Jay Jones –

Durng a Saturday ride, members of Organized Chaos Women's Motorcycle Club approach the Kane-DeKalb county line on Beith Road.

Women in motorcycle groups travel far and wide to find fellowship and adventure outside the flatlands of the Chicago area

September 6, 2023 at 10:49 a.m.

On a warm and sunny Sunday morning, a circle of about 40 motorcyclists joined hands in the parking lot of Woodstock's Harley-Davidson dealership for the annual Blessing of the Bikes....

Owner Jeremie Draper, left, looks on as glassmaker Brandie Centi-Fislar twists the stem on a stylish blown pumpkin at J. Draper Glass in Peoria. Pumpkin-themed glass blowing classes are held each October.

‘It’s just pumpkin everything’: How an Illinois town considered the pumpkin capital of the world celebrates in fall

September 16, 2022 at 1:47 p.m.

Autumn may still be awhile away, but it's in full swing in Morton, the central Illinois town that proclaims itself "Pumpkin Capital of the World." It's an appropriate label since...

A glass case holds dozens of flavorful varieties at The Donut Dude in Liberty Township, Ohio. It's one of the mom-and-pop shops featured on the Butler County Donut Trail.

Wine, doughnuts, pasties: Midwest food trails offer delicious escapes

August 24, 2022 at 9:04 a.m.

Anyone can grab a pasty during a wander through Michigan's Upper Peninsula — but for those who want to try all the best versions, all at once, there is a...

Meeting cows like this pair of Holsteins, two of New Day Dairy's herd of 120 cows, is part of the experience for overnight guests at the farm.

America’s other dairyland: A rugged pocket of Iowa is a cheese-lover’s paradise

August 11, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Fishing fans already know of one of the gems of northeast Iowa: Some of the America's finest trout streams are tucked beneath steep hillsides in idyllic, narrow valleys. But this...

Seymour, Wisconsin, proudly proclaims itself as the "Home of the Hamburger," The small town about a half-hour drive from Green Bay is where the first hamburgers were sold at a county fair in 1885.

Hamburgers, a history: How a small Wisconsin town got credit for birth of the burger

May 25, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Less than a half-hour west of Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers play, Charlie Nagreen's name is equally well known as those of legends like Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr...

The gravestones of Albert D.J. Cashier at Sunny Slope Cemetery on Aug. 27. 2019, in Saunemin. Born Jennie Hodgers in 1843 in Ireland, the immigrant enlisted for three years in the Civil War as Albert Cashier.

Transgender and Civil War history converge on a day trip to Saunemin, Illinois

December 16, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

For more than 40 years after mustering out of the Union Army at the end of the Civil War, Albert Cashier led a quiet life in Saunemin, a village of...

As an American tradition returns, it’s time to round up the family — and the livestock

June 24, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

While many youngsters frolic their way through summer vacation, Dalton Mowbray keeps busy feeding, grooming and training his hogs. Mid-August is fast approaching, and he has his eye on the...

Set on a rocky point overlooking Green Bay, the Sherwood Point Lighthouse is available for nightly rentals for active members of the military and veterans. It is only open to the public during the semiannual Door County Lighthouse Festivals.

Full of maritime lore, Door County’s lighthouses will welcome visitors during upcoming festivals

May 20, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

From observation points within Peninsula State Park, Chambers Island can be spotted as a forested bump rising from the waters of Green Bay. But few of the 2 million annual...

As a band performs on an outdoor stage, throngs of bikers in black leather jackets and T-shirts enjoy the music at Poopy's, a wildly-popular biker bar south of Savanna.

Born to be wild, Savanna’s stunning scenery along the Mississippi River is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts and bikers alike in Northwest Illinois

May 6, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Driving into this Mississippi River town on a Saturday afternoon last October, it was impossible to ignore the masses of motorcycles along Main Street. Block after block along the downtown...

A towrope links the Volunteer canal boat to Moe the mule, in the distance along the I&M Canal Trail, during a ride down the canal at a leisurely 2 miles an hour.

By foot, pedal or mule power, exploration awaits along historic Illinois canal

April 12, 2021 at 5:16 p.m.

Hoofing it down the trail at a flat-out 2 miles an hour, Moe is to be forgiven. He is, after all, a mule, and he's towing a 76-foot-long boat laden...

All Stories