Before this summer, I knew little about Wild Bill Hickok. Then, within just a few weeks, we visited three places within Kansas and Illinois that all shared Hickok stories—quite a coincidence. I learned several fascinating facts about him and included some in this slideshow:
Author: Connie
Old Abilene Town Recalls Wild West Days
3 Museums for Wizard of Oz Fans

When I was growing up, Wizard of Oz was broadcast on television once every year. I, and every kid I knew, looked forward to the day that Dorothy would end up in the land of Munchkins and journey to Emerald City. Along her journey, Dorothy worked her way into our hearts as she faced fearful obstacles and made new friends. So, today, when I find that our travels are taking us near a Wizard of Oz attraction, it immediately goes on our itinerary. Here are three that we’ve enjoy over the past few years:
Midwest Wanderer Newsletter – August 1, 2022
More Big Stuff: The Return to Casey, Illinois

The small town of Casey, Illinois, is home to twelve of the world’s largest objects—rocking chair, wind chimes, and teeter-totter, to name a few. We wrote about the “Big Things Small Town” last year after we had passed through and had seen the attractions on and around Main Street. However, there are more “big” roadside attractions scattered through other parts of town. So, we spent the better part of a day there recently, and we took our granddaughter with us, knowing she’d love it. Here is a video of some of what Casey offers.
Avery Island: TABASCO® Factory Tour and Jungle Gardens

Perusing travel brochures during a two-night stopover in Louisiana, we noticed our campground was only an hour from Avery Island. Avery Island is home to TABASCO®, which offers factory tours. Skip loves TABASCO® hot pepper sauce. Me, not so much, but I do enjoy factory tours. The problem was, we had a 1 p.m. checkout time the next day. No problem, we decided. We’ll get there when they open at 9 a.m., and we’ll be back in plenty of time. We could skip the Jungle Gardens tour, a related Avery Island attraction.