Budget Travel: The Lake Effect Wine Trail

by Annie Scott on


Summary: In the heartland of our very own United States of America, “lake effect weather” has given birth a strip of wineries along the southeast coast of Lake Michigan.

Lake effect weather is a well-documented phenomenon which results in far more precipitation, especially snow, on the southern and eastern sides of large lakes than the northern and western sides. More precipitation means lots of grapes, including ice wines and varietals that can withstand the midwest’s strong heat and bitter cold.

Have a look at these resources which make for a much more budget friendly wine country tour than a trip to France (or even Napa Valley). Did we mention that most tastings at Indiana and Michigan wineries are free?

Getting in: You can start your eastern midwestern wine revelry in Michigan by flying into the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (they have a snappy song on their airport website — who could resist?), serviced by Northwest, Conair/Delta Connection, American Eagle, and DirectAir, or in Indiana at South Bend Regional Airport, serviced by Allegiant Air, Continental Connection, Delta Connection, Northwest/KLM, and United Express. Of course, we are talking about the middle of the United States here, a.k.a. prime road trip territory. You could tack it onto a trip to Chicago, or a pass through Big Bone Lick or Santa Claus, Indiana if you’re coming from the south.

We recommend you drive. You’ll have to rent a car to get to all the wineries if you fly, but if you’re coming from far away, Kalamazoo and South Bend do have all the usual car rental companies handy.

Where to stay: There are plenty of cheap hotels all along the wine trail. You can find gads of them on ChoiceHotels.com, but here’s a tip: Don’t make your reservations in advance. Even hotel chains will haggle with you. If you walk in the door of a tricked-out Comfort Suites and tell them you can only stay there if they’ll give you a suite for $40, they just might give it to you! Be sure and mention if you plan to stay multiple nights; it’ll help them give you a lower price.

Another suggestion? Lee’s Inns. There a nice Lee’s Inn in Kalamazoo.

What to see: Sometimes we forget to look in our own backyards for the finer things in life. You don’t need to go somewhere fancy to find beauty, hard-working people, terrific stories, and darn good wine. What’s more, the wineries along Lake Michigan’s shores come with a little less snobbery than you might find in California. It’s a great place to go to learn about wine.

Tastings at most Indiana and Michigan wineries are free. The bottles of wine vary in price, naturally, but you will always be able to find something affordable.

The best online resource for scouting wineries along Lake Michigan is the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail. Not every winery in the area is listed, but if you hit a couple in person, you’ll find other brochures that lead you to the rest. Talk to people in the area, ask at your hotel. The reason nobody goes around broadcasting information about these great wineries is that nobody knows they’re a secret!

Our favorite is The Round Barn Winery. The scenery is spectacular — and yes, there’s a big round barn. Round Barn specializes in wine but also makes fruit infused liqueurs and cordials and their very own range of beer! Definitely something for everyone.

A close runner up is Contessa. Be sure to try the merlot, and, if the weather’s nice, sip it out on their stunning terrace and gaze across the rolling hills of your very own America.

Drives to pies and what’s nearby: Converse, Indiana

by Jamie Rhein on

Herschberger Essen Haus is another worthy stop on the fabulous pie hunt. This restaurant, according to Aaron who left a comment on the strawberry-rhubarb pie post, serves up a strawberry-rhubarb pie to drive for–even though it’s 40 miles out of his way. When going from Indianapolis to Detroit, Aaron swings by Converse where there’s a slice of this very pie with his name on it.

The red dot in the white rectangle is where you’ll find the pie, or therabouts. The red rectangle in the map of Indiana marks Miami County where Converse is located.

I’m curious how Aaron found Herschberger Essen Haus. Was this a pie tip someone gave him? Converse isn’t exactly a tourist hot spot. I’m sure it’s a terrific place to live, but the population is teeny. At 1,147 in 2006, that’s smaller than most high schools. The Oak Hill Winery, also in town, looks like another worth-the-effort palate pleaser. Housed in a 1895 carriage house, the winery offers a pie wine chaser to fill out a decent afternoon.

If you pair your trip to Converse with a visit to the rest of Miami County, more specifically, Peru, Indiana, there are more reasons to travel this unbeaten path.

Cole Porter, for example, was born in Peru. You can see the house where he lived from 1891–1901, but restoration on the building isn’t finished. Unfortunately, it was divided into apartments and left to disrepair. Even worse, one of the apartments was used as a meth-amphetamine lab by a tenant. Tsk, tsk. The building, however, is lovely and worth saving. The committee that’s in charge of the project is in the process of turning it into a museum and bed & breakfast. The before and after pictures show progress. This is a project to root for. A big hurrah to the folks who are pouring their energies into it.

Also in Peru is the Grissom Air Museum at the Grissom Air Reserve Base. There are 25 aircraft and a F-4 you can climb into, plus little known details about World War II history.

Another stop is the Miami County Historical Society Museum where there is something to learn about everything. You can see some of Cole Porter’s belongings, including his Cadillac, plus learn about the rich history of the area. For starters, Miami County has a past linked with Native Americans, Tom Mix and the circus. As a fan of historical society museums, this one looks like it’s one of the best and the hours are plentiful.

Because Peru is the “Circus Capital of the World,” in the spirit of circus love, there is an amateur circus each July which includes the Circus City Festival. In addition to the displays at the historical society, you can learn more about Peru’s circus past and present at the Circus City Museum.

While in Peru, also check out the Crane’s Nest Store operated by the Miami Nation of Indians. There are affordable crafts like handwoven baskets and proceeds help out the Miami Nation of Indiana.

Whatever you do in Peru, don’t forget that pie in Converse–it’s the reason to head to Miami County, at least if you’re Aaron.

One for the Road: Haunted Hoosier Trails

by Kelly Amabile on

Does the thought of traveling to Indiana frighten you? It might if you’ve read any of Haunted Hoosier Trails, which explores scary spots throughout the state. This guide to Indiana’s “Famous Folklore Spooky Sites” visits 75 haunted locations in the heartland, including the Hazelcot Castle, the Slippery Noodle Inn, the 100-Steps Cemetery and the Point of Death. Organized by county, each chapter reveals chilling historical details about the state’s horrors and haunts.

Author Wanda Lou Willis is a fifth generation Hoosier and folklorist who has carefully researched all these ghoulish tales. In fact, she found so many that she had to write a second book as well: More Haunted Hoosier Trails includes visits to Hannah House in Indianapolis, and Indiana University in Bloomington, believed to be one of the most haunted campuses in the country. Although the books were published a few years back, they’d certainly serve as good guides to the scarier side of the Hoosier state.

Be a Part of History by Offering Your U.S. 40 Story

by Jamie Rhein on

For all of you travelers who’ve ever been on U.S. 40, the section also known as the National Road, students at Ball State University may want your story. The students are doing a documentary about the highway and want to include stories from people who live and travel along this stretch of American history. (Read about project and contacts.)

Why this highway? As the first federally-funded highway after it was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1806, it played an important part in American expansion west and the development of the Midwest. Part of the road paralleled George Washington’s and General Braddock’s military road that was built from 1754 to 1755. Today, parts of U.S. 40 still stretch across the United States almost as far as Park City, Utah, but the original highway when it was the National Road started in Cumberland, Maryland and ended in Vandalia, Illinois.

The Ball State film project will also include a Web site, touch screen kiosks and educational shows. If you end up involved, let us know. I love this shot by artistic pursuits on Flickr. This is the Wheeling, West Virginia suspension bridge that crosses the Ohio River along U.S. 40. I traveled this way many times as a kid. Hmmm, maybe I need to contact Ball State.

Minnetrista: GPS Adventures for Geocaching Fans

by Kelly Amabile on

The latitude of Minnetrista, MN is 44.938N and the longitude is -93.717W. But plugging those coordinates into your GPS unit won’t get you to a new geocaching exhibit set to open at this Minnetrista. To get here, you must plug in coordinates for Muncie, IN (40.12N latitude and 085.23W longitude), home of this East Central Indiana museum and cultural center.

Geocaching enthusiasts may already be plotting summer excursions to this new exhibit sponsored by Groundspeak (the folks behind Geocaching.com), in partnership with Trimble and Minotaur Maze Exhibits. GPS Adventures is a hands-on presentation designed to teach people of all ages about navigation, GPS technology and geocaching. It features GPS stats, history, current uses and future possibilities; and simulates geocaching by leading museum visitors through a 2,500 square foot interactive maze. Subtitled, “From Tracking to Treasure Hunting”, the exhibit will premiere this coming Saturday, June 2nd during a geocaching event that will be held from 2 – 4 p.m at the museum.

If mapping trends and technologies interest you, be sure to check out another navigation-themed exhibit Gadling mentioned recently. Coordinates for its city location: 38.51N and 77.2W.