Travel

As I drove across Wisconsin last December, I was excited at the prospect of a weekend getaway at The Osthoff Resort.

Wisconsin’s state fruit is a must-have holiday ingredient
Ever since I met up with my former college roommate in Cape Cod several years ago and we went to a cranberry festival, I’ve wondered how the tart red berries are grown, harvested and processed both in Cape Cod and Wisconsin, which grows even more cranberries.
Last month, I learned the answers when I visited part of the 50-mile Cranberry Highway in central Wisconsin. The state grows about 60 percent of the nation’s and the world’s cranberries.
 

Tiny Fredericksburg’s take on history, outdoor activities and food is as big as all Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas hill country, is one of the best-kept secrets in travel. This small town offers visitors a menu of options. Take the kids or grandkids in the summer to see the National Museum of the Pacific War, which has earned rave reviews from ages 9 to 90 for its engaging look at the experience of World War II. Go with friends to browse the boutiques, relax in the spas, visit picturesque homes and historic buildings and tour the wineries. Or, even better, plan a winter getaway to this temperate region for hiking and biking, rock climbing, year-round golfing and seasonal birding tours. Shoppers and diners will find it’s a haven for artists, a treasure trove of antiques and a spot for gourmet dining and specialty foods.
 

For years, friends have been talking about their boating, fishing and wine tasting trips to the beautiful resort area of the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, and I wanted to go, too.

Fifty years ago on July 2, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act which was sometimes called the “bill of the century” and a continuation of President John Kennedy’s initiative.

As I read the obituary of Ruth Ziolkowski last week, I recalled meeting her four years ago at the Crazy Horse Memorial on top of Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills outside Rapid City, South Dakota, where she was managing the development of th

When co-workers asked me why I was going to Kansas City -- as if it were merely flyover country -- I said there is much to see and I’d tell them after my trip. While some seemed skeptical, one piped up that the World War l museum was the best military museum he’d ever seen.

Illinois isn’t the only state claiming 16th president as favorite son
Growing up in the Chicago area, I attended Lincoln Junior High, went on my high school’s traditional trip to tour Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Ill., and every day saw Illinois license plates reading “Land of Lincoln.”
 So I was surprised to learn on a recent trip to Louisville that America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, was born in Kentucky and that state also claims him as a favorite son.

As the largest Virginia city along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke is the gateway to the sights along the way as well has being a good destination on its own merits.
Whatever direction you go from Roanoke, you can find beautiful mountain views, woods, wineries, outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and camping, historic sites, and in Roanoke, interesting museums and good food.