by Melanie McManus | Jan 18, 2024 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, United States, Wisconsin
Read This Article, Published in the Star Tribune For decades, Wisconsin Dells was pretty much a summer-only destination. This was the era before indoor waterparks became a phenomenon, attracting winter tourists in droves. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links...
by Melanie McManus | Mar 17, 2023 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article, Published in the Star Tribune When I started dating my husband, he said, “Never ask me to take you to The House on the Rock.” I hadn’t heard of the attraction, which he said was more than a home built atop a rock. It included...
by Melanie McManus | Jun 3, 2021 | Alabama, Hiking, Mississippi, Stories, Tennessee
Meriwether Lewis died here. Aaron Burr did not, but two-and-a-half years after slaying Alexander Hamilton in a duel, he surrendered here. And thousands of Native Americans collectively left their mark when they trekked across this Southern locale during their forced...
by Melanie McManus | Feb 22, 2021 | Michigan, Snowshoeing/Skiing, Stories
I first heard of Bay View a decade ago, when my family was in northwestern Michigan to ski at Boyne Mountain. A National Historic Landmark neighborhood on the shores of Little Traverse Bay, Bay View began life in 1875 as a Methodist summer camp for revivals and...
by Melanie McManus | Feb 14, 2021 | Exploring and Experiencing, Stories, Wisconsin
Read This Article On The Chicago Tribune Despite living in Wisconsin for several decades, I’d never heard of Cave Point until recently. This tiny county park sits in southeastern Door County in the state’s narrow, jagged thumb. Cave Point is unique in that...
by Melanie McManus | Nov 1, 2020 | Hiking, Michigan, Snowshoeing/Skiing, Stories
Nearly 100 miles (160.9 km) of trail unspool through Pictured Rocks, snugged against Lake Superior’s southern shore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or U.P. The paths, which include 42 miles (67.6 km) of the North Country Trail, showcase the...