Last winter we discovered Midwest ice festivals. The Meltdown Winter Ice Festival in Richmond, Indiana, and the Argenta IceFest in Illinois are unlike any festivals we’d been to before. Sure, we’ve seen ice carving demonstrations in the past and plenty of completed ice sculptures on display during events, but during these two festivals, ice carving is the star. Read more
Old historic cities are often filled with stories of spirits from days gone by. Corydon, Indiana, is no exception, as we learned on the Real Haunted Happenings Tour. Read more
When insurance salesman Max Zimmerman attended a convention in California in 1978, he went to dinner with his name tag still on. His waitress told him she had never been to Kansas. Max asked what she might expect to see in the state. She replied, “Dorothy’s house,” referring to the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. So upon his return home to Liberal, Kansas, Max and the community worked to bring Dorothy’s house to Liberal. Today, the attraction includes both Dorothy’s House and The Land of Oz. Read more
We hadn’t been to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum since our kids were young—and they’re now grown with children of their own. It was a great museum then, but its even better now. Four floors of exhibits include everything from dinosaurs to a 1917 carousel. And new added in 2017 is the 7.5 acre outdoor Sports Legends Experience, created for all ages, from preschoolers to adults. Read more
Doc, a World War II era B-29 bomber aircraft, was rescued from the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California and brought back to Wichita where it was originally built. Volunteers spent sixteen years restoring the plane. Today, when it isn’t displayed at air shows around the country, visitors can see it at the B-29 Doc Hangar, Education & Visitors Center in Wichita, Kansas.
Read more
Colonel George Davenport, founder of Davenport, Iowa, and first white settler in the area, led a family life that today would be fodder for the tabloids. Regardless, as a sutler for the U.S. Army, fur trader, and representative of Indians in negotiations with the U.S. government, he was well respected until his life ended tragically. In this podcast, we chat about the Colonel Davenport house on the Rock Island Arsenal in the Quad Cities and Colonel Davenport’s fascinating life. Read more
