How to Take a Historic Tour of the Midwest

Though the Midwest is not as popular of a tourist destination as other parts of the U.S., it's still a worthwhile vacation region. Visiting the Midwest is a great way to save money on gas and to see something a little different. The Midwest played an essential role in shaping American history and it can be interesting to see and experience those events.

Instructions

1. Visit historical museums. Start with visiting some historical museums, like the Model-T Ford Museum, the National Model Aviation Museum and the Field Museum of Natural History. Historical museums can be found all over and the best thing about them is anything you're curious about can be found somewhere. If a museum for it can be found in the Midwest, plan to visit it.

2. Stop by historical sites and places. Visit the top 10 historical sites in the Midwest: Ulysses S. Grant's home in Missouri, William Howard Taft's home in Ohio, the Lincoln Home in Illinois, the Herbert Hoover home in Iowa or James A. Garfield's home in Ohio. Visit the Fort Union Trading Post, Knife River Indian Villages in North Dakota and Fort Scott. You might get some insight to former leaders, presidents and ancestors that you never had before. Once, presidents really were one of the people.

3. Re-live former battles. The Midwest is home to many ancient battles and the people who live in these towns frequently relive them for visitors. Even in the towns that don't have the drama down, you can still see what happened there and experience what was once a regular part of wife. Consider visiting the site of the Battle of the Devil's Backbone, the Battle of Dripping Springs and the Battle of Ban Buren. Finish up by visiting where the treaty that ended the wars between the Cherokee people and the people of Arkansas was signed.

4. Throw in a few haunted historical tours. To mix up the locations and what you're seeing, consider stopping by a few haunted locations. You can visit the Joesting House in Alton, Illinois, where a nanny murdered the children she was supposed to be caring for. Take a bus tour that stops at various historical sites near Chicago in Northwest Indiana (four or five hours), and a haunted Chicago tour. There are other similar tours in and around the United States that, though not everyone believes in them, are an excellent way to learn about the random history of an area, and could be a nice break from other historical locations.

Resources

• Historical Museums
• Midwestern National Historical Sites
• Haunted Historical Sites
• Battles of the Midwest