Midwest Guest

Midwest Travel Links for July 2017

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

The Keweenaw Peninsula: Quincy Copper Mine and Copper Harbor

I've never been that wild about taking trips myself in small planes and trips underground, but this story from Erin about a trip she and her son took to see the Quincy Copper Mine at Copper Harbor in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was pretty fascinating. I do share her son's fascination with geology and rocks, so I may have to re-think my aversion to tiny enclosed spaces. Meanwhile, I can see highlights of Erin's trip and exploration of Quincy. A bonus? The duo stayed at a motel we've stayed at several times in the past, and I loved the shots of their room at the Bella Vista and the beautiful harbor view that I loved seeing. Think I'm due for another trip up there one of these days? 

 

 

Ohio Amish Country Travels

We loved visiting Ohio's Amish Country in the heart of Holmes County. Share Heathers travels through the scenic country side, visits to the area's "Cheese Heaven" (and several cheese places we also visited), plus a glimpse of the hearty comfort food we also enjoyed so much when visiting there ourselves). Check out her story at the Ohio Girl Travels blog.

 Anniversary of the Miami-Erie Canal

Canal history always fascinates me...probably, at least in part, because we do not have much in the way of canal history here in Michigan. Ronny takes a quick look at the rich history of the Miami-Erie Canal in Ohio. The canal was a major transportation link throughout the state and served to move folks through, and around, Ohio before automobiles, trains or other technological advances made transportation speedier. The canal system in this country played an important part in fueling the westward expansion, but the leisurely place of oxen, horse and mule drawn boats allowed travelers a more leisure look at the passing country side than we enjoy today. Check the story out at the Queen City Discovery blog.  

You'll love this Covered Bridge Town in Western Indiana

Join Chris on a tour of some of the covered bridges in Parke County Indiana. I've long heard about Parke County and its amazing collection of covered spans. It's on a destination on my Midwest bucket list. Meanwhile, I can enjoy getting a little peek at the area with the images on this article at the Indiana Insider blog.

Learn about Indiana's Limestone Heritage in New Exhibit

It is impossible not to see many buildings made of lime stone in and around Indiana! Mark offers us a fascinating look at the history and use of this natural Hoosier resource, the shifts in the technology of the limestone industry and some of the iconic buildings of limestone that are around the country. Check out the story at the Indiana Insider blog.

50 Quirky Things to See in Ohio

Tonya gives us a great list of cool and interesting things so see in Ohio. We've seen a few things like The World's Largest Collection of Rock and Roll Memorabilia (at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland), The Garfield Memorial (at the Lake Side Cemetery in Cleveland), eaten pizza at a Covered Bridge (North Kingsville) and visited the Tomb of President McKinley (Canton). There are still plenty of things on the list I'd love to see yet myself like the Pencil Sharpener Museum (in Logan)  Dave Grohl Alley and the World's Largest Drumsticks (Warren) and the Y-Bridge (Zanesville). Check out this fun list at the Traveling Praters blog.

Laura land

Fans of the "Little House" series of books are well aware of Laura Ingalls Wilder's connection to many Midwestern states and make it a point to visit as many of the places where Laura and her family lived during the late 1800s. Beth takes readers at Midwest Weekends on a quick tour of these sites in places like Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota where Wilder and her family spent time at one point during their life journey. It's fun to see so many of these sites gathered together in one article.

Ashland NE in Numismatic (Money) News

Many classic old bank buildings no  longer exist, but Mark profiles one here that still stands in the eastern part of Nebraska along with a couple of other former bank buildings still in the area. This is a fun look at banks and currency through the years in Ashland, Nebraska. Check is out at the Stay on Route 6 blog.

14 Fun Facts about the North Dakota Capitol

I always love visiting state capitol buildings, and found this round up of facts about North Dakota's unusual skyscraper capitol building quite interesting. This is one of only three skyscraper capitol buildings in the U.S., but Connie found out that this style of building has 80 percent usable space versus the usual traditional domed building we're usually used to seeing as a capitol building. Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog. 

Highlights of Hamilton County, Indiana

It's been a several years since I've visited Hamilton County, which is about 30 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana, so I enjoyed virtually revisiting the area with Francesca and her family. This story spotlights several of the favorite places I saw during our visit there, including the historic Hamilton County courthouse in downtown Noblesville, the lifelike statue of a woman grocery shopping in front of the butcher shop in Carmel (where we originally discovered another Midwest treat--Rickle's Pickles) and Conner Prairie (where we experienced a thought-provoking Underground Railway program). Check out the story at the Working Mom's Travels blog.

Hiking during our Galena Weekend

I've always wanted to visit Galena, Illinois, and this story from Mel show us several noteworthy hikes in the area. I particularly enjoyed seeing images of the pedestrian bridge along the Galena River Trail (I'm a real bridge fan, so this goes on the list of things I need to see in Galena!). Check out the story at the A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.  

Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom

Travel through the beautiful scenic farmland near the Wisconsin Dells and enjoy a little old fashioned history and adventure near Baraboo, Wisconsin. I loved seeing the restored vintage railcars learning a bit more about railroad history in the area. Check out Kenneth's story and great images at the Wisconsin Explorer blog.

A Quick Visit to Grand Rapids

We've visited this western Michigan and favorites like Schuler Books & Music many times in the past, but I can see that there are several places I've yet to see here according to Jeff's story. Check it out at the Lifelong Michigander.

Five Favorite Places for Kids on the Sunset Coast, Michigan

Join Jessie at the Wandering Educators blog for another look at western Michigan as she surveys some of her kid-friendly favorites with sites that include some of my waterfront favorites like Grand Haven, Manistee and the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. This definitely puts me in the mood to do a little more traveling myself!   

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 reads: More great Midwest-related books to give or receive!

Here are a few more Midwest-related books that, although they deal with pretty serious subjects, I've enjoyed reading recently:

Washed Away: How the Great Flood of 1913, America's Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed it Forever by Geoff Williams-So, this isn't the most cheerful holiday reading, but this book certainly contained all sorts of fascinating stories about a flood I've seen mentioned from time to time as I've traveled around the Midwest. A series of tornados (particularly centered in Omaha, Nebraska) and floods spreading out across the Midwest with Dayton, Ohio as the flooding epicenter was one of the country's most far-flung natural disasters up until that time. We've often seen evidence of the 1913 floods (most recently in a flood gauge painted on the wall of mill near a canal in one of the Toledo Metroparks in northern Ohio), but it was still shocking to hear about how many people were trapped by the floodwaters or how many people lost their lives to the floods.

The failures to deal with the natural disasters at this time led to the wide-spread adoption of the city manager form of local government and the rise of disaster preparedness policies for years to come.

 

 

The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin-Blizards blasting across the northern prairie states with little or no warning on January 12, 1888 led to a series of tragedies that took the lives of hundreds of school children as they struggled to find their way home from school as the storms struck. The day dawned sunny and mild, but violent winds and storms struck at the time when many school children in places like the Dakotas, Nebraska and Minnesota were heading home at the end of their school day. Stories of children and others who literally froze in their tracks or lost limbs or died from frostbite suffered during the storm are balanced by still more stories of the heroic young teachers (many of them female) who survived the storms as they saved many of their young charges. It is interesting to see what significant changes and improvements in the state of the then-primitive weather forecasting and reporting followed the storms.

 

 

Kansas City Lightening: The Rise and Times of Charley Parker by Stanley Crouch-This one is about a different type of storm as it details the early and turbulent life of noted jazz saxophonist and composer Charley Parker. Crouch apparently conceives this biography as a two-book set and started seriously researching Parker's life and music more than 30 years ago. Crouch sets the scene of Parker's early life in an almost Impressionistic way, drawing his story across the broad brush strokes of the pre-World War II culture, politics, racism and music of the time starting with Parker's childhood in the 1920s and through the 1930s as Parker became a pursued his music with a single-minded passion. Drugs took over Parker's life early on, and the book only covers his life through 1940, when he returned from New York City to attend the funeral of his father. Crouch leaves the rest of the story of Parker's life through his 1955 death for another, and while he hints at some of the problems that derailed Parker's life, he doesn't come to a definitive answer about the real roots of Parker's problems. Crouch opts instead for what seems like more of a personal tour through an earlier era, setting up the reader for a tour that will cover the inevitable fall after the Rise of Charlie Parker.

 

 

Ida: A Sword Among Lions by Paula J. Giddings-I waited for a while before tacking this book because, at 600-plus pages and its focus on Ida B. Wells' anti-lynching work in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it is definitely not a light read. The subject of Wells' life work and her exile to Chicago from her Mississippi and Memphis homes for expressing her anti-lynching views make for difficult reading. Wells experienced push-back, not only because she was a woman, but because she was a woman of color in a time when neither one of those attributes conferred much power or respect in our society or culture. Orphaned as a teenager and struggling to keep the rest of her younger siblings together, she managed to establish herself as a teacher and an activist/journalist against tough odds. Wells' perseverance makes for some inspiring reading, even as the story infuriates and aggravates the reader at times with its unflinching look at the life and society of that era.

 

 

What are your favorite books by Midwestern authors or about the Midwest?

© Dominique King 2014 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for November 2014

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

Three great reasons to Visit Detroit now-I love seeing people discover the good things in Detroit, especially when they come from elsewhere in the state or country! Deb visited Detroit recently and says it surprised her with some real gems. Some of her Detroit discoveries like the city's architectural gems, the Motown Museum and the beautiful riverfront are among my favorite Detroit destinations. Read all about it at the Just Short of Crazy blog.

Amelia Earhart hails from Atchison, Kansas-Whatever happened to aviatrix Amelia Earhart may be one of history's biggest mysteries, but Lisa and Tim shed a little light on the famed flyer's humble beginnings in Kansas. Read all about the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum at The Walking Tourists blog.  

At peace along the Findlay Reservoir-This story about Aaron's explorations in northern Ohio show readers his discovery of a manmade wonder along a seemingly deserted open country road which offers visitors fishing and boating opportunities, along with a lengthy waterside walking trail. Check it out at The Adventures of elATLboy blog.

Detroit ragtime's founding fathers-Many people know Detroit for Motown, techno and home-grown rock music, but Amy shares the stories of some of the city's earlier musical ragtime and jazz pioneers in this post at The Night Train blog.

It looks like any other hardware store, but there's a jazzy surprise inside Meyers-Venture behind a false wall behind the standard stock of this neighborhood hardware store with Bill for a glimpse of the building's history as one of Chicago's early integrated jazz clubs more than 50 years ago. The Sunset Cafe, opened in the 1920s, hosted the likes of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman over the years. Check out the remnants of the Sunset Cafe's stage and a colorful mural at the Chicago Architecture blog.  

Dating the Dunes-An accidental discovery in the dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore turns out to be important archaeological evidence that could reveal much about the geology and Native American activity in northern Michigan along the shores of Lake Michigan. Check out Bob's story and pictures of the site of a possible pottery factory from 1,000 years ago at Cherry Republic's blog. Cherry Republic, by the way, is one of our favorite places to find jellies, jams, candy, wine and more made from Michigan cherries.  

A riverfront tour in Minneapolis: Where history flows with the Mississippi-I think most people think of the southern portion of the Mississippi River when they think about the river's rich history, but Terri takes readers of the Off the Beaten Page Travel blog on a tour of Minneapolis as an historic Mississippi River mill town.

Why restore the Sutherland Depot?- I found Muriel's story fascinating because it gives readers and inside look at the possibilities, benefits and budgeting issues people consider when deciding how, or even why, to restore and repurpose local historical landmarks like this 1890s train depot in southwestern Nebraska. Check it out at the Nebraska Outback blog.

The end of Suburban Cincinnati's Alpine Chalets-Check out Ronny's story about the Kings Island Inn and Resort, which was an upscale destination during its 1970s heyday when it attracted a groovy crowd and appeared as a set for episodes of television shows like The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch. Read about it on the Queen City Discovery blog.

Shell shock: The Hidden wonder of St. Anne's Chapel-We once had a family friend who collected sea shells and created shell-covered boxes as gifts for friends. This story about the shell-covered interior of a small Indiana chapel reminded me of Miriam and her shell covered boxes with their intricate designs. Check it out at Indiana Landmark's Hidden Gems blog.

Budget Weekend Getaway: Michigan's Thumb-I've seen a lot of stories about Michigan destinations like Detroit, Grand Rapids, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Upper Peninsula, but Michigan's Thumb area doesn't seem to get the same amount of love. We've found a lot to love about the Thumb over the years with attractions like lighthouses, petroglyphs, giant ice cream cones and more, so I liked this story from Shalee about her adventures camping, kayaking and touring in the Thumb. Check it out on her Shalee Wanders blog.

Quirky Attraction: The Leaning Tower of Niles-Can't make it Italy to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Check out Scott's story of the Leaning Tower of Niles, a half-scale replica of the more famous Italian tower near Chicago, Illinois, on his 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!

© Dominique King 2014 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for July 2014

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

My #LakeErieLove Story: Still Smitten with Lake Erie Islands and Shores After All These Years-Ohio's Lake Erie Shores and Islands region star in Amanda's tale of love (and a little tender loving care at one of Cedar Point's First Aide stations) at her Clue into Cleveland blog.

A Walk Through Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve in Sandusky Bay-Karyn nicely captures the experience of this beautiful summer evening walk we shared with a group of Midwest bloggers during a trip to the Lake Erie Shores and Islands region in northern Ohio.

Bucyrus Murals: More than just a Pretty Picture-Tonya shares the story of beautiful murals in Bucyrus, Ohio at The Traveling Praters blog. I loved learning about the local history and people the murals depict.

Covered Bridges of Ashtabula County-Michael takes OHventures blog readers to covered bridge country in northeastern Ohio's Ashtabula County, spotlighting a couple of his favorite bridges there (which also happen to be among my favorite Ashtabula County covered spans).

Grafton's Piece of the Blues Trail: Paramount Records-I'm a fan of classic blues music from the 1920s and 1930s, and Kenneth's article at his Wisconsin Explorer blog about Grafton's role in the history of that era's blues music gives me reason to put this town near the top of my Wisconsin bucket list!

Fun in Kenosha, WI-Join Deb for a tour of Kenosha at her Just Short of Crazy blog. Kingfish baseball, a tour of the Jelly Belly factory and climbing to top the tower at the Southport Lighthouse sounds like a winning combo to me!

Geocaching in Galena, Illinois-I enjoyed reading about Julie's cache finds during her road trip to Galena (another town that's long been on my radar to consider visiting). Read about it at her Wisconsin Parent blog.

Catching up with History at Jane Addams' Hull-House- I shared Sheila's interest in reading about the work of Jane Addams as a young girl, so I loved reading about Sheila's visit to the historic Hull-House during her recent visit to Chicago. Read about it at the Perceptive Travel Blog.

Hendricks County, IN: Historical Museum-Tim and I visited this museum and the spooky-looking historic jail a couple of years ago. Adam and his family seemed to enjoy their visit to the museum and jail earlier this year, judging from the story and pictures at this Visit Flyover Country Blog.

Why I Love Gary, Indiana-I've not seen much of Gary beyond what I could see from the window of a slow moving train on the way into Chicago. I also knew Gary as the birthplace of Michael Jackson, but according to Doug, I'm obviously missing out on a lot. Check out Doug's story at the Indiana Sexy Blog about Gary's natural beauty, along with some beautiful images to help make his point.

Indiana Dunes-Nathan also sees a lot to like in "The Region" covering greater Chicago and northern Indiana towns like Hammond, Michigan City and, yes, Gary. Check out his story about this Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore area at the Indiana Naturally blog.

A masterpiece of Modern: J. Irwin Miller House-Several folks suggested that I might like visiting Columbus, Indiana because of its reputation as a center of modern architecture. I'd love visiting cool buildings there like the Miller home designed by mid-20th-century architect Eero Saarinen (who lived and worked for many years in Michigan). Read Mike's story about the house at the Indiana Landmarks Hidden Gems blog.

The 7 Stages of Hiking Sleeping Bear-As someone who huffed up the Dune Climb at Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes, I can tell you it's a wee bit more difficult that it appears to many people. Sally soon found herself disabused by the notion of a quick jaunt up the dunes, hilariously working her way to the top of the dune and back down at her unbrave girl blog.

Ephemeral city: Postcard, 1938-Ten-year-old Bob documents his trip to Kansas City, Kansas in a postcard sent back to his family in Salina, Kansas in 1938. John shares this fun find with readers at this 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 2014 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for January 2014

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

Kalkaska's Dogsled Racers Love All this Snow!-I love seeing stories about folks who embrace the winter and all it has to offer, like this one about northern Michigan dogsled racers. Mike tells of an annual race that draws 4,000 each year to this small town to watch more than 150 dogsled teams from across the country compete for three days of snowy fun. Check it out at the Traverse City True North blog.

Snowshoe Presque Isle-Amanda encourages readers of the Things to do in the U.P. to embrace the winter by snowshoeing in the beautiful Presque Isle Park near Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. You can cross country ski or hike around the park in quiet solitude with little chance of encountering vehicular traffic as they do not plow the road around the park and prohibit motor vehicle traffic on it during the snowy winter months.

Winter fun abounds in Indiana Dunes Country-Winter is a wonderful time to visit the Indiana Dunes Country in the northwestern corner of the state along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Opportunities for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, ice skating, ice fishing, snowman building and simply enjoying the great views abound, according to KKosky at the Indiana Insider blog.

Indiana: Quilt Gardens-If you're in the mood for something warmer like a fluffy quilt, check out Terri's story about this collection of unique gardens in northern Indiana's Amish Country. We saw one of these gardens a couple of summers ago at the courthouse in Goshen, so I especially enjoyed learning more about these gardens at Terri's Travel 50 States with Kids blog.

12 Museums to Visit in Richland County-Think you need to be in a huge metropolitan area to find a dozen museums to visit? Think again! Tonya found a dozen museums worth a visit near Mansfield, Ohio (which is about 80 miles southwest of Cleveland). I've briefly visited the historic Ohio State Reformatory, where they shot much of the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", and I've wanted to visit Malabar Farm for ages. Now I'm checking out this list at The Traveling Praters blog for other ideas about where to visit the next time I'm in Richland County!

Terminal Tower by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White-I remember briefly being in this building a few years back when as we visited Cleveland one holiday season and walked around the downtown area to see the holiday lights. It comes as no surprise to me to learn that this vintage 1930 skyscraper, located atop the city's then-new rail station and modeled after a classic Beaux Arts design by the firm headed by the legendary Stanford White, also has an interesting connection to the famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham.  Check it out at the VisuaLingual blog.

Omaha's Orpheum history includes stage, movies-I love this behind-the-scenes tour of this classic late-1920s theater at Lisa and Tim's blog, The Walking Tourists. It's fun to follow the history of these classic theaters, stretching from the vaudeville and Golden Age of Hollywood eras through a heart-breaking closure in the early 1970s and an eventual rescue and re-opening in the mid-1970s and later renovations that leave this 2,500-seat theater the gem it is today.

Modern Drive-In Banking!-There are a couple of banks claiming to be the location of the first drive-in banking window by the late 1920s or very early 1930s, including a few in the Midwest. Check out this classic drive-thru banking facility in St. Paul Minnesota, brand new in 1959, at the Nokohaha blog.

Explore Historic Architecture in Hendricks County-Join Aimee as she takes readers of the Visit Hendricks County All Access blog on a tour of some of the county's historic buildings. I've visited a few of these buildings in this county near Indianapolis, Indiana like the classic county courthouse in Danville, the museum and spooky vintage jail in the late nineteen-century former sheriff's residence, Danville's Carnegie Library and the Pittsboro One-Room School. I'm thinking it would be worth a return trip to check out Danville's classic Royal Theater and learn more about the county's history!

1964: Way beyond compare-It's nearing the fiftieth anniversary of the date when a little British musical group called The Beatles set foot on American soil, so I thought including John's memories as a young boy near Kansas City, Missouri at the Paris of the Plains blog was the perfect way to end this month's list. I got a kick out of John's memory of hearing the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sweep the more sedate songs of the day right off of the turntable at his local record store (particularly "a quiet something titled "Dominique" by someone named "The Singing Nun"..."-And, no, I was not named after that song!)

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 2014 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for December 2013

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

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: Baseball history gem-I loved this look at a very cool museum in Kansas City, Missouri from Lisa and Tim at the Walking Tourists blog. I've heard a bit about the NLB Detroit Stars, and I wrote an article about Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first African American to play Major League baseball (in Toledo, Ohio) a few years ago. I also recently read a book about an integrated baseball team originating in North Dakota during the 1930s (the excellent Color Blind: The Forgotten Team That Broke Baseball's Color Line by Tom Dunkel). So, this museum is definitely on my Midwest bucket list.

 

 

Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio

 

A Visit with Harry Truman: The Truman Library and Home Site in Independence, MO-Shanna stops (along with the buck!) at another Kansas City must-see, President Truman's presidential library and boyhood home. Check it out at A Midwest Travel Companion blog.  

 

5 Things you just can't miss in St. Louis-Check out St. Louis with Sarah as she give us this list of essential stops in her hometown on her self-titled page.  The city's art museum sounds like another place I should put on my Midwest bucket list!

 

The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD-We saw  Mitchell's Corn Palace in 2007, a year after a severe drought that caused them to curtail their yearly update, and we got a glimpse of several panels in progress. I really enjoyed seeing this post from Visual Lingual that shows a more complete and nicely lit-up facade from this year than the version we saw.

 

 

 

 

Nebraska: A Pivotal Route 6 State Often Overlooked By the Rest of the Country Is In National News Big Time-Malerie takes a look at the effect that a recent movie featuring Nebraska and actor Bruce Dern, in an "Oscar-worthy performance", is having on the state's image as somewhere worth visiting. Check it out on Malerie's Stay on Route 6, dedicated to promoting her guidebook of the same name. I've got the book and taking at least a good portion of this 3,652-mile road trip is another Midwest bucket list item for me!

 

Hiking Starved Rock State Park in the Winter-I've read about this park in Illinois many times. Pictures I've seen of its vintage-1930s lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps definitely helped this place earn a place on my Midwest bucket list long ago. Connie's story at her Midwest Wanderer blog about hiking the park during the winter shows the park in an especially beautiful light.

 

Chicago's Columbian Exposition Comes to Life at the Field Museum-Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that architecture is a frequent theme of posts here, so it should come as no surprise that I'd love to see this exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum. The 1893 World Fair in Chicago featured the work of famed architects like Daniel Burnham and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (who created New York's Central Park and had a major hand in designing and improving Detroit's park on Belle Isle). The Chicago fair also provided the setting for author Erik Larson's thrilling The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. Check out Bill's report on the museum's exhibition at the Chicago Architecture blog. The exhibit runs through September 7 of this year.

 

20 Reasons Why Cleveland Does, in Fact, Rock-This list from Keph on The Viator Travel Blog includes several of my favorite Cleveland sites like the Cleveland Museum of Art, Terminal Tower, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum and the city's famed West Side Market, as well as other places I'd like to go like the International Women's Air and Space Museum, Millionaire's Row and the Great Lakes Brewing Company.

 

 

 

West Side Market, Cleveland

 

City Market-I'm a big fan of city markets featuring the best in local produce and culinary treats, so this feature by Whitney on the Indiana Insider blog about the market in an historic city market building in downtown Indianapolis caught my eye. It's yet another entry on my Midwest bucket list!

 

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

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© Dominique King 2014 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for October 2010

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

• World's Largest Toilet, Columbus, IN-The term "go big or go home" takes on a whole new meaning with Julie's post about this, um, pit stop at the Kids' Commons Columbus' Community Children's Museum in Columbus, Indiana on the aptly named Go Big or Go Home blog.
• 20 Things to Do in Grand Rapids Before You're Dead-Great Lakes Guru Tim shares some great ideas for visiting this west Michigan city, including some of my favorites like ArtPrize, the Grand Rapids Art Museum (a.k.a. the GRAM), and the public art-filled campus at Grand Valley State University.
• Art at the Indianapolis International Airport-Stuck at the Indianapolis airport while waiting for a flight? Nicole suggests checking out the airport's great collection of public art and sleek modern architecture in her recent Indiana Insider blog post.
• Rock and Roll of Fame and Museum-Check out this story about the Cleveland, Ohio, museum at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus. The short video tour gives you a sneak peek inside of the museum, including a quick look at my favorite part of the museum--its collection of performers' stage costumes (something I haven't been able to do on Midwest Guest because of the museum's photography restrictions for visitors).
  
  
• A little trip up north...and Thomas Story Kirkbride-We've enjoyed several photowalks with Photowalks Detroit. I enjoyed seeing Carolyn's story on Michigan in Pictures about a photowalk at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City, a former mental hospital in and ongoing residential/commercial development. Be sure to check out the links in this story to see some great pictures in the Flickr streams from individual photographers involved in this photowalk.
• Drinking and Drawing in Chicago-These informal, after-hours art sessions in several Chicago studios and galleries sound like great fun. Join Rosalind at Uptake as she checks out several events that involve creativity and cocktails!
• Schlitz Fest-Read Designslinger to find out how German-born Milwaukee brewer Joseph Schiltz sent thousands of barrels of beer to thirsty folks in Chicago in the wake of the big 1871 fire. German expats there, grateful for the free beer, probably helped the company's expansion into Chicago and the establishment of these architecturally beautiful Schlitz taverns during the late 1800s/early 1900s.
• A Road Trip to...Brandywine Falls-Anthony of Ohio's Stark County News & Views takes us to Brandywine Falls at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This story brought back fond memories of our visit to this beautiful spot.
  
  
• Road Trip: Finding Oz in South Dakota-Kristen shares the story of author L. Frank Baum's beloved book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its surprising connection to Aberdeen, South Dakota. This is one in a series of Midwest Road Trip posts at Vera's A Traveler's Library blog involving books and movies with Midwestern connections (including A Road Trip to an Ordinary State: Kansas, where Vera shares the story of Truman Capote's book In Cold Blood, the movie based on the book, and the lurid crime that inspired both of them). Be sure to check out companion posts to this series at Music Road where Kerry suggests musical selections to accompany the Road Trip posts. Here's a link to Kerry's suggestions for tunes to accompany the Nebraska and Kansas leg of the trip.
• It's Buster's Birthday-Classic comedy fans will want to visit Muskegon, Michigan, where the incomparable Buster Keaton and his family called home during summers while preparing to travel the vaudeville circuit the rest of the year. Check out the Great Lakes Gazette where Kath shares the story of the Keaton family, the area's early 1900s Actors' Colony, and an annual festival dedicated to the great silent movie actor and filmmaker.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for February 2010

Here are a few Midwest stories I’ve enjoyed reading this past month:

• Those of you observing Lent may still be savoring the idea of that last taste of sweets until Easter. Join Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie as she travels to Hamtramck, Michigan, for the traditional Polish Paczki on Fat Tuesday.

• Sarah went Wandering Off and found this cool art installation on the University of Kansas campus. What do you think? Bewitching, bewildering, or bedazzling?





• I love visiting those funky and largely unknown museums that are unique to a particular city or destination. Check out this great list of unusual and unexpected museums in Cleveland, Ohio, at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus—a list that includes Lake View Cemetery, which Midwest Guest readers may remember reading about here.

• Amy of A Closer Look at Flyover Land invites readers to join her for a perfectly civilized afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota with an up-close look at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

• Aimée takes readers of the Indiana Insider Blog on a tour of Bloomington, Indiana. Check out Indiana University, do a little shopping, and have a great meal to round out your day in Bloomington.

• Kath takes Great Lakes Gazette readers on a tour of Marquette, Michigan. See what makes this Upper Peninsula city a Distinctive Destination, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Northern Michigan University, Lake Superior shoreline, cool architecture—no wonder Marquette came in first among online voters among the Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010.

• Check out these ornate Lombard Lamps in Chicago, Illinois, on the Chicago Architecture Blog. The massive lamps are familiar to residents of Hamburg, Germany, where similar lamps have lined the famous Lombard Bridge in that city since 1869.

• Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that I have a special interest in unique bridges, so I have to include this story by Linda at Travels with Children about North Dakota’s Fairview Lift Bridge.




• Christopher of the Cleveland Area History blog began compiling a list of what he judges as the 100 most important Cleveland, Ohio, Landmarks and asks readers to help complete the list. There are some great places on this list, including Lake View Cemetery’s Wade Chapel (thanks for linking to my story about the chapel, Christopher). I can’t wait to get back to Cleveland to explore some of the places on this list.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved