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…
Iowa
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…
Lately I’ve gotten way behind on blogging some of my roadside adventures, but in honor of Memorial Day, it seemed fitting to share this one.
In my travels west of Des Moines, I’ve often breezed by I-80 exit 86 without even knowing about the Freedom Rock…
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…
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…
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…
One of my favorite parts about the mini road trips we take are the tiny towns that we visit along the way. In this particular case, we found ourselves in West Bend, Iowa to visit the Grotto of the Redemption. But as lunchtime neared and our stomachs began to grumble, we knew we needed to do a little exploring…