Download or read book Secret Iowa A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Megan Bannister and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2023-09-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Secret Jacksonville A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Bill Delaney and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Secret Omaha A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Ryan Roenfeld and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2021-05-15 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Secret America A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by David Baugher and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2017-08-15 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Secret Kansas A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Roxie Yonkey and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2023-04-01 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among Kansas’s many wheat fields lie secrets and hidden stories of heroes and villains that even a fiction author could never devise. It wasn’t just Dorothy Gale of the Wizard of Oz who roamed The Wheat State. Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure will introduce you to a true cast of characters along with the little-known history of their inventions, deeds, and fame. Learn about the first indigenous woman to argue before the Supreme Court to save her ancestors’ graves from greedy developers. Discover how Frank Bellamy from Cherryvale wrote the Pledge of Allegiance, only to lose his claim to its authorship. Inventions abound in Kansas history such as Mentholatum which had a small role in ending World War II. From Capt. Emil Kapaun who is headed for sainthood to the fraudulent Goat Gland Doctor whose tonics started many entertainers’ careers, there’s no shortage of fascinating anecdotes to choose from. Add to that the countless examples of courageous captains, game-changing women, along with a few ne'er-do-wells whose biographies are chronicled here. Longtime Kansan Roxie Yonkey will unearth the hidden roads and secret passages to unearth the state’s buried treasures. Visitors and lifelong residents alike will find a surprise on every page.

Download or read book Secret Kansas City A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Anne Kniggendorf and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Secret Seattle A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Mary Jo Manzanares and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where in Seattle can you get married in a shipping container? What about playing vintage pinball games, visiting a mummy, or renting an elephant? Is the Fremont neighborhood really the center of the Universe? Where can you research the occult, conspiracy theories, and other topics people don’t want to talk about? With Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure in hand, you’ll discover the unique destinations, colorful history, and wacky legends that make the greater Seattle area such a popular destination in which to live and to visit. You’ll find out if the Seahawks really did cause an earthquake and what happened to the Bubbleator. Researched and written by travel writer Mary Jo Manzanares, this book serves as a guide to places you might never discover on your own. Whether you’re a local looking for something new or a visitor wanting to feel like a local, Secret Seattle lets you in on dozens of secrets around the Emerald City.

Download or read book Secret Denver A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Eric Peterson and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2020-10-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: here do the tunnels under the Colorado State Capitol go and why were they dug there in the first place? What is the backstory behind Tom’s Baby, the largest piece of gold ever unearthed in Colorado? Denver may be known worldwide as the Mile High City, but its elevation is just one item on a long list of anomalies. In Secret Denver: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure you’ll find many more quirks and mysteries to explore. Learn why Lakeside is one of the most historic amusement parks in the nation. Discover cemeteries repurposed as parks, streets once paved with radium, elves hiding in museum dioramas, and a seemingly endless parade of ghosts. Local journalists David Lewis and Eric Peterson tackle these conundrums and many others in the city they call home. With their combined experience traveling the trails less taken and the questions rarely asked, Secret Denver is bound to illuminate the city from an unexpected perspective.

Download or read book Secret Northwest Indiana A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Joseph S. Pete and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2022-05-10 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where in the landlocked state of Indiana can you sunbathe on a beach in the shadow of hulking steel mills, surf by an oil refinery, or scuba-dive to see old shipwrecks? A blend of Indiana and neighboring Chicago, Northwest Indiana is a one-of-a-kind place filled with wonders, like Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes and a hike USA Today described as one of the country’s most scenic. And behind its unique “coastal” setting lie some equally intriguing hidden gems and untold stories. Secret Northwest Indiana: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure leads a whirlwind tour of the Calumet Region that extends from Chicago’s far South Side, through the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana, and into Southwest Michigan. Read about a submarine inventor who sailed under Lake Michigan and the free-spirited Diana of the Dunes, who inspired preservation efforts that led to the Indiana Dunes National Park. Explore hidden Nike missile silos, bygone ski jumps, secret spots to photograph the jets taking off for the Chicago Air and Water Show, and the infamous Marriage Mill, where celebrities flocked to get hitched. Prepare for singing porta-potties, tree graveyards, and other strangeness. Local author and journalist Joseph S. Pete gives you a look behind the curtain in a region you might think you already know well. With his stories and tips, you’ll find no shortage of new secret places to explore in Northwest Indiana.

Download or read book Secret St Louis A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by David Baugher and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where in St. Louis can you… …picnic at a radioactive waste dump? …learn what West County Center’s famous dove really represents? …visit the grave of the man who burned Atlanta? …join a nudist resort? …view a cube comprised of a million dollar bills? …see a piece from New York’s Twin Towers? …find out exactly what a Billiken is? Whether you are piloting a simulated barge on the Mississippi River, exploring the hidden history of Abraham Lincoln’s bizarre swordfight in St. Charles County or eating a ten-pound apple-pie in Kimmswick inspired by the Great Flood of 1993, it is hard to get bored with a copy of Secret St. Louis: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. By turns wistful and whimsical, this is a book which answers the questions you never knew you had about St. Louis while taking readers on a whirlwind tour through 97 unique but often little-known spaces and places that can’t be found anywhere else. A tourist handbook for people who thought they never needed one, “Secret St. Louis” provides a scavenger hunt of hidden gems traversing the somber, strange, surprising and silly locales which define the culture and history that make St. Louis such a diverse and amazing place to call home. From Weldon Spring to Wildwood, from Overland to O’Fallon, from Bellefontaine to Bridgeton, this is an exploration of St. Louis’s odds and ends like no other.

Download or read book Secret Upper Peninsula A Guide to the Weird Wonderful and Obscure written by Kath Usitalo and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did a sparsely populated landmass surrounded by Great Lakes and completely separated from the rest of the state become the Upper Peninsula of Michigan? At the end of each winter what do Yoopers—those hardy souls who call the UP home—measure with a 30-foot tall “thermometer?” And should you put ketchup or gravy on a pasty? You’ll find the answers to these questions and many more in Secret Upper Peninsula: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. You may know that the UP inspired Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha,” but what about works by Ernest Hemingway and Da Yoopers? Find out where a popular Chicago cartoonist summered in a cottage shaped like a giant pickle barrel, and where a ghost town comes alive once a year for a gathering of the descendants of copper mining families. Discover why believers say the mysterious Paulding Light is the lantern of a railroad man who perished on the tracks, or where to find the world’s longest porch and one of the least-visited National Parks. Local author Kath Usitalo takes you deep into the densely forested peninsula that might seem like one big, isolated secret to an outsider. Delve into this insider’s guide to learn about the fascinating quirks and curiosities of the land of Gitche Gumee.

Download or read book Secret Detroit written by Karen Dybis and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2018-04-15 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book State Oddities written by Nancy Hendricks and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2022-05-18 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: State Oddities takes a different kind of look at the American nation, spotlighting the fun foibles, peculiarities, and twists in each of the 50 states that are (mostly) united under the Stars and Stripes. State Oddities is a fascinating trip through the 50 states for students studying America, teachers planning classroom activities, and general readers who will enjoy an eye-opening journey through the nation's fun side. It offers a compelling look at the character of America through the individuality of 50 very distinct states that together form the USA. This book paints a picture of the broad sweep of the American story, offering a gateway to the country as it developed into one nation filled with individual states that can be remarkably different from each other, yet unified under such national symbols as the American flag and "The Star-Spangled Banner." The author of State Oddities has become known as a master of "painless history," telling America's story in a sparkling style along with the historian's eye for fascinating detail. On the book's cross-country journey, the reader will find that it differs from other works by taking a fresh look at stories we think we know.

Download or read book Subterranean Twin Cities written by Greg A. Brick and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book A Dirty Wicked Town written by David L. Bristow and published by Caxton Press. This book was released on 2000-04 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press "It requires but little if any, stretch of the imagination to regard Omaha as a cesspool of iniquity, for it is given up to lawlessness and is overrun with a horde of fugitives from justice and dangerous men of all kinds who carry things with a high hand and a loose rein... If you want to find a rogue's rookery, go to Omaha." A Kansas City newspaper.

Download or read book Iowa Curiosities written by Eric Jones and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2009-11-10 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Hawkeye State has to offer!

Download or read book Special Topics in Being a Human written by S. Bear Bergman and published by arsenal pulp press. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As an author, educator, and public speaker, S. Bear Bergman has documented his experience as, among other things, a trans parent, with wit and aplomb. He also writes the advice column “Ask Bear,” in which he answers crucial questions about how best to make our collective way through the world. Featuring disarming illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson, Special Topics in Being a Human elaborates on “Ask Bear”’s premise: a gentle, witty, and insightful book of practical advice for the modern age. It offers Dad advice and Jewish bubbe wisdom, all filtered through a queer lens, to help you navigate some of the complexities of life—from how to make big decisions or make a good apology, to how to get someone’s new name and pronouns right as quickly as possible, to how to gracefully navigate a breakup. With warmth and candor, Special Topics in Being a Human calls out social inequities and injustices in traditional advice-giving, validates your feelings, asks a lot of questions, and tries to help you be your best possible self with kindness, compassion, and humor. This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A book with many images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.