Algoma: oldest winery, formal wear, fishing, fine dive-bar fare
In the shadow of beautiful Door County, the 70-mile-long peninsula that attracts two million visitors per year, is Algoma on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The […]
Midwest
National pie champs have rural roots
Twenty years ago, Caroline Imig’s world started crashing. Her husband was killed in a farm equipment accident, leaving her as a single mother with five […]
Chicago Restaurant Week: From the Farmhouse and beyond
Downtown Chicago might seem about as far away as you can get from rural America, but think again. At Farmhouse Chicago restaurant, an antique tractor […]
Early O’Hare flight or layover? Check out Rosemont, Ill.
I am a fickle consumer when it comes to airline transportation and spend way too much time weighing fares and gateways. I favor no airline […]
Where the locals go in Madison during winter
Dreams of a white Christmas usually come true for us in Wisconsin, but there’s a quick skid of difference between picturesque wintry weather and an […]
Chicago gangster tours delve into bullet-riddled history
Mobster Al Capone was released from federal prison 75 years ago and sent home to Chicago. He was 40 years old and in bad health, […]
Grand Hotel: How to save money while savoring the landmark resort
Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel – unusual because of its appearance, architecture, attitude and location – soon goes into hibernation for six months. The Michigan summer […]
Midwest rural art parks: a smooth blend with nature
When fall colors hit their peak, we hit the road in search of the most brilliant blaze of hues. That part is expected. What adds […]
Odes to rock ‘n’ roll in Clear Lake, Iowa
The half-mile walk between northern Iowa cornfields leads to a pinwheel of copper Jell-O molds and, lower to the ground, stainless steel cutouts of a […]
B&B is retired tugboat on Mississippi River shore
Around the time Jonathan Lucroy hit his second RBI double during the All-Star Game in Minneapolis, I sat 15 miles east, without a television, clue […]
Red Wing museum gains $1.5 million pottery collection
Red Wing, a Mississippi River city on the Minnesota side, has been home to a pottery museum for years – but now it’s billed as […]
Mennonite Relief Sale: quilts, bakery, ‘Menno food’
Less than 200 miles separate Wisconsin from Bloomington, Ill., but what a potential difference in buffet lines: Red beet eggs. Ham loaf. Vareniky (stuffed dumplings). […]