Wichita, Kansas. We're lucky enough to have the only surviving example of Fuller's forward-thinking design on display in the Detroit area at The Henry Ford. Check out Kath's report about this unique home at her Great Lakes Gazette site.

 

 

Dymaxion dwelling at The Henry Ford behind Candy Band performance

 

Learn About America's 23rd President at Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site-President Benjamin Harrison called North Bend, Ohio his birth place, but lived much of his life in Indiana. Join Kayleen as she tours the Indianapolis mansion that President Benjamin Harrison called home for many years and learn a bit more about his life. Check it out at the Indiana Insider blog.

Milton Creamery: Award-Winning Artisan Cheese-Galen Musser received his first U.S. Cheese Championship award at the age of 17! I found Connie's story about Musser and the cheeses produced by his Iowa creamery especially interesting as the company works with area Amish farmers who provide milk from their cows to create Musser's artisan cheeses, much as the Ohio cheese makers we visited in Holmes County do. Check out Connie's story at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Milwaukee Art Museum: A Peek at Its Renovation-I've long wanted to visit this museum, but the fact that it was in the midst of a major renovation project was one of the reasons we decided to delay our planned visit this past summer. Fortunately, Connie recently visited the museum during a media preview and posted some great images and information about the nearly-finished renovation. Now I'm more anxious than ever to see this unique building designed by architect Santiano Calatrava! Check it out on her Midwest Wanderer blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for September 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Harpersfield Covered Bridge Metropark-I remember this bridge as being one of my favorites when we toured all of the covered bridges in Ashtabula County, Ohio. I liked seeing these recent images of this bridge from Deb and Bob at the TrekOhio blog.

 

 

World's First Chicago-Type Drawbridge Undergoing Repair in Bucktown-Check out Patrick's update about the ongoing repairs at this unusual "Chicago" bascule-type bridge on the Chicago Architecture blog. The bridge, named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as an Engineering Landmark and a Chicago Landmark by the city, is more than 100 years old. Check out Patrick's book, Chicago River Bridges, to learn more about this bridge and many others in the Windy City. Also check out my story about a bascule bridge in Ashtabula, Ohio and see an image of the bridge in action.

Historic Bridge Park: 5 Restored Truss Bridges in One Location-Check out one of the newest entries on my Midwest bucket list. Connie, Midwest Wanderer, writes about this unique park in Battle Creek, Michigan. I'm surprised I have yet to get to this place, but it is definitely on my need-to-see list on one of our next visits to the west side of the state! Meanwhile, is it any wonder that I own both the book about Chicago Bridges by Patrick T. McBriarty that I mentioned above, as well as Historic Highway Bridges of Michigan by Charles K. Hyde (a college prof who I had for several classes at Detroit's Wayne State University)?

 

 

Punderson Manor State Park Lodge: Beauty and History in Geauga County, Ohio-The Manor at Punderson State Park Lodge is another favorite destination. I spent several years attending a writers' conference here, so I'm well aware of the park and the manor's haunted history! I really enjoyed reading Karyn's story and seeing that the manor remains as beautiful and elegant as I remember it from my prior visits (see my stories at Midwest Guest and the Discover Ohio blog) and check out Karyn's story at the Sand and Snow...and Everywhere in Between! blog.

Remarkable Life, Tragic Death: Fairmount Boy James Dean-We had a chance to make a quick stop in Fairmount on our way home from Indianapolis earlier this summer and see the grave site and former high school of actor James Dean, so I was particularly interested to learn more about the legendary actor, his early life in this small Indiana town and his tragic death. Check it out at Jessica's Little Indiana blog.

From motorcycles to jelly beans: 7 cool things to see and do in Wisconsin-Check out Scott's list of quirky Wisconsin attractions at the Quirky Travel Guy blog. Not surprisingly, there are a few places on his list that are on our own Midwest bucket wish list--the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, the Jelly Belly tasting room in Pleasant Prairie and the State Capitol building in Madison, to name a few. Need more Wisconsin fun? Check out Scott's second list of quirky Wisconsin fun at the blog this month-Donut chickens, dinosaur bones and cheese koozies: Discovering the offbeat side of Kenosha, Wisconsin. I'm ready for trip to the Badger State soon!

 

 

Glacial grooves on Gibraltar Island

Escape to Kelley's Island-We've visited Ohio's Lake Erie Shores and Island region multiple times, but we've yet to get to Kelley's Island. We did get a peek at some glacial grooves on nearby Gibraltar Island, but I understand that Kelley's Island is the place to really get a good look at this natural wonder.Check out Mike's story on the OHventures blog.

Bully! Theodore Roosevelt National Park a gem in North Dakota-We traveled out to Wyoming and Montana some years back, planning our drive to go through the Dakotas. We only planned to drive straight through North Dakota on our way west, but we decided to stop at this beautiful National Park and badlands...and decided that a few hours were not nearly enough time to spend here. We've always wanted to return to North Dakota to spend at least a few days out near the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, so I really enjoyed reading about Lisa and Tim's adventure there. Read about it at the Walking Tourists' blog.

 

 

North Dakota prairie dog

 

Buhl Building by Wirt C. Rowland-Detroit has a lot of beautiful art deco-style buildings and skyscrapers, and while I see a lot of stories about places like the Guardian and Fisher buildings, the Buhl Building doesn't seem to get the same sort of attention. I remember being in the Buhl Building when I was heading over to tour the nearby Guardian Building and I remember thinking at the time that the vintage 1925 Buhl Building would be worth a separate trip to explore. Michael and Maya apparently felt the same way! Check out their story at the VisuaLingual blog about one of Detroit's lesser known architectural gems,

Marshall Carriage Company Ghost Tour in a Horse-Drawn Buggy-Getting in the mood for Halloween? Check out Connie's story about this ghostly tour of haunted homes in Marshall, Michigan on The Midwest Wanderer blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

Midwest travel links for August 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

A Tale of Two Lighthouses: Crisp Point and Whitefish Point-I've been to a number of Great Lakes lights, but this breathless account of Sally's adventure at two remote lighthouses in Michigan's Upper Peninsula reminded me that, while we've visited Whitefish Point in the past, visiting Crisp Point is still on my bucket list. Check out her story at the always entertaining Unbrave Girl blog.

Whitefish Point

Classic American Road Power-Uke's Harley Davidson-This Harley dealership/museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin is definitely on our bucket list! Keith Ulicki opened the first Uke's in 1930, and his family still owns the dealership, Wisconsin's oldest. Check out Tony's story about this motorcycle enthusiasts' Mecca at The Walking Traveler blog.

Classic Car Collection: Kearney, Nebraska-With more than 200 vehicles, there is plenty to see at this classic car museum in Nebraska. Cool cars make for a cool and interesting stop if you're driving along I-80 says Sara. Check out her story about the museum at the Travels with Sara blog.

Lincoln Highway provides history and sites and Iowa-We love the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway in the United States, and enjoyed exploring it through Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and parts of Illinois and Pennsylvania. I especially enjoyed parts of and a few notable stops in Iowa like the hometown of actress Donna Reed and the historic Harrison County Courthouse. Check out Tim and Lisa's story about this legendary road at The Walking Tourists blog.

Short original brick section of the Lincoln Highway in Indiana

A Perfect Weekend in Indianapolis-We enjoyed our visit to Indianapolis earlier this summer, but Maya and Michael offer a few ideas for more things we should check out next time we visit Indy. I particularly liked seeing images of the city's cool vintage Indianapolis Central Library, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and this couple's picks for local shopping. Check it out at the VisuaLingual blog.

What I Found in Indy-I like Max's approach to seeking out some of the more hidden treasures like the Slow Food Garden in Indianapolis' White River State Park and cool urban initiatives like a booth allowing visitors to send a postcard from Indy free of charge! Check out his story at The Urbanologist blog.

Slow Food Garden, Indianapolis

Downtown Wooster: A City Full of Surprises-I like nice surprises, and the small town of Wooster, Ohio looks like a good place to experience pleasant surprises. We've driven through Wooster, but we've yet to visit it and stay a while. We hope to remedy that and experience some surprises on our own soon. Meanwhile, I enjoyed getting a peek at the town and the nearby Lehman's Hardware store, which several people have suggested as a must-visit for Tim and me. Check out Tonya's story at The Traveling Praters' blog.

The white squirrels are (almost) everywhere in Olney, Illinois-Albino squirrels are everywhere you look in Olney. Their images adorn police cars, city welcome signs, trash bins, shops and more in town, but Scott had a little difficulty in finding a real, live white squirrel in town. He finally achieved success in his search after reminding himself to "Think like a white squirrel!" (hey, the same tactic sometimes works for me when I'm searching for a misplaced item--"if I were a set of keys, where would I be?"). Check out Scott's search and success story at the Quirky Travel Guy blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

Midwest travel links for July 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Illinois State Capitol: Take the Tour-Join Connie on a tour of the State Capitol building in Illinois. I love vintage state capitol buildings like this because they offer so much in the way of history, art and architecture. This post reminded me of our tour of the iconic state capitol building here in Lansing, Michigan. Check out Connie's story about the Illinois capitol tour at her Midwest Wanderer blog.

Quirky Attraction: The Studebaker Museum-It's no secret that we love visiting museums with classic car collections like the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana, and to reflect Tim's experiences as a returning motorcycle rider, classic motorcycle collections. I enjoyed seeing Scott's take on the Studebaker Museum. Check it out at The Quirky Travel Guy blog. Meanwhile, do any of my readers know about any other good Midwest automobile or motorcycle museums we need to visit?

Entry to the Ford Rouge Plant-Charlie finds the most interestingly obscure sports during his two-wheeled adventures around the Motor City! Check out this small park he found in front of Ford's huge Rouge plant just downriver of the city. The park has historical markers telling the story of the plant and labor history in Michigan. I especially enjoyed seeing the plaque dedicated to the female factory workers during World War II (a.k.a. "Rosie the Riveters"). Check it out at the Bikes, Books & A Little Music blog.

Know Nebraska: Scottsbluff National Monument-Do you think of Nebraska as totally flat terrain? Muriel says "think again!" as she tours the scenic bluffs at this National Parks area in Nebraska. I found it especially interesting to learn that the Civilian Conservation Corps built some of the tunnels and other man-made features to make the park more accessible during the 1930s. Read about it at the Nebraska Outback blog.

Haunted Iowa: Places to Visit-Looking for ideas for planning a ghostly road trip? Check out Deb's list of suggested haunted places in Iowa, which includes an "An Ax Murder House" and a couple of haunted bridges. She also suggests reading The Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations by Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk. Check out her story at Just Short of Crazy. I've also posted a couple of ghostly stories here that include Is Ohio's Everett Road Covered Bridge haunted? and A ghostly tale in Elmore, Ohio about reported sightings of a headless motorcycle rider!  

Ohio's Everett Road Bridge

Bob the Bridge-Join Adam as he visits the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge and learn what it means to "Bob the Bridge". The bridge, which straddles the Mississippi River at Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa, allows visitors to stand with one foot in each of the two states at the same time! Read the story at the Visit Flyover Country blog.

Explore Geneva-on-the-Lake-We visited this Ohio State Park several years ago, and it was fun to virtually re-visit is with Mike on his Ohventures blog. Situated along the Lake Erie coastline, the area near the park initially gained fame as "Ohio's first resort" and remains popular for family fun, its proximity to great Ohio wineries, hiking and biking trails and a number of covered bridges.

Vincennes' Red Skelton Museum-I vaguely remember seeing Red Skelton's show on television when I was very young. The show went off of the air by the very early 1970s, but there is an Indiana Museum dedicated to Skelton's work as a much-loved comedian. The museum at Skelton's hometown of Vincennes, Indiana and Kayleen found it impressively interactive and modern. Check out her story at the Indiana Insider blog.

The Wallpapers in Paul Laurence Dunbar's Dayton Home are as Lovely as his Books-When I spot someone who can make an interesting story about wallpapers, I know I've found a blogger after my own heart! I enjoyed reading about Betsy's visit to poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's home in Dayton, Ohio. We learned a bit about the poet and his connection to Orville Wright during our recent visit to Dayton, and his home is now on our bucket list for a return trip to the city. Check out the story at beesfirstappearance blog.  

Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh: Sunset in the City of Bridges-Tim's sister and her family live in Pittsburgh, and I especially enjoyed seeing the city's bridges when we visited there. His sister, knowing of my love of bridges, made sure we walked across the Smithfield Bridge, telling us it was one of her favorite spans in the city. I can understand the appeal of this bridge and enjoyed learning of its connection to famed bridge builder John Roebling (who was also responsible for one of my favorite bridges in Cincinnati, Ohio). Check out Karyn's nice sunset scene at the Sand and Snow...and Everywhere in Between blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for June 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Burlington Bees: An Evening at the Ballpark-Connie likes seeing Minor League Baseball games when she travels for some of the same reasons I'm a big supporter of taking in Minor League games when I travel--the ready availability of teams to see in the Midwest and the fact that the games are affordable, family-friendly fun. Her story at Midwest Wanderer shows that her recent experience at a the Burlington Bees' ball park in Iowa to see the team play Grand Rapids Michigan's Whitecaps played out much as our recent visit to see the Indianapolis Indians...the game was a rain-out, but we had a great time anyway!

At a Grand Rapids Whitecaps game

Navy Pier Ferris Wheel to be Replaced with Bigger, More Modern Version-I loved the huge Ferris Wheel on Chicago's Navy Pier, and it seems so iconic that I found it surprising to learn that the city plans to replace it with a taller and more luxurious ride (can you say year-round climate-controlled gondolas? Check it out at the Chicago Architecture Blog.

10 tourist traps to love-Speaking of iconic sites like Navy Pier with its Ferries Wheel, this list includes the pier and Ferries Wheel, as well as nine other must-see quirky Midwest sites. I've seen several places on this list like South Dakota's Corn Palace, Michigan's Mackinac Island and the Michigan Upper Peninsula site that fully embraces its identity as a tourist trap, Da Yoopers Tourist Trap and Museum. Check out Beth's story at the Midwest Weekends blog.  

No Wonder Birds Flock to Gene Stratton-Porter's Limberlost Cabin-Looking for something a little more educationally inclined? Gene Stratton-Porter is an Indiana author, photographer and naturalist who enjoyed immense popularity during the early 20th century. We've visited Gene Stratton-Porter's "cabin" near Rome City, Indiana, and Limberlost (also in northern Indiana) appears like it has many of the same sort of construction details, gardens and nature-friendly features that distinguish the Limberlost North home we saw. Check out Betsy's story about Limberlost at the beesfirstappearance blog.

Limberlost North

Visiting the Mankato Minnesota Houses Where Betsy and Tacy Lived-The Maud Hart Lovelace penned series of books about Betsy, Tacy and Tib were another childhood favorite for me, and I'd love to visit the Mankato, Minnesota area where these stories based on the author's life at the turn of the twentieth century happened. Check out Terri's story at the Off the Beaten Page Travel to learn more about these books and the stories behind them.

Positively Classic Cars-Where can classic car fans can check out unique vintage vehicles like a legendary Tucker, the infamous Edsel, a classy Auburn, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car or something that looks suspiciously like the car Jed and Granny Clampett drove during the 1960s camp-classic television show, The Beverly Hillbillies? Check out Maureen's story about the Classic Car Show at Oakbrook in Chicago, Illinois to find out more!

Lighthouses of Door County-I've visited many lighthouses along the eastern side of Lake Michigan, but I've yet to explore as many of the light stations along the lake's western shore in Wisconsin. Beth offers a nice list of Wisconsin lights I'd love to see! Check out her story at the Midwest Weekends blog.

13 Fascinating Facts about Michigan City and the Old Lighthouse-Some folks are surprised to find that Indiana has a lighthouse, but Indian's scant 45-miles of Great Lakes coastline is home to a very nice pier head lighthouse and a lighthouse museum housed in the old keepers' residence. I've always loved this light and the story of Harriet Colfax who served as the keeper here for an amazing 43 years! Check out Connie' story about the light, Harriet and more at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Brandywine, Blue Hen and Buttermilk Waterfalls-We've been to this park a couple of times and enjoyed visiting the park's Brandywine Falls, but we've yet to visit Blue Hen or Buttermilk Falls. Thanks to Bob's story on TrekOhio, I can get a glimpse of those two cascades and make plans to make the trek out the them next time we're at the park!

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (Or "How to do Sleeping Bear Dunes without wanting to die a billion times.")-So, I think nearly every Michigander does the dune climb at least once, but as Sally encouragingly points out, it's much easier to get to the top of the dunes by taking this scenic drive. Check out her story at the Unbrave Girl blog.

Torchbearers Detroit trip finds a city on the upswing-We're hearing a lot of positive things about Detroit these days, and it's a welcome change from the diet of doom and gloom and ruin porn photos that seemed to dominate the media just a few years ago. Check out this story by Michael and Christa about a group of young visitors who found a lot to like in the Motor City. Check it out at the akronist.com blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for May 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Missouri Family Vacation Ideas-Adam shows folks plenty of family-friendly ideas for kid-pleasing fun in the Show Me state, ranging from world-class museums to outdoor activities to dining ideas and more! Check it out at his Visit Flyover Country blog.

88 Counties in Ohio=88 Things to Do!-Check out this killer list of things to do in Ohio that includes one fun attraction, dining option or historical site for every one of the 88 counties in the Buckeye State. Check out the list at Mike's OHventures blog. Mike even helpfully reproduces the list arranged by region of the state.

Dining at Tony Packos in Toledo, one of 88 Things to do in Ohio

Capturing the Colorful Holland Tulips of Spring-Aaron shares a sure sign of spring in Michigan with images of the colorful tulips in Holland in the western part of the state. Check it out at the Awesome Mitten blog. Also be sure to check out Aaron's coffeehouse and travel adventures on his own The Adventures of elATLboy blog.

Magee Marsh during the "Biggest Week in American Birding" 2015-We've visited this birder's paradise on several occasions to simply take a walk or capture a few images of the wooded boardwalk trail near Lake Erie in Ohio, but we've yet to venture here during the legendary Biggest Week in early May. Deb captures the beautiful birds and the crowds that they draw to this northern Ohio spot on the TrekOhio blog.

Golden Spike Tower: Visiting the World's Largest Rail Yard-This site in North Platte, Nebraska marks the midpoint for the Union Pacific trains running from Chicago to Salt Lake City or from Denver to Omaha, but it's so much more than simply a place for rail buffs to spend hours on end watching the trains. Join Connie as she visits the site to learn about the trains and their history. She also captures a few bird's-eye-view images from atop the observation tower. Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Positively the Jewel of Joliet-I love classic old theaters like the Embassy in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Warner Theater in Erie, Pennsylvania that have great histories as vaudeville, movie and live performance houses, and I loved Maureen's story about the Rialto Theater in Joliet, Illinois. Built in 1925 and justly called the "Jewel of Joliet", viewing the theater's opulent interior reportedly had Liberace saying "...finally, a theater to match my wardrobe!" Seeing the Rialto is going on my Midwest bucket list! Check it out at the Positively Tuesday blog.

Ephemeral City: Marbles-Check out John's story about a memorable marble championship in Kansas City, Missouri. Imagine a city-wide marbles contest that drew a crowd into a municipal arena and featured contestants with monikers like Stinky, Knucksy and Mouse. It all happened in 1941, and you can read about it at the Paris of the Plains blog.

At Your Leisure: Summertime Cruisin'-Cruisin' is pretty big here in the Detroit area, especially during the weeks leading up to the Woodward Dream Cruise, an event billed as a one-day celebration of car culture that inevitably turns into weeks of weekend cruising along the Woodward strip. It appears like Indianapolis had a similar cruising culture complete with drive-in restaurants like The Tee Pee, which served Big Chief burgers (our version on Woodward was called the Totem Pole and served up...you guessed it...Big Chief burgers!). Check out Jeff's story on the Historic Indianapolis blog.

55 Reasons Why Locals Love Grand Rapids-Here's another handy list post, this time about Grand Rapids in western Michigan. We've done a number on the list like the visiting the Grand Rapids Public Museum and watching Whitecaps' baseball games as we visit GRap fairly regularly to visit some of Tim's family, plus we stay there for a few days each fall to take in ArtPrize. Looks like there are a few more things on the list that we need to see one of the next times we visit. Meanwhile, Check out Melody's post on the My Experience Grand Rapids blog.

Crash the River Rascal, Whitecaps' mascot

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for April 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Carnegie Library in Attica, Indiana-Jessica shares my love of historic Carnegie libraries, and I loved her Little Indiana story about this historic library in central Indiana. Jessica tells readers that Indiana received the highest number (160) of Carnegie libraries in the nation! We've visited a few of these historic libraries ourselves in Danville (Indiana), Defiance (Ohio), Sandusky (Ohio) and a former Carnegie building now serving as a restaurant in Carmel (Indiana).

History, Architecture, Sweets Await at Columbus-Did you know that Columbus, Indiana sits at sixth place in the nation for architectural design? Kayleen tells readers of the Indiana Insider blog that the city earned this honor because of it is home to more than 80 buildings and other structures designed by recognized architects (like Eero Saarinen who designed the St. Louis Arch and many works in Michigan like elements of the Cranbrook Educational campus, which includes the Cranbrook Institute of Science). No wonder this city has long been on my Midwest bucket list!

The staying power of Old Hickory furniture-Have you ever headed out to Wyoming to visit the Old Faithful geyser and Yellowstone National Park? If you stopped by Old Faithful Inn at the park for a meal, chances are you've dined while sitting in a chair made by Indiana's Old Hickory Furniture Company! Check out this story at Indiana Landmarks' Hidden Gems blog for the story about how this venerable Indiana company created seating, still in use today, for the historic lodge at Yellowstone.

10 fun reasons to visit eastern South Dakota this summer-We managed to check out the Corn Palace during our trip out west a number of years back, but I see that there are plenty of reasons to consider a return trip to eastern South Dakota. Deb offers ten good reasons that include celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Corn Palace as well as visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie, taking in the annual Czech Days and visiting the Good Earth State Park. Check the list out at Deb's Just Short of Crazy blog.

10 Things to do in Nebraska-The Walking Tourists, Tim and Lisa, are back with another handy list of things to do, and this time they cover their home state of Nebraska. We've yet to visit Nebraska beyond a drive through on the way west, but things like on this list like Carhenge and Buffalo Bill Cody's Ranch and the opportunity to see the annual Sandhill Crane migration make a longer visit to this state sound pretty appealing!

Sock Monkeys, Women's Baseball and a Victorian Village-Connie shares some of her favorite sites in Rockford, Illinois in her Midwest Wanderer blog. Sock monkeys got their start in Rockford, and the city (like South Bend, Indiana) was home to one of the most beloved teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Three Midwest Day Trip Ideas From Minneapolis/St. Paul-There's isn't much we love more than taking a quick day trip out from the Detroit Metro area to supplement the longer trips we're able to take throughout the year. Check out Sara's suggestions on the Travel with Sara blog for quick day trips travelers can take when departing from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota.

Waterfalls of the North Shore-Love waterfalls? I do! So I enjoyed reading Beth's round up of waterfall information for cascades along the northern shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Check it out at the Midwest Weekends blog.

A Drive through Sleeping Bear Dunes-We've visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area in northern Michigan numerous times, and I recently finished a five-part series here on Midwest Guest about our adventures in this beautiful region over the years. It was fun, then, to see Connie's take on visiting the park's headquarters in Empire, Michigan and traveling along the park's Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. Check her story out on the Midwest Wanderer blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for March 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Waterfalls!!!-The number of waterfalls we can visit in Ohio within just a couple of hours of our home in metro Detroit always impressed me because we nearly always have to travel to Michigan's far-flung Upper Peninsula if we want to visit waterfalls here in our state. In Ohio, it's a different story. Check out Bob's handy list of waterfalls to visit in Ohio arranged by region at the TrekOhio blog.

 

 

Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio

Wildlife Wednesday: Sandhill Cranes-We can easily see a few sandhill cranes by visiting one of our local metroparks, but I certainly don't see these big, beautiful birds in the massive numbers that they seem to congregate in Nebraska! Check out Muriel's post, complete with video of the dancing cranes and their signature springtime concerts at the Nebraska Outback blog.  

Lost to the age of traffic-Vintage streetscapes always fascinate me, and I loved this look at a bygone street scene in Kansas City, Missouri. This 1950 photo sets the peaceful scene on Summit Street just before the old, brick road with its streetcar tracks and mature trees went from a four-lane city street to a busy six-lane, cross-town urban road. called the Southwest Trafficway. Check out John's article at the Paris of the Plains blog, which contains selections from his book of the same title spotlighting stories of Kansas City just after the Great War of the 1940s through the late 1950s.

A Perfect Weekend in Cincinnati-I loved walking the Roebling Bridge to explore Covington, Kentucky and spending some time in downtown Cincinnati's Fountain Square when we visited the city more than a half-dozen years ago, but Maya's list of must-see Cincy sights like the Carew Tower, the Cincinnati Union Terminal and the American Sign Museum at the VisuaLingual blog contains a great list of places that I really want to see when I return to visit the city again.

 

 

Roebling Bridge

Top 10 things to do in Chicago-Here's another handy list spotlighting great things to do in a Midwestern city. This time, Tim and Lisa list some of their favorite destinations when visiting Chicago, including some of my favorites like the architectural tour by boat along the Chicago River, the reflective Cloud Gate "Bean" at Millennium Park, the giant Ferris wheel at Navy Pier and Sue the Tyrannosaurus at the Field Museum. Check it out at The Walking Tourists' blog.

Ohio Bucket List: Punderson Manor State Park & Lodge-I attended a writers' conference at this State Park Lodge near Cleveland, Ohio for about six years in a row, before the organizers moved, and finally discontinued, our annual meeting. Reading Tonya's story about some of the recent updates at the lodge's rooms and cabins puts me in the mood to visit here again, although like Tonya, I'm not so sure about staying in the reportedly haunted part of the Manor! Read all about it at The Traveling Praters' blog.

 

 

Punderson Manor

 

Positively Prison Bound-Check out Maureen's story at her Positively Tuesday blog to learn more about the history and reported hauntings at the old Joliet Prison in Illinois. Elwood? Jake? Now I'm in the mood to watch one of my favorite movies--The Blues Brothers!

Preserving Memories at the Corner-Long-time residents of metro Detroit and Detroit Tiger baseball fans know about "The Corner" along Michigan Avenue and its special place in Tiger history. Check out Jeff's story about this must-see spot for baseball fans and the memories he found there at his Lifelong Michigander blog.

How Detroit changed the backyard garden-Urban gardening is a pretty trendy concept in Detroit these days, but did you know that Detroit once ruled as a world-capital of seed production and impetus for many to start their own backyard gardens during the latter half of the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century? Check out Amy's story at The Night Train blog to learn more about the seed company founded by Dexter Ferry in 1856 and its importance to many aspiring home gardeners.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for February 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Omaha's Ford Birthplace and Garden honors nation's 38th President-Michigan proudly claims President Gerald R. Ford as a favorite son, but few people realize that he was actually born in Omaha, Nebraska. Although he spent only a couple of weeks in his birthplace, the city still fondly remembers his life and accomplishments with several memorial tributes set in a beautiful garden. Check it out with Tim and Lisa at The Walking Tourists blog.

Another tribute to President Ford, his gravesite in Michigan

UW Geology Museum, Madison-I loved Kenneth's article about the Geology Museum at the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus. Like Kenneth, We've found some of the most focused and interesting museums tucked away on university campuses, plus I'm a real fan of museums with extensive rock and mineral displays. Check it out at the Wisconsin Explorer blog.

Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison-I love beautiful State Capitol buildings like our capitol building in Lansing, Michigan. Kenneth earns a second spot on this month's link love list with his great feature about Wisconsin's beautiful capitol building at the Wisconsin Explorer blog.  

Perry County Old Courthouse Museum in Cannelton-I love vintage county courthouses, and I love seeing vintage buildings gain new life through a re-use of the facility. So, I found a lot to love about Jessica's story about this old building, the mystery and intrigue behind the story of its time as an Indiana county courthouse and its current identity as a museum. Check it out at the Little Indiana blog.

Wall Drug: From Free Ice Water to Free Fun-It is difficult to miss the 200-plus Burma Shave-style signs lining the highways through South Dakota urging drivers to make a stop at Wall Drug. Connie checks out this drug store complex, which has to be one of the state's most visited tourist attractions, and didn't seem to be able to resist the idea of posing for a photo atop the "jackalope"! Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Yup, everyone has to pose with the Jackalope, including me!

5 Reasons Cincinnati Chili is Misunderstood-I've long loved Paste Magazine for its music coverage, but I recently discovered the fun story about Cincinnati's unique chili. I'm a fan of the 3-way variation of Cincinnati chili over spaghetti noodles, topped with grated cheese and accompanied with oyster crackers, which I often make at home. Check out Max's story about the origins and variations of this southern Ohio city's signature dish at the Paste blog.

101 Things to do in Columbus (by Neighborhood)-Mike never seems to lack for things to do in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Here he helpfully lists 101 great things to do in Ohio's capital city that include taking a tour of the state's capitol building, touring the town via Segway, visiting a local tiki bar, checking out some local brews and much, much more. And if that wasn't enough, he also posted the list organized by types of activity. Check it out at the OHventures blog.

Positively CLASSIC-I love touring classic car museums and Maureen posts this article (complete with some great images) about touring a private collection of stunning vehicles with the Greater Illinois Region of the Classic Car Club of America. Check it out at her Positively Tuesday blog.

5 Ways Curling is a Lot Like Being Single-If you've ever wanted to check out curling (and so help me, I always thought it would be fun!), Sally checks to out so you can get an idea of what you're in for. Sally, who manages to write entertaining pieces about adventures like finding a pee funnel for a winter camping excursion in Michigan , makes me laugh until I'm ready to...um....well...check it out at her Unbrave Girl blog.

Four Surprising Facts you May Not Know about Ohio State Parks-Ohio has a lovely State Park system with 75 parks and more than 1,000 miles of hiking and biking trails. Tonya shares a few facts about what make the parks such great places to camp, boat, hike and more (including the Hocking Hills State Park, which is one of our favorite places to photograph. Check it out at The Traveling Praters blog.

Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills

Start Your Engine and Make Tracks to the Honda Heritage Center-Betsy visits the Honda Heritage which recently opened across the street from the Honda assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio, the company's first manufacturing facility in the United States. Learn about the company's history and role in manufacturing products like cars, motorcycles, airplanes, robots and more. Check it out at beesfirstappearance blog.  

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!