Mammoth Site of Hot Springs: Prehistoric History Uncovered

Connie Attractions & Events, South Dakota January 5, 2015April 3, 20181800 mammoth, are mammoths real, dakota site, dakota travel, hot springs dakota, hot springs mammoth, hot springs mammoth site, hot springs sd, hot springs sd mammoth, hot springs sd tourism, ice age mammoths, information about mammoths, mammoth bones, mammoth dig, mammoth dig site, mammoth fossil, mammoth hot springs, mammoth information, mammoth museum, mammoth sd, Mammoth Site, mammoth site hot springs, mammoth site in hot springs, mammoth site of hot springs, mammoth site sd, site dakota, site sd, so dakota, the mammoth site, the mammoths, travel sd, woolly mammoth bones, woolly mammoth fossils 0 Comment

Here is the story of how the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs came to be. Once upon a time, in a prehistoric land not so far away, giant creatures roamed the earth. One day, over sixty male Columbian and wooly mammoths left home never to be seen again. Stories about the disappearance were passed down through generations of mammoths until the stories became legend. Males claimed females drove them away, to a mass suicide. Females claimed the males went on a hunting trip, got lost, and refused to ask for directions. The species eventually became extinct, and of course, the legend became extinct along with the mammoths. Read more

Travel and Adventure Show Coming to Chicago January 17-18, 2015

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois January 3, 2015November 22, 2015Chicago Travel and Adventure Show, Chicago Travel Show 0 Comment

With the holidays now behind us, it’s time to plan the new year, including vacations. If you’re looking for ideas on where to go this year, the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show in Rosemont, Illinois, coming up January 17-18, is a great place to do research. Get inspiration as you browse the exhibit floor, attend seminars and workshops featuring celebrity speakers, see demonstrations and taste samples of international cuisine cooking, and watch entertainers perform dances from distant lands.

The Exhibits
Whether you’re looking for a quick getaway to a Midwest destination or an adventure like an African safari or a trek in Nepal, you’ll find plenty of information among the show’s 300+ exhibitors. Gather brochures and chat with destination tourism bureaus, tour operators and resort representatives. Meet Alaskan sled dogs, ride a camel or try out deep-sea diving in the Dive Industry Association’s not-so-deep dive pool.

Discover new travel gadgets like Pick-Pocket Proof Pants^TM and the NapAnywhere, which allows you to sleep sitting up. I’m anxious to see the Pocket Poppet Cardigan, a women’s sweater that stows in a small pouch when not in use.

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Seminars and Workshops Featuring Celebrities
In the Travel Channel Theater hear inspiring travel stories, learn invaluable tips, and have your picture taken with travel celebrities, including the Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown; “Travel Detective” Peter Greenberg; Pauline Frommer, Editorial Director of the Frommer’s Guides; and Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Cheryl Strayed, New York Times best-selling author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail will discuss her 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Coast Trail, a story recently adapted into a movie.

More Entertainment and Information
Grab a front-row seat at the Taste of Travel Stage where top chefs will hold live cooking demonstrations. You may even get to sample the dishes. Over 20 exotic cultural performances will take place on the Global Beats Stage throughout the weekend. At the Destination Theater get in-depth information on specific popular travel destinations, and at the Savvy Traveler Stage learn how-to tips on smart travel using the latest products and technology.

If you attend:

Do some research beforehand. Check the keynote speakers schedule to determine which you want to see and set an alarm on your cell phone as a reminder. Browse the list of exhibitors to be sure you don’t miss booths you may be interested in.
Seats for seminars featuring celebrities fill up quickly. If you want to sit up front, get there early.
Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be walking a lot.
Dress in layers, as it can get rather warm in the convention center. Take advantage of the coat check.
Don’t carry a lot with you, as you’ll be picking up lots of brochures, which can get heavy.

The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show is held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, located at 5555 N River Road in Rosemont, Illinois, January 17-18, 2015. The show opens to the public on Saturday at 10 a.m. and runs to 5 p.m. Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the web site to purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $11 for a single day or $17 for two days (use promo code CHPR). On-site the tickets are $16 (single day) $25 (two days). Children 16 and under enter free.

Other Posts that May Interest You:

Here ‘n There in the Midwest: A Look Ahead to 2015

Top 2014 Midwest Wanderer Travel Experiences

Thank you for reading Midwest Wanderer. Don’t miss a post. Enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe to be notified whenever I publish another post. Subscription is FREE. After subscribing, be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm. – Connie

White Fence Farm, Romeoville IL: Popular Chicken Restaurant on Route 66

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois December 30, 2014December 2, 2015Illinois restaurants, Restaurants in Romeoville Illinois, Restaurants on Route 66, Romeoville Illinois, Route 66 Restaurants, White Fence Farm 0 Comment

White Fence Farm has been serving diners since before Route 66 existed. Their famous chicken didn’t appear on the menu, however, until the mid-1950s, and over the past six decades, that’s what they’ve become known for: chicken that’s crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside. Not only has White Fence Farm grown in popularity, but the restaurant area itself has ballooned over the years, to twelve dining rooms and a seating capacity of over 1,000, plus a small museum. Read more

Top 2014 Midwest Wanderer Travel Experiences

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota December 27, 2014April 2, 2018Art Party Studio, Bowers Harbor Inn Travers City, Buffalo Roundup, Chicago Helicopter Experience, DeSoto House Hotel, Grand Traverse Commons, Henry Doorly Zoo, Historic Park Inn, Kenosha Dragon Boat Festival, Midwest Travel, Midwest Wanderer, Mission Point Lighthouse, Pontiac Oakland Museum, Poopy's Pub n' Grub, Suzie Q Cafe, Traverse City, Village at Grand Traverse Commons 0 Comment

As another year comes to a close, we reflect on all that we’ve accomplished over the past twelve months and plan new goals for the coming year. For me, 2014 brought lots of opportunities to explore the Midwest, discovering more attractions, events and restaurants to share with you. It’s always amazing how much there is to do right here in the Midwest, from the Great Lakes to the Black Hills, from small towns to big cities. Today I’m sharing with you some of my personal “firsts” and also my top ten blog posts of the year, the ones most popular with you, my readers.

2014 New Experiences:

In March I discovered that anyone can paint—even no-artistic-talent me. At the Art Party Studio in Champaign, Illinois, bring your own wine, if you’d like, follow the step-by-step painting instructions, and every painting turns out well. If, on the slim chance it doesn’t, you can always blame it on the wine.

I tried my hand at glassblowing for the first time at The Glass Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Okay, so my turn lasted only a minute or so, since I was on a group tour and we just had a sampling. It would be fun to go back and create a “work of art” of my own.

I joined the Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau dragon boat team in the Kenosha Area Dragon Boat Festival in July. As hard as our team tried, we came in last place, but we had a great time.

Two new states were added to my list this year, Nebraska and South Dakota. I spent a couple of days exploring Omaha, including gardens, museums and shop. If you like zoos, you have to see Henry Doorly Zoo, my favorite zoo of all I’ve ever been to.

Besides the national monuments, national parks and so many other things western South Dakota has to offer, I took my first helicopter ride with the Black Hills Aerial Adventures, where I saw the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments at eye level and the Needles Highway from a bird’s eye view.

As great as everything else was in South Dakota, the highlight was the Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park, where I bumped along in the back of a pickup truck right in the midst of the cowboys and cowgirls on horseback rounding up around 1,100 head of bison for their annual vaccines and pregnancy tests.

The year concluded with my second helicopter tour, this time in the evening with Chicago Helicopter Experience, along the Chicago lakeshore, with a great view of the Lincoln Park Zoo and Michigan Avenue Christmas lights.

Top 10 Posts of 2014

Haunted DeSoto House Hotel, Galena IL was published in 2013 but continued to be the most popular throughout 2014.
Ghost stories are apparently popular. Bowers Harbor Inn, Traverse City: Two Restaurants and a Ghost created quite a controversy among Traverse City locals, some believing the legend and others not.
I don’t know whether it’s because of the location on Route 66 or if people are interested in car museums, but the Number 3 most popular post was Pontiac Oakland Museum, Pontiac, Illinois: Auto Nostalgia along Route 66.
Frank Lloyd Wright architecture is always popular, so I’m not surprised that Historic Park Inn: Last Remaining Frank Lloyd Wright Hotel made the list.
Billed as the biggest biker destination in Illinois and along the Great River Road, Poopy’s Pub n’ Grub, Savanna IL; Popular Even with Non-bikers, came in at Number 5.
Downtown shops in towns in southwest Michigan resort towns are always fun to explore, and Traverse City foodie fans especially liked Traverse City Shops: A Culinary Delight.
Green County, Wisconsin, celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Cheese Days in 2014. In June I attended a press preview of the big September event and wrote about it in Cheese Days 100^th Anniversary Preview, Monroe, Wisc. The event is held every two years, so plan ahead to attend in 2016.
Published just in time for Halloween, another Traverse City supposedly haunted location came in at Number 8, Tour a Former Asylum at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, Traverse City.
Eating at a tiny ten-seat diner is fun, especially when the delicious food is served by a magician, like it is at the Suzie Q Café, Mason City Iowa: A Meal with a Dash of Magic.
Old lighthouses are fun to explore. The stories behind them are always fascinating. Another Traverse City attraction, Tour Mission Point Lighthouse, Traverse City, Michigan made the list at Number 10.

I’m looking forward to sharing more fun and interesting attractions, events and restaurants in Midwest destinations throughout 2015. If you have suggestions on Midwest places to see and things to do, don’t hesitate to share them at info@midwestwanderer.com, and I’ll help spread the word.

Visit the World’s Only Precious Moments Chapel, Carthage, Missouri

Connie Attractions & Events, Missouri December 23, 2014June 4, 2024Carthage Missouri, Carthage MO, Precious Moments, Precious Moments Chapel 2 Comments

If you’re a fan of those adorable teardrop-eyed Precious Moments children, you will love the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. After years of wanting to visit it, we finally did. You know how sometimes when you expect big things and then you get there and it’s a letdown? It was the opposite with the Precious Moments Chapel, the only such chapel in the world. I expected a small building with a few cute Precious Moments figurines and paintings. Instead, I found awesomeness in the true sense of the word. Huge paintings and murals cover the chapter walls. And the property covers acres of land, in a serene setting of hills and woods.

Choose Wisely: Soup and Salad bar at Shrine Restaurant, Belleville, Illinois

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois December 21, 2014March 20, 2016lady of snows, lady of snows shrine, lady of the snow, lady of the snows shrine, National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, our lady of snow, our lady of snow shrine, our lady of snows, our lady of snows belleville, our lady of snows shrine, our lady of the snow, our lady of the snow shrine, our lady of the snows, our lady of the snows belleville, our lady of the snows shrine, shrine of our lady of snows, shrine of our lady of the snows, shrine restaurant, the national shrine of our lady of the snows, the shrine belleville, Waistline Watching Traveler 0 Comment

I once had a coworker who ate almost nothing besides soups and salads for lunch and dinner. Her breakfast was always a banana and yogurt. She never ate a donut or indulged in birthday cakes. I never once saw her eat a hamburger. Yet she always seemed to struggle somewhat with her weight. Then one day she discovered that the salad she’d occasionally order from Taco Bell had over 700 calories and more than 30 grams of fat! Read more