Travel and Adventure Show: Comparing Chicago and Los Angeles Shows

With renowned travel professionals like Rick Steves and Samantha Brown, entertainers representing countries from Ireland to Fiji, cooking demonstrations by noted chefs, and booth after booth of exhibitors offering information and guidance on exciting travel options, the Travel and Adventure Show is a must experience for travel lovers. I had attended the Chicago Travel and Adventure show three years in a row and looked forward each year to learning about new places to visit, checking out the latest travel gadgets and enjoying the entertainment and speakers. I had mixed feeling this year when my husband and I decided to escape the Midwest winter and head west, as I would miss the Chicago show. It turned out the timing was right to attend the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show instead, giving us a chance to check out new destinations and compare the two shows. Read more

3 Great Places in Illinois for Eagle Watching

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois January 5, 2016January 5, 2016about eagles, alton eagle watching, alton eagles, alton il eagles, arsenal island, bald eagle illinois, bald eagle illiois, bald eagle watching, davenport eagles, eagle information, eagle quad, eagle viewing, Eagle watching, eagle watching alton il, eagle watching grafton il, eagle watching in alton il, eagle watching starved rock, eagles on the river, information about eagles, live eagles, lock and dam, lock and dam 21, lock dam, mississippi river eagles, mississippi river lock and dam 14, national eagle center, starved rock bald eagles, starved rock eagles, starved rock park, starved rock winter, the eagle center, the locks rock island, watchig eagles, what do eagles eat 4 Comments

Once on the Endangered Species List, the American Bald Eagle has rebounded and is once again flourishing in the United States. In Illinois the peak season to catch glimpses of eagles is late December through early March. Since eagles eat primarily fish, they migrate south as rivers freeze, searching for free-flowing water. Dams along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are common areas to spot them. Here are some of the best places in Illinois for eagle watching: Read more

12 Fun Facts You May Not Know about the Midwest

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin January 4, 2016March 15, 2024crookedest street in the world, Lincoln's Boyhood Home Indiana, magic capital of the world, Mall of America, mammoth site of hot springs, Midwest trivia, world's largest ball of twine, world's tallest man 44 Comments

One fun part of travel is learning interesting facts about the places you visit. Following are bits of trivia I’ve picked up about each of the Midwest states. Read more

Muffler Men: Still Standing Tall on Route 66

Connie Arizona, Attractions & Events, Illinois, New Mexico December 31, 2015gemini giant, gemini giant route 66, gemini giant statue, gemini giant wilmington, gemini statue, launching pad wilmington il, lumberjack statue, muffler man statue, muffler man statues, muffler men, route 66 muffler, route 66 trip, statues of men 0 Comment

For years I worked just down the street from the Gemini Giant that stands on the edge of the Launching Pad parking lot. I frequently ate lunch at the Launching Pad, a now-closed fast-food diner on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois, but I never thought about the history of the oversize figure. It turns out he’s one of many Muffler Men, 14- to 25-foot tall fiberglass advertising icons produced by International Fiberglass in Venice, California, from 1962 to 1972. The Gemini Giant was repainted to fit the Launching Pad space theme, the space helmet was added and a rocket placed in his hands.

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

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

Charlie Parker’s Diner: Off the Beaten Path but Worth Looking For

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois October 12, 2015October 12, 2015Charlie Parker's, Charlie Parker's Diner, charlie parkers springfield, restaurants in springfield, restaurants springfield il 0 Comment

The World War II era Quonset hut doesn’t look like much from the outside, but step over the threshold at Charlie Parker’s Diner, and you take a giant step back to the rockin’ boppin’ 1950s. Every seat was taken at the glass-block lunch counter on the Saturday we visited and nearly every red vinyl chair around white Formica-and-chrome tables was filled. Off the beaten path in Springfield, Illinois, we didn’t know about it until we joined Alicia Erickson of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau there for lunch. Read more