Eats: Frostee’s

Ever since I can remember, all of my classmates and I desperately looked forward to spring break. Not only did it mean a week off school, but spring break always seemed to signify the impending,…

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…

It wasn’t until I started looking back on Olio in Iowa’s best of 2017 that I realized how many new places I’d explored in the last year. It’s always interesting to see which posts resonate…

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…

I guess you could say I’m a little obsessed with October. I absolutely love the first few weeks of fall and definitely wouldn’t pass up any chance I get to absorb every last moment of seasonal fun…

Growing up, we spent most summers on the banks of Lake Michigan, sun kissed and sand covered as we wandered our small summer town. Stepping out of the car in Clear Lake, Iowa, I was immediately transported back to those sprawling summer days, and a visit to the Surf Ballroom and Museum seemed like the ultimate necessity.

A few months ago, we made a detour in Cedar Falls for lunch on our way back to Des Moines and stumbled across a welcome surprise: a craft brewery. Not only is SingleSpeed Brewing a great place to grab a drink it’s also home to some truly delicious brews.

One of the best things about Bentonsport, Iowa—aside from the Village B&B—is it’s size. The unincorporated community has a population of about 40 and even if you’re moving pretty leisurely, you can make a lap around the whole village in less than half an hour.

While there’s a pretty small chance of you missing something on your exploration of Bentonsport, I wanted to put together a small walking tour of some of my favorite places…

Disclosure: I attended Harvestville Farm‘s farm-to-table dinner on a freelance assignment for Travel Iowa‘s Made in Iowa series. Travel Iowa covered my expenses and I was compensated for my writing. However, all opinions are my own. Earlier this…

What do you do while celebrating Decorah, Iowa’s 50th annual Nordic Fest? Visit the Vesterheim Museum—the National Norweign-American Museum and Heritage Center—of course! But even when it’s not the town’s biggest summer celebration, the Vesterheim Museum is a great place to learn more about the area’s rich heritage.

It’s no secret that there’s lots to see and do in northern Iowa. But you may be surprised to learn just how many delicious places there are to eat in Mason City, Iowa.

I have a confession: I did a horrible job checking locations and attractions off of my 2016 bucket list. Of all the attractions I hoped to see this year, I only made it to one….

It’s taken me a few years to realize that I don’t have the best track record when it comes to completing my annual travel bucket list. Inevitably other plans get in the way and I…

It’s really no secret that I love donuts (I’ve blogged about them before too). So it’s not surprising that a number of friends passed along articles about and gave their hearty recommendations of one of Chicago’s newest donut eateries—the Doughnut Vault…

A few weekends ago, during some sort of wonderful fluke, we had a rare 60 degree, early November Saturday in central Iowa. So Kristen and I took advantage of the sunshine and headed to Winterset, a tiny town just west and south of Des Moines, home to a surprising amount of roadside attractions and a whole lot of charm…