Group Tour Magazine - May 2023 - 34

MID WES T
Odd Eats
1928 Carousel, the Volo Museum, Volo, Illinois
ECCENTRICALLY
YOURS
Quirky attractions lend offbeat
charm to Midwest itineraries
BY MARK SHUMAN
Q
34
MAY 2023
uirky museums and attractions have been a part of America's vacation
culture since the invention of the automobile. There's Route 66,
with its giant rocking chair and neon-lit motels, and road trip stops
at South Dakota's Wall Drug or the Corn Palace. But the American
West isn't alone when it comes to the odd and unconventional-the
Midwest, too, has its own quirk to share.
The Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, for example, has nine
galleries full of Spam trivia. Invented in 1937, and named after " spiced
ham, " Spam became famous during World War II as a staple for American
troops. Visitors to the museum can sample products, compete in
an assembly line with mock cans of Spam, and join " Spambassador " -led
tours through interactive games and photo opportunities. Add a side
trip to the Hormel Historic Home or the Hormel Institute, where visitors
observe and participate in biomedical research experiments.
In Middleton, Wisconsin, the National Mustard Museum showcases
more than 6,000 mustards from all 50 states and over 70 countries.
" It's the king of condiments, " says the museum's founder and creator,
Barry Levenson, who became a fanatic mustard collector in 1986
while looking for a hobby. While hosting tour groups, he cheerfully
sings fight songs for his self-created American Mustard College. Tours
can stop at nearby Wollersheim Winery & Distillery or House on the
Rock, a unique Japanese-style home perched on a cliff face and full of
Creative, unusual, or historic
restaurants also make for
entertaining dining options in the
Midwest. Passwords are required at
Milwaukee, Wisconsin's spy-themed
SafeHouse, where entrees have
names like Soviet Defector Ribs.
Northern Wisconsin's Little Bohemia
Lodge is the site of a famously
botched FBI raid on gangster John
Dillinger and was featured in Johnny
Depp's movie, " Public Enemy. "
At Chicago Sweatlodge, a Russian
and Turkish sauna and pool
complement the Eastern European
dishes for a dining experience that
involves all the senses.
thousands of kitschy objects that range from
a giant carousel to automated musical instruments
and model airplanes.
A collection of antique cars morphed
into a fun and fascinating museum in Volo,
Illinois. The Volo Museum showcases 200
cars at any given time, as well as military
equipment, an antique carousel, trains, and
many other exhibits on its 35-acre campus.
The car collection is always evolving, and the
vehicles are all for sale to collectors. There's a
showroom just for muscle cars, plus notable
film industry vehicles, too.
Heading southeast to Indiana, discover
over 2,000 ceiling fans at the Antique Fan
Museum in Zionsville. For a different kind of
fan, visit the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting.
Founded by original Phillie Phanatic (the official
mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies) David
Raymond, the hall of fame features favorite
mascots like the University of Wisconsin's
Bucky Badger or the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla.
The United States is not alone in its passion
for unique museums. The province of Ontario,
Canada, has plenty of special sites to visit. The
Niagara Apothecary in Niagara-on-the-Lake
is an actual restored Victorian apothecary,
while the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough
is home to 600 canoes and kayaks,
the largest known collection of its kind.
PHOTO VOLO MUSEUM
Group Tour Magazine - May 2023

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