In Madison, Wisconsin, there’s a famous street that connects the State Capitol to the campus of UW-Madison. State Street has been a pedestrian mall since the 1970’s and is lined with very diverse shops, restaurants and art that make it the go-to place to experience the Madison vibe. John and Emmy love it!

Dubuque, Iowa was and is, first and foremost, a river town. The mighty Mississippi is worked, revered and enjoyed here by locals and visitors alike.

This charming town in northwest Illinois is named after a mineral mined here 20 years before the gold rush in California.

Marquette in Michigan’s U.P. is for everyone! Incredible views, adventure, White fish, Theater. And if you still don’t get the picture, you can get that too!

Winona, MN, is a city of 26,000 very lucky people, built on a Mississippi River sandbar.
At Willet Hauser, artists make stained glass. Watkins Co. employees make tons of vanilla, and the crew at Wenonah Canoe make – guess. Sugar Loaf Bluff is paradise for climbers, Yarnology is home for knitters and NOSH is heaven for John, because he’s an eater!

Formed more than 10-thousand years ago by glaciers, the area was first home the Miami and Potawatomi tribes. The area quickly thrived thanks to its location to not just Lake Michigan, but also rivers –helping the fur trade and eventually steel production, flourish. But water wasn’t the only mode of transpiration that brought in commerce. Railroads brought in goods and people.

Today, the Indiana Dunes are a hot spot for visitors in the Midwest and beyond.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin   Dodgeville, WI, is a close-knit yet welcoming driftless area community built on mining. Dodgeville has some legendary Wisconsin treasures, like Governor Dodge State Park, The House on the Rock and Bob’s Bitchin BBQ. There are legendary...

Woodstock, Illinois, may have been put on the map by the movie Groundhog Day, but it’s what John McGivern finds in real life that deserves the spotlight.

In Springfield, Illinois, you could spend a week just taking in all of the incredible Abraham Lincoln history. But then you’d miss the “new” Capitol, horseshoe sandwiches, the Route 66 experience, and cozy dogs. John McGivern and Emmy Fink didn’t miss any of it, so come along for their visit.

Oak Park, Illinois, is only a short ride on the “L” from Chicago, but location isn’t the only good thing about this close-knit community.

Being right on Lake Michigan, South Haven Michigan has always been a port city. In the late 1800’s the surrounding timber industry gave way to farming, but another industry grew very well here–the resort and tourism industry.

Sandy beaches, lovely lake breezes and a charming downtown still make South Haven a popular summer tourist destination. South Haven is in southwestern Michigan, along Intestate 196 at the mouth of the Black River on the shores of Lake Michigan.

John knew it‘s home to Vera Bradley and Sweetwater. But he didn’t expect a Diocesan Museum, a huge Public Library, the most perfect Children’s Zoo or Coney Island Hot Dogs. What a great city!