Bonne Terre Mine, Bonne Terre, Missouri  

    Deep underground, the Bonne Terre mine awaits a certain kind of explorer. 
Scuba diver Bob Dulay fits the bill—which is lucky considering Dulay drove 400 miles for the experience. 

The billion-gallon underground lake that used to be a working lead mine draws visitors year-round, but its winter temperature of 58 degrees pulls in the real crowds.

“Where else are you gonna go in the center of the nation in the middle of winter without freezing water or ice diving?” Bonne Terre manager Donna Jones asked.

Dulay and more than 60 other divers set off on this underwater adventure in late February in Bonne Terre, Mo. They traveled from cities as far as Indianapolis and Chicago in hope of an unforgettable experience.

And they found it in the Bonne Terre mine.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois 

History is more than a never-ending list of past events, dead people and dusty artifacts. It even has the potential to come alive. 

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum located in Springfield, Illinois, is the largest of all presidential libraries, containing more than 47,000 Lincoln artifacts as well as 13 million Illinois state historic artifacts. Interactive galleries, life-like wax figures and detailed displays mix with traditional museum artifacts, providing guests with an unforgettable experience.

David Blanchette, the communication manager of the library and museum, said the goal of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency in planning the museum was to break completely new ground.

Wildlife Prairie Park, Peoria, Illinois 

Tucked away quietly near the urban hub of Peoria, Illinois rests the 2000-acre sanctuary of Wildlife Prairie Park. Home to more than 50 native species of animal such as coyotes, foxes, otters, deer and buffalo, the park offers an opportunity to observe the fauna of Illinois in a naturalistic habitat. The winding forest paths and picturesque scenery are a far cry from the traditional animal zoo, which is exactly why many visitors are drawn to the park each year. It’s a pleasant experience for families, said General Manager Linda Prescott. 

The park was established as an offshoot project of the Brookfield Zoo of Chicago, beginning as a region to host exotic endangered animals. When the Brookfield Zoo decided to cancel its plans for the park, William Rutherford of the Forest Park Foundation, the original donor of the 480 acres of woodland for the project, decided to utilize the land to create “an untapped natural resource to pay tribute to America at the time of the pioneers and establish a zoological park dedicated to Illinois,” said Kelly Stickelmaier, public relations coordinator at the park. In 1977, Rutherford opened the park temporarily as a birthday gift to his wife Hazel.

Rutherford said he originally planned to spend less than $1 million dollars on the project, but since then it has cost the Peoria Park System more than $7 million. His love and dedication to the park extends well beyond monetary means, and the service and care that has been put into the exhibits is visible. 

Kansas City, Missouri 

Call it what you will.

Cowtown. BBQ Capital of the World. Paris of the Plains.

Amanda Manion, a Kansas City, Mo., resident, knows it as the City of Fountains.

“This area here by the fountains, by the [Country Club] Plaza, is very attractive,” said Manion, who has lived in Kansas City since 1970.

Manion works at the Gap store in the middle of the Plaza – downtown Kansas City’s upscale shopping district in which more than 20 fountains provide eye-catching oases.

Starved Rock State Park, Illinois 

Visitors to Starved Rock sometimes miss the grisly undertones behind the beautiful park’s name. 

At the top of the bluff, a breathtaking view of the Illinois River and Lover’s Leap – an adjacent bluff – welcome all who make the trek.

But the stunning location would prove all too deadly for the Illiniwek tribe.

According to legend, an Illiniwek warrior slew the chief of the Ottawa tribe. In revenge, the Ottawa tribe, along with their allies, the Potawatomi, attacked the Illiniwek. The Illiniwek sought protection atop the 125-foot bluff, and the Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded it until their helpless enemies died of starvation – hence the park’s name, Starved Rock.

Cuba, Missouri

History no longer is confined to the books in Cuba, Missouri, but rather spills across the side of a shoe store, the local eye doctor’s office, traffic control boxes and a series of half-walls constructed around town.

Residents of Cuba, a town of about 3,500 people located about 85 miles south of St. Louis on historic Route 66 and I-44, began painting their history on various buildings and re-created structures around town in 2001 as a way to beautify the city. What began as a single mural that celebrated the centennial of the local bank has mushroomed into 12 full-size murals depicting historical events — some little known and some widely noted — that make the town a prime tourist destination for people traveling Route 66.

Pella, Iowa

An 1800s-style windmill stands in defiance of the wind, just off the town square of Pella, Iowa. This korenmolen, meaning corn mill in Dutch, boasts the record as the largest authentic windmill in America. The windmill serves as one of many examples of the Dutch traditions of Pella.

The Pella community of about 10,000 lives among a dappling of buildings that display a 19th century Dutch façade. Stores bearing names such as Bisschopswijn, Jaarsma Bakery and Van Den Berg’s Limited enhance the town’s Dutch culture by selling authentic Dutch products.
Jim Brandl, a retired businessman turned tour guide for the Vermeer Mill and Interpretive Center, said Pella has striven to preserve the town’s Dutch culture.

Over the years, the Pella Historical Society has worked hard to promote Pella as a place for visitors to view Dutch architecture and ways of living.

Originally settled in 1843, Dutch immigrants established Pella as a safe haven to escape from the religious persecution that plagued them in their homeland. In the Netherlands, the Dutch built many windmills because running water is scarce. Because rivers and streams stripe the Midwest, water could power the mills in Pella instead of wind. Despite the frequency and utility of windmills in their homeland, the original settlers chose not to build a windmill in Pella.

GCS Ballpark, Sauget, Illinois

Die-hard baseball fans come to watch their favorite team, rain or shine, not because of a winning record, the publicity or a preferred stadium seat, but for the experience: hotdogs, nachos, balls, strikes, outs, innings, chants and cheers. Getting caught up in the atmosphere of a Major League stadium may leave spectators feeling like they’re only a small part of the big game. For those die-hard fans seeking a more intimate atmosphere for their beloved game, there is a solution — a night at the GCS Ballpark.

The GCS Ballpark, named after Granite City Steel, a local credit union sponsoring the team, is located only 15 minutes from Busch Stadium in Sauget, Illinois, and is home to the Gateway Grizzlies. The team is part of a little-known professional baseball association, the Frontier League. Founded in 1993, the league is composed of 12 teams, divided into the East and West Divisions. Teams come from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Grotto of Redemption, West Bend, Iowa 

From a block away, the Grotto of the Redemption looks like a miniature fortress of gray stone. Up close, the fortress becomes a formation of small caverns, and it is easy to see the stones aren’t gray at all but are a mosaic of bright colors and patterns. The hodgepodge of materials that make up the Grotto of the Redemption have been collected from all over the United States and brought to the small town of West Bend, Iowa.

A grotto is a small, picturesque cave, usually man-made, and in West Bend sits the largest grotto in the world. Covering one city block and reaching 40 feet at its highest point, the Grotto of the Redemption is also the largest assortment of minerals and petrified wood in one place.

Grand Gulf State Park, Thayer, Missouri

Straddling the Missouri and Arkansas border, Grand Gulf State Park, located in Thayer, Missouri, offers natural beauty and aesthetic wonder distinct from the state’s 82 other state parks.

“You could see a lot of things all in this one park,” park maintenance worker Ann Price said. “We have a pirating stream, we have a sink hole, a major collapsed cave system and a natural bridge that spans 200 feet with a 75-foot opening that you can all view in one place.”
The park’s 322 acres of spectacular sites formed as the result of years of geological turbulence. An estimated 10,000 years of erosion resulted in the three-quarter-mile-long canyon visible from bluffs that are 130 feet high. Water continually cracks the rock at pressure points in the surrounding limestone and dolomite bedrock, creating multiple cave formations.

In the summer months, the dried-out hollow of the Grand Gulf contains large remnants of collapsed boulders, which occupy the canyon floor, masked by climbing foliage.

Having lived in West Plains since childhood, outdoor enthusiast Bryan S. Ledford said he knows the surrounding area well and has researched its history extensively.
“Grand Gulf was originally a cave system where a couple of caves came together and met,” Ledford said. “The roof was weakened over time because of the underground streams, and eventually the caves collapsed to give us the crevices that we now see.”