Midwest (Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois)

I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

In St. Louis proper, if you're into flowers, there is Shaw's GArden, 40
acres of plants and flowers, www.mobot.org. There is also Forest Park,
jewel box(flowers), the art museum(the only remaining original building
from the 1904 World's fair, the St. Louis zoo.

In southwest St. Louis county is Grant's Farm, owned by President Grant,
owned by Anheuser-Busch, it is sort of a nature preserve where they
raise Clydesdales. Northeast of downtown St. Louis, near Hartford IL, at
the mouth of the Missouri river is a historical site where Lewis and
CLark camped prior to their historic journey. About 10 miles up the
Mississippi at Alton you can rent a bike and journey up the Mississippi
along the base of the bluffs.

Sarah wrote:
I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

Thanks so much in advance.

Sarah
(Remove the nospams to reply by e-mail)

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 16:27:45 -0400, "Sarah"
wrote:

I'll be in the middle of a business trip over Labor Day weekend. The Friday
before, I'll have to be in St. Louis, and that Tuesday night, I'll have to
be in Manhattan, Kansas. I've never been to that area before, and I'll be
with a co-worker who has been to St Louis proper but nowhere else in the
area. We'll probably have time to see St. Louis' main sites (any particular
recommendations?--we're staying right near the arch) and are looking for
suggestions of things to do over the weekend. We both like the outdoors but
are up for almost anything. We're both east coast natives (and other than
her previous St Louis trip, she's never been away from the east coast), so
anything different would be welcome.

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome! Of all of the places, I've been to
Chicago, but the others are new to both of us. We'll be spending anywhere
from a day to a week (Indianapolis) at the various places.

If you have time, drive from Minneapolis to La Crosse, Wis. down
the Mississippi and then to Madison. I'm a La Crosse native from
years ago and you can drive up Granddad's Bluff for a great view.
And I love that drive along the Mississippi. You might want to
visit Taliesen, Frank Lloyd Wright's house at Spring Green, Wis.
And in Madison stroll around the University of Wisconsin (another
old haunt of mine) along Lake Mendota. If you had a lot of time,
driving back roads from La Crosse to the Madison area is really neat.
But the roads are winding and hilly and you can't make much time.
Some like the Wisconsin Dells, on the way to Madison, but it is really
the ultimate of tourist kitsch -- but perhaps worth seeing for that
reason.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 16:27:45 -0400, "Sarah"
wrote:

Stops on our trip include Indianapolis, St Louis, Manhattan (Kansas),
Lincoln (Nebraska), Minneapolis, Madison (Wisconsin), & Chicago. We'll be
doing an awful lot of driving, so any interesting things in those cities or
in between would be quite welcome!

I will address the Nebraska segment of your trip which I presume
would involve traveling from Manhattan, Kansas to Lincoln and then
departing through Omaha.
In Beatrice, there is the Homestead National Monument. The first
piece of land claimed under the Homestead Act is there along with a
museum, native prairie, etc.
Lincoln has the state capitol, Morrill Hall on the University of
Nebraska campus (a natural history museum), and the state historical
museum.
Between Lincoln and Omaha on I-80 is the Strategic Air Command
Museum. It has exhibits on the history of the Strategic Air Command
along with a wide ranging aircraft exhibition.
In Omaha, there is the Henry Doorly Zoo. It includes an indoor
Rain Forest, a Desert, an aquarium (outstanding penguin exhibit), and
an IMAX theater. Also, in Omaha is Boys Town and the Union Pacific
Museum.
When in Nebraska, you need to sample our beef. We have some of
the best steak and prime rib available anywhere. Sweet corn will
still be available (Lincoln has an excellent Farmer's market).

Sarah wrote:

...Labor Day...looking for suggestions of things to do over the
weekend [in St Louis].

In addition to the other suggestions, check out these neighborhoods for
good restaurants and interesting shops (for all three, start by driving
west from downtown on Olive Street which becomes Lindell Blvd): (1)
Central West End (Euclid Ave. area, for several blocks south and, esp.,
north of Lindell); (2) The Hill (Italian section, Kingshighway to Shaw
immediately south of I-44); (3) South Grand, around Arsenal Street (esp.
ethnic restaurants).

For outdoors, Forest Park, also straight out on Lindell, should be one
of your stops, for the zoo or just walking the trails (plenty of other
walkers and cyclists around). The new Grand Basin in front of the Art
Museum is a good starting area; the Muny outdoor theatre and the Jewel
Box greenhouse are nearby. Tower Grove Park, near South Grand area and
Shaw's Garden, is described as a "Victorian walking park." The
Cardinals are playing downtown that weekend near your hotel. If by
"outdoors" you mean canoeing and such, you might consider a trip on the
Meramec River.