Sometimes the small-town museums are the best.  With fewer crowds, the guides can take the time to give you a personalized tour.  Because of local support, the collections are complete and meaningful, and the guides can tell you stories about the artifacts and how they fit into someone’s family history.  Such is the case at the Village of Yesteryear in Owatonna.

Like many small-town museums in the Midwest, the Steele County Historical Society‘s Village of Yesteryear is a collection of buildings that have been moved into one location.  It has a church, a log cabin, a general store, and all of the other buildings that were found in villages in days gone by.  But although these re-made villages have the same way of preserving history, they are not all the same.  Each has its special buildings and objects that aren’t found elsewhere. Read More »

Earlier this month, we visited our family in the Midwest and spent a week on a lake in Minnesota. And on that trip, I discovered five great activities that really made my vacation. My husband will argue that card playing (Whist, Pinocle and Hell’s Bridge) is his favorite way to spend the week, but for me, here are my five favorite activities at the lake:

Fishing

Fishing is always a great option, not that I caught anything to write home about. It is a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, bobbing about in a skiff, trying to catch one of the fish below. Apparently, if I was willing to get up at the crack of dawn, I would have had much better luck fishing! Read More »

Seafood, Jazz & Brew Festival

Turning the tables on wine tasting, the Hilton Head Seafood Jazz & Brew Festival on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island introduces attendees to the art of matching of beer with culinary dishes. From September 14-19, 2009, local restaurants will showcase special seafood menus and beers, with some venues offering four course sit-down meals while others provide a casual dining experience where attendees wander between sampling stations.

The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra hosts a jazz performance on Friday evening, encouraging guests to bring a picnic from home and purchase drinks from the on-site Budweiser wagon.

So many varieties of beer to sample.....

Read More »

Imagine that you’re in a place where cars roll uphill and water flows the wrong way.  You just may have found yourself at Gravity Hill, near New Paris, Pennsylvania.

Photo taken out the windshield as the car is backing up Gravity Hill in neutral.

By following the detailed directions to Gravity Hill and putting your vehicle in park, you too can experience the excitement as your car starts to roll uphill.  You’ll look at each other, dumbfounded, and then try the second spot just down the road, only to have it happen all over again.

“How is this possible?”  “It can’t be!”  “We were rolling uphill!”

Yes, it’s strange, it’s incredible, it’s unbelievable. Read More »