My family didn’t do a lot of traveling when I was growing up – and we weren’t campers. But we did enjoy quite a bit of Iowa’s great outdoors. Some of my best childhood memories took place at what I think of now as one of Iowa’s ‘Forgotten’ State Parks: 9 Eagles State Park in […]
Family Travel with Vivienne McNeny on The Sociable Homeschooler – #IGTravelThursday
As some may know, but many don’t, my family homeschools. Our travels have quite a lot to do with that. We were, once, traditional public-school-going folks. But the state we live in has a limit to the number of unexcused absences (anything that isn’t excused by a doctor) and we exceeded those each year. Before […]
Iowa State Fair Tips – #igtravelthursday
It’s State Fair time in Iowa (really one of the best state fairs in the country- it’s even listed in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). During our recent (yes, annual) visit, I made sure to send out images of my top tips for visiting the Iowa State Fair. If you have the Iowa […]
Drivable Destinations in the Midwest | Midwest Family Vacations
Spring and summer travel are on the minds of many here in the Midwest as we battle cabin fever and cold snaps. I’ve had a chance to remember quite a few of the places we’ve visited and the fun we’ve had as I’ve been writing reviews for MiniTime, a new travel resource for families. Think […]
The World’s Largest Truck Stop, Interstate 80, just north of Walcott, Iowa
I recently spoke to the Eastern Iowa Tourism Association. As we drove to the Quad Cities we passed the World’s Largest Truck Stop, which was our lunch stop as we relocated to Boston 2 years ago. I thought it would be fun to revisit the post. Enjoy! Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is […]
Hometown Cookin’ at the Colorado Grill in Boone, Iowa
A spectacular March Sunday sent us home from church to change clothes and head out for a hike at Ledges State Park near Boone. Before our hike we would grab lunch. Where? It remained to be seen. I was hoping for a small town greasy spoon; someplace you enter and people look you up and […]
Southern Iowa Gateway Welcome Center
Exit 4 on Interstate 35 is the last exit as you leave Iowa heading south. Which, of course, makes it the first exit as you drive north into Iowa. No matter which way you are driving, pull off the interstate at Exit 4 and wander in to the Southern Iowa Gateway Welcome Center. The Welcome […]
Images from Prelude to Christmas in the Amana Colonies, Iowa
We spent Sunday in one of our favorite Iowa areas: the Amana Colonies. I’ve written many times about the Amana Colonies but I just wanted to share some photos from our day. We visited the Tannenbaum Forest in the Festhalle Barn behind the Visitor’s Center. The girls were both happy to see Santa- he had […]
Luxury at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa
This past weekend I hosted the I_Blog Conference at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. I have to say that beyond the beauty of the hotel the staff worked very hard to make sure a good time was had by all. They worked with me every step of the way to make sure my event […]
Drew’s Chocolates, Dexter, Iowa
About half an hour west of Des Moines lies the tiny town of Dexter. Dexter may be most well known as the location where Marvin and Blanche Barrow, of Bonnie & Clyde notoriety, were captured. Lesser known, but nearly as famous, are Drew’s Chocolates. Drew’s Chocolates began in 1927 when Helen Drew began making candy […]