Underground Indiana: Kid-Friendly Cave Exploring at Indiana Caverns

Just a few miles away from the Ohio River sits Indiana Caverns underneath a grassy field. Indiana Caverns is one of 4 caves that make up the Indiana Cave Trail in the southern end of the state. On this road trip I visited ALL 4 of these caves in 2 days which is extremely doable – even with small children.

That leaves you PLENTY of time for other sightseeing or enjoying time at a campground (I recommend Buffalo Trace Campground!). PLUS if you visit ALL 4 caves you’ll get a free t-shirt! How cool is that?!

If you’ve never been inside of a cave before you can take a tour in this one ANY time of year – no matter what the weather is like! In fact they are only closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The weather is constant because it’s underground (about 56*) so it’s a great year-round attraction to visit! It’s perfect for families and the cave tour takes roughly 1.5 hours.

You’ll start by watching a short 15 minute video that helps give you some background on the cave system that you’ll soon be heading down into. In fact you’ll be about 110 feet underground -but wait! You’ll ALSO get to enjoy a 25 minute boat ride!

Boat ride tour at Indiana Caverns — Photo credit: Dave Black Copyright: Indiana Caverns

If you’re just like me, and all you want to do is HEAD RIGHT TO THE CAVE, just keep scrolling down! But for the rest of you wanting to see what Indiana Caverns has to offer, you’ll want to read the tips and pointers below! Especially if you are traveling with those who will not be going in the cave!

Cave & Karst Interpretive Trail:

The property surrounding Indiana Caverns is HUGE! If you have kids that have been cooped up in the car for a long road trip – this is absolutely the place to let your kids run outdoors! There is PLENTY of open space for you here! Next to the Indiana Caverns building is a fantastic interpretive trail that is really interesting to compare to your cave tour.

interpretive cave trail signs in Indiana

Along the simple trail are signs that point out where the Battle of Corydon took place, which room you are standing over or next to beneath you in the cave system, and other historical information. You can see here on the 3rd stop that you are over the drain of Blowing Hole Boulevard.

Especially for Kids:

Caverns of the Sabertooth kid's cave tunnel

mouth of the sabertooth kid's cave tunnel

Not all kids are OK with bring underground in a cave for over an hour – no matter how lit it is. OR maybe your kids want more of a wild cave experience where they can actually crawl and climb through dark tunnels. Either way the Cavern of the Sabertooth is for both of them!

In fact if you can fit you can go too! For a few bucks your kids will get a flashlight and cave hat to wear to try out this manmade tunnel system which simulates real cave exploring! If you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet Mr. Tooth, the furry orange kitty that you see laying in the front of the sabertooth mouth there.

Indiana Caverns Photo Opps:

sabertooth wood carving at Indiana Caverns

cave explorer photo opp at Indiana Caverns

If you’re worried you’ll forget about your wonderful trip to Indiana Caverns or you just want to show your friends how lucky you were to visit – snap some selfies and photos at some of these fun photo opp spots! Outside there’s a gem mining station that makes a fun picture spot with kids! You can buy a bag of sand and gems or fossils inside the gift shop.

Indiana Caverns Gift Shop:

natural agates and rocks at cave gift shope

When you first walk into the building at Indiana Caverns it’s delightfully open, naturally sleek with plenty of room to walk around and stretch your legs. Impressive really. The gift shop is fantastic and there’s even a pressed penny machine (my favorite!). Whether you want a small trinket or stone to remember your day or a pricier more stunning gem or fossil – you’ll find it here!

Inside of Indiana Caverns:

This tunnel connects you from the gift shop right down into the cave. Although all of the walkways are smooth to walk on with very good hand rails you’ll need to be able to handle walking on this steep path as well as several flights of stairs.

I’d say it’s a great cave tour for your average fit person who does not have any disability that prevents them from a little bit of stairs and inclined/declined walkways. It’s a great tour for families with children as well!

family on a cave tour in Indiana Caverns

Myron was my tour guide and MAN was he fantastic! If you find yourself on a cave tour at Indiana Caverns make sure you get on his tour if you can! He has a REAL passion and obsession with caves just like I do! I ended up on a tour with a family that had 4 small children – it was their first time in a cave and they were pretty scared.

After all a cave is darker (even though it is well lit!) and enclosed. Throughout the tour Myron was impressively phenomenal with these kids while still teaching about a TON of things in the cave system.

Don’t let the vastness of this cave room fool you – just ask Gary Roberson, developer and CEO of Indiana Caverns. Unfortunately I did not get to meet him on the day I was at Indiana Caverns but hopefully someday I’ll have the opportunity to meet the legend himself. He has personally developed, owned, or sold the majority of the caves in the Indiana Cave Trail and personally mapped out much of the Binkley Cave system.

Cave exploring is a dangerous muddy business and not for the faint of heart. (I’m not talking about a regular show cave tour!) If you’re up for a fantastic story about the Binkley Cave System then you’ll want to buy Gary’s book 50 Years Under the Sinkhole Plain.

ceiling of stalactites in Indiana Caverns

This being an active cave system you’ll see plenty of stalactites which hang tight to the ceiling.

Taking photos inside of a cave can be extremely difficult due to the low light conditions but this photo can help give you an idea of the vastness of this cave room. You can see the stairs on the other side of where I am standing in this photo and how it winds up into another portion of the cave. The main cave room is about 85 feet tall and 168 feet long!

Although there is a lot of walking on the cave tour and a reasonable amount of stairs, great care was taken in building the walk way system. The path is flat and not slippery, the hand rails allow for good grip and it’s very safe for children. As I said I’ve been on dozens of show cave tours and this was one of the best walkway systems I’ve been on.

walkway to underground cave river in Indiana

By the time we made it back to this part of the cave tour I started getting excited, because I knew a boat ride was soon in my future! Although my photos turned out a little MEH, Myron took plenty of time to search out blind crayfish.

YES! There are a few critters in Indiana Caverns. Blind cavefish are white since they have no skin pigment. In fact leaving a flashlight shining on them makes them pretty unhappy and they’ll quickly scurry away and look for a dark spot to hide under a rock. We saw several blind crayfish on the tour.

The long pontoon type boat was such a highlight! There are not many public caves in the USA that you have to load into a boat to view and Indiana has TWO of them! (the other is Bluespring Caverns).

The underground river may seem a little frightening to some but the water is only 3-6 ft deep. So even if someone were to fall out of the boat – they could just stand right up! In fact the boat tour doesn’t even go to the end of the cave. The cave tunnel extends 28 MILES past the end of the boat tour. WOW!

If you look closely at the photo above you can make out a glimpse of the 4 story waterfall that you’ll see on the Indiana Caverns tours. It’s just to the left of the stairs.

I have to admit – I am completely bias here. I absolutely LOVE CAVES and I loved my time at Indiana Caverns so much I wish I could have stayed and worked there! I dreamed of being an archaeologist as a child so add that right in with my love of caves and it’s the perfect mix. The staff I met were SO FRIENDLY and kind.

I absolutely adore this attraction and know you will too! If you’ve never been to a cave before (or if you’ve been to dozens!) Indiana Caverns is a great first cave tour for you. It’s educational, it’s unique, and it’s living history and science that’s being created and mapped out even as you read this.

Ice Age Bones in Indiana Caverns:

This is what got me really excited – they have discovered multiple locations inside of Indiana Caverns with piles of Ice Age bones! ICE AGE! This is PHENOMENAL! This is the greatest discovery of Ice Age bones in the United States! And YOU can walk right through the cave and see it!

In 2010 2 ISS Cavers spotted an opening up high in the ceiling and found an unexplored cave passage. (You can actually see this on the tour.) They traveled down almost a mile – it took them 4 hours! Eventually they found a shorter path. This cave system is the LONGEST cave system in Indiana and the 4th longest in the USA. (about 44 miles have been mapped and counting!)

The initial discovery found a peccary (similar to a wild pig) skull, a black bear skull, a juvenile bison, a fisher skeleton, bird bones, a snake, bear wallows, and claw marks. You’ll actually get to see a spot in the cave where bear claw marks are!

Now the Indiana State Museum does annual archeology digs to learn more above the what animals the Binkley cave system has seen throughout the years. This area of the cave was dubbed Big Bone Mountain and is one of the largest roomiest sections of the cave.

pile of Ice Age bones found in Indiana Caverns

I’ve been to over 30 caves in the USA and Indiana Caverns holds so many things I had never seen in a cave before. Ice age bones, helictites and churts! It truly was a fantastic day for me to see such an amazing piece of history and nature.

Details & Video of Indiana Caverns:

GPS Address: 1267 Green Acres Drive SW, Corydon, IN 47112
Phone Number: 812-734-1200
Social: Facebook and Twitter
Website: https://www.indianacaverns.com
Open: 363 Days a Year! Tours from 9AM – 4PM
Rates: $11.50 (ages 4-12) $21 (adult 13+) Pre-buy for a discount here!
Handicap Accessible: NO
Ages: ALL!
NOT Allowed Inside the Cave: Strollers, Backpacks, Food, Drinks, Pets
Extreme Adventures: Deep Darkness Challenge

Other Underground Indiana Adventures:

historic red brick tunnels under Indianapolis

The Most Unexpected Catacombs Tour Below Indianapolis, Indiana

Caves Historical Midwest Oddities

I attended a tour of the Catacombs in Indianapolis as part of a press tour.

I was planning my way for a road trip through Indiana, specifically to head down to their Cave Trail on a much needed adventure when I saw a photo of Catacombs below Indianapolis. BLOWN AWAY. Let that just sink in, there is a Catacombs tour underneath the big city of Indianapolis! Everyone I talked to couldn’t believe it!

They had NO IDEA there was a historic tunnel system underneath the City Market. This isn’t the type of catacombs you would expect to tour in Europe. There are no bones of any kind, but rather a historic basement in Tomlinson Hall built in the late 1800’s. If you’re intrigued read on!

City Market Sign in Indianapolis, Indiana

To understand what’s underground below the city in Indianapolis you need to see a little bit above ground first. Smack dab in the middle of downtown is the City Market. This has been the bustling scene of Indianapolis for well over 100 years. In fact the entire area was covered with throngs of people, wagons and horses. People would come down to go shopping, have meetings, and they still do today!

History Still Standing:

historic brick wall at City Market Indianapolis, Indiana

There was a fire in the 1958 that burned down portions of the area including the original Tomlinson Hall. For whatever reason the basement was left as is and the current workplace built over top. You can still see original structures like this one above the plaza in front of the City Market.

historic brick arch wall Indianapolis, Indiana

It makes a great photo spot! I LOVE the old brick that was used and the fact that they left this entryway as a reminder of what used to be.

City Market:

Having never been to Indianapolis before I didn’t actually know what City Market was. When I walked inside I was quite surprised! It was full of fantastic places to eat and a level of chairs lining glass windows all the way through the building! It was so lovely!! I know where I will be stopping in at the next time I’m in the city!

Since I visited in the winter months I had the luxury of a private tour with Indiana Landmarks down into the Catacombs. However they have tours open to the public in the warmer months although you need to pre-purchase your tickets here! I can imagine they fill up quickly!

Unfortunately because this is a historic undeveloped area it is not accessible for wheelchairs, canes, strollers, or walkers. You’ll need to be able to walk down a flight of stairs with close toed shoes as there are uneven surfaces.

For those physically able it is not a spooky or even small area – it’s lined with vaulted archways and plenty of space to move around. It is, however, old with good chances of being musty but I didn’t particularly notice anything bothersome.

Inside the Catacombs:

brick Catacombs Below City Market Indianapolis, Indiana

The tour meets in the City Market where you will walk next door into a sleek busy workplace. Just a few steps down some stairs you’ll walk into a starkly different environment – it’s amazing! Shortly after stepping off the last stair you’ll find yourself on a dirt floor lined with plywood to walk on that leads you over into the amazing historic basement.

The Catacombs aren’t quite as mysterious as they seem. It essentially is just a basement to a historic building that has predominately been used as storage over the years. Although they currently do have functions down there where the space can be rented out, and if you’re lucky, you might be in town for a day that they are offering a tour and learn far more than I’ve shared here. Not to mention that the area makes for some dramatic killer photos!

brick Catacombs tunnel Below Indianapolis, Indiana

It really is a breathtaking view and made me want to just run around and explore every nook and cranny! I had to stay with my tour guide but I was just fascinated looking around at such an amazing architecture right below the city!

If you’ve drive through Indianapolis there’s a good change you drove right past the area and didn’t even realize it! Normally when I’m on a tour I try to type as many notes as I can into my phone but this time I couldn’t help but just stare around me and take in how amazing this structure was!

As with any place underground the tunnels here are much cooler which is why it’s so great for storage! Especially for storing food before there were refrigerators available! As an adventurous girl that likes to explore nooks and crannies of seemingly unfound or little known places I was in heaven in the Indianapolis Catacombs!!

I VERY much appreciate the effort of those who have taken such great care to not only preserve this history but also understanding that much of the public is curious to go underground and visit it as well!

I applaud them for opening up so many tours during the year to take small groups down into the Catacombs and learn about the history of the area that many people have no clue about!

Although most of the tunnel area in the Catacombs tour is a relatively clean red brick area the growth here in this “hallway” made the Catacombs look even COOLER! I couldn’t help but be drawn to it and take a few extra pictures! There is not dripping water or moisture it seems of any kind – it’s really quite a dry area.

Naturally one wants to know if such an amazing underground location is haunted -whether or not you believe in ghosts! Although it seems that the Catacombs are relatively a ghost free location they do leave this set of chairs out after a photo taken seems to have a ghost sitting in a chair.

I didn’t feel spooked while on the tour but I’ll leave this one for you to explore yourself!

Whether you love exploring seemingly abandoned places, admiring incredible architecture, thrive on learning about the history that precedes us, or simply want something unique and unusual to do, I definitely recommend the Indianapolis Catacombs tour underneath City Market. You won’t be disappointed!

The history here is irreplaceable so please please be responsible and don’t try to sneak in! You can get plenty of photos on the tour or line up your own event and rent out the space!

Other Unique & Historical Things to Do in Indianapolis:

Crown Hill Cemetery
Indiana State Medical Museum
Indiana State Museum
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Indianapolis Children’s Museum
White River State Park

Follow us on Facebook at Exploration America or join our weird travel group at Stranger Travels USA!

Other Underground Indiana Locations:

Free Printable Animal Tracks Flashcards – Animal Footprints Printable

DIY Kids Nature Printables

These printable free printable animal tracks flashcards will be a great reference when searching for animal prints on the trail! The best place to find animal tracks are on soft muddy areas or shortly after a fresh rain! This is an especially fun activity for kids because not only are they on a great treasure hunt for animal footprints but they are also outdoors in nature!

We are a HUGE outdoorsy nature loving and geocaching family so searching for animals, their tracks, and even their scat is pretty normal for my kids! You can see that with our collection of skulls and bones here! (One of our favorite books to take on a nature hike is Tracks, Scat, and Signs!) But I realize some kids need a little extra prompting to get outdoors or help properly identify animal tracks that they come across on a nature hike.

There are several things that you can do when you find animal footprints! You can take a picture of them. Measure them and record them in a journal. Or even try your hand at making a plaster cast of them for kids to show off later! See how Surviving a Teacher’s Salary took this animal footprints idea and turned it into beautiful artwork!

Discover mushrooms on your hiking trip? Try making mushroom spore print art!

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Below are a couple of images that you will find in the Printable Animal Footprint Cards set:

Animal Tracks featured in this set are as listed below:

Bear
Cat
Coyote
Crow
Deer
Dog
Fox
Squirrel
Skunk

How to Make Your Printable Animal Flashcards Last Longer:

I HIGHLY recommend laminating these free printable cards with a simple at home laminator so that it will be water resistant and last longer outdoors. You can even use a hole punch and thread them onto a notebook ring. Stash them in a field bag along with any nature items or clues you come across! If you prefer a more digital version for identifying animal tracks consider the MyNature Animal Tracks app.

PRINT HERE ==> Animal Tracks Explorer ID Cards

Here are some other amazing printable nature cards:

FREE Printable Moon Phases ID Cards plus BONUS Space Poster

FREE Printable Solar System ID Flashcards

Awesome Places in the USA for Kids to Explore:

Tips to Survive the City Museum St. Louis Missouri

Camping Playset Travel Printable

DIY Kids Printables

Camping can be an incredible (and inexpensive!) adventure with kids, but not practical year-round if you live in an overly hot or cold climate. Or maybe you’re not up for camping with small children yet but they love playing with camping playsets like this one which is one of our favorite starter sets for little ones.

(If you have a toddler I highly recommend this Laugh N Learn Camping Lantern here.)

Just click the file below to access our free camping playset travel printable for kids! Below are some ideas of how we’ve used our camping playset!

PRINT HERE ==> Camping PlaySet Printable

Camping Playset Travel Printable game- perfect travel fun for kids to stay busy in the car, on the road, in hotels or while camping!

There are 2 ways you can use these free camping travel playset printables. One is by cutting out the pieces included and attaching them to simple magnetic sheets like the ones we purchased here. Simple place them on the magnet sheet and cut as desired!

We bought a cheap $1 metal cookie sheet so that we could take our magnetic play set with us when we traveled in the car! I laminated the background piece so it would last longer and sprayed a quick coat of sealer on the magnets for further protection.

In the printable camping playset you’ll also notice characters with a brown rectangle at the bottom. Cut the entire thing out as one piece and tape the ends of the rectangle together in a circle like the ones in our photo above. 3D Camping Play!

You can choose to laminate them if you want your hard work of cutting out these woodsy friends to last longer! At home I simply use a small personal laminator that usually cost under $20 to preserve our travel printable play sets and games.

Pretend Camping Play Toys:

10 Printable Travel Scavenger Hunt Games for Kids

Kids Printables

Scroll below for 10 printable travel scavenger hunt games for kids!

Every time we hit the road with kids I ALWAYS have a pile of stuff to keep them occupied. Thank goodness for DVD’s in the car – but I don’t want them watching movies for 5000 miles of road trips! I spend the time pre-planning, thrift store shopping for little gifts to earn, and printing a folder full of travel games for kids.

I found 10 awesome printable scavenger hunts for kids on the Shutterfly blog here. You can print ALL of the scavenger hunts there or choose a few below!

Print Here –> Airport Scavenger Hunt

Print Here –> Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Print Here –> City Scavenger Hunt

Print Here –> Zoo Scavenger Hunt

Print Here –> Beach Scavenger Hunt

See ALL 10 printable Scavenger Hunts HERE!

Caves in Missouri: Riding through Fantastic Caverns in Springfield

Caves Midwest Nature Oddities

cave room in Fantastic Caverns in Springfield Missouri

In 2013 when I lived in Iowa we took a road trip to Branson, MO. I was invited to do some press coverage for Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, MO (original blog post here) and to date it is still one of my favorite caves to visit. The caves are less than an hour north of Branson so it was right on our way home.

My family is pretty fanatical about caves! When we visited Fantastic Caverns we had only been to 4 or 5 caves but since we’ve been in over 30 cave systems in the USA! I might be a little obsessed!

What really caught my interest with Fantastic Cavern is that they are America’s ONLY ride-thru caverns! How COOL is that?! It’s a fantastic cave experience if you have small kids or handicapped friends and family members since you only need to sit down for this cave exploration tour.

Fantastic Caverns sign in Springfield Missouri

I love that Fantastic Caverns is a small family business and you can really tell they support education – even inside the cave is an entire area dedicated to a classroom underground!

mom and son with cave hat going exploring

We had surprised the kids and purchased them miner’s hard hats with lights before our trip to Fantastic Caverns so they were just absolutely psyched!! We’ve had these miner’s hats for years! I see them in just about every cave gift shop we’ve ever been to and they are totally worth buying!

Fantastic Caverns wagon, rocks, and cave scenes

Above you can see the red “wagon” that we rode in for the duration of the tour which was roughly about an hour. Not once did we get up – and when we got to the back of the cave there was a short movie to watch about the history of the cave.

It was discovered in 1862 by an Ozark farmer who eventually put an ad in the paper looking for someone brave enough to explore the cave. 12 Women answered from a local athletic and began exploration – their names can still be seen written on the cave wall (photo below) which was pretty awesome to see.

The caves were used as a speak-easy during the Prohibition, an entertainment center in the 60’s and even just 2 weeks ago the Presley’s held a concert inside Fantastic Caverns. In the lobby as you walk in there is a place to email a free e-card which was cool and the gift shop was SO reasonable in price!

When I was a little kid I wanted to be an archaeologist so I was in heaven in their gift shop – Trilobites for $10, fossil fish, gems and minerals galore!!

stunning cave room at Fantastic Caverns in Springfield Missouri

I have to admit, I REALLY enjoyed sitting during the tour. That simple fact alone moved this cave right up towards the top of my favorites list! The cave “rooms” were just colossal but still had some incredibly formations that were very well lit.

I had no problems taking photos with my flash off. The tour guide was just fabulous and very generous with time at each stop on the tour. In fact all we needed to do was let her know we wanted her to stop and she would stop for us to take photos. I’m pretty impressed – I got some killer photos here!

This was quite an interesting cave system to me as not only were there large cavernous rooms and amazing formations like you see in these pictures that I took but there were also 2 giant sinkholes which we rode right past.

Me, I’m terrified of heights, so I didn’t exactly want to look straight down into the sinkhole with camera, but trust me when I said they were deep! And they actually led into an additional tunnel beneath where we were touring. In the lobby was displayed a huge map of the cave system and tunnels.

beautiful cave room at Fantastic Caverns in Missouri

One pretty cool thing about this tour was that as we initially entered the cave our bright red wagon stopped for a photo which had our entire group in it.

When we pulled out of the cave at the end they had printed the photos, placed them in a nice frame, and were selling them for $10 which is about the most reasonably priced cave photo I’ve seen!

We’ve never bought a cave photo before because they are usually pretty pricey but for $10 and to get a full photo of us in the wagons was pretty stinkin’ cool!

mossy rock over Fantastic Caverns in Missouri

This was the exit of the cave here.

Fantastic Caverns Gift Shop:

On the left was the photo/frame that we bought after the tour. Then you see fossils, colored agates, a cool home decor fossil display, and colored geodes! Our family just absolutely LOVED the tour. Oh, and by the way, kids under 5 are free!

The cave is open pretty much year-round. We would go again in a heartbeat. It’s SO friendly for small children, elderly, and handicapped individuals that there isn’t a reason not to go. In fact on our trip there were several people in wheelchairs on our tour.

1867 early explorer names in cave rock in Missouri

Here is the section of cave wall that has the names of the explorers listed on it.

Follow us on Facebook at Exploration America or join our weird travel group at Stranger Travels USA!

Check out some of the other caves we’ve been to:

Spook Cave & Campground in MacGregor Iowa — Spook Cave & Campground, Iowa

Crystal Lake Cave in Dubuque, Iowa — Crystal Lake Cave, Iowa

Tips for Seneca Caverns in Ohio - the Caviest Cave in the USA — Seneca Caverns, Ohio

Cave Stuff I Love:

I'd Rather be Spelunking Cave Explorer Decal

Riding Through Fantastic Caverns wagons, Missouri — Photo Credit: Fantastic Caverns

Where to Eat Dinner in the President’s Train Rail Car No. 4438

Historical Midwest

Last summer we moved to a tiny town in Illinois. Population 1000. As you can imagine there are not too many attractions in my town so I do a lot of exploring in nearby areas. One day I drove past this diner with a train railcar sitting literally RIGHT off the road.

There is a sidewalk separating the edge of this rail car and the street. I HAD to know more about this little diner and WOW was I in for a treat! You HAVE to be sitting down to hear this story.

Eating Lunch in the President's Train Railcar #4438 - Bull Moose Bar & Grille Sandwich Illinois

The Bull Moose Bar & Grille in Sandwich, Illinois has a surprising presidential history behind it. Sandwich – a funny name for a town isn’t it? Population 7358. And nestled right in this little town sits the railcar once commissioned for the president of the United States.

It was used by President Teddy Roosevelt from 1900-1913. This beautiful railcar lined with mahogany wood and stained glass windows was affectionately named Isabella. As President Roosevelt was giving a speech one day an assassination attempt was made on his life and he was shot. Shot right in the chest!

Despite a bullet lodged in his chest Teddy Roosevelt finished his speech before heading to the hospital. At the hospital he declared “I am tough as a bull moose! I will continue this campaign.”. And this is how the Bull Moose Bar & Grille got it’s name! This gives me chills every time! What an INCREDIBLE story! You can read the full history here.

The Isabella eventually was retired and sold at a government auction in 1931 to Henry Tattersol for just $75! He had dreamed of opening a diner using the train car No. 4438 so he had it moved to Sandwich, Illinois right on Route 34 and it’s been sitting there ever since!

After finding out all of this history I was determined to visit the Bull Moose Bar & Grille as soon as possible regardless of what the food tasted like. I just wanted to sit in the same rail car as Teddy Roosevelt. But HOLY SMOKES – their food is AMAZING! I’m salivating just thinking of it! I’d eat here every week if I could!

If you’re ever anywhere near Sandwich, Illinois this is an absolutely MUST GO restaurant!!! Not only will you be dining in history but you’ll have a fabulous meal to go with it.

You can find the Bull Moose Bar & Grille at: 202 SOUTH MAIN STREET, SANDWICH, IL

Not too far away in Wheaton, Illinois you can see the original wardrobe that inspired C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” series as well as J.R.R. Tolkien’s desk that he wrote The Hobbit on! Check out our post here!

Explore ruins, an abandoned prison, and more on Route 66 just a half an hour away from Sandwich here!

Other Historical Locations We’ve Visited:

Where to See Santa’s Village Every Day of the Year in Illinois!

Kids Midwest

Where to See Santa Every Day of the Year in Illinois!

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is so exhilarating – and to be able to see that ALL YEAR LONG – that’s so incredible! My daughter just turned 3 years old so when Santa’s Village Azoosment Park in Dundee, Illinois invited my family to come out to the park for the day I knew all of my kids would go CRAZY over it!

Not only did my 3 year old love it because there are animals (OVER 200 in fact!) and she could of course see Santa and Mrs. Claus – but there are at least 22 rides including some pretty good sized coasters for my older boys, ages 8 & 10. It was a solid good day of fun for my family.

Being in the Midwest everyone knows that ALL outdoor theme parks shut down after Labor Day for the winter BUT Santa’s Village THIS YEAR is open for Magical Christmas Days!!! If you live nearby you absolutely need to take advantage of this outdoor theme park being OPEN NOW through December 23rd!!!

It has been such a warm winter already – this is a fantastic outdoors option for your family! It is specifically geared for my kids ages – kind of a precursor to your really giant theme parks. (Pssst – Sign up for breakfast with Santa Dec 9-10!)

As you would imagine in a place called “Santa’s Village” everything is winter themed! How adorable is this “gingerbread house”?! The prices for food and drinks was reasonable and thankfully they had plenty of warm options. We shared a hot ear of corn which was FANTASTIC! They had a whole seasonings bar set up next to the food area.

So let’s talk rides a little bit- throughout the park there are height measuring areas so that you can measure your kids. Every ride has different height requirements but I found that from open to close there were plenty of rides to keep all 3 of my children busy.

However, it made it a LOT easier to have my boys either stick together or stay with an adult so I could take my 3 year old on the “kiddie” rides. The park itself isn’t terribly huge and rides are close together so if you have older kids they can pretty much tend to themselves.

Santa’s Village Azoosment Park really knew what they were doing when they made their ride choices for the park! All 3 of my children (ages 3-10) were able to “drive” their own vehicles which is pretty big for independent kids. All 3 had “scary” rides to go on to make their stomachs drop and give them a rush.

And there were plenty of rides that I could either go with them or they could go on their own. It’s a REALLY well-rounded park with a LOT of options which is really important to me because my children are very adventurous but span quite a few years between their ages.

Throughout the park hiding between rides and lining the walkways were animals of all kinds! We are a huge animal loving family and I was pretty impressed with the variety of animals Santa’s Village has! It’s not just your typical farm animals!

And when we got a little too chilly we spent some time in the Aviary feeding the birds (all rides in the park are included with admission but feeding the animals is a few bucks extra) and in Old McDonald’s Barn. We pet baby water buffalo, plenty of deer, goats, sheep, rams, and saw a kookaburra, porcupines, tortoises, a capybara, wallabies (even white wallabies!), and plenty of other animals.

The petting zoo was a pleasant surprise tucked in the corner of the park!

There was even a “death defying” tall treehouse with a (really safe actually!) looooong slide that my 3 year old just couldn’t stay off of.

The gift shop is decorated to the HILT with holiday decor and gifts – how gorgeous is this Christmas tree?!

My husband was supposed to come with us but ended up in bed extremely ill so I took grandpa along to help watch the munchkins and he even climbed up on the carousel horse! Honestly it was a fantastic day full of memories from little ones to older folks.

There are enough rides to keep your youngest ones busy for the entire day and the park has PLENTY of room for strollers of any size.

UM – and I wish we had waited to put our Christmas tree up because they had tress you could buy there too!!! That would have seriously topped off an already magical day to bring home a Christmas tree from Santa’s Village!

OK – so this photo was just for fun that I snapped while on the carousel! You can find prices, accommodations, and hours of operation here on their Plan Your Visit page. You CAN rent wheelchairs and wagons in the park and of course there are lockers near the front if you need to store things.

You CAN bring your lunch with you although check the restrictions before you go. But I highly recommend the hot apple cider donuts, funnel cakes, deep fried oreos, and hot corn if you want to splurge on something delicious!

Santa’s Village Azoosment Park has summer Critter Camps, offers birthday parties, and even a SWEET “Reader of the Pack” program for schools where kids can get a free admission ticket for completing reading assignments! I HIGHLY recommend Santa’s Village if you’re looking for an easy family FUN day to have a BLAST at and make memories together!

If you’re going during Magical Christmas Days make sure to pack some gloves and a winter hat along with your jacket!

Follow us on Facebook at Exploration America or join our weird travel group at Stranger Travels USA!

A special thanks to Santa’s Village Azoosment Park & Explore Elgin Area for inviting us to come out for the day!

Surviving our First Zombie Experience at Nightmare on Chicago Street

blog Midwest Oddities

Follow us on Facebook at Exploration America or join our weird travel group at Stranger Travels USA!

Don’t be afraid – take a closer look at Nightmare on Chicago Street!

Surviving our First Zombie Experience at Nightmare on Chicago Street

Thanks to the Elgin Area CVB in Illinois – they sent us 2 tickets to attend Elgin’s Nightmare on Chicago Street this past weekend and BOY was it a cool experience! I’ll share with you in this post everything you need to know from parking to gate entrance, kid/family appeal or horror, all of it!

As a first timer I found the map of the event very helpful but I had a hard time finding much more details so that I knew what to expect. This post will help you out with all of that!

What is Nightmare on Chicago Street?

It is a post zombie apocalypse event which encompasses a several block radius in Elgin, Illinois where only the undead are allowed entry! Basically the area is set up as if the zombie apocalypse has happened with some KILLER special effects and props (seriously – mad kudos to those involved in creating set pieces because they are insane)

A lot of people (not everyone) dress up in just about everything you can imagine (although zombies win my vote!). The entire experience is pretty awesome and makes for a fun night out!

I LOVE Halloween (zombies are OK too!) but I am NOT into horror at all. So usually I stray away from truly spooky scary haunted houses in October and leave it to those who aren’t a chicken like me. Nightmare on Chicago Street, however, sounded really awesome and after scouring the internet (and not finding tons other than the website itself) I decided to give it a go with my 10 year old son! They have built an awesome story line and film series around this event which really wraps it all up into an experience.

Be forewarned – although I’ll absolutely be bringing my kids again next year the festival is set up for ages 17+. I don’t recommend it for anyone under the 8-10ish range and definitely not for any child who tends to be spooked easily. There ARE some pretty grotesque things!

What Can You Do at Nightmare on Chicago Street?

*Take Photos w/Props – There are insane props that make for some killer photo opps.

*Take selfies w/others in costume – the costumes we saw were absolutely incredible. Everything from a dab of face paint to complete head to toe movie-like cosplay. It was pretty amazing.

*Go through the haunted “house”– This is certainly the scariest part of the entire festival so if you shy away from zombies following you and getting up in your personal space in the dark a bit – this is not for you! It IS free and both my 10 year old and I went through it. I think we were both a little nervous but it was just edgy enough for us that we enjoyed it and really had to marvel at the extensive set up. It was a WELL done job!

*Food vendors – lots of beer, lots of food, lots of fun!

*Weird vendors – Visit the “Bizarre Bazaar” for some truly odd things to buy. It was neat to walk through and if you like freakish weird stuff – this is the place for you!

*Shop local businesses – There were a lot of local businesses open during the event (which must have been madness for them!) so it’s a great time to not only see what Elgin has to offer but support local companies.

*Dance the night away! There were 3 stages set up with lights, fog, and AWESOME music! Plenty of people were dancing in the streets and congregated around the stages.

*Meet & Greet with Svengooglie. We didn’t make it in to meet him but lines didn’t look bad at all!
*Enter the Costume Contest!
*Watch the Cirq d’ Freak Show.

*Admire the Grafitti Artists! There were some ridiculously talented artists leaving their mark on an entire street long of a plywood wall open to the artists. It was really amazing!

How SCARY is Nightmare on Chicago Street? Is it Kid friendly?

This event is absolutely geared for 17+ and they are very clear on that. However, they DO allow any age in with a guardian/parent. I decided for our first experience to take only my 10 year old son (my oldest child) since he is not spooked easily and has an interest in zombies & scarier things. And I already told you I’m a little skittish on truly scary things.

In my experience nothing, and no one, chases you down the streets. There are no chainsaws coming to get you or anything like that. (unless you enter the haunted house which is clearly a gory horror fest) However that doesn’t mean someone attending the event might not try to spook you or pop out at you for a scare.

We only had it happen once and it wasn’t a big deal. If you’re skittish about blood, guts and all around Halloween gore – I wouldn’t recommend it. Again this is an event more for adults.

With that all being said my 10 year old and I loved it and we’ll be going back as a family with both my boys next year (and getting a sitter for my toddler!). With the exception of the haunted house we didn’t find anything scary at all.

You can look on social media for #ElginNOCS to see pics from the event which can help you see even more! Also check their Facebook and Twitter account too.

Other Things to Know about Nightmare on Chicago Street:

*CHECK THE WEBSITE! I felt like, although there was a lot of buzz on social media about the event, I was still a little lost as a first timer to the event and found a lot of information on their website helpful! It may sound obvious but most people I talked to didn’t know about the shuttle. I found FREE BUS SHUTTLE information (which was a LIFESAVER!), METRA details, printable MAPS, hotel promo deals, and MORE!

*Go in Costume – or Don’t! But NO weapons allowed – even pretend cosplay weapons! I was happy and comfortable with the amount of police force in attendance – you couldn’t pass a street corner without seeing someone there to help and direct.

*The ENTIRE area is 100% IN! The setup was AWESOME – I literally felt like I was on a movie set. Every business is decorated, there’s fake sticky blood everywhere, the props and experiences are insane – this is really an amazing experience!

*Lines are LONG! If you read anything online about the event chances are you’ll see a lot of complaints about lines! For me, I knew thousands of people attend this event so I was expecting it to be packed, and it was. When we first arrived we joined a large sea of people in some sort of a line. No one really seemed to know what line we were in but it was moving towards the event so I stayed put. It only took me about 20 minutes or so to move almost 2 blocks through line so I can’t complain. Some reviewers stated they were there for hours but I’m not sure how that’s even possible! We figured it out easily and entered the event without issue. I DO recommend pre-buying tickets though! Food lines were surprisingly not bad at all although I avoided the bathroom lines at all costs!

*Crowds increase as the night goes on! If you want to beat the swell of the crowd start early. We were 2 hours late and I noticed by the time we left we could barely move around because there were so many people. It was fine because there were only 2 of us but I can imagine when the 4 of us go next year we’ll need a good buddy system.

*Give kids an emergency plan. After arriving I quickly realized that the event was a BUSY place and if my son and I got separated I wouldn’t be able to find him again. The entire event is fenced in though so there’s no “accidentally” leaving the festival. I wrote my phone number on his hand and brochure with instructions that if he was separated from me to immediately find a police office on any corner and show them my phone number and say he was lost.

Great Camping Gift Ideas for the Camper in Your Life

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The holidays are coming and I’m always looking for adorable happy camper gifts and decorations to decorate my camper with! Scroll through some of the gift ideas below for any camping lover in your life!

Camper Ornament

LOVE Camper Ring

RV Salt and Pepper Shakers – Truck and Fifth Wheel Camper Trailer

Camper Salt & Pepper Shakers

Camping Adventures Chambray Towel Set

Camper Dinner Plate

Camper Tote Bag

Camco Retro Travel Trailer Party Light

Campers Home Decor Pillow

Happy Campers Adult Coloring Book

Happy Campers Pillow Cover

Printed Duct Tape, Happy Camper

Happy Campers Doormat

Womens Happy Camper Tee

Happy Camper 6″ Vinyl Sticker Decal

Womens Happy Camper T-Shirt

Happy Camper Mug

Exploring Things to Do in Joliet, Illinois: Jail, Route 66 & Ice Cream

Historical Midwest

Blues Brothers, Old Prison, Joliet Illinois

The great thing about moving to a new area is that you can to have new adventures while exploring local areas! A few months ago we moved to Illinois so I decided to take my toddler out one day and go exploring. I’d actually had the old Joliet Iron Works District on my “explore list” for a while now so I decided to head down that way and check out the area.

Funny thing is that I never actually made it to the historic Iron Works area – when you’re taking a toddler you’ve got to go on their schedule! I absolutely want to go back though because there is SO much to see and do!

Things to do in Joliet:

Joliet Iron Works Historic Site

I love exploring old ruins and this one is open to the public. There’s just something hauntingly serene about it, and this location is packed with history. The Iron Works district is an old iron manufacturing facility from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

It was once the second largest steel mill in the United States. You can walk through foundations of the blast furnaces and other structures from the dismantled factory. You can also loop into the I&M Canal Trail here too. There are interpretive signs that explain the process of making iron and steel and the specific skills of the workers.

Joliet Area Historical Museum

Before heading down there I actually purchased a family pass at the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Groupon. I had read there was a lot of Rt. 66 exhibits at the museum and since I got married on Rt. 66 anything to do with that is always on my list! In fact in a year or so we’re driving the whole route! I really should have worn the Route 66 Shoes that I made!!

in the canals of the historical museum in Joliet

little girl on vintage car couch at a museum

vintage white car next to Route 66 map in Joliet

I have learned from past experience that historical museums are actually REALLY amazing! I always thought they’d be a bit of bore but every single one I’ve been to has incredibly top notch exhibits and fantastic displays. Even my kids know this now and love going! The Joliet Area Historical Museum, although smaller, is definitely worth a trip!

You can climb on an old trolley car, walk in the bottom of a canal replica, and kick back and sit in old vintage car seats! They even had an entire room for kids to color, do puzzles, and make crafts! They do have free days that you can check out here.

Route 66 Diner

After the museum we stopped in at the Route 66 Diner just down the road on Clinton Street. Walking in is like a blast from the past – everything is wood paneled! But the food was decent enough and the employees were extremely nice.

Rich & Creamy on Broadway

Get your Kicks on Route 66 Ice Cream Broadway

There’s nothing better on Route 66 in Joliet than stopping in at the Rich & Creamy on Broadway – a historic ice cream shop with all sorts of goodies!

Old Joliet Prison Park

We then headed over to the old Joliet Prison which isn’t open to the public for inside tours but they welcome anyone to come explore outside the gates. They’ve got 8 interpretive signs up that are pretty informational and we spent a few minutes walking around the prison admiring the structure and wishing we could go inside!

It’s actually been used in a lot of movies & TV films such as “The Blues Brothers”, “Public Enemies”, and more recently “Prison Break”. There has been talk in the past of opening it up for tours so I hope it happens!

Old Joliet Prison info sign roadside attraction

rustic prison bars from Old Joliet Prison Illinois

historic old Joliet Prison on Route 66 Illinois

You can see broken windows, rusted gates, barbed wire hedges, and extremely thin windows and doors to prevent prisoners from squeezing out. I can only imagine how incredible the inside looks and the stories that can be told about this prison.

Dellwood Park

sunset tunnel in park in Joliet Illinois

On the way out of the prison, just down the road, I drove past Dellwood Park, actually located in Lockport. After a quick Google search I discovered it had some pretty awesome “hidden” ruins to climb through so I decided to stop in. I didn’t get to spend much time there because my toddler was pretty tired but I HAVE to go back!!

What I saw was awesome! Believe it or not the Chicago & Joliet Electric Railway Company began to build Dellwood Park in 1905 to increase the number of railway riders. This use to be THE PLACE to be back in the day and was quite an attraction.

graffiti in tunnel in park at Joliet Illinois

Now you can take the trails and meander on and past a creek and ruins of an old dam, bridge, and other structures in the park. If you’re walking around on or near structures just watch you’re footing as there are some high areas and holes! It’s not bad – I had my toddler there. Just be mindful.

Other Places to Check out in the Joliet Area:

Pilcher Park Nature Center & the Bird Haven Greenhouse and Conservatory
Chicago Speedway
Splash Station Waterpark
Rialto Square Theater
Jacob Henry Mansion Estate

Also within driving distance you can eat lunch in Teddy Roosevelt’s rail car Bull Moose or touch the wardrobe that inspired the Chronicles of Narnia or J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit here!

Do you have any awesome Joliet area hotspots for me to visit?! Leave a comment below and give us some tips on where to explore!

The Cranberry Festival I Wasn’t Expecting: Tips for Visiting

Midwest Nature

Cranberry Festival and Food in Wisconsin

I’ve had my eye on the Cranberry Festival in Warrens, Wisconsin for a few years now and this year I finally decided to make it happen. I dreamed about bright red cranberries floating and bobbing on gleaming bogs, pulling on waders and having some fun in the field and taking some KILLER pictures with my GoPro half submerged in the cranberry bogs.

But it 1000% did not go like that as you can see in the photo below. If you know everything there is about cranberry bogs and cranberry festivals than this post is likely not for you! But if you’re like me longing to see an amazing colorful experience of floating cranberries, forge ahead.

Order cranberries for a delicious gift here!

Cranberry fields in wisconsin — *Cranberry Fields during the Cranberry Festival*

I invited my in laws to come up with me on the drive from the Chicago area to Wisconsin so I had some company and we set off for a quick 24(ish) hour trip. The great thing was that it only took us 3.5 hours from the western suburbs to make it to the festival so it was a short drive up.

Unfortunately our first year was record setting for heat with it being in the mid 90’s – it was pretty insane.

Cranberry Festival Size:

large crowd of people at Cranberry Festival Wisconsin

First you need to know that Warrens, Wisconsin is a town of roughly 350ish people. No – I didn’t forget to add an extra number in there – 350! The Cranberry Festival runs for 3 days, Friday-Sunday, and brings in roughly 170,000 people!

As you can see the numbers just aren’t adding up are they?! The Cranberry Festival is an amazing feat that the entire town must pitch in on because it’s huge. I read there are about 3 miles and 1700 vendors! If you love shopping this is THE PLACE for you!

Cranberry Festival Lodging:

With a town that small, however, lodging (unless you’re camping there) is best done nearby in Tomah which is about 15 minutes away. If you want to attend I recommend getting your reservations the year before – everything sells out quickly as you can imagine!

Every hotel we checked the day we attended was completely booked out. Please don’t just drive there expecting to find something last minute – you may be sleeping in your car! (see the note below at the bottom of this post to find out where NOT to stay!)

Cranberry Festival Events:

The Festival does have a parade on Sunday which I was not there for as well as other contests. If you go you should sign up for the Marsh Tour! This is really want we had originally planned on going for and it was a nice little trip to a local Cranberry bog where you could see the fields up close along with a slew of antique and current cranberry farming equipment.

You’ll learn all sorts of history and since you won’t be able to see the cranberries very well out in the field (do you see any cranberries in the photo above?) they have a crate set out of plants for you to see up close.

Included in your Marsh Tour ticket is admission to the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center which is worth a stop in since it’s right in the middle of town and easy access during the festival.

You’ll gain a better feel for the history of cranberry farming and how vast the industry stretches today. The fields look green until it is flooded with water which ONLY happens at harvest time!

historic wood workshop at Cranberry Festival

They also have a great gift shop complete with cranberry ice cream, cranberry wine, cranberry tea, cranberry candles, cranberry chocolates and a ton of other cranberry related items for sale!

deep fried cranberries on a stick — *Deep Fried Cranberries on a Stick*

Although the Cranberry Festival was not at all what I was expecting we still had a nice getaway to browse around and shop. And of course there was plenty of food to try! Have you ever had deep fried cranberries on a stick?! Order these and make your own! We sure did learn a lot about the cranberry industry!

Next year we are planning to go back to Warrens, Wisconsin a couple of weeks after the Cranberry Festival. There is a public harvest day where you CAN wade down into the cranberry bogs – and that is what I want to do! SO stay tuned until next year when I can hopefully get my killer cranberry shot in the bogs!

BAD Experience ALERT:

***I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT recommend the Econo Lodge in Tomah. We had major problems with the staff there stealing, lying to our faces, and changing the reservation WITHOUT our permission then refusing to give us the reservation we paid for.

In fact they told the 3 of us to just sleep on the floor and gave us a room with 1 bed instead of the 2 I reserved. (long story) So if you choose to stay there you are at your own risk – I wish I had read the Facebook reviews before I went which would have alerted me that this type of experience is to be expected here.***

FREE Explore and Adventure Travel Printable Wall Art Decor

DIY Printables

Free Printable Travel Adventure Explore Wall Art

Wanderlust pretty much drives everything I do and these free printable travel art wall decor were perfect for my camper! They only took a few minutes to print out and design for my walls! I simply picked up 2 cheap frames at my local thrift store, spray painted the frame with this spray paint, printed out the artwork (PDF files below) and used Command Strips to attach them onto my camper walls!

You’ll notice in the file below that the “ADVENTURE” sign is available in 9 different colors too! ALL for free – because I LOVE sharing my passion of traveling with others! Why pay for cool adventure art work when you can get it free right!?

Print Here ==>

Explore & Adventure Travel Printable Wall Art

I actually leave the picture frame up in my camper all winter long, even after we winterize it. I have had no issues with glass cracking due to the cold weather. If you love this simply art work please share it with your friends and pin it here on Pinterest!

Looking for some beautiful travel gifts? Check these out:

5 Insanely Fun Learning Adventures for All Ages in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Big Cities Midwest

A few weeks ago the CVB in Fort Wayne, Indiana invited my family to drive over and check out some of the things to do in the area. I had NO idea there were so many things to do! My husband couldn’t come with us since he was working but we definitely want to go back again for another adventure!

When we travel it tends to be JAM packed, usually pretty educational (aside from the occasional theme park), and/or nature/animal/outdoorsy activities. This press trip was 100% what we would have chosen on our itinerary if we were planning it ourselves! I couldn’t believe it!

(Check out the drool-worthy places to eat in Fort Wayne that we went to!)

Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo:

Insanely Fun Learning Adventures at the Zoo for All Ages in Fort Wayne, Indiana

We have driven literally all over the country (ok we may have a couple states left to visit but we’ve been to the majority of them!) which also means we’ve been to zoos and aquariums all over the country. Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, FL and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska were always top on my list but the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo has now been bumped up onto that list! It’s AMAZING!

My kids ages at the time of our visit were 2, 8, and 10. Every single one of them LOVED it and asked to go back again. Everything was touch friendly, photo friendly, and even toddler friendly! Stationed throughout the park were stations to learn and touch skulls, pelts, and even this friendly snake that my daughter literally had to be carried away from! The guy was SO friendly and didn’t mind my daughter snuggling up against him so she could be closer to the snake – haha!

And would you believe that there are even a few rides at the zoo!? They put our entire family on the log ride which we paid a few bucks for. I was pretty impressed. There’s no drops or anything scary so all ages can ride on it – and it’s a LONG ride! It’s almost completely shaded under trees and the entire “float” you’ll see animals (real and fake!) and even float through an AWESOME misty tunnel! Totally worth going on!

One of my big questions when I visit a zoo is what can I touch?! I want to interact with the animals – especially after growing up in Florida where there are endless opportunities to interact with animal life. I have found many Midwest area zoos are hands off with any animals – but not the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo! AND there’s NO extra charge for being able to pet the stingrays! It felt like home again!

The Reef area was stunning – definitely a top quality zoo with stellar exhibits. SO incredibly clean and SO MUCH to see! Unfortunately we only had a few hours so we couldn’t make it all the way through the zoo but come with your walking shoes on!

The photo prop areas were pretty sweet! This one was my personal favorite! (especially since my kids just went through a huge Jaws kick!)

My hobby is photography so I couldn’t help including this little guy! I have TONS and TONS of photos of the animals we encountered in the zoo. And would you believe it – I actually saw a LOT of animals I had never seen before!! This is another thing I look for when visiting zoos.

Everyone has seen lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) but we saw Tazmanian devils, a honey badger, a banded mongoose, bat-eared foxes, servals, a tasselled wobbegong shark and MORE!

Science Central:

My husband is a teacher turned principal and I have always had a strong passion for education. So when we travel we look for hands on learning opportunities EVERYWHERE. Science museums are FULL of touch happy places to learn so I was excited to check out Science Central. My boys had seen their pretty awesome slide online and were eager to go.

The museum is a little older inside but all 3 of my kids found plenty to do to keep them busy for a few hours! The exhibits here are truly well thought out and usable. They have a FREAKING AWESOME younger child play area too which was one of my favorite spots to relax after a busy day!

This hot air balloon that you can launch was perhaps my 2 year old’s favorite place in the museum believe it or not. It goes crazy high up to the ceiling!

Here’s the famous slide I mentioned my boys LOVED! Please note that there IS a height requirement so double check that before promising little Jimmy he can ride the cool slide!

I loved the industrial feel of the building. It was a former power plant which the museum has done a good job of incorporating into it’s learning exhibits. You can actually see the pipes, gears, and other parts that made the plant work.

And YES! There are animals in Science Central! Bees, turtles, and even a chinchilla! My degree is in Biology so I geeked out a little at the incredible hands on specimen area! They have fossils, skulls, seashells, and all sorts of nature objects laying around in piles on tables and shelves for kids to interact with.

Historic Fort:

Not on our itinerary but a spot I squeezed in while my 2 year old took a nap in the car was The Old Fort. Our day was ABSOLUTELY jam packed full but I had driven past the Old Fort on our way to Science Central and I really wanted to stop in.

I literally just parked across the street and wandered around the property. You can look up local events there if you want to visit but it’s a neat place right in the middle of it all!

Botanical Conservatory:

Insanely Fun Learning Adventures at the Botanical Garden for All Ages in Fort Wayne, Indiana

I hate having the Botanical Conservatory so far down on my list but it absolutely is worth visiting – YES – EVEN with kids! I would absolutely LOVE to go on a date with just my husband here – it is AMAZING. I’ve been to several other botanical gardens before but this BY FAR tops the list (except of course Disney World’s EPCOT).

Hands down not only the best botanical conservatory I’ve been to but also the MOST kid friendly. I was quite surprised!

I get it – we had been NON-STOP going ALL day (after driving 5+ hours to get there the day before). The kids were exhausted. I was exhausted. My mother-in-law who came with us was exhausted. I couldn’t imagine walking another step – until I walked in and was blown away with how gorgeous it was! We had definitely caught our 2nd wind.

Of course my kids immediately found an entire room right up at the front that was all for kids! Check out that crazy tree!!

As you weaved and walked between sections of the conservatory the hallways were lined for things for kids to smell, touch, climb on and slide in! I was eternally grateful for not needing to drag tired kids through a conservatory – they were actually skipping along super happy to be there. Above is a smelling station for the kids to guess the different herbs and scents!

We quickly learned that the Botanical Conservatory was WAY WAY WAY bigger than we thought. We going walking and walking and walking….or maybe it felt that way because we’d already been to the zoo and science museum, fort and several other places that day. It was incredible.

Most of the gardens were indoors but the property was amazing outdoors as well. We even found a chocolate cacoa tree inside!

Historic Canal Boat Ride:

Insanely Fun Learning Adventures on the Riverfront for All Ages in Fort Wayne, Indiana

One of our last items of the day was a Canal Boat ride that you can book through Fort Wayne Outfitters. The Sweet Breeze is a replica 1840 canal boat that was so relaxing and informative to ride. As you float down the canal you’ll learn all about Fort Wayne’s Riverfront and history. It’s actually quite popular for sport fishing and dragon boat racing believe it or not!

The river has 23 fish species! Coming up the city is planning a $28 MILLION development to help clean up the waterways and entice tourism. It looks pretty epic I have to admit! From airboat rides to kayaks, concerts, playgrounds, yoga and SO much more – Riverfront Fort Wayne is bound to be an awesome hot spot for both locals and visitors!

One Day for Some Really Good Food in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Big Cities Midwest

A special thanks to Downtown Fort Wayne & partners for hosting our stay.

School starts for my kids in just a few weeks. We wanted to have one more quick fling before the back to school routine started up again.

Believe it or not we’ve never done anything in Indiana despite driving through the stay dozens of times so we decided to head over to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since my husband had to work I brought my mother in law along with and Downtown Fort Wayne graciously hosted our stay.

One thing I really loved about Downtown Fort Wayne is that there are info maps spread throughout the city so you can see restaurant suggestions and directions to wherever you are walking.

Of course you can visit the website and pre-plan your eats but I just ran out of time and had to figure out my food on the fly. The city was so clean and everything was very close! It is a great downtown area for walking!

816 Pint & Slice

After walking around several blocks when we arrived in Fort Wayne we stopped in at 816 Pint & Slice. This was definitely a great choice for our first food stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

It’s been a while since I have tried a pizza place that I really fell in love with (lets face it – there are a LOT of different types of pizzas out there!) but I’d absolutely go back here. There’s even a cute raised platform to eat on inside the pizzeria.

Food Trucks

Food trucks are becoming quite the rage and for good reason! Not only do they offer a fabulous variety for whatever your mood is the food is freaking fantastic. I’ve never tried a food truck I didn’t like.

In Downtown Fort Wayne the food trucks congregate around the Freimann Square. And on Thursdays from 11:30am-1:30pm in the warmer months of the year you can enjoy Lunch on the Plaza.

One Day for Some Really Good Food in Fort Wayne, Indiana - Lunch on the Plaza

Lunch on the Plaza has free live music & entertainment and is right next to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. You’ll find tables and chairs to sit at, families spread out on picnic blankets, a gorgeous fountain to enjoy, children playing and more! You can find the full schedule and details on the Downtown Fort Wayne website.

I ate at the “Who Cut the Cheese” food truck. OH MY GOSH! This food truck is a hotspot for cheese lovers. You won’t regret checking it out. My sandwich was a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with mac & cheese (I know right?!) and BBQ pulled pork. It’s a party in your mouth for sure!

The Yummi Bunni

One Day for Some Really Good Food in Fort Wayne, Indiana - Yummi Bunni

The Yummi Bunni is TO DIE FOR. You guys – if you have a sweet tooth at all you MUST visit The Yummi Bunni on an empty stomach and just gorge on their delicious goodness. It’s a freaking glazed doughnut with 2 scoops of ice cream inside. I could just cry because it’s so far from my home in Illinois!

I don’t care if you’re full – just go anyway. This stuff just melts in your mouth! I totally regret splitting one with my kids – I should have eaten the whole thing! It’s probably a good thing I don’t live close…..

One Day for Some Really Good Food in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Since we stayed in the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Convention Center (which was fabulous by the way!) we had the opportunity to walk around downtown and really explore the city a bit. There were beautiful art sculptures throughout the city.

And although we didn’t have time to stop and eat in every restaurant we did walk by Cindy’s Diner, Coney Island and J.K. O’Donnell’s Irish Ale House which all looked delicious. Honorable mention goes to Debrand Fine Chocolates which looked heavenly.

Unfortunately our stomachs were not as big as our eyes! These places are all on our list for our next visit!

Want to see more? Take the Downtown 360* Virtual Tour!

5 Tips for Traveling with Your Favorite Pet – Our Rescue Story

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Meet one of those most important furry friends that I have – this is Jenny. When we first moved to Iowa 6 years ago I really wanted to adopt a large dog for my son with autism. I grew up with Doberman Pinchers so I have a special place in my heart for large dogs.

I looked up our local animal shelter and headed out to see what dogs they had that day……knowing after 10 years my husband has always said no to having a dog.

Our Rescue Story:

Tips for Traveling with your Furry Buddy: German Shepherd Husky Mix

Below is the first time my son met Jenny there at the shelter. I honestly went to the shelter expecting to not find a dog. After all it had to be the right fit and I knew my husband was pretty against having a dog.

I walked down the hallways, and when I got to the end I realized there was a small outdoor area to check so I figured why not – I was already there! There were only 2 dogs out there, and Jenny was the VERY last dog in the short row.

Workers told me that not one single person had even glanced at her in the 2 weeks she had been there! How heartbreaking! She’s SO beautiful!

Adopt a Rescue Dog - German Shepherd Husky mix dog

I was a little hesitant simply because Jenny is a German Shepherd and I had small, very loud kids. They found Jenny out on the streets so she had no back story. But I fell in love, head over heels I knew in my heart she was the right dog for us.

I went home to pick up the kids from school and brought the family right back out to meet Jenny. After seeing how my son responded with her my husband finally agreed – our first family dog!

We had to spend a lot of time working with Jenny the first few years we had her because believe it or not she got very car sick! I’m talking full on puking in my car several times in just a short 15 minute drive!

It was NOT pretty! We slowly took her on short trips until we could make it 20 minutes away to the nature trails near our house. Thankfully now she has gotten past most of her car sickness so now she can travel with us short distances!

She’s not great for long travel or near a lot of people due to her hyperactivity around other animals (pets & wildlife!) but we take her out as much as possible!

5 Tips for Traveling with Your Pets:

Always always always be prepared for anything with your pet! Make sure you have at least 1 pet bowl (2 for longer travel), access to water (or a water bottle), food, and baggies to pick up waste. Don’t forget any medication your dog is on.
Bring the proper leash and collar! Traveling can make for some long days and dogs can get really hyper if they need exercise! For Jenny, we use a dog prong collar because she can get pretty unruly when she comes across other animals. But make sure if you use one that you switch them to a regular collar when left alone and at nights.
Have an updated pet tag on! This is SO important – even if your pet is microchipped! They are inexpensive and can provide immediate access to your pet if someone finds them and can call you. It can also alert the finder to any medical needs or let them know your pet is friendly.
Bring treats! Whether you pack a few extra bones or whatever pet you bring – make sure to reward them for good behavior while traveling! Be mindful of messy treats though!
Wear a Wireless Tracker. Unfortunately Jenny is a runner – she’s escaped and run clear out of our little towns we have lived in no less than 15+ times. Thank heavens she’s always come back or we’ve retrieved her successfully! It’s gut wrenching when you realize a pet has run away so a good quality wireless pet tracker is important.

What to Do When your Pet Can’t Handle Travel:

Leaving behind a pet to travel is a hard choice! Unfortunately most of the time when we travel Jenny can’t come with us. You want to make sure they are well cared for and loved while you are gone!

Find a pet sitter or board your pet. Apps like Rover or Facebook Marketplace can help you find a pet sitter if you’d rather your pet stay at home than being boarded at a kennel or Petsmart hotel. Make sure that you check references and fully trust the person checking in on your pet!
Leave out extra water dishes! Even though we have someone checking in daily with our animals we always leave a huge bucket of water in the basement for our dog to have access to in case something happens and the pet sitter doesn’t make it one day. We also leave the toilet lids open for water access.
Have emergency vet numbers visible. No matter who is caring for your pets, they need quick access to any emergency vet numbers and a number that you can be reached 24/7.
Consider local overnight trips to work with your pet! If you don’t think your pet will do will in a hotel or camping situation, try it out – but stay local in case you need to go back home with your pet!
Leave extra treats / toys! When we go away I always leave extra large bones out for the pet sitter to offer my dog when she shows up! This helps to keep my pup busy while we’re gone!
Check in! Don’t be afraid to call your pet sitter or place of boarding and check in to make sure everything is going smoothly!

Fascinating Facts & Things to Do in Petoskey, Michigan

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hotel, winery, and beaches in Petoskey Michigan

Chances are if you’ve looked on Pinterest or Googled “Things to Do in Petoskey, Michigan” you’ll be flooded with photos of Petoskey stones – and that’s exactly why we stopped in Petoskey last year on our way around Lake Michigan!

We’re nuts about rocks, caves and anything outdoorsy. And the great beach at Petoskey State Park was a huge bonus! (pssst – they have 180 campsites there!) But there is SO much more to do in the area – some of them are downright weird, tasty, fun and quite educational!

Check out this AMAZING Petoskey stone jewelry!

So where exactly is Petoskey, Michigan? It’s in the Northwest corner along Lake Michigan. Last year we did a loop from Iowa all the way around Lake Michigan starting in Chicago, chilling in the UP for a week or so (check out our posts on The Secret of Miner’s Beach and the 2 MUST SEE Cruise Tours in Munising) then swinging our way down to Petoskey and along the lake further south. It’s an easy drive with plenty to do!

Things to Do in Petoskey:

Ernest Hemingway's The Annex Sign in Petoskey

1.- Ernest Hemingway spent 22 beautiful summers in the surrounding areas and every year in October there is a Hemingway Weekend packed full of tours, exhibits and celebration. Make sure to take a walking tour surrounding popular stops in Hemingway’s life – this area is where he first launched his professional writing career!

Finding Petoskey Stones on the beach in Michigan

2.- Beaches & Petoskey Stones – Ok – I had to include this one JUST in case you didn’t know how gorgeous the area is! Beautiful white sandy beaches with soft rolling waves – we had a great time last year in the water! There are specific times of year that makes it easier to find the Petoskey Stones (AKA Hexagonaria percarinata) along the shoreline but during mid-summer we were able to find several small handfuls of these special fossils on the shelf line right off the shore.

3 places to check are Magnus City Park Beach, Petoskey State Park, and Zoll Street Beach. I absolutely adore these amazing handmade Petoskey stone jewelry pieces!

3. Original name- Petoskey was originally called Bear River in the mid-1800’s.

4. Elvyn Lea Lodge – Situated on 44 acres of wooded trails near Walloon Lake the Elvyn Lea Lodge is a getaway for nature lovers of all kinds. This cozy rustic lodge makes a great home base for your excursions throughout your stay. Tt offers rooms for individual travelers and it’s available to be reserved in its entirety by groups, making it a wonderful destination for retreats, workshops, or family reunions.

5. The National Shrine of Cross in the Woods & Doll Museum – The Doll Museum houses 525 dolls (and 20 mannequins) representing the Dioscesan clergy and OVER 200 religious orders of priests, sisters, and borthers of North and South America.

Northern Lights at the Dark Sky Park in Michigan

6. Headlands International Dark Sky Park – Less than an hour away is one of the country’s only dark sky parks (there are 20!) – the perfect place for viewing the skies at night! In fact if you’re lucky you’ll catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights (March & September are the best times)!

7. Duffy’s Garage and Grille – A unique hotspot located in Petoskey, this restaurant has some serious burgers, pizza, and oven grinders on its menu.

Roast & Toast coffee shop in Petoskey Michigan

8. Roast & Toast – This artful cafe has amazing menu choices and even allows you to purchase their coffee blends online!

McLean & Eaken Bookstore in Petoskey Michigan

9. Symons General Store – No trip to Petoskey is complete with stopping in at Symons General Store for a peek into their stunning wine cellar! Or if your wine isn’t your think the home cooked food will make up for that!

10. McLean & Eakin Bookstore – If bookstores are your think then add McLean & Eakin to your list. Don’t forget to check the calendar to see if any of your favorite authors will be in!

11. Almost every natural landform in northern Lower Michigan is the result of glaciation during the Ice Age.

Interested in finding more places to eat and things to do in Petoskey? Visit the Petoskey Area Visitor Center and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram here!

Check out our other Midwest road trips:

Photo Tour of Two Places to Stay in Marietta, Ohio You Can’t Go Wrong With

Historical Midwest

Recently I attended a press trip to Marietta, Ohio and I was totally blown away with how many things there are to do there! The area was established in 1788 and I have found that some of the oldest areas of our country are the most intriguing!

It’s simply a gorgeous area with a fascinating history. If you love talking to people just walk up and down the streets in Marietta stopping in the shops and spend the day chatting with the locals – you’ll dive into a culture all of it’s own! You can check out our first post, Incredible History Captured and Created Right Now in Marietta, Ohio, for just a few ideas of fascinating places to stop.

If you are planning a visit to Marietta, Ohio I’d like to recommend 2 great places for you to stay!

The Historic Lafeyette Hotel

Two Places to Stay in Marietta, Ohio You Can't Go Wrong With

Before The Lafayette Hotel stood here the Bellvue Hotel was built in 1892 – it was just $2 a day to stay there! In 1916, however, a fire destroyed the Bellvue Hotel which you can see photos of in the Gunroom Restaurant of the Lafayette Hotel.

The Lafayette opened in 1918 and has allowing visitors to enjoy the surrounding area….with perhaps a few ghosts mixed in. You can learn more about this historic hotel, it’s floods, fire and haunts on the Hidden Marietta Tour which I highly recommend.

The hotel is right off of the river so it’s a gorgeous walk and view at night. Plus the architecture of the building is pretty cool!

What I love about this hotel, aside from the fact that it has a gorgeous view, is that it is right on the main street in town. If you love boutique shops and just browsing you absolutely must stay in The Lafayette Hotel.

As you would imagine with a historic hotel, the inside is older but nicely decorated with time period replicas and history from the past.

Right near the front desk is an awesome “time capsule” where you can still walk into an old phone booth. But instead of making a call to someone you can listen into the phone for a historical account of the hotel! It was pretty cool!

I had a fabulous room right off of the elevator which had a nice river view off of the parking lot. Look how ornate the bed frame, lamp, and desk/mirror are! Although I didn’t spend much time in the room it was a great cozy spot to work in!

As you get lost wandering down elegant hallways you’ll find a vast collection of historical photos, replicas, and artifacts from Marietta’s past.

These were two of my favorite signs!

Photo Tour of Two Places to Stay in Marietta, Ohio You Can't Go Wrong With

I wish my kids were with me because they would have loved seeing all of the old steamboat pieces displayed.

Down in the Gunroom Restaurant on the main level of the hotel you can find a Comedy Club and all sorts of events to participate in – even if you’re just passing through! The food was great too! We started our first day on a walking tour with Hidden Marietta and it was such a treat! Although I have to admit, if you get a little spooky about ghosts I would leave that tour until the end of your trip!

As we learned during our visit Marietta has had some pretty terrible floods come through town and you can see the markers on local businesses to see where the waters hit. In fact the original town was built a level lower than it currently is.

It was raised in hopes to decrease damage from flood waters. While exploring The Lafayette Hotel one night I came across this spooky locked steel door in the basement – so you never know what you will find in town!

You can follow The Lafayette Hotel on Facebook here.

The House on Harmar Hill

If you prefer to stay out of the heart of town and in a more quieter homey location then stop in to stay with Judy at The House on Harmar Hill. You absolutely will not be disappointed – and you won’t find a better view in town!

Located on 300 Bellevue Street in Marietta this is a fully restore 1901 Queen Anne Victorian home with a rich history. Please take full advantage of the gorgeous wrap around porch that overlooks the town of Marietta.

Intricately carved woodwork, elegant decor and incredible molding are just a few of the beauties you’ll discover here. The Innkeeper is incredibly friendly and made some AMAZING fresh scones for us! Her dog Cooper is extremely well-behaved and helps keep the bed and breakfast homey.

My in-laws love bed and breakfast locations and I’ve already recommended this one to them!

When you first walk in you’ll just gasp WOW! It’s simply exquisite.

Would you believe that this bathroom upstairs still holds the ORIGINAL bathtub AND toilet! YES – running water and an indoor toilet – talk about futuristic for 1901! It was just beautiful!

The old maid’s quarters has been turned into an elegant spacious bathroom – look at the size of this!

Thankfully we had a little bit of time to wander around inside and throughout the entire place I found delicate touches of an earlier time like these small shoes.

Or this ancient Bible with metal hinges still in tact! This by far was my favorite photo!

Surrounding the estate you’ll find a lovely cast iron fence next to the old brick sidewalk.

Book a room now at The House on Harmar Hill!

Don’t forget to check out our first post packed with tips to see the Mortuary Museum, a haunted brothel, an old steamboat, a fort inside of a building, an old sanatorium and so much more!

Below are a few great books on the history of Marietta and other fun quirks in Ohio!

Incredible History Captured and Created RIGHT NOW in Marietta, Ohio!

Historical Midwest

I struggled with what to title this post because quite frankly there is SO much to explore and learn about in Marietta, Ohio! It’s SO much more than just history in the past – the community there is making history RIGHT NOW!

After spending 3 days there on a press trip as a guest of the Marietta-Washington County CVB, I saw not only a town firmly (and literally!) standing on a rich amazing history – but Marietta is a talented culture of art, resilience, and storytelling! Everyone I met had a story to tell and it was absolutely incredible.

The town was started in 1788 and is not only the oldest town in Ohio but the oldest in the Northwest Territories as well! It was named for Marie Antoinette and each year they hold a festival on the weekend near her birthday. I couldn’t possibly share with you all that I did in just a 3 day period so I will be featuring several aspects of the town in different posts.

The 2 Largest Historical Artifacts in Marietta, Ohio:

Largest Historical Artifact in Marietta Ohio

I can’t even begin to tell you everything I learned here about the above fortification built in 1788 in Marietta, Ohio (the FIRST organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory!). I did find a blog post with some pretty extensive history featured here in the Campus Martius Museum where the largest historical artifact by the Friends of Marietta is safely kept. On site is also the restored Rufus Putnam house as well as the Ohio Company’s Land Office built in 1788!

The museum boasts tremendous displays of historical artifacts from the area, war guns, and an entire wing dedicated to the fascinating Lilly Martin Spencer. Lilly’s life is an amazing story of a woman who sold paintings to support her family in the late 1800’s.

2nd Largest Historical Artifact in Marietta Ohio

The next largest artifact in Marietta’s historical collection is the W. P. SNYDER JR. – the last intact steam-powered stern-wheeled boat in the US. It’s located just outside the Ohio River Museum and can be toured during the warmer months.

Interesting Spots to Note Around Town:

Upon our arrival in Marietta we took a walking tour with Hidden Marietta and I can’t recommend this enough! In fact they have several tours and I HIGHLY recommend all of them! You will learn SO much about the history (and the ghosts!) in Marietta. It’s a spooky delight and a fascinating story woven by era-dressed tour guides.

One ghastly stop was here at the current The Levee House Restaurant. This fine dining establishment is packed with character as it is the very last original riverfront structure here in town. But in the early 1800’s this waterfront district had it’s darker history brewing. If you enjoy living on the spookier side of life you can read about the sordid tale of this formal brothel here.

This eerie spot on our Hidden Marietta tour also left me with the desire to explore the insides of the building! If you look very closely you can see the ghost writing with the words: ” Chronic Disease Sanitarium”.

It was a hospital in the early 1900’s, then a funeral parlor, and is now attached to what is known as the Tiber Way Grille – a popular hot spot for locals. The entire building is a curved and built so that the railroad could go around it.

Yet another intriguing bit of history is that Marietta is a mecca for floods and fires. OK – maybe not something you would normally be proud of but in Marietta it is equivalent to resilience and determination. As you walk through town you can actually find markers displayed of how high various flood waters were. In fact in the past 100 years Marietta has had 20 major floods!

Let that sink in for a minute! In fact the town itself used to be built down lower until it kept flooding so much they made the bold decision to basically pave over the town and build a new town right on top! SAY WHAT?! Yep! You can still see evidence of this like the building in the photo above where you can still see the tops of the old windows buried underneath the city. Insanely incredible!

For the sake of turning this into information overload there is one more incredible place with a colorful history that is absolutely captivating. So captivating in fact that I want to head back to Marietta some day to explore it!

See that island on the right side of the above photo past the bridge? Ask around town and you may here different versions of the story but if you take the Hidden Marietta walking tours you’ll hear about this fascinating spot.

This little island has been a farm, a carnival, a hideout for outlaws, a place for gambling, and anything else you can imagine – and sometimes all at the same time! It seems each time a flood washes it away it becomes something new again! It’s pretty incredible and I’ve heard you can still find remains of its historical past on the island if you look close enough.

Peoples Mortuary Museum

The Peoples Mortuary Museum in Marietta is a private collection of antique hearses and other funeral / embalming related equipment. It is located – you guessed it – right next to a funeral parlor and although admission is FREE please make sure to call ahead to the funeral home and they can set you up a time to come by!

This sizeable museum is astonishing and well kept and includes a large collection of hearses (some used in Hollywood films!), photos from past death portraits, antique coffins of various types, and ALL sorts of related artifacts. It is not gruesome or spooky at all and is quite the interesting educational stop!

Personally I am fascinated by previous medical antiquities and appreciated the opportunity to walk through this private museum.

History that PRE-Dates Marietta:

Earthworks Mounds Cemetery in Marietta Ohio

Inside of the Mound Cemetery you’ll find this Earthworks Mound where you can climb to the top and ponder the people that lived here long ago. This is one of the earliest known mounds in our country and you can actually find several still preserved locations throughout town.

The cemetery itself is one of the oldest in the region and not only are there soldiers from many different American wars buried there but it is home to the largest number of Revolutionary soldiers buried in one place anywhere!

History in the Making NOW

We always think of history as being in the past but creating history RIGHT NOW has a special place in our story. That is what Sewah Studios is doing right now – and it’s worth knowing about. Chances are if you’ve done any travel in the United States you have seen historical markers that look like these:

Sewah Studios makes more than 75% of the historical markers in our country and high chances are, you’ve come across at least one! They are all COMPLETELY hand made works of art! Can you believe that?! It’s an incredible process started in 1927 by Mr. E. M. Hawes (his last name is Sewah spelled backwards!)

It was bought in the 50’s by the grandfather of the same man running the company right now! They make over 1200 markers each year and claim the trendy title of “History on a Stick”. Their markers can be found in every state in the US and they create the official state markers for 26 of our US states.

You can see photos and details of their step by step process here but I recommend watching the video below too! With NO sales team and NO advertising they clear over $2 MILLION each year with their handmade markers – and it’s pretty incredible!

I took a TON of photos from my tour in Sewah Studios but couldn’t possibly post them all here! Below are a few to give you an overview of the walk through.

Sewah Studios - a Tour of the Historical Marker Handmade Factory

The first room I walked through was piled floor to ceiling with letters of all shapes and sizes which are used to create the descriptions on the signs! They are pre-laid out for accuracy and spaced.

Once they have the letters all laid out and a template built they create a sand casting of it. Above is literally just a pile of packed down sand with the template pressed into it! Isn’t it incredible?! The sand used comes straight from the Ohio River nearby which is awesome!

Once the template is casted into the sand these gigantic bars of aluminum are melted right on site.

Surprisingly it doesn’t take long to melt the ingots and the hot liquid aluminum is transferred into a bucket and then poured right into the sand casted template!

This is the cast once it has been removed and cleaned – can you believe it?! Just from pouring hot aluminum liquid into a pile of sand. OK so it’s a little more complicated than that and is a meticulous process but you get the gist!

After baking and drying base coats of paint onto the historical markers the letters and designs are then hand painted on! Can you imagine accidentally messing up any part of this process on these signs!?

The prices start at about $1000+ so that would be a pretty pricey mistake! It’s really a phenomenal process and amazing that most of us have seen these signs and knew nothing about them!

A special thank you to the Marietta-Washington County CVB for inviting me to tour the area and hosting my stay. If you’re planning a visit I recommend staying in the Historic Lafayette Hotel – it’s right on the water next to fabulous boutique shops and provides a wonderful experience!

Chasing History in the Kansas City Area: Missouri Road Trip

Big Cities Historical Midwest

Being road trip enthusiasts and living in Iowa we have been ALL over the Midwest – except for Kansas City, Missouri. I didn’t even realize it was only 3.5 hours away from us! There were several places in the KC area on our “wish list” to go to so we decided to head down there on an extended weekend and dive into some of the history. Everything we did was not only historical and educational but it was fun and engaging for the kids.

My very first thoughts as we were driving through the various areas in and around Kansas City was that I had NO idea that the city was so old and that there was so much history there! In fact I really knew nothing at all about Kansas City, Missouri so we thoroughly enjoyed exploring during our short visit.

However if you are visiting with children there are a few very important things we learned along the way! So keep reading!

Money Museum at the Federal Bank Reserve

Money Museum Federal Reserve Bank Chasing History in the Kansas City Area in Missouri

Visiting a Federal Reserve Bank with our kids has been on our “to do” list for ages – especially since we missed out on seeing the one in D.C. a few years ago. Although the stop to the Money Museum is certainly a short trip if you have kids (maybe a half hour or so) – it’s still worth stopping at!

Not only are there a ton of hands-on things for your kids to do (and photo opps!) BUT here’s a little secret we learned:

If you take the interactive computer quiz in the beginning of the museum you have the option to get a Buy 1 Get 1 FREE ticket to the WW1 Museum!

The museum is free and yes – you can see right inside the vault with thousands of dollars stacked up! You can also create your own currency with rubbings like we did above (my favorite part!). My kids gave this stop a 2 thumbs up!

*Note – be prepared to walk through metal detectors if you have little ones and are toting a lot of stuff!

Science City at Union Station

Science City Chasing History in the Kansas City Area in Missouri

Although I am not a kid Science City was definitely one of my favorite stops – and a family favorite for all of us! I included this in our “chasing history” post because there is quite a large section dedicated to the history of the railway with trains you can climb inside of!

The museum kept my kids (ages 2-9) fully engaged for hours – and we only left because it was closing! Having never been to Union Station I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Before you even make it into the “main” part of the museum you’ll be enticed by a long hallway of psychedelic lights, magnets, mazes, and all sorts of other fun things.

The museum opens up into a massive open warehouse feel where all of the exhibits are spread out on various floors around a central area. Above is the Mister E Hotel – a life size hotel full of optical illusions. This was a really cool spot and there is a table and chairs inside that you can sit and watch the trains in the rail yard below!

My older kids loved the solar area and learning about alternative energy.

From water play to a nature center area, genetics, and so much more – if you have kids of any age you absolutely MUST spend a day at Science City. It’s one of the best science centers I’ve ever been to.

Pssst – if you have a science membership in your local area see if Science City is on your reciprocal list! We got in for FREE!

Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri

After seeing pictures of the Kansas City Public Library on Pinterest I HAD to stop in and check it out – tired kids and all. A few things to note for your trip:

*If you type in “Kansas City Public Library” in your GPS you might not end up at the right one! …..Not that we did this (haha!) – You want the library at this address: 14 W 10th St, Kansas City, MO 64105

*The photo above with all the giant over-sized books is actually the parking garage! Imagine my surprise when I thought it was the library itself and realized it was just for parking! Totally worth the walk past for plenty of selfies though! Even the stairs look like giant stacked books!

*You can go outside on the ROOF of the library AND in the basement to watch movies in their “Vault” – YES it’s a real vault!! They also have an expansive genealogy section!

*There are security guards stationed on every floor. The ones we spoke with were incredibly friendly, helpful, and gave us plenty of insider tips on enjoying the library!

The entire library is pretty magical. This is on the 2nd floor entering into the children’s area! We could have stayed there for hours enjoying everything – it was a stunning library.

National Frontier Trails Museum

The National Frontier Trails Museum is actually in Independence, MO – just out of Kansas City. We specifically paired this stop with the Harry S. Truman museum because they are so close together. The museum did a great job at making some of the exhibits interactive and interesting for kids as well as adults. I was shocked to learn some incredibly interesting facts while we were here! Did you know that pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail used to decorate their canvas coverings on their wagons with sayings?! If you’re a Goonies fan you’ll appreciate that one of the sayings we learned was “Never Say Die”!

As you can see the quality of the exhibits were superb! They even had a cool “Register Rock” zone for kids to write their names down. And there were squares of canvass for kids to create their own pioneering slogan on. Here’s a little steampunkery for you – did you know that inventors tried to “power” their covered wagons like a sailboat? I think it said they got it up to around 12-15ish mph! WOW!

Towards the end of the exhibit was a room specifically for kids. There was a large weight wagon with shelves stocked full of general store supplies! My kids spent a good half hour “shopping” for supplies and arranging them in the wagon! Also across the street you can see dips in the field where wagons from the Oregon Trail were!

National World War 1 Museum & Memorial

The National World War 1 Museum & Memorial was actually a special request by my 9 year old son who became interested in World War 1 after doing a history report on it last year. It wasn’t the greatest place for a tired cranky 2 year old but my boys really enjoyed it! Thankfully there were a couple interactive light tables that kept my toddler occupied.

The museum focuses on every aspect of the war – both European and American artifacts by the thousands! From uniforms to guns, hand grenades, and even hospital beds and military vehicles – this was truly an incredible place to visit! There were even full sized blast zones and trenches to explore! It really brought history alive for my children.

And if inside the museum wasn’t mind-blowing enough the grounds are just amazing. Make sure you get a bird’s eye view of the city at the top of the Liberty Tower!

Harry S. Truman Home, Museum, & Library

Also in Independence just down the road from the National Frontier Trails Museum is quite the collection of stops for presidential and history enthusiasts. My 7 year old LOVES presidents and has a desire to visit all of the past president’s houses – so a stop at the Harry S. Truman home was on the agenda! Here are some things you need to know:

The Harry S. Truman is a SEPARATE location from the Museum & Presidential Library. In fact in order to get on the grounds of the Truman house you’ll need to stop by the National Park Service office which is a DIFFERENT location than the house! This is something we didn’t know when we went! You can find all the details on the NPS page here.
The Museum & library were a great stop with our kids – even our toddler. We were able to take our stroller everywhere in the museum. Each kid got to make their own campaign button and desk sign to take home too!
Chances are you will never walk into the Oval Office in Washington D.C. but you CAN walk into the replica Oval Office at the museum! It was pretty awe-inspiring!

Arabia Steamboat Museum

Unfortunately we did not get the time to go to the Arabia Steamboat Museum but it is #1 to see the next time we are in town (along with the Kansas City Zoo!). The museum is full of pre-Civil War artifacts brought from the sunken steamboat Arabia which went down in the Missouri River in 1856. From the photos I’ve seen it looks stunning – this was high on my 7 year old’s list to see!

The Roasterie

An AMAZING addition to your tour for any age – The Roasterie is a coffee hot spot that offers FREE tours of it’s coffee plant along with free tastings. Yes – we even took our 2 year old on the tour! This place is history in the making. Learn all about the coffee bean, the process, and the good they are doing in other countries on their free tour!

And the plane above their factory is a REAL workable plane (once you add the engine) that not only was used in the Berlin Airlift but it also crashed in the Bermuda Triangle! How’s that for history?!

Other Historical Stops in the Kansas City Area:

Hallmark Visitor’s Center (if you have kids make sure you look up Kaleidoscope & Fritz’s!)
National Archives of Kansas City
Shoal Creek Living History Museum
Historic Garment District Museum
The Majestic Restaurant

Check out some of our other travels in the Midwest below!

Exploring the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Reference Books for the Kansas City area:

The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob book

The History of Kansas City Missouri and How it Grew book

2 MUST TAKE Cruise Tours in Munising, Michigan

Historical Midwest Nature

Shipwreck & Scenic Cruise in Munising Michigan

If you’ve never been to Munising, Michigan it is quite truly a gem! If you’re a nature lover like our family this absolutely MUST be a stop on your road trip. There are numerous waterfalls (and maps of these waterfalls in local businesses!), beaches, and no shortage of nature.

In fact Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is right there and is one of the most beautiful places in Michigan – all 100 miles of trails, cliffs, beaches, waterfalls, and more! Definitely leave enough time to explore some of the area. In fact these two cruise tours in Munising alone make it worth a road trip.

After spending many hours planning our road trip through Michigan we settled on two cruises in the Munising area – Shipwreck Tours and the National Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Cruise – both equally as beautiful and worth adding to your itinerary. Although I was a little hesitant on taking our active 1 year old on both cruises the same it ended up working out well!

Shipwreck Tours in Munising, Michigan

family on Lake Superior cruise in Munising Michigan

We started out our morning at the Shipwreck Tours in Munising off the shore on a dreadfully rainy day. It couldn’t have been a yuckier day – but thankfully the tour boat was completely enclosed and kept us dry! Traveling with a little one – I REALLY appreciated not being sopping wet and still enjoying this tour!

In case you haven’t heard about this cruise it is a glass bottom boat that takes you over various shipwrecks on Lake Superior. TOTALLY something our family went nuts over and a cool experience my boys will never forget. Seriously – how adorable are they?!

family on Shipwreck Tours on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

There are 2 very large glass bottom window viewing areas which meant we had more than ample opportunity to stand there for the entire tour and stare down into the water. You can see my boys above – they can’t contain their smiles and excitement!

There was also plenty of seats available so my husband and I rotated with our 1 year old to keep her occupied. Unfortunately seeing sunken ships was not really high on her to do list that day but she did well enough.

Shipwreck Tours on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

Viewing the shipwrecks really brought a surreal feeling. It’s something you might see in a movie – but in real life! What an incredible experience! This one of a kind tour in Munising is one I’d go to every time I visited if I could!

Not only did we view several shipwrecks but the captain shared with us the history of these ships, pointed out specific pieces of the wreckage to us, and explained patiently what exactly we were looking at as we stared down into Lake Superior.

It’s definitely something I would want to do again! In fact some of these shipwrecks are just inches below the waters surface and open to snorkel to and explore!

Historic Lighthouse on Shipwreck Tours in Munising Michigan

While boating around to the various shipwrecks we also passed this old and stunning lighthouse.

It reminds me of a little old schoolhouse – plus the beacon on top of course! We actually saw this same lighthouse a second time on our Pictured Rocks Cruise which we took later in the day. We had enough time in between the two cruises to see a few waterfalls as well as enjoy Miner’s Beach.

Make sure you check out our post on Miner’s Beach to learn about the secret you need to know before you go!

INSIDER TIP: Between the two cruises eat a picnic lunch at the covered pavilion right there on Lake Superior by the boat dock!

Pictured Rock Cruise in Munising, Michigan

Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

The Pictured Rocks Cruise actually offer several options for your cruise from the shorter cruise, a longer one to see an additional waterfall (which we did) and even a sunset cruise! The boat is much larger than the Shipwreck Tours and you can absolutely sit inside for the entire cruise if you’d like or venture outdoors!

I LOVED the Shipwreck Tours cruise for it’s uniqueness but I came away totally in LOVE with the Pictured Rocks Cruise! It was stunning and picturesque! I didn’t feel like I was on Lake Superior in Michigan – I felt like I was on a coast somewhere!

The cliffs and rock formations were just stunning. Now remember, I am a freak about rocks but look at that turquoise water! It was incredible! I just couldn’t believe it!

Miner's Castle Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

Sea caves galore! Someday when my kids are older, or if I ever go back without the kids, I’d love to kayak around the shoreline in and out of some of these “sea caves”. Above you can actually see the observation platform at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. They look like tiny ants!

Sea Caves at Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

A word of caution, however, if you do decide to venture out on the lake in a kayak. I absolutely would not bring my kids with me – even though we are an extremely adventurous family. The water can be insanely rough and the waves are astronomical.

There were times I didn’t feel safe just wading offshore because the waves were so vicious. Definitely know what the weather looks like and understand it can change in an instant – know what you’re getting yourself into!

The cruise was not only spacey and comfortable but also very informative.

Check out that water!

Sea Caves seen on Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

This was my favorite photo from the cruise! Doesn’t it look almost tropical?! I wanted to boat through that arch so bad!

Many of the various formations and juts of the cliffs had names.

We even passed closely by quite a few bird nesting areas!

This here is Battleship Row – named for the cliffs that jut out in a row that resemble battleships coming out of the shoreline.

Battleship Row seen on Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

Here’s a better view of Battleship Row.

family on Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

It’s a cruise I would have loved to sit through and just enjoy but when you have 3 kids in tow that doesn’t always happen! It was freezing cold and rainy the day we went but we still managed a pretty cute selfie!

Spray Falls Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

Remember how I told you we chose to go on that longer cruise to see the extra waterfall? This is it! This is Spray Falls which was neat to see. Is it worth the extra cost for this particular cruise as opposed to their regular one?

EH – I’m a little indifferent on that. You aren’t missing much if you skip it and save the money but if you want a longer cruise than I’d go for it. The cruise was about 3 hours in total.

Castle Rock seen on Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior in Munising Michigan

This was one of the most fascinating formations – if you look very closely you can see that there is a huge section of tree roots growing across the stone formations like a bridge!

Overall – I loved both of the tours in Munising for two different reasons. The Shipwreck Tours was more homey and is family owned. How often do you get the opportunity to see not just one shipwreck but multiple shipwrecks without needing to have a scuba diving hobby!?

It was amazing! And you can’t beat the beauty on the Pictured Rocks Cruise! The scenic views were stunning! It’s a very relaxing tour in Munising and great for those that want to sit and take in the fresh air.