Mountains painted in stripes and trees turned to crystals in a rainbow of colors sound like something from a fairytale. They are as real as can be, though, in the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park in northeast Arizona. Read more
Attractions & Events
Indiana Caverns: Creating the Newest Show Cave

Gary Roberson was eleven years old when he first explored a cave and became hooked. I was about the same age when I first toured a cave and was captivated with the magical world beneath the ground. Today I visit caves whenever I get the chance, as a tourist. Gary, on the other hand, made a career of exploring, developing and owning caves. Read more
National Route 66 Museum, Elk City, Oklahoma: Four Museums, One Location
iFly Chicago: Experience the Sensation of Freefalling

I believe in the “never say never” mantra. However, there are exceptions—like jumping out of an airplane. I can say with 99.9% certainty that I will never jump out of a plane, possibly even if my life depended on it. I did get a chance, though, to experience the exhilaration of freefalling, without the fear of crashing smack dab onto the ground, with the iFLY Chicago indoor skydiving experience. Read more
Lincoln Pops Up in the Most Unexpected Places

You expect to find Abraham Lincoln sites all over Illinois, and I have. Of course, they’re ubiquitous in Springfield, his home for 24 years, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Lincoln Home.

And then there’s Vandalia, the state capital prior to Springfield and the oldest existing Illinois capitol building.
Decatur was his first Illinois home, and he lived in West Salem prior to Springfield.
As a lawyer, Lincoln rode all over the 8th Judicial Circuit, and there are commemorative sites throughout Central Illinois where Lincoln stayed, spoke and worked. The Museum of the Grand Prairie captures Lincoln Travels through the area.
I’ve searched out many of these places, which are often part of the Illinois Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition.
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There are plenty of Lincoln sites outside of Illinois, too, like his birthplace and First Lincoln Memorial in Kentucky, his Indiana boyhood home, and of course, his place of honor on Mount Rushmore.


Occasionally, however, Lincoln pops up where you least expect him. We found him recently in Beloit, Wisconsin. Skip and I were browsing the shops in the downtown area when we wandered past this building and noticed the plaque commemorating Lincoln’s 1859 visit.
In what unexpected place have you found a Lincoln site? Let me know in the comments below.
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Beloit International Film Festival: What to Expect

The term “film festival” always brought a picture to my mind of a series of artsy films with deep meanings I didn’t understand, mostly in non-English languages with subtitles. When I was invited to the Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF), I thought why not? I’m always up for a new adventure, I was curious, and I saw there was going to be a Grease sing-along on Saturday night.


