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Join Midwest Living's founding editor Dan Kaercher as he travels through twelve states in America's heartland, visiting the hidden corners and vibrant cities that make this region great. Beautiful photographs and an engaging text are supplemented by practical information, allowing readers to turn their armchairs' reading into a memorable vacation of their own.

Join Midwest Living® magazine's Dan Kaercher as he revisits dozens of his favorite places across the Midwest. From vibrant cities to serene small towns and splendid parklands, Dan rediscovers the heart of the Heartland - its varied history, rich heritage, and unique scenery. Each lavishly illustrated chapter tells many fascinating stories of the twelve Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

As the founding editor-in-chief of the magazine that knows Midwest travel like no other, Dan has visited every corner of this area, some many times over. In this dream road trip, he created a 10,000-mile, eight-week itinerary based on his all-time favorites - art museums, shopping meccas, grand resorts, big-league ballparks, and much more. The result is a moving tribute to the region that truly is the heartbeat of America. Kaercher's engaging accounts of little-known travel discoveries (even in the midst of places you thought you knew) offer a fresh look at classic Heartland destinations. He's a discriminating traveler, as well as a down-to-earth, die-hard Midwesterner who shares his insights and gentle humor along with history and insider tips that make his recommendations even more fascinating and fun.

Within these pages you'll find everything from the latest attractions in Chicago, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities to off-the-beaten-path "secrets" like a first-class hotel in a small Iowa town, the perfect place to watch eagles along the Mississippi River, a historic winery in Missouri, and where to head for the best scenic overlook in the Great Lakes region.

And let's not forget the food! Visit old-fashioned soda fountains, renowned steak houses, busy barbecue joints, mom-and-pop pie shops, and fancy gourmet restaurants. Recipes are included to make your armchair visit even more flavorful. As an added bonus, practical travel information for every state takes the guesswork out of planning your own trips to these destinations.

If you love the Midwest, you'll appreciate Dan's passion for life in the Heartland, and you'll find a treasure trove of places you'll want to see for yourself. If you think of America's midsection as bland, boring "fly-over" country, you're in for a huge surprise. Whether you seek urban excitement or small-town traditions, you'll discover new places, old friends, and a warm welcome within these pages - the Best of the Midwest™.

Dan Kaercher is editor-in-chief and founding editor (1987) of Midwest Living, the premier periodical about the Midwest's cities and small towns and Midwest lifestyles. He lives in Urbandale, Iowa.

It's early Saturday morning on Lockerbie Square, a National Historic District just blocks from downtown Indianapolis that surrounds the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. The quiet, compact neighborhood is a shady mix of residential and commercial buildings, grand brick homes and Victorian cottages of various styles, all meshing comfortably.
Residents, coffee mugs in hand, walk dogs, and bicyclists bounce over the cobblestone street in front of the Riley home. Actually, the streets were re-cobbled-in 1976 as a Bicentennial project. Another reminder of Lockerbie's long history: stepping stones from the horse-drawn carriage era along the curb.
No Midwest state reveres a poet as Indiana does Riley.


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The moments I've cherished most as editor-in-chief of Midwest Living® have found me driving down winding country lanes on sunny days, far from any interstate highways, feeling half-lost and half-found, without another person or car in sight.
It's that way for me in Brown County. Somehow, the glaciers that snowplowed so much of Indiana and the Midwest took a detour here. After an hour's drive south from Indianapolis, hills suddenly erupt near Nashville, the only town of size. Hardwoods the size of mini skyscrapers make canyons of the roadways: maple, oak, poplar, beech, hickory, dogwood, redbud, sassafras, sumac. Autumn must be an absolute foliage riot here.
Because state and federal parklands and forests claim more than half of Brown County, it remains blessedly undeveloped outside of Nashville. In fact, you'll find only three stoplights in the entire county, and the tallest "high rise" here is three stories. No billboards block the views, and even lighted signs are rare.
Twisting roads wend past rustic log homes, new and old, nestled into leafy glades. A "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" ad emblazons a barn. Poor soil means farming never flourished here, not even orchards. The terrain made carving roads and rail lines difficult. So Brown County got passed over, until the area attracted a new type of settler: artists, then craftspeople, then tourists. Now it's a natural treasure, just 60 miles south of Indianapolis.
The inspiring setting began attracting artists more than a century ago. Then came the creative rush that comes from living and working around other artists. The result: stunning landscapes, still lifes, and portraits of the simple folk who live in these hills by artists who lived among them-not to mention pottery, glassware, quilts and other crafts. An artists' colony has thrived here since.