Midwestern United States

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Introduction

view of Lake michigan

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The Midwest isn't generally high on international tourists minds as a place of interest, generally thought of as being flat and dull, with row after row of corn as "high as an elephant's eye." But the Midwest includes some amazing sights that are off the usual tourist track, and some of the great outdoor adventures for the camper, hiker or kayaker.

Geography

Regions and States

Regions:

• East North Central States (ie. Great Lakes States): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
• West North Central States (ie. Great Plains States): Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

States:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin

Cities

The Bean

© All Rights Reserved zenjenn

• Chicago - the Midwest's jewel on Lake Michigan, Chicago is a city of blues and jazz clubs, deep dish pizza, shopping on the golden mile and Oprah.
• Detroit - The is motortown, USA, and home to Joe Louis and one of the world's most important centers for automobile production. The downtown core is slowly revitalizing itself after years of abandonment and neglect, and the suburbs surrounding the city offer some inexpensive and interesting trips for the tourist.
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul These cities, right across the river from each other are know as the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Its most known for its hockey, and for hosting the largest indoor mall in America, hosting over 520 stores, a amusement park, an underwater adventures, a waterpark, and attracting over 40 million visitors per year. It's also know as the "Icebox" of the nation for having such extreme cold temperatures.

Sights

Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

The climate of the upper Midwest is typical of a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The region's location in the Upper Midwest allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the United States, and each of the four seasons has its own distinct characteristics.
Temperatures during the summermonths of June to September can hit 40 degrees on some days, though generally it is more like 25 to 30 degrees Celsius during this time with pleasantly warm nights.
From December to March is wintertime with temperatures plumitting sometimes to -40 degrees Celsius although this is quite rare. Heavy snowfall can strike the Midwestern states during this time as well.
Spring and autumn are good months for a visit, avoiding the cold or hot conditions.

Getting There

By Plane

Chicago's O'hare airport is one of the largest airports in the world, and offers numerous flights for both domestic and international destinations. In addition, many of the major cities have airports with service offered by both international and US domestic carriers.

By Train

There are several trains travelling from states and cities in the Midwestern United States to the south, east and west of the country. Most trains arrive and depart in Chicago.
The main trains include:

• The California Zephyr which travels between Emeryville (near San Francisco) and Chicago, stopping in places like Salt Lake City, Denver and Omaha.
• The Cardinal/Hoosier State travelling between Chicago and New York, including stops in Ohio like Cincinatti and also stops in Washington DC.
• The City of New Orleans travelling between Chicago and New Orleans.
• The Capitol Limited travelling between Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• The Empire Builder travelling between Chicago and Seattle.
• The Lake Shore Limited travelling between Chicago and New York.
• The Southwest Chief travelling between Chicago and Los Angeles.
• The Texas Eagle travelling between Chicago and San Antonio.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

The midwest is dotted with airports, from small town single runway terminals to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the entire world. Many carriers offer services in around the midwest.

By Train

Most of the trains mentioned above in the getting there section also stop in a number of other places within the Midwesern United States. There are a few more which only travel between states in the midwest. These include:

• The Missouri Routes.
• The Michigan Services
• The Illionois Service
• The Hiawatha between Chicago and Milwaukee.

By Car

Highways are generally in excellent shape. Speed limits are strictly enforced, and sherrif departments can demand payment for fines prior to leaving the jurisdiction. Drinking and driving laws are strict and punishments are severe.

By Bus

By Boat

The SS Badger travels between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin once or twice a day between late May and early October. The trip takes around 4 hours and costs $67 one way, $110 roundtrip for adults.

Eat

Drink

Sleep