Author: Megan Bannister
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681064898
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Some claim there’s nothing to see in flyover country. But take a closer look and you’ll discover that Iowa is home to more than just cornfields. In fact, across the Hawkeye State you’ll encounter hidden gems and secret spots abound. For instance, do you know where you can find the only remaining Frank Lloyd Wright designed hotel in the world? What about how much the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball weighs? And why did the Los Angeles Lakers pay to build a basketball court in the small town of Carroll? Dive in and discover the state’s offbeat history and quirky places through Secret Iowa: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Set course for larger-than-life attractions like Albert the Bull, the World’s Largest Strawberry, and the Grotto of the Redemption. Learn more about Grant Wood’s connection to Iowa by visiting his former home and studio, or travel through time and space to the place where StarTrek’s Captain James T. Kirk will be born in 2233. Even at some of the state’s most well-known places, you’ll discover hidden histories and unique stories that are not often shared. Local author and travel writer Megan Bannister uncovered some of the state’s wackiest attractions to guide your adventure around Iowa. Buckle up, fill up your tank and get ready for an offbeat road trip full of the state’s best kept secrets.

Author: Ryan Roenfeld
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681063069
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
How did Omaha get its nickname, “The Gateway to the West” and where can you gawk at the footsteps of the first human to walk in space? Just scratch the surface of a city best known for Warren Buffett, college baseball, and a great zoo and find far more than meets the eye. And Secret Omaha: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is just the book you’ll need to uncover all the stories of Nebraska’s lone metropolis. Omaha rises up out of the low broken bluffs along the west bank of the Missouri River and sprawls west across what was once the prairie grasslands of the Great Plains. The buffalo wallows have been replaced by a more urban mix of grit and gentrification, with tree-lined avenues, boulevards, and varied communities that hold on to their heritage for generations. There’s a giant fork in Little Italy and stories told in stone around what was the world’s largest livestock market. There’s an old blues song by Big Joe Williams about an Omaha intersection that’s now on the National Register, and Irish Nationalists erected a grand monument to the Fenian who invaded Canada twice. Anyone in Omaha can take a gander at Goose Hollow or visit a haven for herons, but now author and Omaha enthusiast Ryan Roenfeld takes you on your own behind-the-scenes tour of the Big O. With his book as your guide, you’ll discover a whole new side to the city that’s inspired him for years.

Author: Bill Delaney
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681063344
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 319

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Book Description
You could call Jacksonville the secret city of Florida because even many natives have a tough time pinning down its defining features and best spots. But for anyone willing to dig beneath the surface, there’s no shortage of incredible sights, hidden histories and unusual relics just waiting to be discovered. Want to see the world’s largest Native American woodcarving, chart the roots of Southern rock, or eat curly fries at the barbecue joint that claims to have invented them? Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is dedicated to telling the stories behind forgotten, mysterious and just plain interesting spots across Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, and the surrounding communities. Here you’ll find out where you can see a long forgotten Florida waterfall with connections to Jacksonville’s founder, and learn why there’s a tombstone in the middle of a neighborhood sidewalk. You’ll hear the stories behind local delicacies like Jacksonville-style garlic crabs, datil peppers, Mayport shrimp, and camel rider sandwiches. And of course, you’ll learn what exactly is up with that orange roadside dinosaur everyone’s always talking about. Jacksonville writer Bill Delaney has a deep passion for his hometown and a keen interest in underrepresented stories. From folklore to history and everything in between, join him to explore a side of the Bold City you can only find by leaving the welltrodden path.

Author: Ashley Petry
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681062402
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description
Where in Indianapolis can you find a disappearing painting, a towering “ice tree,” or a giant pink elephant holding a martini? What caused the Great Squirrel Invasion of 1822, and why did Hollywood celebrities once flock to an Indianapolis cottage called Tuckaway? Where can you find a hidden museum dedicated to antique fire extinguishers? And what, exactly, is a Recordface? You’ll find the answers to these questions, and many others, in this guide to Indy’s overlooked, offbeat, and unknown. Secret Indianapolis profiles the city’s best-kept restaurant secrets, strangest parks and museums, creepiest urban legends, and weirdest works of art. It also tells the stories of forgotten local heroes, and it reveals the secrets behind beloved Indy landmarks. You’ll discover the only place in the world where it’s still possible to order Choc-Ola, explore the most haunted house in Indiana, and hear about the very dirty prank Hoosiers once pulled on a former president. Written by lifelong Hoosier and local author Ashley Petry, Secret Indianapolis offers a new way to explore the Circle City—from the quirks of local history to bizarre activities you can try today.

Author: David Baugher
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681061236
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
Did you know ...that a hidden room exists behind Abraham Lincoln s head on Mt. Rushmore? ...that North Carolina was almost accidentally destroyed in a nuclear holocaust? ...that the Mason-Dixon Line had nothing to do with dividing north from south? ...that Major League Baseball once hosted a single game between three different teams? ...that there is a designated state highway in Michigan where cars are not allowed? ...that 21 people were once killed by a 15-foot wave of molasses that devasted a Boston neighborhood? ...that the National Security Agency has a gift shop with logoed merchandise? Whether you want to visit the New York grave where Uncle Sam is buried, stop by the future hometown of Star Trek's Captain Kirk in Iowa or see the room in California where the Internet was created, Secret America: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure is your ticket to some of the nation's least-known but most interesting spots. It is here where you can explore a historical marker dedicated to Barack and Michelle Obama's first kiss, find out how to acquire logoed merchandise at the National Security Agency's gift shop or examine why Case Western Reserve University has such an unusual name. Secret America is a look at the United States as you've never seen it before a tourist guide that gives you answers to the questions no tourist ever never knew they were supposed to ask. If you are tired of trying to enliven dull family roadtrips searching backroads for the World's Largest Ball of Twine, this is a handbook for truly interesting sites that can transform any cross-country adventure into a tour of the unique spots that make America the odd but fascinating nation that it is.

Author: Greg A. Brick
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 145291432X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
In Subterranean Twin Cities, geologist, historian, and urban speleologist Greg Brick takes us on an adventurous, educational, and-thankfully-sanitary journey beneath the streets and into the myriad tunnels, caves, and industrial spaces that make up the Twin Cities' fascinating and surprisingly vast underground landscape. In this groundbreaking tour, the first of its kind of the Twin Cities, Brick mines the stories that lie below the city surface.

Author: Karen Dybis
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681060752
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
Detroit is known for its automotive heritage, the Motown sound, and American's first mile of concrete highway. But this cityon the river has more than three hundred years of history, and most of it iseasy to experience if you know where to look. There's the Michigan Theatre, theornate movie house turned parking garage with a grand stage looming over itscars. Picturesque Alfred Brush Ford Park once stored nuclear missiles among itsplaygrounds and fishing spots. Then there are incredible landmarks like Detroit'smassive salt mines and a monument to urban graffiti known as the Dequindre Cutas well as the world's oldest operating jazz club. Secret Detroit explores thisgreat American city to investigate everything that is odd, unexpected, andextraordinary. Detroit is the kind of city you need to see and experience tounderstand why locals brag about being from the Motor City. Full of stories andtall tales, this book is a must-have for urban explorers, history buffs, andtravelers of all experience levels

Author: Jerome Pohlen
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613740352
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
In this updated edition, it's plain to see that the state of Illinois has only gotten weirder. Where there was once just a single Popeye statue in downstate Chester, today the town has monuments to Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Bluto, the Sea Hag, and more. The creepy Piasa Bird petroglyph on the bluff in Alton now has a roadside pullout with picnic tables, and the two-story outhouse in Gays has a new contemplative garden. With almost twice as many destinations as its predecessor, this edition boasts detailed information on each site—address, phone number, website, hours, entry fees, and driving directions—as well as maps, photos, and a wealth of regional history in the descriptions. Some new sites include Henry's Rabbit Ranch, the World's First Jungle Gym, Ahlgrim Acres (a miniature golf course at a funeral home), the Leather Archives and Museum, General Santa Ana's two wooden legs, the World's Largest Sock Monkey, the Friendship Shoe Fence, a truck stop with a marionette show, and a coin-operated fire-breathing dragon. There is more between Chicago and St. Louis than cornfields and plenty of fascinating places in the Windy City that aren't on Michigan Avenue, and here is a chance to see these underappreciated sites throughout the state.

Author: Rachel Kipp
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681062674
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
There’s no place quite like Delaware. Where else can you drive the length of the state in three hours, bump into a US Senator at the grocery store, and see the preserved hull of a 1798 shipwreck—all in the same day? It may be one of the smallest states in the Union, but Delaware has countless hidden gems to offer visitors and residents alike. 100 Things to Do in Delaware Before You Die is your handbook to discovering these diamonds in the Diamond State, from the warm ocean beaches to bucolic farm country, complete with family-friendly listings and must-do itineraries. Try the best beach popcorn and the unique creation known as scrapple. Get ready for outdoor adventure like paddling into primeval forests or watching birds from all over the Atlantic flyway. Tour a Civil War island prison, watch a movie in a classic single-screen theatre, and find the best antique shopping around. Delaware experts Rachel Kipp and Dan Shortridge will escort you around the First State’s best-kept secrets. From horseshoe crabs to Colonial architecture, their detailed inside scoops will fascinate visitors and locals alike.

Author: Anne Kniggendorf
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681062836
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
Most visitors know all about Kansas City’s barbecue, jazz, and football success, but there are hidden gems and wild pieces of trivia around every turn in Missouri’s largest city. Is the giant Hereford bull anatomically correct? Can a seed that’s been to outer space still grow into a normal tree? And who really killed President William Henry Harrison? You’ll find answers to the questions you didn’t know you had in Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Learn why three completely unrelated groups have chosen Kansas City as the center of the world and the place you want to be when the world ends. Between these covers, you’ll also find castles, a horse buried in a cul-de-sac, a ghost who likes a good laugh, and the world’s longest snake. This is not a tour guide for outsiders; it’s a scavenger hunt—insiders only, please. Longtime Kansas Citian Anne Kniggendorf is at your service to bolster your love and boost your respect for this middle-of-the-map city. With her eye for the odd leading the way, you’ll have a great time discovering Kansas City.