I live just a few miles from an historic site called Old Economy Village (http://www.oldeconomyvillage.org/), a former Christian commune. They offer regular tours and a wonderful variety of events, like wine tastings and seasonal festivals.
We’ve heard that it’s really charming and it looks like a genuine treat, the kind of place we might drive a few hours to see. It’s been on our to do list since we moved here a couple of years ago, but we haven’t gotten around to it yet. :smack:
What nifty little place of interest is near you?
Have you been there yet?
Would you recommend it?
Grrrr. Man, I wish I’d spelled interest right in the title. That’s going to bug me and everyone else. I apologize.
There’s Banff about an hour away (skiiing, hiking, touristing), and I have been, but we tend to go other places nearby that are similar but not as touristy (Kananaskis, Canmore, Radium Hot Springs).
America’s Stonehenge is not far from us. It is a complex of stonework ruins that the owners promote as the oldest pre-Colombian structure in the United States, cryptically linking it to Celtic monks and the Da Vinci Code. Most archaeologists believe they were built by New England colonists.
i haven’t been yet. At ten bucks for adults, it seems like a lot to walk around some ruins of indeterminate origin.
About an hour and change away is Waterton Lakes National Park. I’ve been there more than a few times, and am looking forward to going again. It’s not nearly as busy and touristy as Canada’s other mountain parks; and it is just as beautiful. Plenty of wildlife to see also.
On the other hand, I’ve never been to the Remington Carriage Museum in nearby Cardston. I have no real interest in antique carriages, although many seem to. Apparently, it’s well-enough known that it rated a mention on the Simpsons once. From the museum’s Wikipedia entry:
Last summer my friend and I went that way, but we DIDN’T go there! We went to Wayne (town of 20 people, a cute hotel with a good lunch a short drive away), the Hoodoos, Atlas coal mine, the Rosedale suspension bridge… that sort of thing! Not to say we haven’t been to the museum, but there’s plenty in that area not involving the dinosaurs.
Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum are just a short drive. The Detroit Institute of Arts. The restaurants in Mexicantown. Then there’s the German town of Frankmuth only a couple of hours away. And then there’s natural beauty everywhere in the entire state.
There’s a small zoo in Springfield (Missouri) that is well worth visiting. I hit it on an extended weekend drive that included Fort Smith, Arkansas’ historical (Judge Parker) sites, and some time wandering through the Ozarks. A very nice extended weekend.
My parents and I plan to meet up in Springfield, Illinois to do the Lincoln thing next month. I’ve been to the Lincoln Museum, and won’t mind visiting again. There’s lots of of other Lincoln related history there, including living history in New Salem.
I like Hannibal, as all Mark Twain fans should. It only needs a day or two, but is interesting if one is interested in Twain.
There’s the Log Cabin Village, the Fort Worth Zoo, the Botanic Gardens, and the Museum of Science and History. I’ve gone to them all several times and greatly enjoyed them. I think there’s also a Cowgirl’s Museum and some sort of aviation museum, but I haven’t been to them at all. There’s also the Water Gardens, and when I was a teen, I enjoyed them…but I haven’t been lately, I’ve heard that they have been allowed to deteriorate horribly.
I’m within a day trip of Yellowstone National Park and the headwaters of the Missouri River (plus many other outdoorsy places you probably haven’t heard of), and within a short walk of the Museum of the Rockies, the T. rex capital of the world. I’d recommend all of those. Plus there are several ski areas nearby, but I’ve only been to one of those.
I’ve been to most of the local places of interest in my current area: Niagara Falls, the Strong Museum, Eastman House. I’ve been planning on going back to the Genesee Country Village but they were doing a big renovation last year and parts of it were closed so I decided to wait. But one local exhibit I haven’t been to yet is the Jell-O Museum.
