The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Denali National Park is one of the most spectacular parks in the world and it's sheer size makes it difficult to see without spending a huge amount of time here. Denali, means "The high one" and is the Athabascan (the local native Alaskan village) name for Mt. McKinley. It has been a national park since 1917 and it is one of the last remaining places in the Unites States that we call wilderness. In doing our … [Read more...]
Driving around a new city looking for a place to eat especially when everyone is starving can be a daunting experience. We Yelp, and Urban Spoon and even Open Table, but our best suggestions always come by word of mouth, from some nice local person we happen to meet. And that's how we discovered a true culinary gem-Fuji Japanese Restaurant. Click Here to see their awesome website that will whet your … [Read more...]
For some strange reason when I think of Indiana, I think of all American apple pie. Wholesome! Located in the heart of the midwest, Indiana still espouses old fashioned values and we could feel it wherever we went. People were friendly and welcoming, and service always came with a smile. We drove through a wonderful mix of old country roads and through large urban areas, but even a big city like Indianapolis has a … [Read more...]
Driving down from Lansing to Indianapolis everyone was starving so we decided to stop for lunch in Ft. Wayne and found a family friendly restaurant called Cosmos. The restaurant was warm and welcoming and proudly operated by the Bourounis Family. The menu was pretty extensive, in fact it was huge (and so were the portions as we were about to discover) so I wasn't worried about everyone finding something they might … [Read more...]
I don’t know about you, but I love living history museums like Connor Prairie-Interactive History Park. It’s so much more fun when you can touch and do instead of just look at things behind glass. Connor Prairie is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Stepping inside the visitor center there were some fabulous interactive displays to teach us about the time periods and activities we would be exploring … [Read more...]
The museum experience at the Indiana History Center is so unique that I have to say, the kids and I have never seen anything like it. Let me think how I can best describe this to you. The centerpiece of the whole experience is the “You Are There” exhibits. There are three period scenes—a grocery store during WWII, an auto garage in the early 1920’s, and an embroidery and violin repair shop during the late … [Read more...]
As we made our way into the heart of Indianapolis, we had just enough time to check out the Indiana State Capitol Building. It's an elegant and beautiful building but I wouldn't call it a showstopper. You can park, run in, take a few pictures, leave. It's an easy 15 minutes stop giving you another state capitol building to check off your list. The rotunda features a pretty stained glass octagon design and … [Read more...]
I remember watching the legendary Indy 500 race on TV since I was a kid and I never would have imagined I’d be standing here in person at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the tour part of our visit, we were supposed to hop on a bus that does one lap around the track to give you a sense of what it’s like for the drivers and pit crew, but just our luck they were doing some repaving of the track and the bus tour … [Read more...]
Michigan is such a dynamic state with a strong and resilient spirit. It's no secret that times have been tough here. Michigan is the home of the American Auto Industry and Detroit is at it's center. Detroit was built around the success of the American automobile and it's even reflected in it's nickname, The Motor City, also known as Motown. Driving around we saw the iconic GM building, a gleaming edifice … [Read more...]
You don't want to miss The Ford Rouge Factory Tour so be sure to get here early as it's is quite popular. We got there nice and early so we could be on the first tour, and boy was it ever worth it. We took a shuttle bus to the original factory that Henry Ford built on the Rouge River. There is an incredible short film about the factory’s history and the story of Henry Ford that you shouldn't miss. It tells the … [Read more...]
