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State parks offer so much fun and variety to families throughout the Midwest, but don't get much fanfare, and I'm so excited to be part of a new project working to fix that! I got to be part of a group of 14 authors, with one writer or couple representing each state in the Midwest to write Midwest State Park Adventures. I wrote the South Dakota chapter, so it was really fun for me to see what all the other writers came up with, but especially the Iowa and Nebraska chapters. Anyway, here's the full scoop on this new book that I'm thrilled to be a part of.
What is Midwest State Park Adventures?
Midwest State Park Adventures is an anthology travel guidebook that dives deep into the best state parks across 12 Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Each chapter highlights 15-ish remarkable state parks, and an appendix provides info on every single park in every single state! There are hundreds of thousands of acres of the most beautiful land in our country in the Midwest's state parks, from the Great Lakes to the Badlands, down to the Ozarks and north to the Boundary Waters. But often state parks are overshadowed by the splendor of national parks. And don't get me wrong--national parks are amazing! But so are state parks, plus they are easier to get to for many more people, many of them are free or inexpensive to visit, and we wanted to celebrate the wonderful places right in our own backyards, and the ones well worth the drive to someone else's neck of the woods (or prairie!) And because they're written by locals from each included state, you're getting an insider's look at what Midwesterners actually love about the parks in their own state.
I definitely found some new parks to add to my bucket list by reading the other 11 parts of this book, and gained new appreciation for the history and natural beauty of South Dakota's state parks in researching and writing my chapter. I hope this book does the same for you!
Which Siouxland parks are in Midwest State Park Adventures?
Some of the Siouxland parks included are Ponca State Park in Nebraska, and both Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve and the trio of state parks and recreation areas in Yankton (Lewis and Clark, Pierson Ranch, and Chief White Crane) are in the South Dakota chapter. I also included Palisades and Good Earth State Park, both up close to Sioux Falls. I didn't get to write the Iowa chapter, so I unfortunately didn't get to include my favorite, Stone State Park, and it didn't make Sara's top 15. I did sneak it into my bio! The closest park to Sioux City that Sara included is Gull Point State Park near Milford, IA, which I definitely want to check out sometime.
Who wrote Midwest State Park Adventures?
The authors of Midwest State Park Adventures are a group of travel writers that met through the online Midwest Travel Network. This collaborative group, spearheaded by Lisa Trudell and Sara Broers brings together travel writers and destinations around the Midwest to work together to share Midwest fun with readers across platforms in a positive way. Here's the full list of authors:
- Illinois: Theresa Goodrich of The Local Tourist
- Indiana: Jamie Ward of Cornfields and High Heels
- Iowa: Sara Broers of Travel with Sara
- Kansas: Roxie Yonkey of Roxie on the Road
- Michigan: Veronica Bareman of Veronica June Photography
- Minnesota: Kelly and Dusty Ratcliff from Dining Duster
- Missouri: Matthew and Thena Reading-Franssen of HodgePodge Hippie
- Nebraska: Lisa and Tim Trudell of the Walking Tourists
- North Dakota: Alicia Underlee Nelson of Prairie Style File
- Ohio: Brandy Gleason of Gleason Family Adventures
- South Dakota: me, Lindsay Hindman of Siouxland Families
- Wisconsin: Danelle Gay of the Traveling Cheesehead
Where to get Midwest State Park Adventures
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