2015 Midwest Wanderer Year in Review

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Road Trips, Wisconsin December 30, 2015March 15, 2024Beloit International Film Festival, channel islands national park, Colon Michigan, Du Quoin, Fantastic Caverns, Hurts Donuts, IFLY Chicago, Illinois State Fair, John Dillinger Museum, JT Shrimp, Lincoln funeral reenactment, mammoth lakes, Midwest Wanderer, milwaukee art museum, Pabst Brewery, relics antique mall, Snake Alley, Wigwam Motel 2 Comments

2015 has been another great year of firsts for us. We’ve visited new destinations, enjoyed new experiences, and had several “who knew?” moments.

Here are some of our favorite 2015 experiences: Read more

Forest Home Cemetery: Paying Respects to Milwaukee Beer Barons

Connie Attractions & Events, Wisconsin December 28, 2015August 9, 2016cemeteries in milwaukee wi, forest home cemetery, forest home cemetery milwaukee, forest home cemetery milwaukee wisconsin, forest home milwaukee, historic cemetery, milwaukee cemeteries 3 Comments

The more we get into the historic aspects of places we visit, the more interesting local cemeteries become to us. Ornate monuments alone are fascinating to see, but what we also find intriguing are family plots where we can piece together a family’s lineage. One cemetery we recently toured was Forest Home Cemetery, where most of Milwaukee’s early beer barons are interred.

Editor’s note: This is the last in a series of four articles about Milwaukee’s Pabst family and the historic Pabst Brewery, at one time the nation’s largest brewery. Read more

Best Place Beer History Tour, Historic Pabst Brewery

Connie Attractions & Events, Wisconsin December 27, 2015August 9, 2016best brewery, Best Place, best place at the historic pabst brewery, best place in milwaukee, best place pabst, best place pabst brewery, breweries milwaukee, brewery in milwaukee, brewery milwaukee, brewery tour, captain pabst, historic milwaukee, historic pabst brewery, milwaukee brewery tour, old milwaukee best, old pabst brewery, pabst best place, pabst brewery milwaukee, pabst milwaukee, pabst milwaukee brewery, pabst tour, the best place milwaukee, the best place pabst, the pabst, what to see in milwaukee 2 Comments

Pabst Brewery, once the world’s largest beer producer, had been shuttered and fenced off for almost two decades. The buildings, all 28 of them, would have been torn down had the city not gotten the brewery on the National Register of Historic Places. We learned this story and a lot more about Milwaukee’s beer history during the Beer History Tour at Best Place, located at the historic Pabst Brewery.

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of four articles about Milwaukee’s Pabst family and the historic Pabst Brewery, at one time the nation’s largest brewery. Read more

Viewing Elephant Seals near San Simeon

Connie Attractions & Events, California December 26, 2015August 9, 2016cambria california beach, cambria elephant seals, cambria seals, elephant seal beach, elephant seal beach san simeon, elephant seal cambria, elephant seal rookery san simeon, elephant seal san simeon, elephant seals, elephant seals at san simeon, elephant seals california coast, elephant seals central coast, elephant seals hearst castle, elephant seals highway 1, elephant seals in cambria, elephant seals in san simeon, elephant seals near hearst castle, elephant seals near san simeon, elephant seals piedras blancas, elephant seals rookery, elephant seals san simeon ca, hearst castle elephant seals, photos of seals, pictures of seals, piedras blancas elephant seals, san simeon ca elephant seals, san simeon elephant seal, san simeon elephant seal rookery, san simeon seals, seal rookery, seal rookery san simeon, seals california coast, seals san simeon, the elephant seal, where to see elephant seals 2 Comments

We had heard that elephant seals spend only two months onshore. The rest of the time they’re far into the ocean. That is true. Maybe it was an assumption on our part, but we thought they all came onshore at the same time, and that we were lucky to hit the right season when we saw hundreds of elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon, California. The truth is, you can view elephant seals at the rookery almost always, more at some times of the year than others.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option. Read more

Merry Christmas from Midwest Wanderer

Connie Attractions & Events December 24, 2015December 24, 2015Christmas 1 Comment

Hashknife Pony Express: Keeping History Alive

Connie Arizona, Attractions & Events December 23, 2015August 22, 2016hashknife pony express, hashknife pony express route, pony express scottsdale 0 Comment

Dressed in traditional cowboy gear, they sit astride their horses at the ready. At 8 a.m. the Hashknife Pony Express riders are off, galloping from the Holbrook, Arizona, Post Office down the 200 mile trail, handing the mailbag off rider to rider. By 4:45 p.m. the mail makes it to Payson and by noon two days later it reaches Scottsdale, its final destination. Then the celebration begins.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option. Read more