Trouble coming up with a meaningful gift for Dad? Instead of another something he doesn’t really need, how about a gift of an experience instead? Most men enjoy classic cars, so museums filled with beautifully restored automobiles make the perfect place to visit. Here are seven car museums that dads—or anyone who appreciates classic or antique cars—enjoy.
Life is getting back to normal! We’re experiencing far fewer mask mandates and cancelled events. Time to get back to exploring, and the Midwest Wanderer newsletter will guide you to some fun and interesting places to explore.
The famed Pony Express served as a speedy mail delivery service, beginning in 1860. Mail could make it from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California in just 10 days, less than half the usual 25 days for stagecoach delivery. Riders rode horses at breakneck speeds along ten-mile stretches, changed horses at a Pony Express Station, and continued on. At every third station, a new rider would quickly take over. The Hollenberg Pony Express Station, located in Hanover, Kansas, is one of the few remaining Pony Express stations remaining on its original site, and you are invited to tour it.
Oklahoma City, sophisticated state capital or laid-back cowboy town? It’s a little of both. The city captures the essence of a cowboy town in a big-city way. Oklahoma City culture is apparent in many of the attractions that we visited during our three-day stay. Here are seven that especially impressed us.
In the tradition of Indy champions, you can kiss the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
How did the tradition start? Dale Jarrett won! In celebration, he and his crew chief knelt and kissed the bricks that mark the start/finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Since Jarrett’s 1996 Brickyard 400 win, champions of the Brickyard, Indy 500, and most other races at the speedway all kiss the bricks. You, too, can kiss the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when you take the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Kiss the Bricks tour.
Twelve miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast and accessible only by private boat or ferry, Ship Island was a tourist destination for years. And then, in 1969, Hurricane Camille hit. She split the island in half, creating West Ship Island and East Ship Island. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina did even more damage.
Thanks to an Army Corps of Engineers project, the two halves were reconnected in 2019, making the entire island available again via a single ferry ride.
Spend the day exploring Ship Island—or sunbathe all day. The choice is yours. Either way, a Ship Island visit is a highlight on a Gulf Coast itinerary.
