Midwest focus: TravelAmerica highlights top tourist attractions in nine states

Travel America, May-June, 2005 by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

Anchoring either side of the state are its two largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, connected by the Missouri River. This year marks the 40th anniversary of St. Louis' signature attraction, the Gateway Arch, which symbolizes President Thomas Jefferson's vision of a continental United States and the Gateway to the West.

MINNESOTA STAR OF THE NORTH

You can shop till you drop at the Mall of America in Bloomington, and chances are you still won't have seen it all. The largest enclosed retail and entertainment complex in the nation is the state's top attraction. In addition to more than 520 stores, you'll find Camp Snoopy amusement park, Lego Imagination Center play area, Underwater Adventures aquarium, and NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, plus movie theaters, nightclubs, and restaurants.

With more than 12,000 lakes in Minnesota, the great outdoors beckons. Voyageurs National Park, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and St. Croix National Scenic River lure canoeing and boating enthusiasts from around the world. The scenic North Shore along Lake Superior, anchored by the city of Duluth, offers all sorts of outdoor activities and makes a colorful fall drive.

On any given weekend in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), you'll find more than a dozen professional theater productions to attend, plus a variety of museums. This year is the centennial of the State Capitol in St. Paul, and guided tours by costumed guides will be offered each Saturday. The signature event will be a July 4 parade from the Capitol through downtown St. Paul across the Mississippi River to Harriet Island, where Taste of Minnesota will be in full swing.

Another centennial is being celebrated by the Red Wing Shoe Company in Red Wing. Highlights of the July 29-Aug. 1 event include a giant warehouse sale and the world's largest boot on display.

NEBRASKA THE CORNHUSKER STATE

If you're interested in geology and fossils, you'll really "dig" Nebraska. World-famous fossil sites abound, including Agate Fossil Beds, a national monument near Agate, and Ash Fall State Historical Park, near Orchard. At Ash Fall, hundreds of intact fossils have been found at this former watering hole, where the animals were covered by ash from a volcanic eruption 10 million years ago. Archie, the world's largest fossil elephant, found near Wellfleet, and many of his "cousins" are housed at Morrill Hall in Lincoln.

The Sandhills cover almost one-fourth of the state. More than 500,000 sandhill cranes pass through the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska each year en route to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. The great sandhill crane migration occurs from late February through early April.

The Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails played major roles in Nebraska history, and many of the pioneer landmarks are visible today. Chimney Rock, near Bayard, was frequently mentioned in pioneer diaries. Wagon ruts are still visible at Ash Hollow, near Lewellen, and Scotts Bluff National Monument, near Gering.