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Little Falls, Minn: Best things to do in Land of Lindbergh

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:39:38 PDT

Charles Lindbergh's boyhood home on the Mississippi. Photo by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Small-town charm, Lindbergh home, a small zoo, fishing and military museums all thrive along the Mississippi River

By Lisa Meyers McClintick

Learning about Charles Lindbergh--Minnesota hero, ace aviator and one of the world’s first mega-celebrities—would alone be worth the visit to Little Falls.

The Soo Line Trail crosses the Mississippi.

But Little Falls also sparkles as an apple-pie slice of Americana and a laid-back destination perfect for younger children as a family field trip or a welcome stop on a drive to northern resort towns. Our son loved sitting in a replica of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, pretending to start the engine over and over. He also loved seeing trains chug past the historic Cass Gilbert depot and hearing the whistle echo up and down the Mississippi River.

You can bike or walk past the thundering dam and read about the logging boom and catch retired anglers (maybe still with a German or Polish lilt in their voice) on trails along the river. Just a block or two from the river, an old-fashioned downtown beckons with a sweet bakery, an independent bookshop, toy store, classic movie marquee, and an arts co-op.

Here are our top reasons why this is such a nice family destination:

Find inspiration via Lindbergh

Pike's Creek at Lindbergh State Park

Any kid who's a dreamer can relate to a young Charles Lindbergh, who grew up in the home that's now part of the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site two miles south of downtown ($6-$8). They can picture Lindbergh, son of a U.S. Congressman, spending his summers taking apart engines, and fearlessly exploring the Mississippi River before making headlines in 1927 with the world’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.Interpreters share what fueled his hunger for adventure and how quirks such as sleeping on a cold screen porch toughened him for freezing temperatures while flying. You can even see the hiding spots in the walls where he stashed his toys.

Aquarium at the Minnesota Fishing Museum.

While kids are jumping into the Spirit of St. Louis at the adjacent visitor center, adults can appreciate stories of the Lindbergh family, including Lindbergh’s marriage to author Anne Morrow (who often flew with him while mapping Pan Am routes), the kidnapping and murder of their son, Lindbergh’s controversial WWII stance, his medical inventions for cardiac surgery and transplants, and work for environmental groups in his later years. The historic site opens Thursday through Sunday, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Roam the state park

Charles Lindbergh used to explore woods near his home and build bridges across Pike Creek, which flows through what’s now the 436-acre Charles A. Lindbergh State Park. The aviator donated the land in memory of his father, U.S. Congressman Charles Lindbergh Sr. You can hike along the creek, watch for spring wildflowers and songbirds, enjoy the WPA picnic grounds and playground, go geocaching with boxes stashed throughout the park or camp at one of 38 campsites.

Fishing museum's fish camp

This is where we made our first foray into family camping. Lucky for us, it's only 30 minutes from home. That's handy when you forget the tent poles. We also needed to buy another sleeping bag at Wal-Mart (a quick trip into town) when late-summer temps dropped unexpectedly.

Commemorate fishing

Fishing museum lures a-plenty

If you can’t get onto a lake, a trip to The Minnesota Fishing Museum will net a nostalgic look at Minnesota’s favorite sport (and trigger memories of crusty great-uncles and grandpas). The often playful exhibits cover Larson boats which were made in Little Falls, a fishing camp, spear-fishing, ice-fishing, fly fishing, artsy homemade lures, wildlife art, and a look at the biggest catches across the state including a legendary 40-pound muskie that anglers faithfully caught and returned to the Mississippi until its death. There's an aquarium, too.

Greet big cats and bears

Nicely sized for kids 8 and younger, you can get through the Pine Grove Zoo in an hour or two. Look for tigers, wolves, elk, bobcats, bears and more, then leave time for the free Pine Grove picnic area and vintage playground tucked beneath some of the most impressive pines you’ll see. Watch for an impressive trillium bloom in May (or June in the case of 2013 and the winter that wouldn't quit). Open mid-April through mid-October ($5).

Pine Grove

Amble through downtown

Bookin' It

Head down East Broadway and First Street Southeast to find the best boutiques, including Gumdrop Tree for kids’ toys and gifts, Bookin’ It for recommended reads and an adorable kids' area, Ambience@53 for housewares, clothing and gifts, and Great River Arts Association for pottery, photos, paintings and sculptures by area artists.

A.T. dinner

Keep an eye out for the historic murals throughout downtown. They can be fun backdrops for family photos.

Dine in style at the A.T.

This downtown spot built its reputation on malts and burgers for more than 75 years before it became A.T. The Black and White and moved toward a more eclectic upscale menu. It might include crab omelettes for breakfast, and almond-crusted walleye with risotto or chicken roulade for dinner. It’s worthy of date night, but also family friendly. While on a mother-daughter date, I scored big points with my then 7-year-old thanks to their delicious chicken noodle soup and the "Wow!" factor of Bananas Foster night with real flames. She still talks about it.

Pete & Joy's Bakery

Indulge in your sweet tooth

Pete and Joy’s Bakery is worthy of a stop just for the sweets, but it's also a homey, affordable café. You can fill up on soup, sandwiches and specials such as polish dumplings with sausage. Polish pottery, kolachys and other pastries also reflect the area’s heritage.

Goods to go may include fish-shaped cookies, nutty wild rice bread with cranberries, big fritters, sticky orange blossoms, homemade dog treats and a dizzying array of bars and all things sweet and gooey (1-320) 632-6388).

Explore Fort Ripley

Military families in particular will appreciate a glimpse at soldiers’ lives at Fort Ripley north of Little Falls. Its Minnesota Military Museum covers early pioneer days to the National Guard’s modern role in recent wars. Stroll past tanks and Jeeps or head indoors to see uniforms, photos, weapons, awards and other artifacts. The fort sprawls across 53,000 acres, which has made the area attractive to wildlife--even wolves and bears. Open May-September. ($2-$5; free to military in active service.

Trails run alongside the Mississippi

Take a ride on the Soo Line

Hop onto the Soo Line Trail, a former east-west railroad route, for a memorable ride across a trestle bridge high above the Blanchard Dam and Mississippi River south of Little Falls. The views are spectacular, especially in the fall. Access the trailhead just off Highway 10 and head west toward the small town of Bowlus.

Here's a little secret from the locals: Take a strainer to the bottom of the dam and sift through the dirt. You might get lucky and find a staurolite, also called cross rocks or fairy rocks.

The Waller House when it was lavender.

Need a place to stay?

The gracious Waller House Inn B&B lets visitors soak in Little Falls’ Victorian legacy with five guest rooms, many with matching stained glass windows. Feast on breakfasts such as stuffed apricot French toast or a wedge of crispy cheesy hash brown pie flecked with bacon locally smoked at Thielen Meats (another great place to visit--especially with a cooler in the mini-van). There also are several hotel chains in Little Falls.

More information

Stop by the Little Falls Convention and VisitorsBureau, 606 SE First Street. You can walk upstairs in this 1903 Classic Revival Burton/Rosenmeier house to see a few rooms furnished with period furniture and art.

(Note: Little Falls is included in the guidebook, Day Trips from the Twin Cities). It was also featured in the Star Tribune Travel section.

For more reviews of the destinations included here, check out Midwest Living's online travel reviews. Search for Little Falls and the location such as Pete & Joy's).

Best Twin Cities day trip destinations in Minnesota, Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:01:52 PDT

LARK Toys' amazing carousel near Wabasha, Minn., adds magic and whimsy to the Great River Road.

Get help planning the top Twin Cities day trips
If there were a fairy godmother to - "Poof!" - make Minnesota weekend getaways or week-long vacations as easy as Cinderella's dress, I'd volunteer for the post. Really. Give me a sparkly wand and make it official.

Suncrest pizza farm near Alma, Wis.

I could probably find a wand at Rebecca's in Nisswa, one funky shop with everything from Princess Way street signs to lifesize cutouts of the latest heartthrobs.

Few things make me as happy as helping people find places they'll love in this wonderfully varied state of Minnesota. You could spin the car in any direction and find totally different terrain and places well worth a few hours on the road.

Ride the Empire Builder train.

I've collected 24 of my favorite trips, from single towns to several towns, into the new Minnesota guidebook "Day Trips from the Twin Cities: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler." Read about where to find:

Beautiful bluffs and soaring eagles along the Great River Road.

St. Cloud's Clemens Garden.

A toy store that could rival Santa's workshop and Christmas morning for nostalgic childhood joy.
A pioneer ghost town and Minnesota's coolest cave tours in the Root River Valley.
One of the nation's oldest family-run breweries, an idyllic German downtown and fascinating tales from the US Dakota War of 1862 in New Ulm.
A sweet boutique hotel, amazing apples, comical scarecrows and crazy finds such as bacon-flavored soda pop along the Minnesota River Valley.

Rebecca's is among Nisswa's great shops.

One of the state's coldest swimming holes at St. Cloud's Quarry Park and the inspiring Clemens and Munsinger Gardens along the Mississippi.

Legends of Charles Lindbergh, a quirky fishing museum and classic downtown in Little Falls.
Bike trails that whirl through the scenic Chippewa River Valley across the border in Wisconsin.
Amazing canoe rides through the Dalles of the St. Croix River.
World-class Nordic ski trails near Cable, Wis.
Girls' getaways with great spas and shopping near Nisswa.

Artsy breakfast at Duluth's Solglimt B&B.

Of course there's more, but I don't want to give it all away.

You can email me to order a copy by mail for $16 (includes taxes & shipping) or head to your favorite bookstore. Buy it online through independent booksellers or the almighty Amazon. If you enjoy it, please leave a review. If you have suggestions for upcoming editions, let me know.

Happy travels!

Emma Krumbee's Scarecrow contest & festival, Belle Plaine.

Minnesota's northern lakeside resorts embrace bigger luxuries

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:51:27 PDT

Around since the 1930s, Clamshell Beach Lodge north of Brainerd has new luxuries--like newer cottages and a pool.

Minnesota cabins get bigger, modernize

By Lisa Meyers McClintick

My daughter jumps into the pool.

On a Minnesota resort trip last June, my 7-year-old daughter barely glanced at the sandy beach on Whitefish Lake north of Brainerd. Instead, she couldn't wait to cannonball into the pool and slurp a neon blue slushie at Clamshell Beach, a resort near Pequot Lakes, Minn.

With her focus on such pleasures, my daughter was benefiting from the gradual upscaling of Minnesota resorts. Many of them, established in the late 1920s through the 1930s, are evolving to meet expectations of modern vacationers.

They expect luxuries from heated pools to plush bedding. While the big resorts with deeper pocket books have been adding on for the last 15 years, many small, family-run resorts have also added perks and nudged up their level of convenience and service. The bonus: They often maintain a folksy mom-and-pop resort feel.

Meanwhile, Minnesota state parks are steadily adding camper cabins for those in the market for a lower-price, more rustic option.

From cabins to two-story cottages

Cottage bedroom at Clamshell Beach Resort.

At Clamshell Beach, whose website boasts "lake cottage charm, luxurious amenities," a handful of original 1930s stucco cottages border the Whitefish Lake beach, but most guests want one of the Minnesota resort's spacious new cottages with second-story screened porches. Inside, large bathtubs, northwoods quilts and flat-screen TVs add to the comfort.

But still, there are the homey touches. A dry-erase board at Clamshell Beach Resort's main office welcomes guests personally and lists where they are from. An awning above the refreshment counter is made of dock planks, each autographed by guests and painted with scenes depicting their time at Whitefish Lake. It is dubbed the "Dock of Fame."

Dave Moe, who grew up at a resort near Park Rapids, and his wife, Lisa, purchased Clamshell Beach in 1997 and have methodically upgraded it, selling fractional ownership in the new cottages to fund the work.

Clamshell Beach Lodge and its Dock of Fame.

"It used to be people just wanted a bedroom and a bath and to look onto the lake," Moe said. "Things have evolved like any other industry. People have higher expectations for vacations because they have a limited amount of time."

Resorts expand and evolve

Statistics from Explore Minnesota show that an estimated 2,527 resorts in 1970 numbered only 1,400 by 1985. Today, the figure is down to about 880 resorts. In some cases, one resort may have expanded and absorbed another. The shift has resulted in destinations with more polish and space.

The average size of a mid-century home was 1,000 square feet. Today's average is more than twice that, Moe said. New vacation homes and cabins reflect that change.

According to Tom Proulx, who runs Big Sandy Lodge and Resort in McGregor, Minn., with his wife, Elisa, said that vacationers "want that Up North Minnesota rustic feel, but to be in the lap of luxury and have the best of both worlds."

The resort's nearly century-old Carefree Pines cabins were replaced with luxury lake homes fewer than 10 years ago. The 100-year-old lodge, with its original lobby fireplace, remains, as does one original cabin, albeit with a refurbished interior.

"It had so much character," Proulx said of their so-called Rustic Retreat. It lacks air conditioning, space is cozy and guests share a single bathroom, but that makes it perfect for some vacationers.

Sibley State Park near Willmar has added three camping cabins.

State parks upgrade camping experience

The most rustic of all cabins -- a camper cabin, with no plumbing -- has likewise boomed in popularity. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has built more than 40 camper cabins in the past four years, bringing the total to almost 80.

The DNR charges $45-$50 a night for the cabins, roughly a third of what resort cabins can cost.
Although guests must bring their own bedding and linens and cook most meals outdoors, a stay there doesn't require setting up a tent or trailer or maneuvering an RV. The cabins offer a solid shelter with four bunks that sleep five to six people, plus screened porches, a table and chairs, and heat that makes them popular year-round.

Newer ones include lights and outlets at each bunk for plugging in smartphones.
A survey of the DNR's new reservation system shows cabins book quickly on weekends. It's best to make reservations at least six months in advance and a year ahead for holidays.

"They're beautiful cabins," said Dana Banks, who stayed at a newer one in Sibley State Park near New London for a family gathering during Mother's Day weekend. "It's a nice place for people who don't have campers but still want to get away."

For more photos and details of northern Minnesota resorts and destinations, check out Minnesota Lake Vacations, a mobile travel app, or Day Trips from the Twin Cities, a new guidebook available in August 2012.

Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Spring getaway to California's flower fields

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:19:12 PDT

California's Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch explode into 50 acres of spring color, visible from Highway 1.

SoCal ocean to desert: A flower power vacation

Photos & feature by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Rows of sherbet-orange blossoms march to the right, sloping toward a hillside of bubblegum pink, ruby red and sunny yellow.

Giant ranunculus blooms offer a colorful feast for winter-weary eyes.

Immersed in 50 acres of flowers, I could be Dorothy on the way to the Emerald City, minus the sleepy effect of poppies. Instead of shimmering green buildings on the horizon, I see the glimmer of ocean beyond strip malls and the Pacific Coast Highway to the west and purple shadows of mountains to the northeast.

The Flower Fields of Carlsbad, Calif., have drawn spring visitors to northern San Diego County for decades. The giant Tecolote ranunculus blooms look like the love child of poppies and peonies: vibrant color, delicate stems and full-bodied blooms dense with silky petals.

They blaze brightly on the hills above the coastal highway, inspiring detours for more than 60 years every March through mid-May.

“There’s something about being surrounded by all this color that’s just magical,” says Lisa Merriam McClure, a former Minnesotan and now a Californian who lives up the coast in San Clemente.

For me, this March vacation during 2011’s slog-it-out winter is inspired not so much by the need for warmth as the need to nourish eyes hungry for more than grays and whites. We’ve dedicated a long weekend to a 90-mile road trip that starts with the Flower Fields on this sunny coastline, climbs through cool mountains and drops into the desert—each place erupting with its own palette of spring color.

One of life's miracl

Renewing a friendship

Lucky for us, we’re celebrating a rebirth and renewal that goes deeper than the seasons. McClure and I haven’t seen each other for 20-plus years, yet we slip back into a steadfast friendship built on sleepovers, family vacations, summer camp and the misadventures of junior high. We laugh how alphabetical locker assignments originally brought us together, and somehow carried into adulthood. Meyers and Merriam each married and became McClure and McClintick. It baffles us, too.

Just as joyous as this long-overdue reunion is traveling with Lisa’s three-month-old daughter, Kate. It’s a magical age: ears as translucent and delicate as newly emerged leaves, steady gazes infused with wonder, tiny hands that make your heart skip.

Lisa, Kate and Lisa

Kate’s a miracle, too, arriving as Lisa turned 42 and had given up hope for a baby.

We hold out my camera and try snapping a self-portrait with flowers unfurling behind us. Kate stares at the lens as if she knows how momentous this is.

Beach cities to mountain town

The ocean calls to us in every shade of sun-infused blue. That’s not to say it’s warm. Zipped into a wet suit, the water numbs my bare feet and squeezes out a few colorful gasps of shock. Lisa married an enthusiastic surfer, and I feel compelled to try my luck on a board.

I apparently did great for a first time out, making it to a standing position on one of my first attempts. But surfing mostly feels like those rough stretches of life. Wait, wait, wait for it. Miss your timing. Take a clumsy fall. Haul yourself back up. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Hiking down to the surf beach near San Clemente

“People think surfers are so mellow,” Lisa says, but most are high energy until waves hammer them into bone-weary submission.

After our dreamy stroll through flower fields and along beaches, it seems wrong to turn our backs on the ocean. But we’re in the mood to explore, to see someplace new and leave busy coastal cities behind. We ditch a traffic jam and pick our way east through suburbs until they’re gone.

We climb, hugging mountain curves with motorcyclists, bicyclists and convertibles, likewise soaking up scenery. The valley drops below us. Roadsides blur with the hazy lavender of wild lilacs and smatterings of orange poppies.

The drive from Carlsbad to the mountains near Julian.

It’s only 60 miles from the coast, but Julian, pop. 3,000, feels like another world. Apple orchards with clouds of white blossoms and vineyards flank this historic mining town tucked into piney mountains. Daffodils dot wooded roads, and homey whiffs of apple pie, dumplings and pastries waft into the narrow Old-West downtown. A horse and buggy clip-clops past, and a giggling group of girls tries to sell us a cat.

Fog and drizzle roll in as darkness falls and we find our way to a cabin at Pine Hills Lodge, a log resort built 100 years ago. We bundle Kate into a dresser drawer with blankets as our makeshift cradle. Then we fire up the heat, climb into bed, and reminisce about sleepovers in Prior Lake and pay homage to Lisa’s mom, who died a year before Kate was born.

Pine Hills Lodge

I can’t imagine becoming a first-time parent without my mom in the wings. I try to fill a little of the huge gap left by Lisa’s mom. I delight in rocking Kate to sleep and keep Lisa company during middle-of-the-night nursing or fussing.

The next morning, we fill up on quiche at Julian’s Candied Apple Pastry Company. We’ve had our requisite pie and choose one of their chocolate bomb cakes to go. It alone could inspire a return trip. The cake becomes roadside lunch—along with an honor system bag of grapefruit—bought 30 miles to the east in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Like the contrast between beach and mountains, this section of Southern California’s Colorado Desert also feels like its own world.

Julian, Calif., can grow daffodils & apples.

Desert blooms dazzle

Yawning, scrubby flatness leading to Borrego Springs has that vacant “Are we lost?” feeling. But the sky’s blue, the sun is warming our arms, and we discover we’re in good company as we pull into a busy parking lot at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The largest of California’s state parks and a bit off the beaten path, it’s a less-crowded option to Palm Springs to the north.

It’s been a dry year, and most of the park is brown. But near the visitor center, which is dug into the earth, irrigated areas coax succulent blooms from cacti. Hummingbirds dart in and out of tubular orange blooms on a blue elf aloe. We stroll by and admire hot pink flowers on beaver tail cactus, translucent yellow on a prickly pear, and a fiery orange on claret cup cactus.

Anza-Borrego Desert blooms

We reluctantly pull away from the soothing landscape of desert and mountains and head for downtown San Diego. It’s another scenic route, meandering through the Cuyamaca Recreation and State Park district our last night together. We watch the sun turn the harbor pink then share a milestone together: feeding Kate her first serving of rice cereal.

We click through our photos, smiling again at baby faces, beach shots and brilliant blossoms. Best of all is discovering a friendship can be like spring flowers after a long winter. They both burst into bloom just when you need something to celebrate.

Strolling the paths at Anza-Borrego State Park, California.

Carlsbad-Julian-Borrego Springs Road Trip

What to do

Carlsbad Flower Fields, ($11 per adult; 1-760-431-0352; www.theflowerfields.com). The season usually runs from March through mid-May, open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (1-760-767-5311; www.parks.ca.gov) in Borrego Springs has 600,000 acres, with desert plants usually blooming between January and March. Call the wildflower hotline, 1-706-767-4684.

Where to stay

Pine Hills Lodge ($80-$190; 1-760-765-1100, www.pinehillslodge.com) offers lodge rooms and cabin rooms tucked into the woods outside Julian. There’s a brunch on Sunday.

Bailey Woodpit BBQ

Orchard Hill Country Inn ($195-$375; 1-800-716-7242; www.orchardhill.com) offers a more upscale option in Julian with 22 lodge and cottage rooms, plus breakfast.

Dining

Candied Apple Pastry Company (1-760-765-2655, www.candiedapplepastry.com) serves fresh breads with spreads such as artichoke-feta plus salads, but the star is the tempting array of desserts. Cases display pear lavender and caramel apple tarts, raspberry almond pastries, sourdough crostini chips for snacking, or the signature apple-blackberry pie with a woven crust.

Candied Apple Pastry Company

Bailey Woodpit Barbecue (1-760-765-3757, www.baileybbq.com) smokes Texas-style meats served with a rustic-cut slaw and washed down with cider, beer or local wine.

More info

San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau (1-619-236-1212, www.sandiego.org).

Here's to a 1980s friendship that's still going.

Minnesota ice bars, ice fishing & polar plunges

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:25:28 PST

Grand Superior Lodge's BLU ice bar takes inspiration from the Split Rock Lighthouse. Lake Superior helps keep it cool.

Minnesota dreams up icy frolics & February fun
By Lisa McClintick

Costumes add to the fun of the Pout Plunge that's part of Walker's Eelpout Festival.

Take warm welcome of Minnesota Nice, nip it with winter temps, and you get Minnesota Ice in all its quirky glory.

I used to think cabin fever inspired the more creative antics and winter traditions here in the north, but it's not just Minnesota. Case in point: Red Bull brought its international Crashed Ice championship to St. Paul two weeks ago. Picture plunging down an icy luge on skates with roller-derby demons.

It's always good to have a fresh, heart-pounding or light-hearted twists on traditional winter fun. Here's a rundown on other Minnesota winter festivals and events to celebrate throughout February, from glitzy ice bars to ice fishing fun:

Guzzling icy shots at Chase on the Lake's Eelpout ice bar.

Are you cool enough for ice bars?

According to Grand Superior Lodge's ice sculpting expert Chris Sworbrick, its BLU Ice Bar and Lounge is the longest running outdoor ice bar in the continental United States. It has the added advantage of a Lake Superior location, which offers the soundtrack of waves and a natural coolant to keep the 12-foot sculpture of Split Rock Lighthouse from melting early.

This year's version of BLU is triple last year's size and features ice chandeliers, a wall lit like the northern lights, ice-carved shot glasses, a bonfire and specialty bar foods such as oyster shooters and North Shore sushi. The ice benches are fur-lined, but probably not the best place to wear a thong without a layer of long underwear.

Head up the shore, and Caribou Highlands' Moguls restaurant and lounge has its own ice bar at Lutsen Mountains. It's ideally located for ski-in and ski-out options. If you're in the mood to party, there's a "Shot-ski," which is carved in ice and delivers a shot to four people at once.

If you're more of a city slicker, Rochester throws quite a happy hour with its downtown SocialICE. The event, anchored by a 200-foot ice bar plus eight new satellite bars, drew more than 11,000 participants last year. The 500 ice martini glasses sold out in 30 minutes.

SocialICE runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9, through Saturday, Feb. 11. Live music starts at 7 p.m.

Head north for eelpout antics

Walker's Pout Plunge into Leech Lake.

There's also an ice bar at Chase on the Lake during the 33rd International Eelpout Festival in Walker Feb. 16-19, but that's only a sliver of the shenaningans during this raucous weekend. The town population swells about 10 times as people throw together Pout City with crazy, comical encampments on the ice. You can kiss a slimy, ugly pout for luck or bragging rights, compete in curling contest, watch a frozen wet T-shirt contest and ride a mechanical ice bull. The event even drew a crew from Jay Leno last year.

Our favorite event is the Pout Plunge. It's family-friendly and hilarious to see what costumes are worn by the brave--and dare I say crazy?--folks willing to jump into frigid Leech Lake for a good cause. Read more from last year's Eelpout Festival feature.

Brainerd's ice-fishing extravaganza on Gull Lake.

Reel in a big one
Finally, for a fun, holy-cow kind of experience, try your luck at the world's largest charitable ice-fishing contest: the legendary Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing extravaganza. Usually in January, it got bumped to Saturday, Feb. 11, when winter started with a whimper. You need seriously chilly temperatures to drill more than 10,000 holes into Gull Lake. It's a mind-boggling sight to see. Read more about Brainerd's ice-fishing extravaganza.

Duluth B&B ranks among best in the nation

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:54:33 PST

A.G. Thomson House blends history & comfort
Trip Advisor listed Duluth's A.G. Thomson House Bed & Breakfast at the top of its 25 Best B&Bs and Inns in the United States this week. It was among two Midwest winners for the 2012 Travelers' Choice award. Fleur-De-Lys Mansion in St. Louis, Mo., another great choice, also made the cut.

Angie and Tim Allen

It's a huge honor for A.G. Thomson's owners, Tim and Angie Allen, who make restoring and maintaining a historic mansion look easy. It helps that they have that perfect blend of optimal B&B talent: do-it-yourself remodeling expertise, interior decorating, graciously welcoming personalities and the culinary creativity for special-occasion breakfasts and afternoon treats.

A.G. Thomson House's living room where guests gather.

The living room along, with its beautiful shelving, warm reds and a lovely attached porch, could easily grace the cover of a home magazine. The spacious guest rooms also are expertly put together with high-end beds, beautiful linens, cozy nooks, gas fireplaces and a few extras like a sun porch or upper deck access. If you want a little extra privacy and to burrow in for a weekend, they also have suites in the mansion's carriage house.

The Superior Suite in particular ranks among the nicest rooms I've seen while exploring the region's B&Bs. It's more like a private apartment. If you do stay here, be sure to do a walking tour of the historic neighborhoods. Duluth, like Stillwater, Red Wing and Winona, boomed in Victorian times, with millionaires trying to outdo each other with grand, beautiful homes.

Lake Superior Suite

A sweet start to breakfast.

You'll likely need to walk off the multi-course breakfast anyway. Guests can eat in the formal dining room or dine privately in their room on entrees such as wild rice quiche, French toast with a wild-rice sausage patty, an egg puff with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes or lemon-blueberry French toast. Extra courses might include a chilled peach and cantaloupe soup with Mascarpone, mango lassi parfait, pistachio and chocolate chunk muffins or white-chocolate and craisin scones.

An example of how gracious and sharing they are: Angie has posted many of the guests' favorite recipes on their website. It's a nice way to bring a little of the B&B experience home and to relive with each tasty bite.

Check out Duluth's other elegant B&Bs

Fireplace at Firelight Inn.

The downside to yet another national award for A.G. Thomson House is it might get harder to make a reservation, especially during peak months for weddings and anniversaries. If that's the case, take a look at www.duluthbandb.com. There are six other B&Bs in the city. Like the homes they're in and the owners who run them, each has its own appeal.

Artsy fruit at Solglimt.

Old-home lovers can appreciate the exquisite woodwork and vibrant colors of the Mathew Burrows B&B. Musicians must sing or play a few high notes in Olcott House's music room with perfect acoustics. Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek boasts a grand three-season front porch and beautiful fireplace alcove. The Cotton Mansion and Ellery House round out the elegant, historic choices.

If you prefer modern to historic or need to be on the beach that stretches along Park Point, Solglimt B&B offers another stellar experience with hands-down the best views of Lake Superior.

--Feature & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Meeting Muhammed Ali & the serendipity of travel

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:21:42 PST

Picking up a scrawny 7-year-old (that would be me) was no effort for legendary boxer Muhammed Ali in 1976.

"Muhammed Ali's on the plane!"

News like that spreads fast--especially in 1976 near the prime of his career. Muhammed Ali, one of America's greatest sports legends, turns 70 today.

I was only 7 when our paths crossed. He picked me up while greeting passengers on the way to Hawaii. We were moving to Oahu for a year, a rather magical one that meant being the only white kid in the entire third grade and included posing with Jack Lord, star of the original "Hawaii 5-0," on the way to school one morning.

Never knowing who you will meet ranks among the greatest joys of travel. It can be a sports legend such as Muhammed Ali or serendipitous small-world reunions of old friends in unexpected places. I also love the joy getting to know strangers, who open your eyes to lives you'd never imagine, whether it's a bonsai salesperson from Japan or archaeology professor from Africa.

It was pure luck that Muhammed Ali was one of the first people I ever met while traveling. I hope to someday soon make it to Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, to learn more about his remarkable career as well as his extensive humanitarian work at the Muhammed Ali Center.

Here's wishing you the joy of good connections as you travel--not just making your plane on time--but celebrating the human experience along the way.

--Lisa Meyers McClintick

Watch trumpeter swans in Park Rapids, Minnesota

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:08:10 PST

No snow needed for winter birdwatching
It may be winter, but Minnesota claims excellent bird-watching with the comeback of trumpeter swans. The biggest flock of trumpeters gathers in Monticello along the Mississippi River, but you also can get close to this flock in Park Rapids which is closer to summer nesting areas.

Take a look at this YouTube video to hear the brassy honks for which they are known and to admire the synchronized swimming of pairs that mate for life.

Check our last year's swan feature for more photos and information on these elegant swans.

Winter also is the best time to spot bald eagles soaring through the air.

Family travel tips for MSP Airport

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:23:31 PST

Plan ahead during the busiest travel times

It's the busiest time of year for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as Minnesota families head out for the holidays or spring break. It's wise to arrive at least two hours early for your flight, even if it's domestic and there are no threats of snow storms.

Another way to make travel go more smoothly is to download MSP's airport app through the goHow airport series. It just added Android capability this week, in addition to previously offered iPhone and Blackberry applications. The MSP airport app offers:

Up-to-date information about flight and gate check-in times directly from the airport and from FlightStats™, providing full domestic and international flight coverage
Real-time flight updates and airport operational alerts via push notifications
Real-time parking and security line wait times, where available
Weather information for both departure and arrival cities
Promotions customized to the traveler’s gate location, time of day and departure/arrival cities
Real-time ratings of airport concessionaires and facilities – and the ability for travelers to add their own.

In addition to goHow native applications for BlackBerry, iPhone, and now, Android, goHow is also available as a mobile-friendly web site at http://www.goHowWeb.com <http://www.gohowweb.com/> .
Here are some other tips to make everything go more smoothly:

Be ready for security

Double check that you have everything well-organized for security points with the 3-1-1 rule for liquids. Go to www.tsa.gov for specifics and exceptions such as baby formula and medicines. Put kids in easy-to-remove shoes so you're not held up tying shoelaces. It's hard enough to be collapsing strollers and taking kids out of carriers.

Travel light

Know your airline’s luggage weight and size restrictions. Everyone does seem to fudge the carry-on rules these days. You, too, may get away with it, but you also run the risk of being trapped in the aisle with no place to put a roller bag. If the crew does need to check your bag due to a lack of space, there is some consolation in not paying the check-in fee. Keep all your essentials in a bag you can fit beneath a seat.

Have documents ready

Print boarding passes at home and have identification double-checked and handy. Keep them with other documents on reservations, car rentals and maps. If you are a Delta Air Lines customer flying out of gates C10 through C27, G14 through G22 or Concourses A or B, check your bags at the Delta counter on Level T and take the tram to Checkpoint 10 midway on the C/G Concourse Connector Bridge. Concourses A & B are the longest walk. Take the tram until you reach the end of the line.

Be assured of parking

I usually use Park 'N Fly (www.parknfly.com), but it may fill up on busy weeks. Make a reservation online to assure a space and get a better rate. If you're parking at the airport, use SurePark® to check availability (www.mspairport.com/parking/surepark). You can save $4 over parking at the Lindbergh Terminal by using the lot at Terminal 2, the Humphrey Terminal. Reach the main terminal with a free ride on the light rail transit line.

Bring tippy cups and empty bottles

Don't get stuck paying $3 for a huge bottle of water. Bring normal-sized but empty bottles through security. You can fill them at drinking fountains and add a drink mix to flavor it if you want. If you have any kids under 5 with you, free drinks on the flight are not worth it when flailing hands and knees inevitably sends cups flying into your lap or someone else's. I've worn tomato juice spilled by an adult. It isn't pretty.

Pack a meal
If you have room in your carry-ons, stash a packed lunch. Even if you want to eat at the airport, it's a wise backup in case of delays on the runway or long restaurant lines during busy flying weeks. Baby carrots or pea pods, peanut butter and jelly on a denser bread, single-pack Pringles, granola or energy bars, dried fruit, apples and nuts all pack well and can take a little beating.

Get more info
Stay up to date on airport info with Twitter (follow mspairport). If you download the goHow Airport app you can also peruse menus for full service restaurants.
--Lisa Meyers McClintick

Best Midwest ice cream shops keep you cool

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:35:03 PDT

Enjoy the Midwest's tastiest ice cream

Barb at Pumphouse Creamery

One of the best parts of summer is seeking out the Midwest's best ice cream stand, shop, parlor or drive-in. Grab a crispy, crunchy cone, pile it high with dense, sweet ice cream or tangy, refreshing sorbet. It's one of the most luscious (and cool) ways to savor seasonal fruits and flavors.

Here are my top picks and tips for enjoying the best ice cream in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest:

Pumphouse Creamery
4754 Chicago Ave., Mpls., 612-825-2021

The local farmers who make this ice cream shop a possibility are featured on the walls. The care shows as owner Barb Zapzalka scoops up sea salt caramel, handcrafted strawberry, blueberry buttermilk and local wild black raspberry at this little Twin Cities ice cream store. Just as good: the handmade Minnesota harvested multigrain cones.

If you've got your dog along, you can get special cups just for him or her in vanilla or peanut butter with less sugar. Word of advice: Check their Facebook page to find out when seasonal flavors are available so you don't miss them.

Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream Café
Among the first to up the ice cream ante, Minneapolis's Sebastian Joe's has been scooping its exquisite raspberry chocolate chip and more than 100 other flavors since 1984. You can pick from about 24 daily choices, but we never seem to get past the raspberry. It's that good.

Other temptations: Pavarotti (banana, caramel, and chocolate chips), Immaculate Confection (vanilla, honey, ginger and strudel), white licorice with freshly ground anise, and hilariously named Nicollet Avenue Pothole and Praline Home Companion. Among their sorbets, you'll find ultra refreshing and unique tastes such as orange basil, mint pink grapefruit and red papaya. 4321 Upton Ave. S., Mpls., 612-926-7916; 1007 Franklin Ave. W., Mpls., 612 870-0065

Madison's Chocolate Shoppe ice cream.

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

With nationally lauded dairy program at Madison's University of Wisconsin, you know there has to be good ice cream. Babcock Hall Dairy Store, where the university makes its own ice cream (and you can see the process) has a fiercely loyal following. They do have good flavors, such as orange chocolate, but I prefer the denser, super premium Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, another Madison creation.

Best flavor bets: strawberry lemonade (this summer's new flavor), Door County cherry, dark and rich Zanzibar chocolate, and fat Elvis (banana, chocolate, peanut butter). Some other unique options among their 110 flavors include honey ginger and horchata (a sweet Mexican rice milk). Customers also can find non-fat yogurt, soy ice cream, no-sugar ice cream and sorbets for anyone on special diets.

You can Chocolate Shoppe ice cream at its three Madison stores or in other locations such as Kalahari Resort's Sweet Shop at Wisconsin Dells, one of our family's favorite treat stops.

Why here? Besides the ice cream, the sweets are picture-perfect and wonderfully creative whether it's candied apples or playful, googly-eyed chocolate creations. Plus you can eat your ice cream in the African-themed lobby where you might see a live tiger cub snoozing or playing.

In Minnesota, you can get Chocolate Shoppe ice cream at the The Creamery in Rushford along the Root River Trail in southeastern bluff country. It's one of my favorite areas of the state, and if you bike there from the charming hub of Lanesboro, you've more than earned a huge cone.

Ella's Deli & Ice Cream Parlor

Another Chocolate Shoppe ice cream outlet worth mentioning is the whimsically eclectic Ella's Deli in Madison--one of the best places to dine with kids. This place is part restaurant, part toy museum and part ice cream parlor (remember the heydays of those in the 1970s?).

Grilled pound cake a la mode.

There are moving toys and flying objects overhead (think superheroes and Harry Potter), games under glass at each table, and a bizarre, but fascinating collection of automatons including mechanical bare feet that sing. Really. There’s also a merry-go-round outside. Besides serving Chocolate Shoppe ice cream cones, they heap it onto grilled pound cake for dessert. Yep. Grilled pound cake with lots of whipped cream, too. Take a few friends or kids to help you eat it.

Michigan's divine tart cherry sorbet and ice cream

Cherry Republic's tangy-sweet cherry pie ice cream.

Across Lake Michigan, Traverse City has taunted my taste buds for years. Truly. I got hooked on its tart cherry sorbet in 2005, and finally got back for another round in June. Tangy, sweet and utterly refreshing.

As the tart cherry capital of the country, the variations on cherry ice cream is mind-boggling. We'll take the vanilla with real chunks of cherry pie blended in, thank you very much.

Favorite ice cream destinations: The cheeky and beautifully landscaped Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor and family-run Moomer's dairy just outside Traverse City.

Grab a fresh berry shake at the family-run Peppermint Twist in Delano, Minn.

Find a drive-in

If you can't hit the road--and it's not easy with gas prices where they are--look for local drive-ins that are as comfy and delightful as a meatloaf dinner served by Grandma. I love The Drive-In in Minnesota's Taylor's Falls with its giant root beer mug and homemade root beer. The playful pink Peppermint Twist in Delano, Minn., is just as fun and wedges into the memories of children who love its kid-friendly play and picnic areas. Best bet: fresh berry shakes.

Graeter's blackberry chocolate

Troll your local freezer cases

If you haven't trolled the freezer cases of upscale grocers such as Minnesota's Lund's or Byerly's lately, that's another sweet hotspot for cooling off. Cincinnati's hometown favorite, Graeter's ice cream, hit the cases earlier this year. They make small batches and stir in melted chocolate so it blends in as big irregular hunks you can fight over.

I tried its trademark blackberry chocolate at its Cincinnati shop years ago, and it was as good as I remembered when I tried the pint in the freezer case. Graeter's mint ice cream is divine, as is the strawberry.

Even better: check the freezer cases of your local co-ops. They'll often carry the best locally made ice cream and sorbets.

Please chime in with your favorites, too!

Take the kids on a farm stay vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 19:10:38 PDT

Mary Veraguth helps our girls collect fresh eggs for breakfast.

Story & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Join in with farm chores and fun at Wisconsin's Room to Roam

Want to hear your kids shriek with joy? Let them run loose at Room to Roam, a working farm perched along the picturesque Mississippi River bluffs near Fountain City, Wis.

Katie and her favorite kitty.

You can wear them out the old-fashioned way: chasing chickens, scampering after farm cats and dogs, weeding and raiding the garden, picking berries and giving goats a fresh green stalk of corn.

We enjoyed their down-home hospitality on our son's 8th birthday a few years ago. It was one of our most memorable trips ever. In an era of waterparks and fancy resorts, it's easy to forget the freedom and magic of a simple place in the country.

Farm expands to haycation fun
Guests are free to do what they want, but some are up at 5 a.m. when farm kitchen’s bird clock chirps and announces the day’s first milking. They can head down the dirt road to owner Jess and Mary Veraguth’s farm, where they milk about 50 cows, four at a time for two to three hours.

Jess shows us how to feed calves.

Veraguths have farmed on this land above the Mississippi River Valley for four generations. When they expanded to 300 acres about 15 years ago, they opened the adjacent farmhouse to guests. It became the Room to Roam experience, which bales together a field trip, farmer’s market and country vacation.

Step back in time
The guest house feels like a time warp with crocheted knick-knacks and bright flowered wallpaper in the kitchen. And it wasn't just the farm-inspired fun that made them shriek. The house's crickets did, too--the one part of country life that rattled our city kids. They wouldn't sleep on the floor, so they passed out in a pile of three on the bed.

Piled together, safe from crickets.

After morning chores and a break for breakfast, Jess Veraguth takes guests on a hayride, bumping through the fields past lush stalks of corn to the edge of the bluff and a breathtaking view of the river valley. It’s only a few minute’s drive to Winona, Minn., or the small town of Fountain City where you can grab an ice cream cone and enjoy meandering along the Mississippi.

Feed calves, collect freshly laid eggs

When evening rolls around, families hold on to two-quart bottles of milk that hungry calves greedily empty in minutes. Then it’s time to collect a bucket of eggs from Black Star hens.

We loved the brilliant yellow eggs for breakfast.

Guests are welcome to raid the garden, too. Our girls would eat the sun-warmed tomatoes like apples while our son climbed the super-sized round bales of hay.

The peaceful country setting and heavy dose of nostalgia keeps several families coming back regularly. For others, the farm offers a rare chance for kids to roam free, feel connected to the land and to learn about farming in an era when the county’s number of dairy farms has dwindled from 50 to a handful.

“I do this for the kids,” says Jess Veraguth. “The things we’re doing now are almost part of the past. This is like a trip back in time.”

Room to Roam's guest house.

Read more about it
For more information, you can call Jess and Mary at 608-687-8575. No e-mail. Remember, they do things the old-fashioned way.
You can also watch KARE-11's recent Gopher Getaway on the farm or go to Farmstays.us.com for more information. If you want a farm experience for your family, read the entries at Farmstays.us.com carefully. Many places run more like a B&B and do not allow kids under 12.

Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, SD, has onsite camping

More farm vacation experiences for families

South Dakota also has two excellent farm experiences for families. The bonus? They let kids follow in the footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

You'll need to be a camping family or game for sleeping in converted sheep wagons at the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, S.D. Sleeping in the wagons are on my wish list, especially with the gorgeous wide-open prairie views. You could see a storm roll in for miles or watch a fabulous sunset.

Sisters get in the spirit of DeSmet's Wilder Pageant.

Little House on the Prairie

Of course, you don't have to spend the night to enjoy this magical place. It's open all day to visitors who come to see the horses and colts, ride in a horse-drawn buggy, see a sod house, play with kittens and visit a one-room schoolhouse. There are more Laura Ingalls Wilder sites in town, along with two B&Bs. Prairie House Manor B&B does a delightful job with children, even making special pancakes from "Little House in the Big Woods."

Camp in a wagon at the Homestead.

For a non-camping farm experience, it's about 25 miles to Possibility Farm B&B in Carpenter, South Dakota. It has many of the same experiences as Room to Roam, but it's more of a ranch atmosphere.

If you're looking for more inspiration for hands-on, unique "Trips You'll Talk About," check out the feature in Midwest Living.

Where to see a moose? Drive until you lose your cell signal.

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:15:37 PDT

If you want to spot a moose, drive north until your phone signal stops working. Seriously. That seems to be the trick. You have to get out there on the edge of wilderness. A bit of luck helps, too.

We've now had two moose sightings this year. The first one was in January on Minnesota's Gunflint Trail. They like to escape the deep snow and lick salt along the sides of this scenic highway. The second was in June on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This moose wasn't far off the road. We were able to pull over and watch her as she watched us.

Find alternative vacation plans with Minnesota shutdowns

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:43:18 PDT

Families love Clear Lake Campground at Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest in Wisconsin.

State park closed? Try national forests or county campgrounds

Photos & feature by Lisa Meyers McClintick
There are surely moans (or shrieks) of frustration today as weekend and summer plans are foiled by the Minnesota government shutdown. It has closed all Minnesota state parks, rest areas and travel information centers and even the ability to get a fishing license. The impact can be devastating on vacations, especially if you're camping and on a budget.

Campsite at Nine-Mile Lake.

Don't fret. Sometimes needing a Plan B can lead to great new discoveries. That happened to us last year when we got shut out of state park camping on the North Shore. Every single site was booked, much to our disbelief. So we went inland and found a beautiful site on the shore of Nine-Mile Lake. It was gorgeous.

1. Look for private or city campgrounds.
A few can be loud and crowded if you're a tent camper (some cater to RV owners who stay for the summer), but others such as Lamb's Resort in Shroeder on the North Shore have some of the best tent sites on Lake Superior. You'll need to plan ahead. These do book early.

Get advice on private or municipal campgrounds from city or regional visitors bureaus. While Explore Minnesota is affected by the shutdown, smaller tourism offices such as Explore Brainerd Lakes or Visit Duluth are not. The Brainerd Lakes Welcome Center along Highway 10 also will remain open and has a wealth of brochures on area attractions.

Another campground possibility: Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds at Crosslake and Gull Lake Dam near Brainerd.

Another good search tool: Hospitality Minnesota.

2. Go a little rustic with national forests.

Near Stony Point Campground, part of Chippewa National Forest.

A few facilities may be more rustic (pit toilets and no running water), but you can find dozens of beautiful campgrounds in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests. Try Stony Point Campground near Walker, Norway Lake near Cass Lake or Nine-Mile Lake near Tofte. Some do have showers and flush toilets if that's a deal-breaker.

3. Check out county and city parks.
Some of these rival state parks in size and natural features. Two that come to mind are Alexander Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls (which also has camping) and Quarry Park in St. Cloud (day use only). Quarry Park has cliff jumping, quarry swimming, scuba diving, trout fishing, hiking and technical mountain biking, making it a favorite with the 20-something adrenaline crowd.

3. Cross the border.
Try a Wisconsin, Iowa or Dakota State Park. One of our favorites is the stunning Devil's Lake State Park near Wisconsin Dells. Wisconsin's Chequamegon National Forest and Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest also are good outdoorsy destinations. For the latter, Clear Lake or Trout Lake campgrounds are both great choices and near the resort hub of Minocqua with plenty of family attractions. Read more about the area.

Need more Wisconsin advice? Check out Mary Bergin's Roads Traveled.

Wilderness Inquiry family adventure through Voyageurs National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:05:46 PDT

Our guides, Virginia and Max, purposely swamp the canoe for a "tip test," a lesson in getting it upright again.

Life lessons in the wild
Finding strength despite challenges of ADHD and Crohn's

Kate leads the paddle back to Big Sky Island, Voyageurs NP.

Photos & story by Lisa Meyers McClintick
Originally published in Minneapolis Star Tribune

With bandanas on their heads à la Willie Nelson and bug bites visible across their legs, a group of six boys whoops into the piney woods at Namakan Lake in far northern Minnesota. Their mission: Find the best new spot for a dig-it-yourself latrine.

The adults grin at their unexpected enthusiasm. It's amazing what friendly competition will do for the most dreaded duties at our camp on Voyageurs National Park's Big Sky Island. Or maybe it's a healthy shift of perspective.

Ditching daily comforts, rattling routines and rising to fresh challenges were key reasons we were on this family trip through Wilderness Inquiry (WI). Founded more than 30 years ago, the St. Paul nonprofit organization welcomes participants of all abilities, ages and levels of experience. Last year more than 16,700 people took WI trips, including outings designed for city youths, many of whom received scholarships and grants to get them into the outdoors. Every trip can be modified to fit a group's abilities.

Lori heads into the woods.

Our group was all newcomers except for Laurie Davis of Minneapolis, who was on her fourth WI trip with her two sons. She first signed up when the youngest was only 4. They've since learned the wilderness ropes and tallied a wealth of inspirational experiences, such as seeing a teen trade a wheelchair for the graceful glide of a kayak and a fellow camper who had lost her eyesight get back on a bike with the help of a tandem rider.

"We like to celebrate everybody's uniqueness," says our leader, Max. And indeed we do.

Getting to know each other
We meet as strangers on a warm June afternoon, introducing ourselves in a circle outside the Ash River Trail visitor center. It's always a grab bag seeing who comes together. Our group gets lucky with a concentration of six boys, ages 7 to 14.

The boys loved clowning around & exploring the woods.

Besides Laurie and me as Minnesota moms with boys in tow, we have Coloradoans Mary Ellen Anderson with two grandsons; plus her brother, Drex Douglas, with a reluctant grandson and 24-year-old son, Jeff. We later find out Jeff has a developmental disability known as fragile X syndrome. He shyly ducks from introductions and avoids eye contact, but warms up quickly as playful energy amps up among the six boys.

My son and I arrive with our own struggles. Jonathan, now 11, has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. A steam locomotive stops faster than his mouth near bedtime, when thoughts and emotions pop out like firecrackers. At school and at home, he's constantly being told to calm down, stop breaking things and getting into trouble. It's a tough load to shoulder.

That constant energy and impulsiveness can shred relationships like cats clawing at furniture. This trip is our chance to heal, to enjoy some rare mother-son time away from twin sisters, and to escape the usual chaos of home life.

Jonathan and I enjoy campfire brownies.

It's personal, too. I yearn for my children to see me as strong and adventurous -- not as a mom who naps and growls with middle-aged migraines. I also have pushed myself to new limits since 14 years of drugs, chemo-like infusions, where-is-the-bathroom vigilance and multiple surgeries finally cowed chronic Crohn's disease, a digestive disorder, into submission.

I'm still wary of sudden setbacks, but feel confident these guides with their calm demeanor can handle medical emergencies.

That's not to say I'm keen on dig-it-yourself latrines -- even if the boys do find a dandy location. I tell myself to suck it up. This is worth it. And, really, it is.

Settling into a camp groove

It takes a full group effort to paddle voyageur canoes across Lake Kabetogama and unload our gear up a steep embankment and into the forest. As we make meals, gather wood and wash dishes, Jeff gleefully and repeatedly asks, "Are ya workin'?" with such comical zeal and upward lilt that it's like teens asking, "Are you ready to par-TAY?!"

Jeff loved fishing from our island.

Jeff's repetitive phrases cause a few exasperated groans while others make us laugh and become part of our camp vocabulary. The patience needed to repeatedly untangle his fishing line is offset by his determination to catch a fish and his absolute joy in everything.

My son, whose emotions can flare like a rocket, marvels at Jeff's calm and smiling face after Jeff accidentally slips in the lake while getting dishwater. He returns to camp soaked and doesn't seem to mind.

The six boys glom together quickly. They dare each other to jump into the dark, tannin-dyed water and try to show off their best campfire-building skills. They tear through the woods with imaginations fully fired. It leaves the adults with a few rare pockets of quiet time.

Big Sky Island's granite dome edging the lake pulls at us like magnets. It's a theater for nature's daily show and heavenly to soak in the sun. It's here where we most often swap life stories, chapter by chapter, taking stock of where we've been and where we want to go.

The beauty of camping isn't just the setting. It's the ability to declutter and distill life to the basics: Stay warm. Sleep. Eat. Look, listen.

Lady's slippers.

'The beauty of camping isn't just the setting. It's the ability to declutter and distill life to the basics: Stay warm. Sleep. Eat. Look, listen.'

I don't realize how mentally ragged I've been until escaping daily demands feels like dropping a heavy backpack from achy shoulders.

Excursions and stargazing

Mornings start with cowboy coffee. Our guides whirl the pot of boiling water and loose grounds like all-star pitchers doing a wind-up. Centrifuge acts as the filter.

Sipping that first brew, Mary Ellen places a hand on her hip, takes in the boreal forest and says, "God, this is so cool!"

She came to share her childhood passion for paddling with her grandchildren. She's an adventurer, too, who has taken them to Turkey and volunteered with them in Senegal. She offers impromptu tai chi lessons on the granite dome, reaching for the stars or out toward the loons.

"I love the enchantment and innocence of childhood, and it's here," she says. "The kids just go with the flow. This is a whole six-week summer camp in five days."

While Big Sky was our base, each day includes paddling excursions where we perfect our strokes, learn to rudder voyageur canoes and mentally muscle our way through brainteasers our guides offer for entertainment.

We wander an abandoned logging camp, collect wild blueberries and strawberries, set up a pasta salad picnic and enjoy a whitewashed outhouse with toilet paper on a roll. It feels like the Ritz.

Later, shrieks echo across Hoist Bay as our guide Max grinningly rocks and flips the huge canoe, dumping the boys with a splash and coaching them through the "tip test." They scramble to hang on, dog-paddle when needed, and get the canoe back afloat. Jonathan, who thrives on amped-up fun, asks to tip again and again.

Jack shows off karate moves at sunset.

Seven-year-old Jack has been our most reluctant camper. He loves his couch and video games at home in Colorado and wasn't thrilled about the itchy, unpredictable, wet outdoors. But even he warms up to life in the woods.

As group members fish, read or tidy the campsite, I spy Jack along the shore reveling in the one-on-one attention of our guide, Virginia, a sweet and cheerful college student. They playfully challenge each other to new karate poses, balancing and laughing on the ancient rocks.

Later that afternoon, as adults relax by the campfire and older boys chase through the pines, Jack stares up at a massive upturned pine root stretching at least 10 feet high. He scales it like a muddy climbing wall.

We smile across our coffee mugs, silently applauding Jack's can-do transformation. It's a thumbs-up moment.

Freedom and joy

Better than a campfire: gathering on our island's granite dome.

At bedtime, families regroup in their own tents. We whisper about the day, play cards by flashlight, trade a few giggles. In the morning, the sun fights through clouds and out of the blue, Jonathan pipes up, "Thanks for bringing me, Mom."

I know the other boys feel the same.

For parents and grandparents in a digital age, it's grounding to see how little -- and yet so much -- can grab kids' attention and keep them happy.

I feel a rush of gratitude, too, for my son's joy and the freedom to go, go, go. He releases explosive energy across this rocky, ancient island with few corrections or commands to stop, slow down or act like someone else. Yet there's gentle guidance and life lessons for all of us sneaked into daily camp life, tucked between chores.

As Mary Ellen says, "You give kids an 'aha moment,' and the 'aha' stays with them."

We leave our island with admiration for one another, gratitude for life's luxuries and a fresh appreciation for its simplicities.

Our Big Sky Island crew in 2010.

CHOOSING A WILDERNESS INQUIRY TRIP

One of the easiest and most economical Wilderness Inquiry trips is the three-night Itasca State Park Family Adventure. It's a bargain at $190 for adults and $95 for kids who want to explore the Mississippi and old-growth pine forest. Two-night St. Croix River trips also run six times through the summer ($135 kids, $265 adults) and offer wilderness camping closer to the Twin Cities.

Don't want to rough it too much? Try this: a base camp with running water, platform tents and showers at Little Sand Bay among Wisconsin's Apostle Islands ($195 kids, $395 adults).

Trips for adults run year-round. While many are based in Minnesota, others are elsewhere in the United States, and in Central America, Africa and Australia.

More information: 1-800-728-0719, www.wilderness inquiry.org.

Bargain family travel: Free National Parks Day

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:41:48 PDT

Geysers and waterfalls often nab the attention at Yellowstone National Park, but quieter Lamar Valley has its own beauty.

See more than presidents at Mt. Rushmore.

Celebrate the start of summer
In honor of the longest day of the year, the National Parks Service is offering free admission on Tuesday, June 21. It not only kicks off the summer peak travel season, but gives you the longest annual stretch of sunlight to explore America's best trails, scenic drives and historic sites across the country.

It's a great travel bargain if you're visiting parks that normally charge $10-$25 for a seven-day pass. Granted, you'll need more than one day to see America's most majestic national treasures, such as Yellowstone National Park, but for those you who are revisiting familiar parks or those that are smaller, such as Mount Rushmore National Monument, this is a perfect incentive to hit the road.

We're choosing Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near Traverse City, Michigan, this year, but can highly recommend Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, Colo.; Mount Rushmore, S.D.; Badlands National Park, S.D.; Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, N.D.; and Yellowstone National Park.

Minnesota travelers take note: Admission wasn't charged at either Voyageurs National Park or Grand Portage National Monument last summer. Both are excellent for explaining the rich history of local tribes, fur traders and voyageurs.

Have a favorite national park? Leave a comment and share your tips.

--Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Minnesota's Cuyuna Lakes mountain bike trails open

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:43:57 PDT


You'd never know this ultra-clear lake near Crosby was formerly a mine pit.

Former mines transform into a premiere playground

Jenny Smith heading through Boot Camp.

One of Minnesota's best-kept secrets, the Cuyuna Lakes State Recreation Area, won't be under the radar much longer. The buzz has been building for years among mountain biking fans. License plates from across the country already have showed up in the parking lot since some of the rugged new trails opened just before Memorial Day weekend.

They're spectacular--and that's just the Boot Camp section for beginners. My son and I did about eight miles on May 27 with guidance from Jenny Smith, owner of Crosby's Cycle Path and Paddle. It's a blast.

We love the exhilaration of swooping around corners, riding into dips and rattling down hills. Terrain goes from pines to birch and hardwoods, from sand and soil to the red dirt and jagged rocks from iron mining days.

For hard-core mountain bikers, who can rumble and launch across 250-foot slag piles, it's an adventurous 22-mile, tire-shredding nirvana.

From diving and kayaking to IMBA destination
The International Mountain Biking Association has been working with the Minnesota Department of Nature Resources for years to carve trails through the former iron mine property. It sounds gritty and industrial, but it's surprisingly gorgeous. The hills created by excavating ore rise up steep and wooded, while the 500-foot pits below them form 17 emerald-green lakes. It feels like a mini Boundary Waters Canoe Area, but much closer to the Twin Cities.

How clear is it? This is one of the most popular spots for Scuba diving in the state. Really. Check out the excursions and beginner classes through the Minnesota Dive School in Brainerd, which also does dive trips to Lake Superior.

It's also amazing for kayaking. On my first paddle here about three years ago, I have to admit the thought of a 500-foot drop below me was a little creepy. But then the surrounding beauty takes over, and it's pure fun.

You'll find a few anglers here, too, as the deep, extra-cold water supports trout. And if you need an ideal way to cool off after a sweaty good ride, there's nothing like a mine lake.

Celebrate the trails' grand opening

Keep an eye out for iron ore and interesting rocks.

The trails' official grand opening and the first Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Festival is June 10-12. Hans "No Way" Rey, a California-based German mountain biker who travels the world, will be part of the fun. He's doing an extreme skill demonstration in the Yawkey Expert Skills Area and an outdoor big screen movie of his global mountain biking adventures that have taken him to pyramids, jungles and the ancient Petra ruins.

There will be a Night Ride, Grand Tour, Kids Bike Parade, Kids Bike Race, Trek Time Trial, and the Kryptonight Crusher cross-country race. Not surprisingly, Red Bull will be there, too, along with assorted bonfires, live music and beer and wine to make it an official party.

A few Cuyuna Trail tips:
Bike with a buddy.
The terrain is rugged and remote. Local EMT crews have gone through special training to deal with trail emergencies, but that doesn't mean it's an easy task--especially if no one knows you're there.

Wear long pants or leggings. You'll protect your legs better and shield yourself from the poison ivy. One crash off the trail, and you may be swimming in it.

Take extra tire tubes. Some of the most extreme areas have the highest potential for tire-shredding terrain.

Start with an expert.
If you've never tried mountain biking, go with someone who can coach you through it. Jenny at Cycle Path & Paddle also may be adding some family mountain bike sessions or do some women-only sessions as the summer progresses.

My first time on a mountain was on North Dakota's Maah Daah Hey Trail. It took about half an hour for me to loosen the death grip I had on the brakes. Cuyuna's boot camp session isn't quite as challenging, but if you're brand-new, you need to feel comfortable enough to trust momentum, let it carry you down the hills and back up the next one.

Trust me. You don't have to be a Red-Bull-slammin' extremist to enjoy this exhilarating sport. It's a joy ride no matter what level you're at.

If you need pavement beneath your wheels, Cuyuna has a fine paved trail system, as well, and you'll get some of the same picturesque views of the mine lakes and forest--just not the whoops of triumph when zooming up and down mountain bike trails. Consider it a mostly silent sport.

For maps, details on the celebration, and info on rustic campsites, check for updates through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Thunder Bay, Canada, Family Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:27:08 PDT

A disgruntled Fort William employee gets ready to start a fierce argument that will land him in jail.

Fort William delivers lively look at fur trade

An apprentice cowers from the fiery argument.

By Lisa Meyers McClintick
Written for Star Tribune Travel

The argument started like any would: insults building to a spittle-flying shouting match. A man waved his tankard of ale and told high-hat superiors just what he thought of their rules and questionable politics.

Apparently life wasn't easy during the 1815 fur trade.

The feisty ale imbiber was portraying a Fort William employee in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and as he carried on, modern gawkers drew close to the hubbub while a few costumed actors cowered by the blacksmith shop and behind the well.

Fort William's offices and one of about 40 historic buildings.

Like other lively history lessons throughout the fort, this fiery debate quickly sucked in our kids, ages 6 to 10. They snapped to attention when a smart-aleck 21st-century boy told officers "I know everything!" when questioned about a scandal. Constable Tate hauled him off like a sack of potatoes to a windowless slammer.

Our son laughed and begged to join him -- briefly.
It was one of many entertaining moments that made Thunder Bay the highlight of a summer road trip tracing the routes of Voyageurs from Grand Portage, Minn., to Thunder Bay, and from Canada's Quetico wilderness to Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park.

Visitors can learn historic dances from the early 1800s.

My husband, Bob, who kept falling behind to admire the craftsmanship of Fort William's 40 historically accurate buildings, said it felt on par with Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg.

Fortunately for Minnesotans, Fort William's hands-on, living history is easier on the wallet and much closer at just 40 miles beyond the border.

A hands-on look at the fur trade
It was that international border -- and ensuing U.S. taxes -- that led the Northwest Fur Company to build the grand Fort William in 1803 to take the place of the humbler Grand Portage trading post on the American side. Fort William actors generally portray the year 1815, by which time the fort was bustling.

We hadn't even reached the fort, with its imposing palisade fence, when our kids eagerly ducked into a tepee outside its walls. Elaine Foster-Sergeant, one of many "fort nerds" and a longtime volunteer, portrayed a Metis woman whose heritage blended Native American (or First Nations as it's called in Canada) with European, usually French. She invited them to crawl across fragrant, pine-cushioned bedding. She showed them the native way of life, from sleeping on curly-furred buffalo robes and drying food to gathering moss for makeshift diapers.

A life without Pampers boggled their modern minds, but before they could learn more, bagpipe music beckoned us to the fort's main entrance and a humble stretch of the Kaministiquia River. We arrived to see costumed dancers circling and promenading, keeping time with a lively fiddler, and visitors linking arms to give it a whirl.

Kylie holds an heirloom chicken.

A jolt of historic reality

We arrived too late for the fort's morning wedding ceremony, but enjoyed plenty of pomp as fort officials in coats and top hats and the colorful Metis residents sent off a departing officer. As he was paddled away, a cannon boomed a farewell. Smoke drifted across the water as dancers headed back to fort posts.

We followed them back to the fort, where the kids gingerly held heirloom chickens in the barn and grubbed around the garden, triumphantly yanking out a fresh carrot or two. When a fort crew pumped water from a vintage firefighting wagon, youngsters shrieked and darted away, only to taunt and beg for more.

We ducked in and out of buildings, enjoying the surprises within: a woodworker turning a bowl with a foot-pedaled lathe and a tinsmith crafting a lantern. Inside the bakery, with the heady aroma of wood smoke and baking bread, our kids eagerly grabbed rustic brooms, eager to trade a chore for a tasty sample.

The doctor's office and primitive apothecary.

We ended our fort visit with a fresh appreciation for the modern age after seeing the doctor's office with its lineup of mysterious medicinal powders and rustic surgical tools. Even gingerly testing a primitive electric shock machine didn't have the same jolt as seeing 16 ominous razor blades on a "mechanical leech." The kids squirmed as the doctor's wife explained how they were used with heated glass cups to bleed Fort William's sickest residents.

"I'm glad I don't live here," our son, Jonathan, exclaimed with sudden enthusiasm.

Breakfast at Hoito's.

Feasting Finnish-style

We began the next day gorging on Finnish pancakes. Thin and deliciously crispy, they spilled across the edge of plates at Hoito's. This local institution in the lower level of the historic Finlandia Club blends Ikea-like simplicity with church-basement hospitality and timelessness.

Our waitress patiently and easily rattled off explanations of viili (clabbered milk), kropsu (an oven pancake), mojakka (beef or fish stew), and salmon sandwiches. We opted for the giant pancakes with red sausages that carry a sweet hint of nutmeg or allspice. We got a little daring, and despite having no chance of pronouncing it, ordered lohiperunalaatiko, a tasty rice pudding nestled in a moccasin-shaped rye pastry crust.

As we feasted, our waitress chattered away in Finnish with diners at the next table. Thunder Bay, it turns out, claims the highest Finn population outside Finland.

You can't go wrong with breakfast in Thunder Bay. Besides the fame of Hoito's, the city is known for Persians (a strawberry-frosted pastry), as well as 30 doughnut shops mostly ruled by Tim Horton's and Robin's Doughnuts. Anyone who grew up with these chains tends to scoff at America's Krispy Kreme fanatics.

A few of our treasures from the amethyst mine.

Finding Canada's real gems
About 34 miles northeast of Thunder Bay lay the day's big attraction: Amethyst Mine Panorama. The elevation makes it a good vista point for spying Lake Superior in the distance, but it's also been a working mine since the 1960s. It's one of a few open mines that tap the vein of purples that formed in cracks of granite hills west of the Great Lakes. The Lukinuk family dynamites and drills out the best pieces to sell, including $30,000 amethyst boulders for millionaires craving something flashy for driveways and gardens.

We climbed a platform to gaze into the mine, where deep purple, lavender and white streaks ripple through brown rock. Then we joined other visitors at what looked like a gravel pile. We grabbed hoses to wash off rocks and look for flashes of purple.

"Look at this one! And this one!" we repeated, holding the best of the best up to the sun to show off the prettiest patterns and shades of purple.

We left with 15 pounds -- $45 worth of rocks -- a hefty souvenir from a gem of a day.

'Niagara of the North'

Our last stop in the Thunder Bay area -- a thundering 131-foot drop of the Kaministiquia River -- left us gasping. The impressive Kakabeka Falls curves and horseshoes, giving it the deserving moniker "Niagara of the North."

Interpretive signs were there to tell us more about the fur trade, but it was hard to pull our gaze from the sheer power of the falls. Like turning amethyst around in our hands, we savored views from every angle.

When we finally pulled ourselves away, it was with the satisfaction of discovering yet another Canadian treasure.

Dawson Creek campsite, Quetico Provincial Park, Canada.

Camping in Quetico

Read more about travel to Canada and Greg Breining's feature on paddling through Quetico in this Sunday's Star Tribune. If you want to an easier trip, Quetico does have a Dawson Creek campground for car campers. Go mid-week or reserve early for the best chance at a spot along the beautiful lake. And take good bug spray in case there's a fresh hatch.

Enjoy Spring Blossoms in Minnesota and Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:29:21 PDT

Cherry bush

Drive the bluffs, see apple blossoms
Some of Minnesota's most stunning views can be found along the 19-mile Apple Blossom Scenic Drive each spring. This byway, tucked above the Mississippi River Valley in southeast Minnesota, celebrates the apples which have thrived along these bluffs for more than 150 years.

Bluffs, like the hillsides along the Minnesota River or St. Croix River , shelter orchards from cold temperatures that sink into the valleys. The bluffs' rich limestone soil also nourishes the fruit and gives the area’s 30-some apple varieties a distinct taste.

Meander by farms, orchards

Catch the drive at County Road 3 a few miles south of Winona. This is one of the most striking stretches of the Great River Road. Look for a maze of islands to the east, along with deep ravines and lush, wooded ridges rising from both sides of the Mississippi.

From the picnic area and overlooks at Great River Bluffs State Park, you can even seen Wisconsin’s Black River delta on the opposite shore. The park’s hiking trails thread through the hardwood forest, thick with maples, basswood, oak and hickory. They flame into full glory by late September and early October. If you want to camp here, reserve these spots early.

Most of the Apple Blossom Scenic Drive hugs the ridges above the river, curving through horse and hobby farms and passing historic red barns. As the byway meanders southeast, it nears the orchards. They’re showered with delicate white blossoms in early May (a little later this year) and thick with apples by late summer.

Trillium

Find morels and wildflowers

As a tasty spring bonus, watch for stands along Highway 61 selling tender asparagus and coveted morel mushrooms. Check in with morel fanatics for advice and tips if you want to do your own foraging, or check out this feature by Beth Gauper, creator of MidwestWeekends.com.

Now through Memorial Day or the first week of June also is an ideal time to enjoy woodland wildflowers in Minnesota state parks thick with hardwoods. Look for white trillium, bright yellow marsh marigolds, false rue anemone, delicately striped spring beauty, sturdy Jack in the Pulpit, wild plum blossoms, trout lilies and more.

Marsh marigolds

Take a field guide along or check out the Minnesota Department of Resources wildflower guide.

Some of the best parks for wildflowers include Nerstrand Woods by Northfield, Whitewater State Park outside of Rochester, and Frontenac State Park along the Mississippi River. I spotted my first ever yellow lady's slipper on the steep bluffs of Frontenac. Be forewarned: If you hike down, you have to hike up. Pace yourself accordingly.

Keep an eye out for returning songbirds, eagles and wild turkeys, too. Our son got the scare of a lifetime helping me find woodland flowers and startling a turkey that was as big as he was at the time.

That's the best part of exploring Minnesota's byways and hiking trails. You never know what kind of treasures and surprises you'll find.

For more information, check out the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for park updates or Explore Minnesota Tourism.

--Photos and text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Lupine growing along Lake Superior.

Take more scenic spring blossom drives:

Here are my favorite picks for scenic spring blossom drives in Minnesota and Wisconsin:

Bayfield, Wisconsin
You can't beat the gorgeous Lake Superior setting, artsy shops, great cuisine and views of the Apostle Islands. The month-long Bayfield in Bloom festival kicks off Friday. Besides orchards, there are 54,000 daffodils. Our favorite Bayfield flower? June-blooming lupine which fills the ditches with an explosion of purple and tinges of pink.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, Minn.
A great option if you don't have time to travel far from the Twin Cities and want to research planting your own apple or fruit trees. This year's funky sculpture exhibition, Steel Roots, opened last month and runs through October. Call the Bloom Line at 612-625-9791 to find out what's blooming.

Door County, Wisconsin.
Another lovely Great Lakes setting and the chance to meander by both cherry and apple orchards. Door County's six-week Festival of Blossoms runs through June 5th and includes several package deals. It's a great time to visit before summer crowds hit.

Gays Mills, Wisconsin.
This hidden gem in southeast Wisconsin sits along the Kickapoo River Valley and near the Great River Road region where roads meander and hills look like gumdrops. We found this town of 625 residents by accident one year. It was a fabulous find, especially in full swing of fall apple season.

--Photos and text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Jelly Belly jelly bean art opens at Children's Museum of Indianapolis

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:38:59 PDT

Jelly Belly jelly bean artistry on exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Princess Elizabeth at Jelly Belly in Wisconsin.

A challenge: Before you let the kids (or yourself) snarf through Easter Basket jelly beans, delay the sugar high with edible art work. Slap some sticky frosting onto a paper plate or graham cracker and see what funky work you can do.
Even better: Give them frosted cupcakes as a canvas and enter the Jelly Belly cupcake challenge for a chance to win $10,000. You have until July to submit winning entries.

Fortunately, there is amazing inspiration for jelly bean art at both the Jelly Belly Candy Company visitor center in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and at a special Jelly Belly art exhibit that opened this month at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

A rainbow of jelly bean color
The timing of the new exhibit feels timely with Easter upon us, but Jelly Belly has commissioned serious works of jelly bean art since the 1980s. That's when the late Peter Rocha created the first bean portrait. Appropriately, it was of Ronald Reagan, Jelly Belly's most famous fan.

With 50 core flavors (and colors and/or patterns to distinguish them), a palette of jelly beans is better than a super-sized box of colored pencils. You'll get everything from deep blueberry (perfect for vivid Van Gogh landscapes) or flesh tones of peach or pina colada for portraits ("Girl in Jelly Belly Pearl Earring" anyone?)

Van Gogh's "Starry Night" gets beaned.

Jelly Belly works of art
Masterpieces of Jelly Bean Art opened April 9 at Indianapolis' children's museum and runs through June. After seeing it, you may never look at Easter candy the same way again (or you'll find yourself wondering what could be done with M&Ms and malted milk mini-eggs).

The Jelly Belly exhibit includes sweet twists on Van Gogh's Starry Night, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Grant Wood's American Gothic, and more.

Here's a brain teaser: Ask the kids to guess how many beans go into each portrait. (9,000 to 12,000 jelly beans). If they're really good, they'll decipher chocolate pudding eyes, coconut teeth, very cherry headscarves and green apple dresses. It's like a whole 'nother version of paint-by-number.

Girl with a Pearl Earring in Indianapolis.

Feeling inspired? Read about the museum's artist in residence and his thoughts on creating your own jelly bean portrait.

If you can't make it in time for the exhibit, it's still worth a road trip. It's arguably the best and most engaging children's museum in the country.

And if you're traveling from Minnesota, the Dakotas or Wisconsin to get there, guess what's on the way?

Yep, Jelly Belly. It's a virtual factory tour, a train ride and a chance to see jelly bean art year-round for free.

Read more on this sugary family field trip.

Looking for other family-friendly educational trips? St. Paul's Science Museum glitters with gold and treasures from King Tut's tomb.

--Lisa Meyers McClintick

Tour Wisconsin's Jelly Belly Candy for inside look at jelly beans

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:30:22 PDT

Sweet look at small, mighty Jelly Bellys
Photos & feature by Lisa Meyers McClintick
With Easter coming, jelly beans are on the brain--and so is one of the Midwest's sweetest factory tours. Pleasant Prairie, Wis., isn't officially the producer of Jelly Bellys, but this distribution center offers a fun train-like ride that explains the process of creating gourmet jelly beans with videos shown along a playful loop tour.

Pleasant Prairie sits near Kenosha, midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. At the Fairfield, Calif., home factory in the Bay Area, you also can see actual production of Jelly Belly candy being made. Tours at both locations are free and so are the sampler packs given to guests at the end. Just don't expect to leave without buying more--not if you have kids in tow.

Jelly Bellys endure past the 80s boom
The little jelly beans with a big taste were first created in 1976 and became the cult candy of the '80s. Jelly Bellys really rose to fame thanks to President Ronald Reagan who used them to kick his pipe-smoking habit and passed them out at the White House. The blueberry flavor was invented so the company could do a patriotic red, white and blue mix.

Soon Jelly Belly boutiques opened in shopping malls to showcase their astonishingly accurate flavors of root beer, watermelon, cotton candy and even buttered popcorn. If you grew up in that era like I did, it was the best thing since Bonne Belle Lip Smackers.

From worst jelly bean flavors to the best
When Jelly Belly started, there were seven flavors. There are now 50 official flavors. They're the core. But there are close to 200 flavors when you add up special lines such as Bean Boozled, inspired by J.K. Rowling's imagination in the Harry Potter books. Remember Bertie Bott's and deceptive flavors that could be ear wax?

It's like Halloween with all the double-dog-daring you can do. Bean Boozled look-alike flavors are are either delicious or downright disgusting. What looks like peach may be barf. Licorice could be skunk spray, and top banana could be pencil shavings. You've got a 50-50 chance of a sweet surprise or a nasty one. Of course kids might not blink at ones flavored like toothpaste or boogers.

Do you dare to taste the dog food?
Bellying up to the bean tasting bar at the Pleasant Prairie visitor center was the most memorable part of our tour. Think wine tasting bar for the kiddie set. The swill bucket to gag in would have come in handy as you can sample one jelly bean at a time and suddenly regret trying to out-gross your kids with daring choices.

But can we be blamed? With a company that made amazingly accurate tastes its forte, it's tough not to try even the ickiest of flavors.

Curious about a jelly bean labeled "centipede"? It looks like strawberry, tastes like dirt. Canned dog food? Just like it sounds. I quit after sampling "baby wipes." Ewwww. We quit at before moldy cheese, skunk spray and barf.

Instead of palate-cleansing crackers between sips of red or white wines, you've got sympathetic employees handing over tangerine beans to eradicate or at least mask the vile taste of rotten egg. That was my husband's misfortune to taste.

Favorite Jelly Belly flavors

Our tour guide told us it takes 11 days to make a jelly bean, and new flavors can take months to develop and perfect. Kiwi, in particular, was a challenging flavor to get just right. You'd think it would be easy after figuring out caramel corn, strawberry cheesecake, margarita and toasted marshmallow.

There are several specialty lines, such as sours, sport beans that supposedly have electrolytes like mini-Gatorades, sugar-free beans, Soda Pop Shoppe that tastes like bestselling soda brands and a Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream Parlor Mix with flavors such as apple pie, birthday cake and strawberry blond sundae. There's even a superfruit mix with natural sweeteners.

Ideas always are coming in from customers, but they can be pretty bizarre. Our guide rattled off, "Macaroni and cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard" to name a few. Sounds like a kids meal that just needs a burger and fries.

Most flavors are more traditional but fun: chili mango, strawberry daiquiri, wild blackberry, tutti-fruitti and Dr. Pepper. Very cherry and buttered popcorn still top the charts of customer favorites.

Our favorite souvenir: the cheap hodge-podge bags of jelly candies labeled "belly flops." They sell a lot more sweets here beyond jelly beans--even a big case of chocolate truffles--but it's the colorful, quirky Jelly Bellys that rule as the star attraction.

Tours run 9am to 4pm at 10100 Jelly Belly Lane, Pleasant Prairie. You can call 866-868-7522 for more information.

Wisconsin Dells' best waterpark resorts for families

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:03:54 PST

Chula Vista's stomach-flipping outdoor plunge, Wisconsin Dells.

Get wet and wild in Wisconsin Dells

Wilderness Territory outdoor waterpark

Feature & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick
Wisconsin Dells rules when it comes to the best waterparks in the nation. In the way Walt Disney became the father of American theme parks, the resorts here have defined what it takes to be a waterpark destination. You could even call it an family resort incubator because what makes a splash here, ripples across the nation.

Truly. It's a Who's Who of Waterpark Royalty. If you know of Great Wolf Lodge with its animated clock towers and children's story hours, it began in the Wisconsin Dells. It's now in 11 locations (including Canada) and considered the largest family of indoor waterparks.

Kalahari Resort, a behemoth with an indoor amusement park and steady convention business, cloned its success in Sandusky, Ohio, and plans a third location in Fredericksburg, Virginia, next year.

What does that mean for families planning a vacation to Wisconsin Dells? A tough decision on which resort to choose. Each has its own personality and unique attractions.

Here's a look at the four biggest and best Wisconsin Dells waterpark resorts. To learn more about each place, click on the headlines. They'll link you to my full reviews on www.FamilyVacationCritic.com.

Chula Vista: Rooms with a Wisconsin river view

Chula Vista's riverside wave pool

Wisconsin Dell's Chula Vista Resort stands out nicely with a rare location along the nicely wooded Wisconsin River. It feels tucked-away from the hubbub of downtown, the Interstate or Dells Parkway with its blazing neon and over-the-top attractions.

Chula Vista guests can sit out balconies overlooking the waterway that carved the famous Dells, float the day away in an outdoor wave pool nestled beneath Norway pines or soak in romantic whirlpool outside the spa. Kids can ride the world's largest indoor water coaster, then plunge down one of the tallest cyclone slides.

Another caveat is being able to leave the car in the parking lot. You can hop a boat tour from Chula Vista's docks or grab water shuttles to downtown for more dining and shopping.

Kalahari Resort: Go big, go wild with African theme

Kalahari's indoor water park, Wisconsin Dells

The resort stands out nicely with its African theme. It also has constantly added new attractions throughout the past decade, from bigger thrills in water park rides to its newer indoor theme park.

What else makes Kalahari stand out? For one, immensity. There are 752 rooms and suites to accommodate families of all sizes.

African music spills out from the lobby where staff members dressed in safari gear and pith helmets assist guests and real tiger or lion cubs may be on display in a glass enclosure. There are enough activities and things to see that the resort can feel like a dry-land cruise ship.

There is a paint-your-own-pottery shop, gift stores and seven dining options including a restaurant overlooking the water park. You don't have to go outdoors either to access the 15-screen Desert Star Cinema.

All these amenities make Kalahari an ideal resort for kids 6 and older who can better appreciate the atmosphere and artwork, navigate longer halls without "Carry me!" tirades, and enjoy the bigger thrills of the water park and theme park.

Wilderness Territory: Best indoor wave pool plus zipline

Lost World outdoor waterpark at Glacier Canyon Lodge,Wilderness Resort

Wilderness Resort

The Wilderness Territory claims to be the largest water park resort in the world. Small wonder. It sprawls across 600 acres multiple water parks, and several resorts within one complex. There are 444 guest rooms, plus condos, villas and cabins with some partly on Lake Delton.

It's often a top choice for travelers to Wisconsin Dells. Families could spend a week and never visit the same water park twice with indoor and outdoor water parks spread throughout the property, totaling more than 500,000 square feet. Different themes fuel young imaginations, whether it's the frontier, the Wild West or dinosaurs.

The one that makes this water park resort stand out among others -- especially on cold winter days -- is the sunny, clear-roofed Wild WaterDome. Anchored by a huge wave pool with up to five-foot waves, families can spread out on recliners beneath tropical trees and get a tan.

'Tweens and teens also love the go-carts, arcade, mini golf and zip-line, which is one of the Dells' newer attractions. For adults, there are outdoor pools, golfing, Field's at the Wilderness Steak House and one of the area's most buzzed-about place for pampering, Sundara Spa.

Great Wolf Lodge: Best choice for younger kids

Great Wolf Lodge's animated clock tower

When it comes to Wisconsin Dells' large resorts, this is the best choice for toddlers and preschoolers.

Older kids will find plenty to enjoy -- especially with the sprawling water park and bling-y arcade -- but it's the younger ones who will be most excited by the atmosphere and activities.

They love the evening programs in front of the giant lobby clock, the woodsy decor, seasonal fun, ice-cream-themed kids' spa, and the many ways they cater to children.

Highlights include an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park with funnel slide, wave pool and tube slides; an animated song and story hour each night in the lobby; Magic Quest, an interactive game with computerized wands to activate wizards, fairies and dragons; and bubblegum-scented shower gel in each room. There also are family suites with wolf-dens, a room within a room that has woodsy-themed bunk beds and TVs. Playful decor throughout the hotel has lights and objects that can be activated by Wizard Quest wands.

Great Wolf Lodge play fort

While this resort is big with 436 rooms, it's less overwhelming than the Dells' largest resorts. It's manageable and easy to navigate. The resort also excels at seasonal decor -- especially when it comes to kids whose eyes still sparkle at the mention of Santa. The entire lobby becomes a Christmas village in December complete with snow.

Save money on waterpark vacations
Try these tips to make those waterpark vacations a reality without blowing the budget. Make sure kids understand your limits, too.

Want more Wisconsin Dells tips, details on other properties and attractions? Check out Madison-resident Melanie McManus's Wisconsin Dells app through iTunes. It's a great in-depth visual guide to the area whether you're going as a family or as adults. For $1.99, it's cheaper than a water park locker and whole lot more useful. Free updates included.

Don't want to drive to Wisconsin? I have an app on Minnesota Lake Vacations with reviews of three Minnesota water parks. Both apps are through Sutro Media.

Minnesota travel app makes planning lake vacations easy

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:59:29 PDT

Spin through entries with the filter wheel page.

Minnesota tips from an expert
Melting snow means means it's time to plan summer lake vacations in Minnesota. Why here? This is the place to do it. With more than 11,000 lakes, Minnesota boasts most coastline than California.

Are you a fanatic angler? Happy camper? Or more into happy hour and pontoon cruises? No matter your vacation style, you'll find more than 120 of the best lake resorts, restaurants and attractions in the Minnesota Lake Vacations app.

Yes, this is a shameless promotional pitch. But at $1.99 for those of you with an iPhone/iPad/iTouch, this travel app is close to free and the best vacation investment you can make.

Why? Let me count the ways.

An example of an entry.

The next generation of travel guides

1. The term "app" feels as overused as the word "like" in a teen's conversation. Worse, anyone can regurgitate information from the web and claim they have a "travel app." Like websites and blogs, not all are created equal.

Minnesota Lake Vacations app is part of Sutro Media's library of travel apps, which use an ingenuous, interactive setup to launch a whole new generation of travel guides. They've tapped the country's best authors and travel writers, too. Each of their travel apps has as much written expertise as traditional travel books, as many maps as GPS, as much essential info as a web site, and more photos than you'll find anywhere. Check out this demo.

If you're worried I'm biased, Sutro travel apps also made Outside Magazine's Hot List for 2011.

Voyageurs Nat'l Park

Apps fit in your hands

2. Use an iPad if you like big screens, iTouch/iPhone if you like pocket-sized (and need an excuse to upgrade your Verizon phone). No need to have brochures, maps and pamphlets spilling across the car floor or crowding your purse (although I may never full break that habit).

Photos galore
3. As a visual person, I need need to see destinations before investing my time and money into them. Minnesota Lake Vacations has close to 800 photos of restaurants, accommodations and things to do.

Expertise
4. As a journalist for more than 20 years and professional travel writer for the last 10, I know how to dig into each destination and find the best, most unique attractions.

As a Minnesotan, I know where to find the best of each season and great ways to celebrate the quirks of its culture.

And, as a mother of three children and someone often on a budget, you will find excellent tips for saving money and keeping the kids happy.

Save yourself time
5. You could go to the individual web sites for all 120 or so entries on restaurants, lodging and attractions, but do you have that much time? It's easier to scroll through these. One flick of the thumb on the so-called filter wheel pages, and photos fly past like fruit on a slot machine.

You can speed-sort information by region (Brainerd Lakes, Glacial Lakes, Headwaters, Iron Range & Ely) and category (dining, camping, hidden gems, get outdoors, take the kids, etc.).

Help for the directionally challenged
6. Sure, you can use maps and GPS, but these colorful, pocket-sized Google maps are fantastic. No need to refold maps or keep flipping to those in visitors guides. Download the app before your trip, and you'll have all the destinations ready to go without having to type the next restaurant, state park or roadside attraction into your GPS.

Speedy, easy reservations
7. If you like what you see with interior and exterior shots of Minnesota Lake Vacations lodging or start drooling at food descriptions, simply click on the contact information, and you'll be dialing the destination and getting your reservation set up. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Even locals can benefit
8. Global travelers will likely key on opportunities to ice fish, sleep in historic lodges, see black bears in the wild or head into the world-class Boundary Waters canoe area. But even locals who are well-versed in what Minnesota offers have told me many times--with great surprise--that they never knew Minnesota had [fill in the blank]. Make sure you're not missing anything, whether it's sleeping in a Viking ship that hangs from a ceiling (Nordic Brew B&B) to fantastic ethnic foods on the Iron Range.

Invest in your vacation
9. In a world where so much is free, there are folks who balk at paying $1.99 or $2.99 for a travel app. But, really, this isn't just an app. It's a tour guide. Where else were you going to spend that change from the couch? On half a bundle of wood while camping? That iced tea at a lakeside restaurant? Or more Silly Bandz for the kids?

Disagree or can't wait to share something?
10. Each entry has a place to add comments. If you just went snowshoeing by a full moon and want to recommend it, please do! If you didn't like the walleye sandwich, pipe up. This is more than a guide--it's a conversation.

A gift that keeps on giving

Yep, it does. As I continue to hit the road this year, I'll be adding even more restaurants, cabins and lodges and attractions along the way. Look for a new category that highlights golf courses and the best holes, too. Want to stay updated? Like the Minnesota Lake Vacations page on Facebook.

If you've bought Minnesota Lakes Vacations, you'll be able to download FREE updates each year.

That's almost as sweet as a quiet dock, a steaming cup of coffee and a technicolor sunrise.

Summer's coming. Get planning.

Attention: North Shore fans
Watch for Minnesota's North Shore later this year. This will be a second app that exclusively covers Duluth, the North Shore and the Gunflint Trail.

Watch bald eagles soar above the Mississippi River

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:52:12 PDT


Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick.

If you've ever wanted to get nose-to-beak with bald eagles and also watch them in the wild, now is the time to hit the Great River Road. The Mississippi River, between Red Wing and down to Winona is one of the best parts of the United States to see this living symbol of America.

Wabasha--in between the two cities--is the epicenter with its National Eagle Center's Soar with the Eagles weekend events throughout March.

Head to Wabasha's National Eagle Center

Located on a stretch of the Mississippi River that rarely freezes thanks the strong current of Lake Pepin to the north, the National Eagle Center is both a cultural museum and ideal observatory for watching bald eagles in the wild.

The birds can sometimes be tricky to spot against gray winter skies, but the center's five resident eagles face the river and loudly announce wild eagles that swoop across the sky--no matter how far away they are.

"An eagle can see a rabbit running two to three miles away," said Alison Springer with the National Eagle Center.

I have no doubt.

March is for migration and bird lovers

There are decks and spotting scopes to watch wild eagles swoop for fish, gather sticks for building huge nests or spiral into an elegant mid-air mating dance.

March can be a temperamental month. It typically doesn't inspire travel with its messy, monochromatic clash of winter and spring. Birders, though, know it's the ideal month to see ducks, cranes, swans and eagles. Why? Lack of foliage makes them easier to see. So does the tendency of flocks to arrive in groups from wintering grounds before pairing up and heading to remote nesting spots. It is the absolute best time to see bald eagles in particular.

Bald eagles make a comeback
I often stayed at my Grandma's riverside cabin in Wabasha in the 1970s and into the 1980s. We never once saw an eagle. They were almost wiped out by DDT pesticide, which thinned egg shells so much they'd crush beneath the parents' weight.

An eagle rests above Red Wing's Colvill Park.

In 1963 there were about 450 nesting pairs in the en country and a 260-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between Wabasha and Rock Island was down to just one nesting pair.

Now there are more than 1,000 eagle pairs across Minnesota alone.

These days there are about 40 nesting pairs of eagles within a few-mile radius of Wabasha that stretches into Lake Pepin and along the Chippewa River. There are more than 1,000 eagles thriving throughout statewide, especially on the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest.

Take the kids on an eagle field trip
My kids and others of their generation may take spotting eagles for granted, but it's impossible not to be impressed by seeing them up close and learning more about them.

Kids giggle at learning eagles can projectile poop six feet away to keep their nests clean. They lift simulated eagles to feel how surprisingly light the birds area. Molted feathers from resident rescued eagles are given to Native Americans who might wait years to receive one.

Cultural references to eagles are everywhere--from the rock group and fighter jets to space craft and "Old Abe," an eagle that followed Yankees into 37 Civil War battles and survived.

Soar with the Eagles events:

March 12-13 The Flyway
Guests include the Cincinnati Zoo's Wings of Wonder Traveling Bird Show, a session with a loon expert, hunting dog handler and wildlife photography specialist.

March 19-20 The Eagle
Special events include a photography class, sessions on the ivory-billed woodpecker, flint-knapping, falconry and a field trip to hot spots for eagles and other species.

March 26-27 The River
Special sessions highlight local wildlife, birds of prey and symbolism of the eagle.

Staying overnight?
Eight places offer special March packages from $121-$241/night with National Eagle Center admission, gift shop and local dining gift certificates. If you're taking kids, AmericInn of Wabasha is the best bet.

Make it an easy day trip
If you want to do a shorter eagle trip, Red Wing's Colvill Park is about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities and another excellent open-water place to spot the eagles. Two years ago, locals counted 156 eagles in one afternoon.

This year's eagle numbers--perhaps due to fluctuating weather--are not as plentiful as in years past. But it's not the numbers that impress. It's the chance to see the soaring flight of bald eagles, see how nests are carefully restored and catch a close-up look at fierce but proud faces that became a national symbol.

"The Tonight Show" visits Minnesota's Eelpout Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:05:02 PST

Watch "Tonight Show" clips

NBC sent an Aussie to the Eelpout Festival in Walker, Minnesota, last month. At the end--after he jumped into frigid Leech Lake--he gasped "You owe me, Jay Leno." Indeed. I'm guessing taking that polar plunge in a kangaroo costume soaks up extra icy water. He should have gone for the offer of a rabbit fur loin cloth from Steinarr ("the Crazy Viking," pictured above).

There is more about Steinarr and his bizarre B&B, the Eelpout Festival, Brainerd's largest ice-fishing festival in the world, and other Minnesota oddities and wonders on the Minnesota Lake Vacations app or visit Explore Minnesota.

Links to "The Tonight Show" clips:

Part I--Introduction to Eelpout
Part II--best clip is the guys riding kegs behind an ATV

Ultimate Egypt field trip: King Tut's Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Meyers McClintick) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:12:27 PDT

Psusennes at the Minnesota Science Museum

Photos & text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

With Egypt in the news this past month and kids talking about it at school, it's perfect timing for spring break field trips to "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharoahs" at the Minnesota Science Museum.

Put more simply, it's King Tut and more than 100 treasures from Egypt's ancient sites. Adults love the gold, glamour and amazing craftsmanship. Kids are more drawn to the "Ewwww" factor of mummies. (It's rather comforting that the one on display is a replica.)

Research Egypt first
It helped to prep our daughters for the exhibit that opened Feb. 18 by checking out a variety of library books. The DK Eyewitness guides to Egypt and mummies were stand-outs thanks to many visuals and quirky stories. Some photos--such as one of a mummified cat or mummified shrunken heads--are way up there on the ick factor. You don't necessary want to look, but you can't help it.

In search of the mummy, mummy, mummy

A game from Tut's tomb

The exhibit's impressive enough to inspire those hushed moments of awe. Unfortunately, I doubt I was the only mom whose kids' nagging mantra of "Mummy, mummy, mummy!" were like being at a playground and hearing "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" until you're ready to crack your skull on the jungle gym.

If you're visiting with younger kids (my girls are 7), design a scavenger hunt or quiz to get them more engaged and paying attention, rather than hurrying through to see the mummy. If you do this, keep the notebook or paper small and use a pencil. No pens are allowed around the priceless artifacts.

You also can check the museum web site for archaeology and King Tut classes and crafts designed for kids ages 6-8 and 9-12.

DIY King Tut scavenger hunt

Here are some of the most memorable items to look for:

Intricate hieroglyphics show up on many statues and carvings. Have kids seek something specific such as bird symbols.

Egypt's version of toilet seat. Really.

A sarcophagus for royal cats. It puts a new twist on the term "cat box."
The king's chair. Smaller than you'd think.
King Tut's intricately inlaid coffinette that held his mummified stomach.
A necklace with golden falcon heads. It's one of several gorgeous jewelry pieces.
Golden head of a leopard.
Golden finger and toe covers used on the mummy and golden sandals.
Golden sandals etched like woven reeds.
King Tut's game box. Tell the kids it was his Nintendo.

Another Minnesota big-ticket exhibit
The Minnesota Science Museum continues to reel in major exhibitions, which have recently included "A Day in Pompeii," "Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition," and "The Dead Sea Scrolls."

Tutankhamun, though, is its largest to date with 16,000 square feet of exhibit space. You'll need at least an hour to get through the maze of rooms that lead visitors into a simulated tomb. If you can visit without kids in tow, you'll want 90 minutes or more to ogle the details and listen to the full audio tour.

If it feels like walking through the pages of National Geographic, it's no wonder. The National Geographic Society is a key player in putting together this exhibit with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The Science Museum is the only Midwest site that will have King Tut's treasures. They'll be on display through Sept. 5.

Advance tickets--which come with an assigned entrance time--are recommended. If you want to see the IMAX film, "Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs," do that first so you aren't rushed through exhibit.

Tickets start at $16 for kids (without the film). If you like to go to the museum than once a year, the $95 household membership includes regular admission and the Omnitheater show (usually $14.50 to $17 for both), discounts on parking, and special rates for traveling exhibits such as King Tut. Kids' Tut tickets are as low as $9 in March with a membership. Membership gets families into 200 additional museums across the country.

Weekday King Tut rates are cheaper, but check the site first to make sure special events at the Xcel Center don't jack up parking fees.

King Tut audio tours ($6-$7) include narration by Harrison Ford. He's a good fit. It's impossible to keep out visions of fearless explorers excavating treasures and risking the mummy's curse--another creepy, intriguing tale to get kids hooked on King Tut and ancient Egypt.

A cat sarcophagus.

More King Tut trivia

The so-called boy king was about 9 years old when he was crowned. That's also when he married his half-sister.
He died at about 19 years old, according to modern CT scans. Modern technology also squelches rumors of murder, pointing instead to an infection from a fracture on his left leg.
He had two stillborn daughters who were mummified and buried in his tomb.
His father Akhenaten spearheaded a religious revolution to worship one god rather than many.