Editor’s Note: Following are links to Route 66 articles that first appeared on our U.S. Long Cuts blog. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu.
Kicks on Route 66
Destinations
Milwaukee Art Museum: A Peek at Its Renovation
The Milwaukee Art Museum, one of the oldest art museums in the nation, reopened its Collection Galleries last week following a renovation six years in the making. The $34 million renovation added 16,000 square feet of space and completely transformed placement of artwork and wayfinding. The new east end addition opens the museum once again to the beauty of Lake Michigan, right outside its doorstep, and the remodel of the oldest museum sections creates an easy flow from one area to another with surprises around every corner. Read more
Exploring the Bentonsport Historic District
The last stop on our tour of the Villages of Van Buren was the Bentonsport historic district, first developed by Mormon craftsmen as they migrated west along the Mormon trail in the mid-1800s. Steamboats no longer ply the nearby Des Moines River, but the historic district is still bustling. Refurbished buildings are now home to galleries, a candy shop, and a haunted bed and breakfast. Read more
Villages Folk School: Art Class Getaways
Continuing our tour of southeast Iowa’s Villages of Van Buren, our next stop was an 1800s restored stone building. This is where we would learn about the Villages Folk School and try our hands at a printing press. Read more
Bonaparte Retreat: Dining in an Old Grist Mill
I knew we were in for a great lunch at the Bonaparte Retreat based on our morning visits to the Milton Creamery and Dutchman’s Store. I couldn’t have been more right. Read more
Dutchman’s Store: Old-Fashioned Shop in Amish Community
In 1985 Clair Zimmerman and his wife, Virginia, opened a small general store in Cantril, Iowa, a town that serves the surrounding Amish community. They expanded…and expanded…and expanded. Today Dutchman’s Store occupies an entire block on Cantril’s main street, and it’s as much a tourist attraction as it is a grocery store…or a fabric shop…or a gift shop. Read more