Travel Tips

When you hear the phrase Land of 1000 Lakes, what comes to mind? Well if it is the great state of Minnesota, you may have already known that this is the nickname of this wonderful part of the American experience. Minnesota is nestled up near the Canadian boarder and represents one of the great undiscovered secrets for sightseeing and vacation fun in this country.

When you decide to book Minnesota as your vacation of choice, you are showing some shrewd knowledge of Americana that not many have taken the time to learn about. Because Minnesota is one of the most beautiful states in the union both for beautifully tailored modern city scenes and for breath taking outdoor adventure as well.

The twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are nestled into the Minnesota landscape quietly producing one of the most diverse and sophisticated city experiences in all of America. While you might not have been looking, Minneapolis and St. Paul have quietly developed some pretty serious claims to fame including

*The classic situation comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show had its fictional location occurring in Minneapolis. The scenes of snow falling and the way people cope with such a climate became a subplot for that show.

*The wonderful radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion originated and is still often broadcast from St. Paul, Minnesota. This wonderful, one of a kind show often gives loving lampoon the quirks of the Scandinavian and Lutheran cultures that are well ensconced in Minnesota life.

*Minnesota is the only state to ever elect a professional wrestler, Jessie Ventura as governor. And he did a pretty good job.

*The exciting rock musician Prince is a product of the Minneapolis music culture.

There is a lot to see and enjoy in the rustic Minnesota landscape and in these modern cities that make up the urban centers of this wonderful state. You might be temped to save your trip to Minnesota for the summer time. But you may want to actually change that plan as Minnesota can provide some experiences in the dead of winter that are not to be missed.

Ice fishing is a Minnesota specialty and one you may want to book a guide to enjoy first hand. There is nothing like sitting in a heated shack out in the middle of a frozen over lake and fishing through a hole to bring up a big catch for making a memory that you will be telling people about for years to come.

Then when you head into town, be sure to be in Minnesota when Minneapolis holds their annual Ice Festival. The entire city turns out to admire magnificent ice sculptures that the talented artists create right there in the middle of the city. But any statue they make will pale when you watch with wonder as the workman in Minnesota construct the mammoth Ice Palace that you can wander through just like a castle in old Europe. You will marvel as that Ice Palace actually can be heated and people can book rooms and stay over in it once the wizards that make this marvel happen do their stuff. And to think, if you come back in six months, that amazing structure will melt away like yesterdays ice cream cone.

You can see that overlooking Minnesota as a destination of choice for unique sightseeing and vacation excitement is not a mistake you want to make. We have only scratched the surface of the great fun you can have on your trip to the great white north. So make your plans to get up there and enjoy this very unique place with their rich Scandinavian Lutheran culture. And who knows, maybe you will learn how to carve out a small sculpture from the ice in your refrigerator before you leave.

If you were to go to the four corner points of America, you could not find four more different places from one another. From the coast of Maine to the tip of California to the rocky shores of Washington State with its active volcanoes and nonstop fog to the Caribbean like atmosphere of Florida, the cultures of the many areas of America are as diverse as are its people.

Of all of those places, none other is quite as exotic as sunny Florida. As soon as you step off the airplane in Miami, you know you have landed in a place that is as different from the rest of America as the moon is from the earth. There is a feel of being far away, where the world melts away and you can give in and be a Caribbean creature for a little while.

This is what is glorious about sightseeing in America. There are so many exotic and very different locations that you can stay in one country and virtually see and experience almost every climate and environment in the world. Florida brings you into the exotic feel of living on a desert island far away from civilization. But then you can get up from the beach and within a short drive be in the middle of a modern, sophisticated city full of the most exciting nightlife in the world.

You can go on dozens of vacations to sightsee in America and not repeat an experience. But when making your list of great sightseeing spots in America to visit, make sure Florida is near the top. And while you are at it, plan to spend some time there because there is a lot to take in including

*Snorkeling in the warm clear gulf waters on one side of the Florida peninsula and in the ocean waters on the other.

*The amazing theme parks of Disney, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and many more.

*Ancient mansions up and down the beaches of Florida from the early days when Spanish ships landed here to discover this big new world.

*Wonderful foods from Cuba, the Caribbean and all across South America.

*The always unforgettable Everglades that seem like a trip to the Jurassic Period during your brief tour there.

The fun goes on and on. One thing is for sure, you will have at least one new experience each and every time you do some sightseeing in Florida. One time you may thrill to the sight of dolphins or a whale on a whale watching tour. The next time you may go deep sea fishing so far out to sea that the land disappears entirely.

The next visit you may become completely fascinated in the history of this very unique peninsula and the role it has had to play in the development of America. And then the next time you may just want to lie on the virtually perfect sands on the gulf side and let the cares of the world drift away.

You talk about sights you have never seen before. What about the sight of your family becoming carefree and full of fun as they literally transform into Caribbean natives wanting nothing more than to frolic in the waters of the gulf or ocean for as long as God lets the good sun shine down on them? And when you see that family you love reach that perfect level of relaxation that a visit to Florida can give them, you know you will have chosen well your vacation destination for that year.