As I toured Peake Orchards in Waukon, Iowa, I bit into a Honeycrisp apple. As fruit goes, apples have never been one of my favorites. But that Honeycrisp was true to its name—a crisp crunch followed by sweet flavor. I’d find out later why the apple tasted so good, but at the moment I was learning about all the work that goes into raising apples. Read more
One of our favorite impromptu day trips is to southwest Michigan, following the Lake Michigan shoreline. Resort towns dot the route with beaches, small shops, galleries, and restaurants. Every time we make the trip, I get a craving for a burger from Redamak’s, an iconic mom-and-pop diner in New Buffalo. But it’s rare that we stop there. Either our meal timing is wrong, or it’s high season with a lot of people waiting outside the door. On our last trip, however, we hit it right—a weekday at 3 p.m. Read more
Step on the old-time scale to see if you’re a witch … walk in wooden shoes … feed a goat … see how cheese is made. There is so much to do at Nelis’ Dutch Village in Holland, Michigan, our three-generation family spent almost a full day there. Read more
The French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana, has no shortage of dining options. Choose from delis, bars and grills, a buffet, or fine dining. On our latest French Lick visit we dined at Hagen’s Club House Restaurant, located at the resort’s historic Donald Ross Golf Course. Afterward we stayed for the gorgeous sunset view over the course. Read more
I went to my first state fair in 2015. I had been to county fairs many times but had never gotten around to going to the larger Illinois State Fair—or for that matter, any other state fair. I knew the gist of what to expect—farm animals, carnival rides, entertainment and such. What surprised me was the size of the fair. There was so much to see and do. We spent two days at the fair and didn’t get a chance to see everything. Here is a list of 25 things to do at the Illinois State Fair, and it is not all-encompassing.
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It’s fair time! Counties across the country celebrate agriculture in late summer, typically in July and August. We try to go to at least one county fair each year. Last year, we stopped at the Elkhart County Fair in Goshen, Indiana, during our visit to the area. The Elkhart County Fair is Indiana’s largest county fair and one of the largest in the United States. This well-attended fair drew over 202,500 people in 2017. Read more
