Charlie Parker’s Diner: Off the Beaten Path but Worth Looking For

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois October 12, 2015October 12, 2015Charlie Parker's, Charlie Parker's Diner, charlie parkers springfield, restaurants in springfield, restaurants springfield il 0 Comment

The World War II era Quonset hut doesn’t look like much from the outside, but step over the threshold at Charlie Parker’s Diner, and you take a giant step back to the rockin’ boppin’ 1950s. Every seat was taken at the glass-block lunch counter on the Saturday we visited and nearly every red vinyl chair around white Formica-and-chrome tables was filled. Off the beaten path in Springfield, Illinois, we didn’t know about it until we joined Alicia Erickson of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau there for lunch. Read more

Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins: Garden Center, Restaurant and Fall Fun

Connie Agritourism, Attractions & Events, Iowa October 9, 2015Iowa corn mazes, Iowa pumpkin farm, Pinter's, Pinter's Decorah, Pinter's Gardens & Pumpkins, Pinter's Gardens and Pumpkins 0 Comment

Come fall, Midwest garden centers bloom with mums, asters and ornamental kale. Farms open to the public for pumpkin picking, hayrides and corn maze navigation. It’s rare to find both combined and with a restaurant on the premises, to boot, which is what you get at Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins in Decorah, Iowa. “…with the restaurant and the garden center and the pumpkin patch, the closest would probably be Chicago, that has all what I have,” said Elisa Pinter, who co-owns Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins with her husband Shane. Read more

Fantastic Caverns: The Only Drive-Through Cave in the U.S.

Connie Attractions & Events, Missouri October 6, 2015December 30, 2015branson area attractions, branson cave, branson caverns, branson caves and caverns, branson ozarks, caverns in branson, caverns in springfield missouri, caverns in teh us, caverns in usa, caves in springfield missouri, caves near branson, caves near sringfield mo, fantastic cavern, Fantastic Caverns, fantastic caverns branson, fantastic caverns branson mo, fantastic caverns canyon, fantastic caverns in springfield missouri, fantastic caverns missouri, fantastic caverns mo, fantastic caverns springfield, fantastic caverns springfield missouri, fantastic caverns springfield mo, in springfield, in springfield missouri, springfield attractions, springfield branson, springfield fantastic caverns, springfield missouri attractions, springfield missouri tourism, springfield no, sringfield caverns, us caverns 0 Comment

Stalactites hang tight to the ceiling. Stalagmites grow from the ground up as calcite from dripping water builds up. When the formations meet in the middle they become a column. I’ve heard how cave formations build every time I take a cave tour. Yet, I never tire of touring the underground beauty of a cave. Each one is different in its own way, with unique formations, history, and in the case of Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, Missouri, its mode of transportation. Read more

Route 66 through Kansas

Connie Kansas, Road Trips September 30, 2015September 30, 2015Cars on the Route, Galena Mining and Historical Museum, Kansas Route 66, Route 66, Route 66 Kansas 3 Comments

Of the eight states that Route 66 runs through, Kansas has the shortest stretch, only 13 miles. There is still plenty to see here, though, from an old mining town to historic bridges to a renovated home that legend says was the home of “Galena’s Bloody Madam.” Read more

Marshall Carriage Company Ghost Tour in a Horse-Drawn Buggy

Connie Attractions & Events, Michigan September 28, 2015October 12, 2016carriage rides, fun places to go in Michigan, Ghost tours in Marshall MI, Marshall Carriage Comapny, Marshall Carriage Company ghost tour, Marshall ghost tour, Michigan ghost tours, Michigan things to do, things to do in Michigan, things to see in Michigan, what to do in Michigan 2 Comments

The young couple that moved into the Oliver Comstock House had a notion to name their new baby Hannah. Within days of Hannah’s birth, strange events began occurring. The piano keys were banged on in the middle of the night. The name “Hannah” was written on the wall in pencil. Doors opened and closed on their own. The couple soon discovered that the home’s original owner, Oliver Comstock, was married to a woman named Hannah. The Comstock House is just one of several haunted homes we stopped at during our horse-drawn Marshall Carriage Company ghost tour of Marshall, Michigan, the only such tour in the United States. Read more

Historic Bridge Park: 5 Restored Truss Bridges in One Location

Connie Attractions & Events, Michigan September 18, 2015Battle Creek, Historic Bridge Park, historic bridges, truss bridges 4 Comments

Fans of old bridges will love Historic Bridge Park, appropriately named given that it’s the retirement home for five restored Calhoun County, Michigan, metal truss bridges, plus a historic stone arch railroad bridge, all integrated into a footpath that winds through fields of black-eyed susans, queen anne’s lace, cow vetch and cattails. Read more

Midwest Wanderer explores history, nature, and culture through road trips along scenic and historic U.S. highways, byways and trails

Author: Connie