It’s no secret that I love trivia, and one of my favorite parts of traveling is learning interesting tidbits about the places I visit. For instance, did you know that Civil War general and former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant lived in Galena, Illinois? Yeah, that’s what I thought…
Megan Bannister
Dubuque has always been a place I’ve wanted to explore. Nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River, the northwest Iowa town is just a stones throw from the Illinois and Wisconsin borders. After some amateur spelunking at Crystal Lake Cave, we spent the better part of Saturday morning exploring Dubuque, including taking a ride on the Fenelon Place Elevator…
As a general rule, I wouldn’t say I’m the type of person who typically enjoys small, dark spaces, but a few weeks ago when we were in the area, a friend and I decided to make a trip to Crystal Lake Cave in Dubuque, Iowa…
A few weeks back, I took a Friday off and hopped in the car with a friend, heading east. Our destination for the weekend? Dyersville, Iowa—home of the Field of Dreams…
When you tell your friends and co-workers that your weekend plans involve visiting a “murder house” in southwest Iowa, expect to receive some strange looks. Now that winter is finally over (or I least I hope it is) I’m back to weekend roadtripping and decided to kick off the season with a trip to the Villisca Ax Murder House…
After touring John Wayne’s birthplace and exploring Clark Tower, our stomachs were growling so we decided to celebrate the unseasonably warm November weather with an ice cream cone at Frostee’s…
As we studied our handy Madison County map—complete with all the standing Bridges of Madison County and John Wayne’s birthplace—we happened to spot Clark Tower, a three-story limestone structure hidden in Winterset City Park…
During a Saturday stop in Winterset, Iowa, we visited the birthplace of actor John Wayne. Born May 26, 1907 to Clyde and Mary Morrison, Wayne’s boyhood home is located just off the city’s main square. The tiny white home—restored to appear as it did in 1907—is surrounded by a statue of the western star, a small gift shop and, if fundraising goes well, a John Wayne Museum…
Though I was born and raised in the Midwest, both of my parents hail from the East Coast. Meaning that though I love a good slice of deep dish pizza, there’s times when I absolutely crave seafood. So a few weeks ago when my family visited Connecticut, one of my only requests was a hot, buttered lobster roll…
A few weekends ago I took an impromptu trip to Connecticut for my grandmother’s 90th birthday. She had no idea we were coming and, needless to say, it was one of the best surprises I’ve been a part of in a long time.
On the way to her house in Wolcott, I made my obliging parents take a quick detour to stop at this Muffler Man in Cheshire…