A weekend at the YMCA Trout Lodge in the Ozarks includes my son riding a pony, swishing down a waterslide, and making a tie-die shirt. YMCA Trout Lodge is about two hours south of St….
Browsing Category Midwest Explorers
See a Two-Headed Snake in Cape Girardeau
See a two-headed black rat snake and explore the woods at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center in southeast Missouri. Located on the north side of Cape Girardeau, Mo., and has numerous short hiking trails…
See Dinosaurs at Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center
Check out dinosaur fossils and explore the oldest town in Missouri as part of a day in Ste. Genevieve, which is about an hour south of St. Louis. The Story of Missouri Dinosaurs Dinosaur bones…
Touring Topeka and the Brown V. Board of Education Site
In Topeka, Kans., you can learn the history of segregated schools firsthand, a zoo with a tropical rain forest, and tour the state capitol. We had a full weekend of adventures while visiting friends. Supreme…
Kansas City’s Plaza Lights Shine at Christmas
I spent some of my childhood in the Kansas City area and what I enjoyed the most when I was young was seeing the Plaza lights at Christmas time. It is an over-90-year-old tradition that…
Christmas Lights Road Trip: Lake of the Ozarks
Santa, Rudolph, and lake-themed Christmas lights can be seen at numerous light displays during Christmas time at the Lake of the Ozarks. We checked out two drive-through Christmas lights while we were staying the night…
East Peoria’s Over-The-Top Festival of Lights
A Star Wars firefight and skiers jumping over your car are just some of the amazing light displays at East Peoria’s Festival of Lights. The Festival of Lights electric park is made up of floats…
Starved Rock State Park: Ottawa and Kaskaskia Canyons and Council Overhang
Hiking into Ottawa and Kaskaskia Canyons at Starved Rock State Park we found two waterfalls and Council Overhang cave. This area was easier than many of the hikes at Starved Rock State Park since the…
Starved Rock State Park: Hiking French Canyon
French Canyon has walls that are 45 feet tall and is the first canyon you come to from the Visitor’s Center parking lot. It was named after the French explorers who first visited this area…
Staying at Starved Rock Lodge and First Hike
Our family spent a night at Starved Rock Lodge and then took a walk to see bright orange sundown over the Illinois River bluffs. Staying the night at the lodge at Starved Rock State Park…