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Season 4 Begins January 2025

Goshen, Indiana

Goshen is in Elkhart County, IN. This area makes 85% of recreational vehicles in the US. Dynamax, Janus Motorcycles, Goshen College and Radio Horizonte were surprising. Mexican food is a given here, but Neopolitan pizza at Venturi and Maple City Indian Restaurant? Yum! Add the Old Bag Factory and Quilt Gardens and what you get is joy.

Dubuque, Iowa

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.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin

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...

Le Claire, Iowa

Le Claire is a storied river town, a classic Mississippi River port that boomed in the mid-19th century. The old river pilot homes are still here, which are testament to the fact that river pilots were needed because here is where the river makes a sharp turn to the...

Indiana Dunes

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.

Greater Lafayette, Indiana

Greater Lafayette, Indiana, is two cities, and we didn’t come only for Purdue University. If we told you we were going to a place where people raise wolves, operate a 1920s farm, frequent a Triple X establishment, and spit crickets, you might question our judgment. But once you watch this episode your only question will be, when can I go there?

Decorah, Iowa

Decorah, Iowa, draws in many people with its charm. History lovers with Norwegian lineage come to research at Vesterheim. Students come to learn at Luther College. Gardeners come to be inspired at Seed Savers Exchange. What everyone finds are smiles!

Madison, Wisconsin

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!

Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester is located in Southeastern Minnesota. It’s about an hour and a half drive south west of the Twin Cities and about 50 miles due east of Winona on the Mississippi River. Today, Rochester has residents and visitors from all around the world. The population of the city is about 120,000 and the Mayo Clinic employs over 40,000 of them.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

n 1900, Kalamazoo was the celery capital of the world! No kidding. The nearby “mucklands” –which must not exist where I live-are perfect for growing celery! Earlier, in the second half of the 1800’s, Kalamazoo was known as paper city. The Bryant Paper Company here in Kalamazoo became largest Michigan manufacturer of book paper. And by World War II, a score of local mills made Kalamazoo the largest paper producer in the nation.

Escanaba, Michigan

Escanaba, Michigan, has “Yooper” culture all their own.

You can taste it in the delicious pasties at Dobber’s and in the sweet wines at Leigh’s Winery. You can hear it in Ludington Park when the nearly 100- year-old City Band plays. You can feel it in the great outdoors while you fish with Beaver’s Lures or watch the sun rise at Terrace Bay Inn.

South Haven, Michigan

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.

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Did You Know: Locations featured on John McGivern’s Main Streets DO NOT pay a fee to be on the show. Our sponsors ensure we are able to visit any and all great towns in the Midwest.

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Stevens Point Wisconsin

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