To mitigate the long winter’s slog, consider a jaunt to Holland, Michigan. The town is perhaps best known for its springtime tulip festival, but this month it celebrates frostier beauty by hosting the National Ice Carving Association’s Invitational Ice Sculpting Competition... Read more
Friday is, arguably, the most high-pressure party night of the year since conventional wisdom mandates that you must have a spectacularly good time on New Year’s Eve or suffer, knowing that you bungled the chance to enter the rest of your life in proper revelatory fashion. Herein, four festivities that provide all the balloons, Champagne, and after-party suites you could want, be you in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, or Wisconsin... Read more
If you’re traveling over the next few days, you probably cemented your plans weeks ago. And if you’re not, odds are you won’t be inclined to start packing this late in the holiday swirl. So in the spirit of playing tourist in your hometown, here’s a roster of nearby treats worth investigating... Read more
Around this time of year, who doesn’t love a good glockenspiel, a frosty mug of Munich Dunkel, and a strapping waiter in lederhosen? Frankenmuth, Michigan celebrates its Teutonic roots year-round—founded, as it was, by 15 Lutheran missionaries intent on converting the Native Americans; when the natives fled west, the area became a German farming village... Read more
If you’re in the mood to merge holiday-centric merriment with the spirit of giving, look to Fort Wayne. Indiana’s second largest city (incidentally, home of the country’s largest public genealogical research library) offers ways of celebrating while simultaneously donating to charitable causes; here are four good ones... Read more
If you missed the Magnificent Mile’s Lights Festival celebration last weekend, fret not. East Peoria also hosts an annual electric spectacular with a parade of about 30 floats illuminated by two million lights... Read more
In its heyday, Old Town’s late, great O’Rourke’s pub was a raucous, bruising Big Shoulders version of a literary salon. Regulars included Nelson Algren, Roger Ebert, Studs Terkel, Mike Royko, and Tom Fitzpatrick... Read more
The leaves are fading, the holidays looming. Which means it’s not too soon to start thinking about wine pairings for Thanksgiving. If you’re into hands-on research, consider heading to Des Moines for the Hawkeye State’s third annual Premier Wine & Food Expo... Read more
The Winnebago County seat may still evoke the eponymous apparel company founded in 1895, but linking Oshkosh solely with old-timey work clothes is an oversimplification akin to associating Chicago only with Tommy guns. There are a number of reasons to visit the lakeside community, none of which have to do with bib overalls... Read more