The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
I figured since our theme was all about The Immigrant Experience, and since we were in Madison, home to a population with strong German roots, that it would be fun to find a German restaurant with live polka music (and who doesn't love polka music?). According to all our guidebooks, the Essen Haus was the place to go for a dining and dancing experience not to be missed and so we headed right over. Walking in … [Read more...]
When we visited the National Mustard Museum it was located in a small town right outside Madison named Mt. Horeb but be forewarned, they renamed the town Middleton. This was such a cute, quirky and interesting stop and I highly recommend you don't miss it. We learned everything we could ever want to know about our favorite yellow condiment. The museum is literally one man’s obsession turned into a shrine and … [Read more...]
We were super lucky to be some of the first visitors to The Harley Davidson Museum as it had just been completed and opened about a week before we arrived. Of course I'd heard of Harley Davidson Motorcycles, they are the epitome of cool right? I just had no clue that the company was founded in Milwaukee. As we entered the museum the kids were given a scavenger hunt with items they needed to locate and answer … [Read more...]
As a result of it's vibrant German population one thing you'll find plenty of in Milwaukee is sausage, and by far one of the most well-known sausage purveyors in the city is Usinger’s. The store and factory are right down the street from the Wisconsin Cheese Mart so wander around and do a tasting tour. We were dying to go on in and take a look at the variety and watch some getting made, but just our luck it was … [Read more...]
Osseo is a tiny town with a mostly Norwegian population and their claim to fame is the bakery and family style restaurant known as the Norske Nook. After reading about this find in one of our guidebooks, and of course pie being one of our favorite desserts, we could not wait to dive in. This is some of the finest pie you will find in the whole country, and they have the blue ribbons to prove it. (For any of you … [Read more...]
Could you think of a more aptly named place to be the home of the Jelly Belly Factory tour than Pleasant Prairie? My kids were so excited for this stop it's all they could talk about since the moment they woke up. I'll confess I have a pretty big sweet tooth and I think I was just as excited as they were. As a mom, my mantra is moderation and I think it's an important lesson to teach your children especially as … [Read more...]
The first thing that struck me about Iowa was that it was just how I'd pictured it. Farm after farm, and miles of crops as far as the eye could see. What did surprise me was realizing that America's farms are changing from family owned and operated to large factory farms. While time marches on and progress moves forward, a way of life is slowly disappearing along with it's culture and it's values. It's a … [Read more...]
Arriving in Des Moines after driving through miles and miles of corn, we made our way to the Iowa State Capitol Building which stands out in the city like a gleaming gold domed beacon. We were greeted by the beautiful bronze sculpture of two frontiersmen and a Native American tribesman. I imagined them looking out onto the rolling plains wondering if they had any clue that these parts would later become one of … [Read more...]
Visiting the Living History Farms is like getting in a time machine and arriving at a farm during three different time periods. You will see the same area as a 1700 Ioway Indian settlement, an 1850 Pioneer farm, and a 1900 horse-power farm and it's an incredible lesson to see how some things change and some things remain the same throughout each farm. It’s a self-guided tour, so you can wander at will, but there … [Read more...]
Missouri is just one of those states that I had always taken for granted and didn't really pay much attention to, but after exploring right through the heart of it, I fell in love. What came as a total surprise is how much I loved St. Louis and now, after having visited, I rank it as one of my all time favorite cities. Driving around the city, it had such a nice peaceful vibe, hip but not taking itself too seriously, … [Read more...]
