Uncovering The Corners Of The World: Recent Episodes
Karina Kosmala
Host Karina Kosmala, through in-depth research, invites you to join her on the journey to unique places in the United States and around the world. You won't even have to leave your home, unless you want to.
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In the "Oil Capital of the World," we grab our cameras and take photos of the tallest oil derrick (currently) in North America at the Route 66 Historical Village. Next, we put on an apron and "serve" soda at the National Route 66 Museum and Old Town Village as we visit each museum to see antique cars and rare historical documents that capture Route 66 and the early life in Oklahoma. Lastly, in a living ghost town, we tug the door to the One Room Jail in Texola, OK.
Music is "McCarthy" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
About 400 miles of Route 66 runs diagonally through Oklahoma, our next state on our Route 66 trip. In Arcadia, we walk around the only wooden round barn on Route 66. Next, we take a bite of the legendary Route 66 cookies at Dairy King, in Commerce, OK. Lastly, just across the street from Dairy King, we take a few photos of a service station where supposedly Bonnie and Clyde might have stopped there for gas.
Music is "McCarthy" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Before we part ways with Missouri, we take a train ride at the National Museum of Transportation.
In Galena, Kansas, we meet the characters from the 2006 animated movie Cars (Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Luigi, and more) scattered on Kansas's 12.8-mile stretch of Route 66. Lastly, we fasten our seatbelts as we drive on a bridge built in 1923.
Music credit to 'McCarthy' by Blue Dot Sessions
Next one our Route 66 road trip is Missouri where the road extends for more than 280 miles in the state. Our first stop is in Cuba, Missouri, to see The World’s 2nd Largest Rocking Chair, but the only largest rocking chair on Route 66. Next, we calculate time using Missouri’s Stonehenge before cooling off at Grand Falls.
Route 66, also called the Mother Road, weaves 2,400 miles with gusty winds on open-fields, scorching deserts covered in lava beds, and ends on pier lined with palm trees as tall as skyscrapers. To embark on the ultimate Route 66 road trip, we start in Illinois where the road begins. Along the way, we test our reflexes at Arcadia: America’s Playable Arcade Museum, take some photos of the World’s Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon in Lincoln, IL, and stroll through the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Amongst Costa Rica’s abundant wildlife, there is one particular animal people can’t wait to see. Collin Sugg shares with us the curious creatures that you might cross paths with in Costa Rica, and digs into the history of some of San José’s landmarks including the National Theater, an opera house built in 1897 to accommodate a legendary opera singer. He also leaves us with some tips to consider before booking a flight to Costa Rica. (Part 2 of the “Tasting Pura Vida: Collin Sugg’s Adventure in Costa Rica”, episode 85).
Why are Starbucks coffee beans grown in Costa Rica? What is the proper technique for tasting coffee according to Starbucks? What are some cultural differences between the US and Costa Rica? These are just some of the questions that my good friend and fellow podcaster, Collin Sugg (along with his cat Tom Barnaby) answers this week as he retells his trip to Costa Rica. This episode is divided into two parts (Episode 85 and 86), be on the lookout for the episode 86 coming soon!
The Daniel Hess Carpet Sweeper from 1860 is one of 100s of vacuum cleaners that line the walls of the Museum of Clean, our first stop this week. Next we cool off from the heat by descending towards Shoshone Ice Caves that may be haunted. Our last stop this week is at Shoshone Falls - the “Niagara of the West.”
Ironically, potatoes are not native to Idaho. To understand everything there is to know about potatoes in Idaho we start our trip by staying a night at the Big Idaho Potato Hotel and then learn about the potato industry at the Idaho Potato Museum and Potato Station Cafe. We end our road trip this week in Cottonwood, ID, to visit a non-potato attraction.
Happy New Year 2024!
We start the new year by maneuvering a 30,000 lb wheel loader (excavator) at a heavy-equipment playground on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. Next, while on the "Loneliest Road in America," we cross the border to the Republic of Molossia. Then we stop by the Stokes Castle, a three-story granite tower in the Nevada desert.
In the hottest and driest area in the United States, we visit a mining town that used to transport a chemical across rough roads from Furnace Creek to Mojave. Next, we visit Berlin-Ichthyosaur (Ick-theo-saur) State Park to see a ghost town that is also the site of 225-million-year-old marine reptile fossils. Lastly, we grab a drink at the Ponderosa Saloon before we head downstairs to explore its underground gold mine.
What better way to celebrate Halloween than in city (in Minnesota) that claims to be the first in the United States to host a Halloween celebration? In Death Valley National Park, we find a ghost town with some eerie sculptures and a haunted tale. Lastly, we visit the filming location of the 1998 movie Halloweentown.
Tug-of-war might be a friendly backyard game, but it is an intense annual competition in Port Byron, IL, and LeClaire, IA. These two small towns stop all river traffic to pull a 2,700-foot rope across the Mississippi River. Besides cheering on our favorite team (or state) at Tug Fest, we look for the 30-foot-bicyclist statue in Port Byron, IL, and then count the matchsticks in the Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sculpture at the Matchstick Marvels Museum in Gladbrook, IA.
The "World's Largest Indoor Carousel," a 200-foot tall blue whale, and a mechanically operated 80-piece orchestra ensemble are a few of the surprises that we find in the House on the Rock this week while in Wisconsin Dells. Next, we sail down the Wisconsin River and stop to see a dog recreate the "Leaping the Chasm" photo, before diving into Lake Delton on the Original Wisconsin Duck.
Roanoke Island's first English settlers vanished without an explanation.
On Roanoke Island, we stopped by the Fort Raleigh Visitor Center to read about the "Lost Colony," Native Americans, and the Freedman's Colony. In Manteo, North Carolina, we peer out of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, a replica of the 1877 lighthouse. At the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum, we observe staff restore historical vessels.
(Part 2 of "The Alaskan Excursion with Collin Sugg") Are there ghosts in Skagway, AK? Who won the Lumberjack Competition in Ketchikan? How can you get to Juneau? Fellow podcaster Collin Sugg explains the darker side of Skagway and narrates the Lumberjack Competition between the US and Canadian teams. He leaves some tips and advice for those planning to take a cruise to Alaska.
Fellow podcaster and returning guest Collin Sugg walked me through his first ever cruise trip to Alaska. His sightseeing excursion started in Seattle, Washington, where he stopped by the Space Needle, the pop culture museum, and a stained glass garden. Before arriving in Alaska, Collin recommends some of the activities to try while at sea.
A dream castle with a heartbreaking ending resides on Heart Island, our first stop this week in New York. Next, we discover the life of the "conservation" President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Finally, we hike the Gorge Trail at Taughannock Falls to view a waterfall that is taller than Niagara Falls.
A thick white fog wraps around the Appalachian Mountains as we drive towards the Great Smokey National Park this week. Before we enter the park, we examine rods and lures at the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians. Next we taste various flavors of honey in Robbinsville, North Carolina. Lastly, we explore one of Great Smokey Mountains National Park hidden attractions — a lost town submerged in the Fontana Lake.
Connecting the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina/Tennessee is the Blue Ridge Parkway. We drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a two-lane road that zigzags through the Appalachian Mountains. Along the way, we climb to the highest point on the parkway, before stopping at an overlook to search for the Glassmine Falls. Then we tour the Mabry Mill, built around 1905, and the Puckett Cabin, the former home of a midwife.
Following the Nine-Mile Canyon road to the Book Cliffs, we look for a rugged canyon wall covered with more than 10,000 intricate petroglyphs. Next, we race across a salt desert and try to set the fastest land-speed records. Lastly, about a five-hour drive from the salt flats takes us to Moab, Utah, where we stop at an underrated national park to view its diverse spectacular landscape.
She crunches numbers by day, and dances the night away at local speakeasies. My friend, Natalia, joins me on this week’s episode of Uncovering the Corners of the World podcast to share her recent trip to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC, where she jokes about reliving the scene from the movie “National Treasure” in real life, shares what an exhilarating night she had out on the town, and leaves us with some advice for those traveling to Washington, DC.
On a lake that is between 3.5 and 8 times saltier than the ocean, we travel to the Antelope Island, an island layered with mysteries. We hitch a ride on the first transcontinental railroad grade at the Golden Spike National Historic Park. In Circleville, we stop by the home of the notorious Wild West Outlaw Butch Cassidy.
This week, we drive to the Chief Joseph Ranch, a cattle ranch and a filming location for a Western TV drama series. Next, we walk through a silver, lead, and zinc mine in a city that was the largest supplier of copper. Lastly, we analyze dinosaur fossils at Makoshika State Park.
Joining me for part 2 of this “Hollywood of the South” tour is Cassidy Stephenson, a video game writer and film enthusiast. In this episode, she continues her Vampire Diaries and Stranger Things tour. She also shares her itinerary for an upcoming trip to Japan. *Be sure to listen to episode 66. “Hollywood of the South” Tour with Cassidy Stephenson Pt.1.
Where exactly was The Vampire Diaries or Stranger Things filmed and where can you find the original houses of Confederate generals? Video game writer and film enthusiast (and my best friend) Cassidy Stephenson joins me on this episode to share her most recent trip to Georgia searching for recognizable landmarks from the TV show The Vampire Diaries and Stranger Things. *Be on the lookout for episode 67 for part 2.
Between the Northern Rocky Mountains that run through Montana, we find a garden with 1,000 Buddha statues. In Dillion, we travel back to the "Old West," to explore a ghost town known for its gold and lawlessness. At one of Montana's famous national parks, we hike to a hidden passageway that cuts through the Ptmarigan Wall.
Try the sweet sticky maple syrup with us this week at the New England Maple Syrup Museum. In Woodstock, we discover who the first conservationists were at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park. At the Billings Farm, we learn what life was like for a farmer in the 1890s.
We browse books this week at a library that is located both in the US and in Canada. Next, we tour the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory before we learn more about the American Resolution at Mount Independence.
RVs or motorhomes have been around since the early 1900s, but how exactly has camping and traveling changed since then? In Elkhart, Indiana, we travel through time at the RV/MH Hall of Fame to see the evolution of RVs, trailers, and motorhomes from the earliest models to the modern types. Next, we visit Indianapolis, or rather the catacombs that lie underneath the city. Lastly, we stopped by Mentone to see a 3,000-pound egg.
Brace yourself for the cold this week as we head to the coldest place on Earth: Antarctica. Our first stop in Antarctica is to see Blood Falls, a red-colored waterfall. Next, we stroll through homes that were constructed as part of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914, known as Mawson's Huts. Lastly, we send a postcard from the only post office located in Antarctica.
Welcome to season 5!
From skijoring (a racing sport where a skier gets pulled by a horse) to broomball tournaments to keg toss competitions, these are some of the wildest winter activities and sports that you can find at the carnivals in Colorado, Minnesota, and Iowa. Luckily, if you are looking for a way to start off your New Year, these carnivals are scheduled for January and February 2023. Happy New Year!
Have you ever tried sandboarding? We grab our sandboards and surf the tallest sand dunes in North America at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Next, we search for gold at Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel. Lastly, we spend a few hours perusing comic books at Mile High Comics Megastore.
Surrounded by the San Isabel National Forest, we visit a stone-castle with a tower that measures 160 feet. Next, we see the largest cliff dwelling with 150 rooms at the Mesa Verde National Park. Lastly, we board a locomotive that weaves through mesmerizing and picturesque landscapes within the San Juan National Forest.
On this spooky adventure, we visit the Salem Witch Village in Massachusetts to learn about the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Next, we fly to California to walk through Bodie (at Bodie State Historic Park), a once thriving gold-mining Wild West town that is now abandoned and cursed. Lastly, we question whether Bigfoot, Yetis, and the Loch Ness Monster are just fictional creatures at the International Cryptozoology Museum in Maine.
Happy Halloween!
Everything is covered in salt: the stairs, the walls, the statues, and the chandeliers hanging above are covered in salt crystals.
We travel to Poland this week and walk down at least 320 stairs to explore the Wieliczka Salt Mine. While we are underground, we join the next tour group and visit the Cracow Saltworks Museum (Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka), the largest underground museum in Europe. Once we exit the mine, we stop by the Graduation Tower (Tężnia Solankowa) to relax and breathe in the fresh salty air.
We’re back in Georgia this week as we explore the ruins of an old mill that produced uniforms for soldiers in the 1840s. Next, we test our taste buds and noses at the World of Coco-Cola museum before we pet alpacas and llamas in Atlanta, Georgia.
No internet service. No cell service. If you're lucky, the last text message you'll get will say "Welcome to Canada," once you depart the ferry on Kelleys Island.
We visit Kelleys Island, an island on Lake Erie with more golf carts than cars, even though there is only one golf course (and it's for miniature golf). It's the perfect weekend getaway where we examine the delicate flowers in Kelleys Island State Park and then tour the Charles Herndon Gallery and Sculpture Garden before we learn about commercial fishing at the Kelleys Island History Museum.
This week we are traveling to Georgia to walk through a museum with more than 3,500 lunchboxes at The Lunchbox Museum in Columbus. Next, we sail a boat to Cumberland Island to see the ruins of a mansion from 1884. Lastly, we hike on a trail to see the Little Grand Canyon, a canyon, that is about 1/30th the depth of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
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70 miles west of Key West is Dry Tortugas National Park, our first attraction this week. Next we travel to Ocala to see the Gypsy Vanner Horses at the Gypsy Gold Horse Farm before we dip our toes into the Warm Mineral Springs in North Port. Lastly, we tour the Pirate and Treasure Museum to learn about the history of pirates.
Welcome to season 4! We are on the road this week as we travel to the Florida Keys. Along the way, we tour the only International Towing Museum in the world that happens to be in Tennessee before we head off on an expedition through the Myakka River State Park which is home to not only alligators but other wild creatures. Lastly, we drive on a highway that crosses open waters and is near an island.
A legend that is celebrated and feared in Point Pleasant, West Virginia is what we are exploring today at the Mothman Museum. Next, we take a bite out of historic candy that was popular in the 1800s and 1900s. After that, we climb to the top of the Thorny Mountain Fire Tower at Seneca State Forest for a view that takes our breath away.
Happy 1st Day of May!
The laws of gravity don't seem to apply as we tour the "Mystery Hole" in Ansted. In Cameron, we examine artifacts that may or may not emit energy that sends chills running down our spine at the Archive of the Afterlife or the National Museum of the Paranormal. Then we face our fear of heights on the bridge walk (an open-air 88 stories high catwalk) under the New River Gorge Bridge.
Where exactly did Country Music originate in the U.S.? Can we still find wild horses in Virginia today? Is it true that Jefferson had a garden with over 330 varieties of vegetables?
These are the questions we are finding the answers to this week as we travel to Virginia to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Chincoteague Island, and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, where you'll find fruits and vegetables that you likely didn't know existed!
Driving above and underwater through the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge is the first attraction for this week in Virginia. Next we drink whiskey at a distillery that produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799 and was owned by the first president of the United States. Then we tour the First Peanut Museum in the United States at the Miles B. Carpenter Folk Art Museum.
We are leaving Ohio's islands for now, and traveling to attractions within the state. Our first stop is to a mound that measures about 800 feet in circumference. Next, we drive over to see American and British television sets that were made before the 1940s, and who knows they might still work?! We end our trip by walking through a park to see the painting, "A Sunday Afternoon On The Island of LaGrande Jatte," made from naturally sculpted plants.
With only a few miles away from the Canadian border is Kelleys Island and South Bass Island (also known as Put-In-Bay Island), two of Ohio's Islands on Lake Erie. On South Bass Island, we explore an underground lake, a cave full of crystals that were once sold to manufacturers of fireworks, and a house full of butterflies. On Kelleys Island take a look at the history behind Glacial Grooves, and the Inscription Rock.
Happy New Year! As we count the hours and minutes left of 2021, our first stop is to New York to see the Times Square ball drop and the Polar Plunge on January 1st. Next we drive over to Mobile, Alabama to see a Moon Pie Drop. Then we visit the town of Marion in North Carolina, the state where "The Gold Rush" first started, to see the Golden Nugget Drop. Lastly, we take a ride on the luxurious train as part of the Napa Valley Wine Tour in California.
Traveling to Pennsylvania to see The Rolling Stones concert?! Joining me for this episode is returning guest, Collin Sugg, host of the podcast "History from the Back Pages," and co-host of "The Bull and Hawks Show." On this episode, he shares his stories and recommendations from his vacation trip in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) from going to The Rolling Stones concert to touring art galleries such as the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Paint peels from the ceiling, rusty bed frames sit in the dark cells, and we walk the prison grounds of Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, Illinois. Next, we drive around Winnetka, Illinois to find the actual house that Kevin McCallister from "Home Alone" set up homemade booby-traps in. Lastly, we stroll through a park filled with trees, flowers, shrubs....and tanks?
A Historical Time Capsule is how I would describe walking through Bardstown, Kentucky. This week we take a historical tour of the Bardstown as we visit 4 museums: The Civil War Museum, Old Bardstown Village & Civil, The General Hal Moore Military Museum and the Women's Civil War Museum.
We are flying over to Poland where we explore a beautifully painted town of Zalipie and then the smell of Gingerbread invites us to the Gingerbread Museum in Toruń. This is a bilingual episode, recorded in both English and Polish.
Touring the Creation Museum, we learn about the creationist perspective’s answer to the question: who were the first humans on Earth? Next we board Noah’s Ark that is 510 feet long. Then we study bourbon history at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in the state that produces 95% of the world’s bourbon.
Digging deeper into South Dakota attractions, we visit a five-story waterfall and the Queen Bee Mill in Sioux Falls. Next we travel to see the (unfinished) Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills mountain range. Then we search for the secret Hall of Records behind Mount Rushmore that was mentioned in the 2004 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
*Hall of Records is not open to the public for safety reasons.
Starting off this week at the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park that is 5,300 feet up a mountain in Montana. Next we are on the road to North Dakota to see wild horses, and prairie dogs at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our last attraction this week is a store that advertises free ice water in South Dakota?
We are on the road this week through Arkansas and Texas taking the scenic Pig Trail Scenic Byway of 270 degree turns to the first state park in Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park. Next we drive into Texas to Panna Maria, "The Oldest Polish Settlement established in 1854" and then the "Second Largest Paris in the World" in Paris, Texas with its own Eiffel Tower.
Joining me for part 2 of this Tennessee episode is Cassidy Stephenson, cohost of the podcast "The Com-rades" and director of the student documentary film "Who Tells Your Story?" On this episode, she shares the eerie haunted side of Tennessee like the Bell Witch Cave, the Grand Old Opry and Clarksville, Tennessee, and I share a short, but thrilling experience I had on the Tail of the Dragon at Deal's Gap.
Dollywood, Titanic Museum, Country Music in Nashville, and Honky Tonk?
Joining me for this episode is my best friend, Cassidy Stephenson, cohost of the podcast "The Com-rades" and a film and journalism enthusiast. She shares some stories of her wild lesson-learned experiences in Pigeon Forge, and Nashville. She also shares her food recommendations like where to get the the best chicken in Tennessee, “cause nobody does chicken like Tennessee.”
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Today its a ghost town, but back in the 1890s, the town of Rush was where people came from different states to mine for zinc (and they found a 13,000 lb zinc nugget). In Eureka Springs, there is a 67-foot tall statue of Christ of the Ozarks which was planned to be part of a religious theme park, but the theme park was never built. In Hot Springs National Park, are eight bathhouses where one of these bathhouse is still used a bathhouse today, while one of them was turned into a Brewery and Distillery.
Scouting the area looking for Diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park, walking to The Old Mill that was in film “Gone With The Wind” and then exploring the Historic Washington State Park where the Bowie knife was made.
Happy 1st day of May! This week (after a month-long break) we're continuing to explore Texas, starting with Padre Island, known for its April 1554 shipwrecks. Next we drive about 4 hours to Rocksprings to glance into the "Devil's Sinkhole," and meet some of the winged creatures that live there. Lastly, we enter the 3,400 square foot castle in Bellville.
"The Heart of Texas" and "The American West" is where we're heading to this week as we drive to Texas. We walk through The Alamo to learn about the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio. Next we make sure we're not getting chased by longhorn cattle during the "cattle drive" in Stockyards National Historic District. Lastly, we stroll along the coastline of Mustang Island.
We are searching for the Fountain of Youth in the midst of Pennsylvania's woods, then visiting the Oliver Miller Homestead to learn about the Whiskey Rebellion before we catch a ride on Leap-the-Dips, the oldest roller coaster in the world.
Revisiting Groundhog Day but in Punxsutawney, then looking for treasure at Bowman's Hill and lastly walking through the Stoogeum museum of the Three Stooges
Dancing Horses, a Dental Work Station from the 1920's, and Zip-lines in Lake Geneva Wisconsin?
Joining me for this episode is my friend Collin Sugg, host of the "History from the Back Pages," podcast and co-host of "The Bull and Hawk Show" podcast. Sharing his funny and gripping stories of his past trips to Delevan and Lake Geneva Wisconsin which include the Dancing Horse Theater, Geneva Lake Museum and Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures.
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Happy 2021! Our first stop in the new year is Nebraska to a henge made of cars. Then we roll our way to the National Museum of Rollerskating, and then we stop at an attraction that was featured on the 2006 Nebraska Quarter.
'Tis the Holiday season, as we cruise around the United States to visit Santa Claus's house in Alaska to then looking for the perfect Christmas ornament in Michigan, and then walking through the enchanted Ice Castles (that can be seen in Colorado, New Hampshire, Utah, and Wisconsin).
Happy Holidays!
We race Porta Potties (outhouses) in Anchorage, take a tour at the Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure to see upside down trees in Juneau, and we walk through the museum of 10,000 hammers in Haines.
Pack your winter coats and snow boots, because we heading over to Alaska, near the Arctic coast. We adjust our snow boats at the Gates of the Arctic National Park, stop for a warm meal at the only truck stop, Coldfoot Camp and then we end in Utqiagvik.
Haunted Ghostly Adventures await! We drive to a house that was the longest renovated home in history from 1886-1922 in California. Then we see a ghostly shadow with a lantern in the Moonville Tunnel in Ohio. Lastly, we visit the mountain in Vermont where there was at least 5 inexplicable disappearances. Happy Halloween! Be on the lookout for Season 2 premiere coming soon
We are going on a haunted adventure this week in Wyoming to the ghost town Kirwin, located northwest of Wyoming and only 34 miles away from the town of Meeteetse where Amelia Earhart was planning to retire. Then we tour the Wyoming Frontier Prison, the first state prison in Wyoming.
Paddling along the river in our canoe, we come across a 'yard' full of 220 abandoned historical steamships in Mallows Bay, Maryland on this week's adventure. Then walk through a village that built produced iron during the Industrial Revolution time period. Lastly, visit the original Awakening statue on a beach.
An Island where wild horses run in both Virginia and Maryland is where we are going this week. Specifically, we are running along the beach on Assateague's Island to visit the Chincoteague pony, and staying to watch the "Pony Penning" event on the other side of the island. Then we wander into a corn maze and shoot apples from a cannon at Lawyer's Farm in Thurmont.
We visit the Orfield laboratories to be in a room where we won’t hear anything. Next, we go a 1/2 mile underground in Lake Vermilion Underground Mine State Park, and then we learned about the history of a man who built a Viking ship in Moorhead.
We're driving up to Minnesota, the state that has the nickname of the "Land of 10,000 lakes." While we're there, we take our canoe and venture out to Voyageurs National Park and stay to see the Northern Lights. After that, we prepare our turtles in "The Turtle Racing Capital of the World," Longville. Finally, we arrive in Menahga to see the Finnish version of St. Patrick.
This week, we are driving to Southern Illinois to a store in Marion that carries a large collection of western gear, and then we are mesmerized by the views at Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest. We also visit a 1753 fort in Prairie Du Rocher, IL and end the day in Shelbyville, IL to see 108 foot high dam.
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Chills run down our spine as we learn about the history of mental health in the Glore Psychiatric Museum. Then we climb through Meramec Caverns, the largest cave west of the Mississippi, in the state known for having over 6,300 explored caves. Lastly, we visit the Kansas City Public Library, just to see how tall is 25 feet for a book.
In the state that is known as the "Gateway to the West," Missouri, we wander through the Ha Ha Tonka State Park in search of a European-castle, then we try to answer as many phones as we can at the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum and lastly, we try to not "awaken" a giant in Chesterfield Central Park.
We're back in the Midwest this week! We visit a restored ghost town from the 1860s in Spring Mills State Park, and try not to get lost finding waterfalls and avoid bats in Clifty Falls State Park.
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This week, we visit the history of gas station known for its scandalous part in history in Zillah. Then we hike, swim, and camp at a park that is "three parks in one," in Port Angeles. Lastly, we stand outside in line in Seattle, to try the coffee from the first Starbucks established.
From Oregon last week, we travel up north to Washington to see the Fremont Troll inspired by the Norwegian Fairy Tale, then we try to spot all 7,000 nutcrackers we can at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, and lastly, we hike up an icy volcano at Mount Rainier National Park.
As we roam through the streets of Oregon for another week, we find the "unofficial" city of Springfield, where we find our beloved friends: The Simpsons! Then we venture off into the Lava Cast Forest, where lava once flowed. Lastly, we ride trains that are "knee-size high!"
Let's travel further outside of the Midwest states to...Oregon to hear about the picture-perfect Multnomah Falls, a rainforest filled with dinosaurs in Prehistoric Gardens, a lighthouse with a haunting past, and a museum of aircrafts made inside a "Hangar" originally made for US blimps.
Over 6,000 bottles of mustard at the National Museum of Mustard, the Mansion of the owners of the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a Shrine to Anglers in Hayward, Wisconsin.
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Let's visit a museum with a rich 100-year history of the famous motorcycle in Milwaukee, a restaurant that employs goats in Sister Bay and the highest point in Wisconsin in Ogema, Wisconsin.
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Continuing with Mackinac Island Adventure with a Hotel that is known for it’s “Largest Porch,” and visiting Michigan’s 1st State Park. Along with backpacking along some of Michigan’s islands.
Out of 35,000 islands in Michigan is Mackinac Island. Travel back in time to the American Revolution (1780), the Pontiac Rebellion (1763), and 1957/1958 to learn about these hidden gems (Part 1)
“The World’s Largest Truckstop,” in Walcott, the “Tallest working windmill in North America” in Pella, a Lover’s Leap Swinging Bridge with a mysterious legend in Columbus Junction.
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Underwater in Mermet Springs, a Cave (Cave-in-Rock)that was once home to pirates, and a Viking ship that traveled as part of the World’s Columbian Exposition
Join Karina Kosmala as we travel to Collinsville, Illinois to discover the hidden city of Cahokia, and later stop by Collinsville to see the fans of ketchup bottles.
Wondering what's our there? Join me (your host) Karina Kosmala as we embark on a journey to not-the-most-common attractions in the United States and around the world. Our adventures await!