Minnesota Archives -: Recent Episodes
Minnesota Archives -
When I was growing up, Wizard of Oz was broadcast on television once every year. I, and every kid I knew, looked forward to the day that Dorothy would end up in the land of Munchkins and journey to EmeraldRead more
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Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Midwest Wanderer newsletter! This issue offers suggestions on road trips and specific attractions both in the Midwest and beyond.
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During the Cathedral of Saint Paul construction, the local Saint Paul newspaper referred to it as the bishop’s folly. It’s too expensive, too grandiose, too big and will never fill to capacity, the newspaper claimed. However, the cathedral opened onRead more
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Watch as Connie walks through the Mississippi River. She and Skip are at the Mississippi River headwaters in Itasca State Park, near Bemidji, Minnesota. The 2,552 mile Mississippi River begins here as a small stream flowing from Lake Itasca. ListenRead more
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Aviator Charles Lindbergh gained his fame as the first person to successfully complete a solo transatlantic flight. The Charles Lindbergh Museum in Little Falls, Minnesota, chronicles his life and career with exhibits and films. On a tour of the adjacentRead more
The post Charles Lindbergh House and Museum: Childhood Antics appeared first on .
What a busy year! As we look back on our photos, it’s hard to believe we packed so much into 2018. Besides two month-long trips west, we spent a lot of time touring the Midwest. We traveled the Great RiverRead more
The post 2018 Midwest Wanderer Year in Review appeared first on .
It’s eagle watching season. As the weather becomes colder and bald eagles migrate south down the Mississippi Flyway, people travel to those same places in hopes of catching a glimpse of the national bird. Some of the best places toRead more
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On our summer Great River Road trip we stayed in several hotels along the Mississippi River. But for two nights we actually stayed on the Mississippi River. The Covington Inn Bed and Breakfast in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is one ofRead more
The post Covington Inn: Floating Bed and Breakfast on the Mississippi appeared first on .
In this podcast, we chat about exploring byways and trails. If you’re a regular Midwest Wanderer reader, you know we do a lot of road trips. Some of our favorite trips are along scenic or historic byways. And then thereRead more
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Listen to our adventures as we drove the Great River Road from the Headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Quad Cities. On days 5 through 8 explored the area from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Dubuque Iowa. Thank you to VisitRead more
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Welcome to the inaugural Midwest Wanderer podcast! As we traveled the Great River Road from the Mississippi River headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Quad Cities, we summed up our daily activities each night in a podcast. We turned theRead more
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Day 13: Quad Cities to home The weather on the last day of our trip was rather gloomy. Since the skies looked like they could open at any time, we skipped traveling on the Channel Cat Water Taxi. Instead, weRead more
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Day 12: Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa Day 12 was museum day for us. We started out at the German American Heritage Center and Museum in Davenport. We went there specifically to see the temporary Steam Circus exhibit, but foundRead more
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Day 11: Fulton, Illinois, to Quad Cities Following a breakfast treat at Krumpet’s Bakery in Fulton, we crossed back into Iowa to visit the Sawmill Museum in Clinton. The museum is much larger than we expected it to be, andRead more
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Day 10: Dubuque, Iowa, to Fulton, Illinois Our first stop after breakfast was the Julien Dubuque Memorial. The memorial overlooks the Mississippi River—gorgeous views—in the Mines of Spain State Park. Afterward, since I can’t resist a cave, we toured CrystalRead more
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Day 9: Exploring Dubuque, Iowa We try to seek out unique attractions on our travels, so we couldn’t miss the Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque, the world’s steepest, shortest scenic railway. We then spent the rest of the day atRead more
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Day 8: Fountain City, Wisconsin, to Dubuque, Iowa Back on the road, we again crossed back and forth between Wisconsin and Minnesota, stopping for Mass at the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse and brunch at theRead more
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Day 7: Saint Paul to Fountain City, Wisconsin After picking up a healthy road trip snack food at the Saint Paul Farmers Market, we got back on the road. We passed back and forth between Minnesota and Wisconsin and stoppedRead more
The post Podcast: Great River Road Day 7 appeared first on .
Day 6: Explore more of Saint Paul We try to tour a state capitol whenever we visit a capital city. So, on Day 6 that’s what we did in Saint Paul, followed by historic Fort Snelling. We ended our dayRead more
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Day 5: Great River Road through Minnesota: Saint Cloud to Saint Paul Early on Day 5, we left got back on the Great River Road in Saint Cloud and continued to our destination in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where we wouldRead more
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Day 4: St. Cloud and St. Joseph From the gorgeous Munsinger and Clemens Gardens to St. John’s University in St. Joseph, and back to St. Cloud for Summertime by George, our day was packed. Don’t miss a Midwest Wanderer post.Read more
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Day 3: Bemidji to St. Cloud Starting our day with the Bemidji sculpture walk, we then continued on the Great River Road to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, then went on to St. Cloud, Minnesota, and a St.Read more
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Day 2: Mississippi River Headwaters back to Bemidji On Day 2 we drove to Lake Itasca State Park, where the Mississippi River begins, and walked across the river. After exploring more of the state park, we drove the winding GreatRead more
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Day 1: Traveling to Bemidji We begin the Midwest Wanderer Great River Road adventure at the Lindbergh House in Little Falls, Minnesota. We stopped there on the way up because it wouldn’t be open on the day we passed throughRead more
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We first wrote about the Nina and Pinta replicas in 2013, when we stumbled across the ships in Clinton, Iowa. The Nina and Pinta, replicas of two Columbus’ ships, offer tours to the public. A couple of weeks ago weRead more
The post Nina and Pinta Replicas Sail the Mississippi, Dock for Tours appeared first on .
I always find a walking history tour of a city fascinating, but I discovered that taking a Segway history tour is a blast! We did exactly that in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the Minneapolis Segway Tour – Human on a StickRead more
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Become the star of your own coloring page. Watch your drawing become part of a scrolling mural. Turn a crayon into a race car. Spin melted wax into a work of art. These are just a few of the activitiesRead more
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The Mississippi River, the third-largest watershed in the world, flows over 2,300 miles through the United States, from Lake Itasca in Minnesota south into the Gulf of Mexico. Traveling the Great River Road Scenic Byway, which follows the course ofRead more
The post Roadtrip: Meet Minnesota’s Great River Road appeared first on .
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: ■ The world’s tallest man, Robert Wadlow, was from Alton, Illinois. HeRead more
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“I’m tired of this winter.” I’ve heard it over and over again for the past month. And I agree. It seems that every day, at least here in the Chicago area, we’ve been getting either more snow, making roads dangerousRead more
The post Weathering this Midwest Winter appeared first on .