Hershey Gardens Opens Tropical Butterfly Atrium

Hershey Gardens Opens Tropical Butterfly Atrium

The first thing that caught my eye as I looked through the observation window from the Hershey Gardens gift shop into the new tropical butterfly atrium were the giant blue morpho butterflies flitting about. I had never seen a blue butterfly before, or one so large. The blue morpho is just one species of butterfly introduced in the atrium housed in the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory, newly opened in 2016. In total, 200 to 300 species of tropical and North American Butterflies will be represented in the atrium when it is fully populated. Read more

One Day in Fargo, North Dakota

One Day in Fargo, North Dakota

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had a short time in a city and wished we could stay longer. Fargo, North Dakota, is one of those cities. We had a week to explore North Dakota, and a single day in Fargo was our starting point. Read more

Crayola Experience: Mall of America Family Attraction

Crayola Experience: Mall of America Family Attraction

Become the star of your own coloring page. Watch your drawing become part of a scrolling mural. Turn a crayon into a race car. Spin melted wax into a work of art. These are just a few of the activities kids—and adults—can have fun with at Crayola Experience, new to Mall of America in 2016. Read more

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield: Civil War on the Family Farm

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield: Civil War on the Family Farm

John Ray stood in his cornfield watching the nightmarish scene unfold before him, the rest of his family crouched in the farmhouse cellar. Cannon booms resonated in the usually quiet setting. Soldiers’ cries pierced the hot, humid summer Ozark air as bloody bodies fell. The Battle of Wilson’s Creek, in which 1,317 Union Soldiers and 1,222 Confederate soldiers lost their lives, is considered the first significant Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River. John Ray’s farmhouse is the only original structure that still stands today. It is one of the eight interpretive stops at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Springfield, Missouri. Read more

Medora Musical and Pitchfork Steak Fondue: North Dakota Road Trip Grand Finale

Medora Musical and Pitchfork Steak Fondue: North Dakota Road Trip Grand Finale

Last month we took a road trip, zig-zagging across North Dakota east to west. We started our trip at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center and ended in Medora. I have a lot to write about North Dakota all across the state, but I’m jumping now to the westernmost point of our trip. The Medora Musical and Pitchfork Steak Fondue was a true grand finale to our road trip. Read more

Exploring NewBo: Trendy Cedar Rapids Neighborhood

Exploring NewBo: Trendy Cedar Rapids Neighborhood

When devastation strikes, it’s difficult to imagine good coming from it, but that’s what happened in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, New Bohemia neighborhood, referred to as NewBo, following the great Cedar River flood of 2008. Most buildings in the already declining New Bohemia neighborhood filled eight feet or more with floodwaters. Sadly, some historic buildings were torn down rather than repaired. However, with federal and state funds, as well as insurance money, a building resurgence occurred. Today NewBo is booming with new shops, restaurants, and pubs.

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