Mid America Destinations

Illinois River Towns Quad Cities North Shore and South Dakota

Illinois and Iowa

Champaign County is nearly equidistant from Chicago, St Louis and Indianapolis; a thriving micro-urban oasis supported by local agriculture, technology and research and home to the University of Illinois. The College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Science is a leader in crop science, bioenergy and animal science.

Farmer-owned Grain Cooperatives in America’s heartland and the Illinois grain belt; rich soils and modern farm practices produce record yields of quality grains. Ethanol and distiller’s grain production. Research in soybeans, from production to consumption, by the National Soybeans Research Laboratory. The National Center for Supercomputing Applications, whose Blue Waters Supercomputer is the largest and most powerful on a university campus and among the largest in the world.

The River Towns of Illinois along the banks and bluffs of the Mississippi River hug the western border of Illinois for 550 miles. Experience an Illinois winery, brewery, farm, u-pick, or local farm to table restaurant. Four Centuries of history and heritage and thousands of stories that recount America's evolution while experiencing breathtaking views, majestic landscapes and species that travel thousands of miles for a visit or to make themselves a home

Reduce Transit Times and Travel Cost on Your Next Trip

The Quad Cities area consists of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. The region has the excitement of a big city and the hospitality of a small town with award-winning museums and cultural centers, internationally-recognized festivals, beautiful riverfronts and a vibrant nightlife.
Davenport has beautiful riverfront vistas and an active downtown area with the Figge Art and Putnam History Museums and great shopping at the North Park Mall.

Bettendorf the Library and adjacent Family Museum provide exciting programs and storytelling. The numerous outdoor activities include the Splash Landing water park, Wallace's Garden Center and Duck Creek Recreational Trail.
Rock Island downtown is known for its festivals and nightlife with Cajun food and zydeco music; Jamaican food and reggae music; and a fall Irish folk festival. Family activities include the country's largest go-kart street race. Experience a downtown architectural tour and the Broadway Historic District.

Moline is one of the agricultural capitals of the world, home of John Deere and steeped in history. The modern downtown area features great riverfront views and evening entertainment with musicals performed by local actors.
East Moline is home to many great events and festivities. Empire Park is right on the Mississippi River, walk along the riverfront trails of The Quarter or visit to the John Deere Harvester Works, one of the world's largest combine factories.

The North Shore Communities along Lake Michigan are minutes from Chicago’s city center: Evanston, Glenview, Northbrook, Prospect Heights, Skokie, Wheeling and Winnekta.

South Dakota

Aberdeen South Dakota Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was inhabited by the Sioux Indians. The first group of Euro-American settlers to reach the area in the 1820s was a party of four people, three horses, two mules, fifteen cattle, and two wagons. This group of settlers was later joined by another group the following spring, and eventually more settlers migrated toward this general area. Like many towns of the Midwest, Aberdeen was built around the newly developing railroads. Officially plotted as a town site on January 3, 1881 by the Milwaukee Road which was presided over by Alexander Mitchell, who was born in Scotland, hence the name Aberdeen. The town was officially founded on July 6, 1881, the date of the first arrival of a Milwaukee Railroad train.

the perfect family and business destination

The Dacotah Prairie Museum The idea for a community museum in Aberdeen dates back almost 70 years. In 1938, John Murphy, a Northern State College professor, and Marc Cleworth, a salesman, created the Northern South Dakota History Museum which was housed on campus. The collection of this first museum grew rapidly through loans and donations until by 1941, it had amassed a collection of over 500 items.

Rapid City is centrally located to visit the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park and the Badlands. Western and Native American Heritage throughout the city you will find Native American history exhibits, fine arts display, and interactive museums like the Journey Museum that takes you from the formation of the Black Hills over 2.5 billion years-ago to the continuing saga of the Western frontier.

Atlantic to Pacific Coast Travel

Traveling from Pennsylvania and New York to Mid America Oregon and Washington

The Northeast has an illustrious history and culture; in the 21^st century, it is a trend setter on the technological and environmental fronts along with agricultural innovations that accompany unique, local food, wine and brew traditions. 

The Lehigh and Delaware River Valley are ideal anchor location if your interests include New York City and the Hudson Valley, Philadelphia and South Central Pennsylvania.

The Hudson and the Delaware were originally called the North and South Rivers

Bucks County is one of the three original counties created by William Penn in 1682. Bristol is the third oldest town in Pennsylvania and southern terminus of the D&L Trail characterized by coal yards, shipyards, warehouses and textile mills. Its Delaware Riverfront resembles a New England seaport.

Mid America

The Upper Mississippi is the portion of the river from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to Cairo, Illinois where it joins the Ohio River. Chicago is the starting point for the Historic Route 66 and the base from which you can reach the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa as well as journey to Alton along the Great River Road and explore Mississippi River Towns. 

Traveling across America

from the Atlantic to the
 Pacific Coast with

Knowledge Tourism

The Pacific Northwest from South Dakota and Minnesota you can follow the route of the Empire Builder and the Missouri River to explore the Northern Plains and the US Northwest.

Oregon is an ideal winter destination where you can ski on volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains; a nature lover’s paradise as you watch hundreds of gray whales spout and storms over the Pacific; a connoisseur destination where you can sip award-winning Oregon wines and micro beers; an environmentalist’s delight with Portland’s green lifestyle, free downtown transport and local distinctive neighborhoods.

Environment Friendly Destinations and Vacations

Portland is located between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean at the northern end of the Willamette Valley and river which flows through the city and links with the Columbia River. The citizens and their local government are notable for: land-use planning, local transport, environment conscious policies, high walkability, a large number bicyclists and ten thousand acres of public parks Read More

Neighborhoods Planning Development Sustainability and Local Transport

Seattle’s first major industry was logging; by the late 19^th century the city also became a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. In the 1940s, Boeing established Seattle as a center for aircraft manufacturing and, beginning in the 1980s, the area developed as a technology center with companies like Microsoft and Amazon.