Midwest Guest

Midwest Travel Links February 2017

The last couple of months have been particularly tough for us here at Midwest Guest between a couple of hospital stays and the sudden death of a parent right after the holidays. We've unfortunately missed a couple of months sharing some of the great Midwest links we've found online since November, but the Midwest travel bloggers are still producing a lot of interesting stories these days, so, without further ado...

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

These stories sure make me anxious to get back on the road again!

We'll be back next month with another edition of Midwest Travel links!

48 Hours in Davenport, Iowa-Check out Kylie's check list as she explores this city on the Mississippi River in Iowa. She shows you the sites as she makes sure you'll see the high points in like museums and the best places to get a bite to eat as you see the sights. Check out her story at the Between England and Iowa blog.

Which of Indiana's 92 County Courthouses is Your Favorite?-I'm a big fan of country courthouses with their unique architecture and great stories about the history of a local area, so Chris's story about Indiana's courthouses and his work photographing and telling the story of these great pieces of the state's history was a must read for me this month. Check out the photos and links to the Indiana Courthouse Squares Web site at Chris's story at the Indiana Insider blog. Tim knows my affection for courthouses, and one of my presents this Christmas was The Magnificent 92 Indiana Courthouses by John Dilts. Be sure to check out my previous stories  about the Indiana Courthouse Squares project and stories about our visits to the Indiana courthouses at Elkhart, Noblesville and in Hendricks County.  

Rehabilitating Wildlife at Willowbrook Nature Center in Glen Ellyn, IL-Mel learns about science and conservation issues at Willowbrook in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn. Whether you want to learn  more about the local wildlife or need to find a safe place to take an injured native animal you find in the neighborhood, Willowbrook is the perfect natural respite or place to learn about the world around you. Check out the story at A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.   

Off the Beaten Path: 14 Ohio Hidden Gems-Here's a great list of spots both well-known, and not so prominent, to check out the next time you're planning a trip to Ohio. Kayrn likes the state's central location and relatively compact size, which makes it full of great options for unique day trips and weekend getaways. I've been to a few of the places on this list like Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-in-Bay and the Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve in Sandusky, but there are plenty of other good suggestions here. Check out the article at the Sand and Snow...and everywhere in between blog. 

Lewis and Clark's winter camp in Washburn, North Dakota-Imagining the challenge of dealing with a North Dakota winter more than 200 years ago when temperatures might reach 40 degrees below zero can really make visitors appreciate the hard work needed to build Fort Mandan in central North Dakota. A replica of the original fort near Bismarck helps history enthusiasts vividly visualize the hardships faced by fames explorers Lewis and Clark. Check out the story at the Walking Tourists blog.

North Dakota Road Trip Day 5: Bismarck to Dickinson-Connie also visited central North Dakota and explored some of the same areas with a trip along the Old Red Ten Scenic Byway.  Check out sights like the "world's largest Holstein cow", Fort Sauerkraut, the Enchanted Highway and more in the story at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Crescent Lake NWR Road Trip-Muriel chose and unseasonably warm day in February to explore some tiny towns and some of Nebraska's nicest parks and wildlife refuge areas. Check out her suggestions for spending a few hours taking photographs, bird watching, motorcycling or spotting some spectacular trains. Check it out at the Nebraska Outback blog.

Damn Right, Chicago's Got the Blues-Max loves the blues and offers this appreciation for the current state of the blues, which he says is a bit in the doldrums these days. But even as the blues may be a bit more difficult to find in the Windy City these days, this story offers some historical perspective of the city and its blues history, as well as a few suggestions for a few places where the blues is still alive and well. Check it out at the Urbanologist blog.

Every Cemetery in Detroit: Woodlawn Cemetery-Amy has a special affection for Detroit's cemeteries and their fascinating histories. This story is part of her ongoing series about Detroit graveyards, their history, art and architecture. Originally called Woodward Lawn Cemetery, Woodlawn still continues to be the place to see many last resting places of the city's  most prominent residents and some of the city's nicest architecture and art. Woodlawn even boasts a headstone for Michael Jackson's toys (I kid you not!). Check out Amy's story at The Night Train.     

The Jaws of Point Betsie-Check out this awesome image of one of my favorite lighthouses in northern Michigan-Point Betsie! Farland features this image by Kristina at the Michigan in Pictures blog. Check out more of Kristina's photos at her Kristina Lishawa Photography page and see a image that I made during the lighthouse's renovation a number of years back that was recently featured (March 2) at the Point Betsie Lighthouse page on Facebook!

5 Adventures to try at Crystal Mountain-We've visited Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan many times over the years, so it was fun to check out Nedra's story about her adventures at this northern Michigan resort. She discovered the special joy of visiting during the winter with adventures like skiing, snowboarding and fat tire biking as well as visiting Crystal's Art Legacy Park, which is a 30-acre sculpture park in the woods which we also enjoyed visiting. Check out the story at the Adventure Mom blog.

Midwest Travel Links November 2016

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

There's nothing like a cheesy tourist stop to start off our Midwest travel link love list this month, so without further ado, here's our list of fun stops around the Web for Midwest travel info!

Say Cheese! A Frankenmuth Roadside Attraction-This place in downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan always puts a smile on my face when we stop by! We're big cheese fans, and we've found that the cheese spread at this place is pretty darn decent as well! I'm thinking we may have to head on back here later on during the winter for a cheese-in-the-snow shot! Check out Tonya's story about this cheese store at The Traveling Praters blog.

3 MUST Visit Holiday Destinations in the Midwest-Tonya takes advantage of her proximity to one of the largest holiday themed travel stops in Frankenmuth, Michigan to visit and help readers get into the holiday spirit! We're within an hour of Frankenmuth, so we are more partial to visiting for the novelty of Christmas in July, but there's really no time like the present to check out this town, plus two other places in Indiana and Ohio to enjoy Christmas. Check it out at The Traveling Praters blog.

Unique Midwest Holiday Events-Wondering where to find some seasonal fun in the Midwest? Melissa gives readers a half-dozen ideas for holiday travel in the Heartland, which, or course, includes a stop in Michigan's Frankenmuth! Get in the holiday spirit with these attractions in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Check it out at A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.

Halloween 2016: Half Pint-I know I'm not the only one among my readers who loved the "Little House" books as a child, and I found this particular story of a child with parents who loved helping her make her dreams of playing "Half Pint" come true! Check out Jim's story about the adventures of "Laura" and "Pa" in suburban Detroit at the Sweet Juniper blog.

#VisitASuffragist in Michigan this election season-Amy started out with the idea of paying a respectful visit to the gravesite of a particular suffragist in Michigan, and found the idea quickly spiraling into an idea to locate many more such sites and map them for future reference. While this year's election is past, Amy is already looking forward to working on expanding the map through the election in 2020, which is, incidentally, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment...you know, the one that gave women the vote! Read about Amy's project and a follow-up post (Two weeks and nearly 40 suffragists later...) about her progress in finding and acknowledging these political pioneers at The Night Train blog. Makes me want to pin on my Jeanette Rankin button once again (yes, I have one from Rankin's second go-round in 1940 and found it in among my political souvenirs just before November's contest).   

 

 

 

Through the eyes of an Educator: Rapids City, South Dakota-Stacey always appreciated coastal states with their close proximity to water, but this tour of South Dakota might change your mind about the charms of a Midwestern prairie state as it did hers. I appreciate the wide, open spaces (especially with the highways that sometimes allow you to rip along at 80mph!), but make sure you slow down and take in the unique scenery, culture and history Stacey discovered in South Dakota. Check out here story at the Wandering Educators blog.

Needles, South Dakota

Setting Out for a Road Trip Through Nebraska-Join Jenna and Micah as they embark on their first road trip through the Cornhusker State. Discover what a runza is...and more!...as the couple explores an eclectic mix of urban and outdoor adventures while traveling through the state. Check it out at the Wander the Map blog. Be sure to check out A Photo Essay: Road Trip Through Nebraska for a more detailed review of their trip!

5 Reasons Nebraska Needs to be on Your Travel Radar-Check out Kirsten's story at the Kids are a Trip blog for another take on traveling through Nebraska. Check out the state's abundance of natural wonders like its sand hills cranes and badlands, as well as things like great foodie scenes and its famous National Monuments geological parks and cool fossil formations.  

Can You Believe that Iowa Looks Like THIS?-Kylie is making all sorts of new discoveries as a British expat currently living in Iowa! Here, Kylie considers Iowa's wealth of scenic foot trails and sees some of the early autumn colors as they kiss the landscape. Check it out at the Between England & Iowa blog.

Wilstem Ranch: How to Bathe an Elephant-On thing you should know when traveling around the Midwest is that you should expect to find the unexpected. Connie proves this to be the point as she learns that giving an elephant a bath is a lot like washing a car. Learn a little more about these majestic creatures and participate in one of the most unusual "spa" experiences in, wait for it, Indiana! that you'll ever find at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

A Behind the Scenes Tour of the Toledo Zoo-We're fairly close to the Ohio state line, so visiting the Toledo Zoo is a nice was to make a day trip for us. I find the WPA-era architecture and history of the zoo particularly fascinating, and I appreciate the thoughtful upgrades and renovations they've made at their campus without sacrificing the vintage vibe of the buildings. We visited the Zoo a few years ago just as they were adding the Penguin Beach and Flamingo Key and saw a lot of the early work done as they prepared to renovate the historic aquarium there, so I particularly enjoyed seeing Nedra's post that included images of the now-completed project. Check it out at the Adventure Mom blog.

South Bend: History and Happenings-Check out Amy's post for a tour of South Bend, Indiana. We loved seeing the architectural wonders on campus of the University of Notre Dame and checking out the cool vintage cars at the Studebaker National Museum which are also South Bend sites Amy recommends for visitors. Check out her report at the Indiana Insider blog.

Meanwhile, I always like to hear about any other favorite Midwest stories or blogs you think I might like to check out!

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Made in the Midwest: A Round-up of some great home-grown and homemade products

As I see more and more stories about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and shopping until I drop, I'd love to remind folks to make the extra effort to support their Midwestern neighbors and their businesses by shopping locally and buying local products and services.

I asked some fellow Midwestern travel bloggers for some suggestions, and here are some fun ideas for creating a real Midwestern holiday as you shop for your loved ones...or just if you want to grab a little something for yourself this holiday season!

Exploration of The Wildbird Shack in Mt. Prospect Reveals Locally Made Items and Sense of Community-Mel urges readers of the A Little Time and a Keyboard blog to check out a cute local store in the Chicago area as they shop for seeds and other supplies and help their local avian friends weather the winter. Even as the temperatures plunge, The Wildbird Shack is a warm and welcoming place, as well as a community center for bird lovers that highlights local product and the store's own special blends of seed and other feed.

Anderson's Candy Shop (Barrington)-Working up an appetite while feeding your feathered friends? Mel says to stop by this local candy company in suburban Chicago and get a treat for yourself! Anderson's is a three-generation family business with gorgeous house-made chocolate treats in more than 30 different flavors with creamy, crunchy, chewy centers and more. Mel particularly Anderson's chocolate-dipped ginger bars and tells us that the Barrington store also participates in the town's Wine Walk events.

Made in CBUS-The Experience Columbus Web site devotes a lot of space to highlighting local dining, attractions and shopping for folks heading to Ohio's capital city for a few days. The city takes a special pride in their local businesses that include independent restaurants and locally owned boutiques, many of which offer locally made product created by Columbus artisans, craftspeople and designers. Columbus is #3 on a list of Fashionable Destinations from USA Today, and recent ranked as top Midwest Destination for visitors. Columbus has a number of special shopping districts in town like Short North Arts District and German Village, and these are just a few things you can learn more about at Experience Columbus. 

Motor City Brew Tours-If you're a beer drinker and live near Detroit as I do, you know that the Motor City has a wealth of great local brews! Aimee West tells us that Motor City Beer Tours put together a package that includes a gift certificate, a Detroit Beer Book (why have I yet to see this one?) and a few other tools like a can koozie and coaster to help you experience your tasting tour knowledgeably and in style!

Holen One Farms and Preferred Popcorn from Nebraska-Check out Gretchen's story at the Odyssey Through Nebraska blog to find out about a couple of companies owned by Nebraskans  who create and package local food products to sell at fairs (like the State Fair where Gretchen discovered them) and other outlets. Holen One Farms offer a range of grilling products like marinades, dipping sauces and seasoning rubs to help you put a little zip into your meals (Gretchen and her family like their Java Rib and Roast Rub). Gretchen also discovered some zippy microwavable jalapeno popcorn from Nebraska's Preferred Popcorn, which is a company run by several Nebraskan farm families.

Holiday Adventures with Adventure Santa-Cindy shares a story about a couple in Minnesota who created a toy and book combo to help share holiday adventures with the jolly holiday fellow  and your children while spending time together! Baking cookies? Cutting down your own Christmas tree? Or creating a new holiday tradition with your family? This is a fun way to get  your children involved and using their own imaginations to help create holiday happiness! Check it out at Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.

More ideas about regional holiday products, services other things Made in the Midwest? Share them here or let me know as I'll continue to share more ideas this month about how you can support local sites and businesses as you complete your holiday shopping!

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 February 2016

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

First Person: 4 Hours in Flint, Michigan Guide-Even though Ginanne is an American journalist based in London, England these days, her hometown of Flint, Michigan never remains far from her heart. It may be easier for reporters to focus on the bad news coming out of Flint these days, but Ginanne uses her space here to share some of the things she loves about Flint. We're familiar with a few of the things on Ginanne's list of suggestions, but there are plenty of other things we've yet to see that merit a return trip to Flint for us. Check it out at Ginanne's eponymous blog.

Eat Well in Detroit in Honor of Black History Month-If you enjoy a good cup of coffee, Aaron is your go-to guy on the Web, where he regularly covers the coffee scene in the Midwest region and beyond at his elATLboy blog. This past month, he added a few sweet treats into the mix by sharing a few of his foodie and coffee discoveries in southeast Michigan. Read all about it at this article in the Awesome Mitten blog.

Detroit Institute of Arts

Discovering the Unexpected Art of Detroit-Jessica describes Detroit as a "comeback" city with a "promising future" despite its past challenges and urges visitors to explore the city's rich art scene. It's fun to hear folks talk about Detroit in more glowing terms these days, although locals already know about great sites like the Detroit Institute of Arts (where we've long had a membership) and the Guardian Building (where Tim and I most recently went for a photo shoot with the Motor City Camera Club). Read about some must-see Detroit sites at the Viator Travel Blog.

The most underrated museum in Cincinnati that you need to visit-I love vintage roadside attractions and signs, so visiting the American Museum of Signs has long been on my Midwest Bucket List. I enjoyed Nedra's story about the museum at her Adventure Mom blog, and it makes me even more anxious to take a trip to Cincinnati to check it out!

Riding South Dakota's Badlands-Diane shares the story at My Itchy Travel Feet about joining her husband on a pilgrimage to Sturgis, South Dakota for one of this country's most well-known and well-attended annual motorcycling events. Join her as she explores the state's Badlands and Black Hills via bike.

Omaha Day Trip to Plattsmouth-Kim decided to check out a well-reviewed restaurant in this small Nebraska town about 20 miles south of Omaha and found plenty to do. She followed up a great meal with dessert at a classic soda fountain. Find out a little more about Plattsmouth and its history at the Oh My Omaha blog.

Milwaukee Art Museum-This Museum is another site on my Midwest Bucket List, and a destination we delayed planning a trip to when I learned that it was still in the middle of a major renovation and reimagining last year. I'm hoping to get there now that the entire museum opened its doors to the public late last year. I've long admired the museum with its innovative architecture and hope we'll get there later this year. Read Kenneth's story about the museum at the Wisconsin Explorer blog.

Take in Beauty and History on a Tour of the Indiana Statehouse-We loved visiting Indianapolis last year. We stayed right downtown where we had a great view of Indiana's Capitol building, but one of my biggest regrets was that we did not get to tour the building on that trip. Hopefully we'll get back there in this, Indiana's Bicentennial year. Meanwhile, I enjoyed Carrie's story, which took readers on a tour of this building and told us about its history and architecture. Check it out at the Indiana Insider blog.

Know Nebraska: Lincoln Highway, Lodgepole, Nebraska-This one is a follow-up to Muriel's story that I featured last month about traveling the Lincoln Highway through Nebraska. Lodgepole, once a Pony Express Station, is also an interesting stop along the historic route of the Lincoln Highway through Nebraska. Check the story out at the Nebraska Outback blog.

Star Gazing in Central Ohio-We love traveling to parts of the country where we can actually see the stars at night, as opposed to the few, isolated pinpoints of light we sometimes see through the light pollution in the big city. Check out Kayrn's account of seeing a glorious night sky in central Ohio (I'm even more jealous once I discovered she'd actually stayed in a yurt that night-another item on my Midwest Bucket List!). Check it out on the Sand and Snow...and Everywhere In Between blog.

Ohio's Covered Bridges in Vinton County near Hocking Hills-I love covered bridges and liked checking out this guide to several of the scenic spans in Ohio's Vinton County. We've been thinking we'd like to return to the Hocking Hills area soon, and this looks like a nice tour to take in while exploring back roads in the area. Check out Tonya's story at The Traveling Praters' blog.

 

Zender's Wooden Bridge in Frankenmuth

8 Small Town Michigan Overnight Getaways-Check out Shalee's list of small towns to explore in Michigan. We've visited a lot of these places, but we've still got St. James and Epoufette to see on a future trip! Check out the story at Shalee Wanders.

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 January 2016

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

Remembering the Michigan Blizzard of 1978-I laugh every time I hear someone complain about what seems to amount to me to be not much more than a dusting of snow. It's no joke when I say that I can expect a blizzard here on my birthday, because I actually remember one of Michigan's most severe blizzards. It happened in 1978, and you can check out Farlane's Michigan in Pictures blog (make sure you watch the video!).

Bishop Baraga, R.I.P.-Father Baraga, the "Snowshoe Priest", embraced Michigan's snow, as an explorer traveling to the Lake Superior Shore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during the mid-1800s. We visited this tribute site to Father Baraga a number of years back, but it was fun to revisit the outsized sculpture and shrine paying tribute to the adventurous priest via Kath's story at the Great Lakes Gazette blog.

Enjoy Winter in North Dakota, because "The Snow Will be Gone before We Know It"-I wish we'd have more snow in the winters here as I've barely had any time when I could cross-country ski in the park behind my house this year, or any other of a number of recent years. Kylie urges readers of the Horizontal Lines blog to take advantage of the winter weather and shares the story of a recent cross-country trek she took with her mom.

Know Nebraska: Lincoln Highway, North Platte to Lodgepole-I've enjoyed driving the Lincoln Highway the length of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, as well as through portions of Illinois, and Pennsylvania and learning the history of America's first trans-continental highway. I enjoyed reading about Muriel's travels through Nebraska on the fabled road and hope to make the same drive someday myself. Check it out on the Nebraska Outback blog.

Back to my Detroit Area Winter Sunset Spot-It's difficult to see the beauty winter beauty of the Detroit area when we seem to be experiencing what I call six-months-of-November, but Aaron found the sweet sunset spot at Kensington Metro Park and shares this photo essay of the beautiful scene at The Adventures of elATLboy blog.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Life in the Fast Lane-Been thinking about hometown guy Glen Frey of the Eagle a lot lately in the wake of his recent death, so it somehow seems appropriate to share Deb's story about experiencing "life in the fast lane" at Indianapolis. Take a ride about the racetrack and learn a bit about the famous race, its history and attractions at Indy. Check it out at the Just Short of Crazy blog.

12 Fun Facts You May Not Know about the Midwest-Connie assembles this list of a dozen fun facts that include answers to the questions: Where did the World's Tallest Man call home? Where is the World's largest railroad yard? Where is the largest producer of cranberries in the country? Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Picture Book Minneapolis-Check out this cool collection of vintage views of Minneapolis at the Nokohaha blog. My favorites here include a view of the Stone Arch Bridge, with the Tenth Avenue Bridge in the foreground, and a beautiful parkway known as Calhoun Boulevard during what looks like it could be from the first decade of the 1900s.

And since we started out this list several distinctly winter views, here are a couple of stories more spring-like in nature-

Revitalizing Detroit Michigan one Tree at a Time-Deb takes a look at Hantz Farms, an innovative program that seeks to clean up and revitalize some of the most troubled and vacant properties in Detroit. I remember hearing a lot of discussion and resistance to the farm's plan as organizers first proposed ways to make the city more livable, so it was definitely interesting to read Deb's take on the story and see the progress made over the last couple of years. Check it out at the Just Short of Crazy blog.

Milwaukee Pubic Market: Exploring Lunch Options-Speaking of growing things, Connie checks out Milwaukee's famed Public Market and the locally produced and grown items available there. This place resembles the West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio and is definitely on my list of places we want to visit when we finally get to Milwaukee. Read the story at 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 2016 All rights reserved

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 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