Spring-Summer Travel

May 1, 2016

spring-summer travel

Natural wonders 4 must-see national parks

insiDe: Monumental fun in South Dakota 路 I-90 pit stops 路 Off the beaten path in Kansas 路 Presidential treasures 路 Grandest mall of all

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sOutH DAKOtA

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Mount Rushmore, Black Hills.

monumental sight-seeing Stone faces, dinosaur bones and storybook characters hit milestone years, celebrate in big way

By Marge Peterson WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

Scenic byways and dramatic landscapes. Iconic monuments and quirky roadside attractions.

Colorful history and rich culture.

Welcome to South Dakota, land of infinite variety. Famed sites like Mount Rushmore National Memorial, celebrating its 75th anniversary of completion this year, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park and Mammoth Site have been favorite vacation destinations for generations of Nebraskans. Here’s a sampling of what’s old but new in the Mount Rushmore State.

MOunt RusHMORE At 75 Oct. 4, 1927, to Oct. 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers chiseled the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln into a mountainside in the Black Hills. Today, their work remains one of the largest sculptures ever created. Each of the heads is 60 feet high; Washington’s nose is 20 feet long and Honest Abe’s eyes are 11 feet wide. The memorial to our nation’s presidents, however, was never finished.

Borglum died in 1941 while World War II was raging in Europe, and funding and manpower disappeared. The plan shifted from the original design to what you see today. The Mount Rushmore

Society is planning celebrations in nearby Rapid City. Beginning in July and running through mid-October, the Journey Museum will feature “The Journey to Mount Rushmore,” an exhibition on the connections between Rapid City and Mount Rushmore. Aug. 20, public lands sites in the Black Hills will celebrate a Find Your Park Festival at Main Street Square.

Mount Rushmore is celebrating throughout the summer, starting with special exhibitions at the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center in Keystone.

“National Parks in Quilts” in July features 13 blocks. In August and September, an unusual series of duct tape artwork will be on view. On Aug.25,

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Dinosaur Park.

visitors can celebrate the official 100th birthday of the National Park Service with free cake. The months-long festivities culminate Oct. 22 with the Black Hills Symphony’s debut of “Mount Rushmore Suite” by Michael Daugherty in an outdoor concert. www.mountrushmoresociety.com

Dinosaur Park at 80 Although work first began on Rapid City’s Dinosaur Park 80 years ago, the anniversary of the park’s opening isn’t being celebrated until 2017. Still, a visit holds colossal fun.

The park encompasses 7.27 acres and features five life-size prehistoric dinosaurs: the Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus and

activity 99 To celebrate Mount Rushmore’s 75th anniversary, the National Park Service is challenging visitors to Activity 99, a scavenger hunt around the Black Hills of South Dakota. Throughout 2016, those up to the challenge can visit select attractions in the region and obtain a photo or staff signature to “check off” a stop. Activity lists must be presented to a park ranger at Mount Rushmore

by Jan. 13, 2017, for a chance to win a pass to America’s national parks. www.home.nps.gov/ moru/getinvolved/activity-99

Trachodon. The park sits on a ridge of sandstone that encircles the Black Hills, close to where dinosaur footprints have been found. www.godakota.com

storybook LanD at 40 Activities and special events throughout the summer will mark the 40th anniversary of Aberdeen’s Storybook Land at Wylie Park.

Inspired by familiar nursery rhymes such as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Hickory Dickory Dock,” the park includes rides and activities for youngsters and the young at heart. Festivities kick off with a Family Fun weekend June 9 that includes a movie in the castle, a Storybook Land treasure hunt and a fun run. A dedication ceremony for the new roller coaster takes place June 10. The Municipal Band performs an outdoor concert followed by fireworks at dusk on the Fourth of July. The free 11th annual Storybook Land Festival, July 22 and 23, features published children’s authors, storytellers and entertainment. There also will be special activities for children Monday and Thursday evenings June 6 through Aug. 4. www.aberdeen.sd.us

sPring-suMMEr travEL A special section produced by the news division of the Omaha World-Herald.

Special sections editor Chris Christen, 402-444-1094, chris.christen@owh.com Project editor Howard K. Marcus, 402-444-1397, howard.marcus@owh.com Section designer Kiley Cruse Contributing writers Karen Wallerstedt Blanc, Scott Darling, Kurt A. Keeler, Marge Peterson, Mike Whye Special sections advertising manager Dan Matuella, 402-444-1485, dan.matuella@owh.com Cover photo Grand Teton National Park, Tim Fitzgerald

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south dakota

S o u T H DA k o TA D e pA rT m e n T o F T o u r I S m

Falls Park, Sioux Falls.

Along I-90 and beyond From waterfalls in the east to buffalo in the west, South Dakota route teems with natural wonders and corny surprises.

By Marge Peterson // WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

Too many travelers zip along Interstate 90 across South Dakota and miss intriguing sights along the way. Stunning waterfalls, a palace decorated in corn, and an auto museum await discovery between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills.

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Porter Sculpture Park.

Sioux Falls

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Porter Sculpture Park.

You could spend an entire weekend in Sioux Falls on the eastern end of the I-90 stretch.

But if you’re short on time, head for Falls Park. Its Visitor Information Center has a fivestory tower with a 360-degree panoramic view of the Big Sioux River, roaring waterfalls and the city skyline. Other park attractions include the Horse Barn, built in the late 1800s; the remains of the Queen Bee Mill, which at one time was one of the most advanced in America; the Monarch of the Plains statue; Overlook Café, which offers light dining and Instagram-worthy views of the falls; and biking and hiking trails. Porter Sculpture Park beckons, too. You can’t miss its 60-foot-tall bull head alongside the Interstate at Exit 374. More than 40 sculptures, including flowers, fish and a magic dragon, are spread out along a three-quarter-mile loop.

Golf carts are available for visitors unable to walk the path.

Travelers with another hour to spare should head downtown for a peek inside the Cathedral of St. Joseph dedicated in 1919, and a 15-minute stroll along the SculptureWalk, a public art display that grows each year near the banks of the Big Sioux River. Cafes and boutiques add to the visitor experience.

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SOUTH DAKOTA

Kimball The free South Dakota Tractor Museum in Kimball provides guided tours of restored tractors, farm machinery, windmills and buggies, as well as a 1904 one-room schoolhouse and blacksmith shop. Don’t leave without a Kimball popcorn ball, available in original, honey or caramel.

The Lewis & Clark Information Center at the I-90 rest area between Exits 263 and 265 contains interpretive displays depicting the explorer’s journey through the state. The 55-foot keel boat deck offers a breathtaking view of the Missouri River.

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Corn Palace.

Mitchell Heading west, your next stop is Mitchell, home of the World’s Only Corn Palace, which has just undergone extensive renovation. The Moorish-style building is decorated both inside and out with more than 11 different shades of corn — 2,000 bushels worth — and 40 tons of other grains. The designs change every year, and a wide variety of popcorn-related snacks (naturally) are available at the gift shop.

Days 5th Annual

is scheduled for July 8-10, 2016.

Buffalo, Wyoming. Home of Longmire.

Join in the 3 day festival with actors, producers, book agents, and the author himself Craig Johnson.

Plenty of events for all ages.

2016

Heading to Yellowstone this summer?

We are on the safest, most scenic route to Yellowstone, Hwy 16 is the Cloud Peak Skyway.

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South Dakota Tractor Museum.

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SOUTH DAKOTA

Badlands Loop Leave the Interstate at Exit 131, and take the Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) as it winds from the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to the Pinnacles Overview.

Along this state scenic byway you’ll find worthwhile overlooks, nature trails and wildlife. The byway rejoins I-90 at Wall, famous for the block-long Wall Drug Store. In 1936 pharmacy owners Ted and Dorothy Husted advertised free ice water on signs along the highway to get people to stop.

Tourists have been doing so ever since, and today, Wall Drug is a 76,000-square-foot wonderland of free attractions, including a restaurant seating 520. And, yes, it still serves free ice water.

Kiley Cruse/The World-herald

Badlands Loop

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Murdo The Pioneer Auto Show is a must-see. It features more than 275 antique and classic automobiles, motorcycles and tractors. Of special note: a cycle once owned by Elvis Presley.

Scenic drives

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Custer State Park.

Side trip While Custer State Park is not on I-90, this 71,000-acre park is a must-see Black Hills attraction. Chances are you’ll have to stop for bison herds meandering across the road or burros approaching vehicles for food. A ribbon-cutting ceremony May 21 officially opens the Custer State Park Visitor Center, which replaces the 80-year-old Peter Norbeck Visitor Center. The usual park permit ($20 per vehicle for seven days) is being waived that weekend. Interactive exhibits and a rock-climbing area will capture kids’ interests.

Head for the 100-seat theater for a 20-minute overview of the area with aerial footage of bison herds, granite spires and park activities. New lodging options include four-and five-bedroom units designed for family reunions and retreats.

Three scenic drives meander through the area: Needles Highway, Wildlife Loop Road and Iron Mountain Road. The 14-mile-long Needles Highway threads through pine and spruce forests and past oddly shaped weathered granite spires. One of the 30-foot-tall formations has a 3-foot slit down its center and resembles the eye of a needle, thus the highway name. There are more than 60 miles of hiking and horseback trails, and mountain streams and four man-made lakes for fishing, swimming or boating. Nature walks, jeep tours and chuck-wagon dinners are also offered at Custer State Park.

If you go Travel time from Omaha to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota (546 miles), is 8.5 hours. www.travelsouthdakota.com

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our national parks

“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.”

— Willa Cather

ChrIS ChrISTeN/The World-herAld

Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Amazing places, wide open spaces

By Chris Christen and Kurt a. Keeler

In this 100th anniversary year of the National Park Service, where will you go to celebrate the preservation of America’s heritage and beauty? Turn the page for four awe-inspiring destinations.

OuR nAtiOnAL pARks

Here’s a peek at four granddaddies of the National Park System.

KurT a. Keeler

Tim FiTzgerald

Teton front range.

Old Faithful, Upper Geyser Basin.

GRAnD tEtOn, Wyoming

YELLOWstOnE, Wyoming (with the edges in idaho and Montana).

On your way to Yellowstone National Park, build in two days for exploring Grand Teton National Park. The drive into the park from Jackson, Wyoming, will seem underwhelming at the outset, with miles of open prairie and marshy meadows. Then … wow! That glorious Grand Teton range appears and takes your breath away. Pull into Teton Village, gas up and grab a bite to eat. The sightseeing action is nonstop from here.

Unlike Grand Teton, Yellowstone has lots to do and see. Study guidebooks and review the National Park Service website prior to leaving home so you can get the most from your visit. The park’s information center is an educational adventure of its own. A highlight is a huge diorama illustrating areas of seismic activity and sources of hot water geysers and pools. The wooden-timbered Old Faithful Inn is not to be missed, nor is Old Faithful itself.

WHERE TO STAY: Consider Signal Mountain Lodge at Moran. Its Western Cabins ($281 per night, double occupancy) are recently renovated and comfortable.

The property has a full-service restaurant (with great breakfasts) and a lounge with an outdoor deck overlooking the lake.

NIGHTCAP: At Jackson Lake Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, you can watch the sun go down behind the mountains as you sip a favorite beverage on the veranda.

Keep an eye on the adjacent Willow Flats, a prime moose habitat.

MUST-DO: Even if you are not a morning person, get up just before daybreak to get out and watch the sun spill pinks, blues and oranges across the lake and against the face of Signal Mountain.

INSIDE SCOOP: Ask rangers where elk, bison and pronghorns are likely to be. Plan

GOOD TO KNOW: If you approach Yellowstone from the south, gas up and stock up at Grant Village. There are few fuel stops and no fast-food places in the park.

WHERE TO STAY: Establish your base camp at the park’s center in lake country.

For two nights, call Lake Lodge’s Western Cabins your home ($231 per night, double occupancy). Make an evening dinner reservation at the lodge’s handsome and rustic buffet-service dining room, and turn in early. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

BASIC PLAN: With maps and guidebooks in hand, explore Yellowstone’s 70-mile Lower Loop your first full day. Day 2, take the 96-mile Upper Loop.

NOT TO BE MISSED: The Geyser Basin, including stops for closeup views of the

your driving routes accordingly.

BEST BETS: Scenic drives: Teton Park Road, Jenny Lake Loop, U.S. 89/91 • Short hikes: Swan Lake to Heron Pond; Taggart Lake; Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point • Sunrise, sunset views: Teton Point Turnout, Signal Mountain Summit, Cascade Canyon Turnout, Oxbow Bend Turnout, Blacktail Ponds Overlook. • Rainy-day hangouts: Jenny Lake Visitor Center; Colter Bay Visitor Center and Indian Arts Museum; Craig Thomas Discover and Visitor Center.

OFF-SEASON: This park is mostly about the scenery — lakes and forests against massive peaks. Fall visitors come for the aspens and their changing colors — magnificent for shutterbugs. Colter Bay Village is a popular launch point for snowmobiling.

Grand Prismatic Spring and Fountain Paint Pot. An easy hike from Grand Loop Road takes you to Picture Hill for a postcardperfect view of the prismatic spring. Fairy Falls is a short hike further.

INSIDER TIP: An early or late autumn visit to a major national park has pluses and minuses. Positives: Fewer tourists, changing colors and wildlife that’s more active in cooler weather. Negatives: Limited or closed services within the park, including dining choices; a staff that’s ready to go home after a long season and unpredictable weather. During a late September visit, a surprise snowstorm closed roads in the northern region of the park, restricting sightseeing.

By the numbers

1872

Year President Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park.

1916

Year President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service to oversee federally protected lands, including national parks, monuments and memorials.

84 million

Approximate number of acres the National Park Service maintains.

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CHriS CHriSTeN/THe World-Herald

KurT a. Keeler

Bull elk, Trail Ridge Road summit.

Half Dome from Glacier Point.

ROCkY MOuntAin, Colorado

YOsEMitE, California (in the sierra nevada Mountains)

Grand peaks, more than 300 miles of hiking trails, big game and exhilarating mountain views along Trail Ridge Road make this an ideal first-park experience.

It’s a natural wonderland. Yosemite is the mother of all national parks, and 2016 marks its 126th anniversary, although its protected status began in 1864. The word “iconic” was invented for El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall — endlessly documented in National Geographic TV specials and Ansel Adams photographs. The geological diversity and grandeur is spellbinding.

WHEN TO GO: The popularity of the Colorado Rockies soars during summer — and for good reason. Estes Park is an ideal family tourist destination and has been for generations. Less-known is the nature of the park after the summer crowds have gone home. Fall color comes in stages, starting in late August or early September in the tundra region and peaking at lower altitudes in late September.

TALK OF THE PARK: The real highlight of autumn is the elk mating season that runs from late September though midOctober. Park workers and visitors alike anticipate the ritual of massive elk herds bugling in the dark during the elk rut. Prime viewing areas during weekends tend to be extremely crowded, especially at dusk, with visitors “tailgating” as the nature show unfolds. Insider tip: Come on a weekday during the rut and avoid the throngs.

SPECIAL TREAT: Experience the Rockies in winter. The weather in Estes Park is milder that you might think, plus the town shrinks. It’s a “locals-only joint,” a ranger shares. “The streets roll up at 7.” Snowshoeing, wildlife viewing and backcountry skiing are prime wintertime

activities for locals and visitors alike.

HOME BASE: Consider a private vacation rental. A mountainside condo minutes from Estes Park can offer views, solitude and the best star-gazing short of being in the park itself. Book early; four to six months’ lead time recommended.

WHERE TO PLAY: Estes Park Aerial Tramway, for sweeping views and a light lunch at the summit • Fun City, for go-kart racing, runs down a giant slide and target shooting in a video arcade • Downtown, for shopping • The Stanley Hotel, for a guided tour (reservations required), peoplewatching in the tearoom and a walk through the gardens • Park trails, for a workout.

Good for beginner and intermediate hikers: Deer Ridge, Gem Lake, Bear Lake and Alberta Falls • The Alluvial Fan, for glacial rocks and raging water thrills • Old Fall River Road, for a white-knuckle drive along a narrow, unpaved, one-way road to the summit and Alpine Visitor Center.

Keep your camera handy for breathtaking tundra views and elk herds grazing at high elevations • Outdoors on a crystal-clear night for a mesmerizing view of the Milky Way. And a wish upon a shooting star.

305 million

Number of people who visited national parks in 2015, a record expected to be shattered this year as the National Park Service celebrates 100 years.

Sources: National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior

GOOD TO KNOW: Mariposa’s motels are less expensive and more likely to have accommodations available on short notice than the in-park lodges and cabins which book as much as one year in advance. But the two-hour commute between Mariposa and the park can be prolonged by long lines of cars and waits for single-lane bridge crossings. After a long, tiring day of hiking, the drive back to Mariposa in the dark and

in traffic can be a real bummer.

WORTH THE EFFORT: Hike to Dog Lake near Lembert Dome, starting at the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center, challenging but not a killer; the secluded mountain-top lake is dreamily beautiful.

Drive to Olmsted Point near Half Dome for a view from on high in all directions. The Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias is a walk in the woods you’ll never forget.

Did you know

?

Fourth-graders and their families can see America’s natural wonders and historic sites for free with an Every Kid in the Park pass. Current third-graders can get their fourth-grade passes starting Sept. 1, 2016. www.everykidinapark.gov Active duty military and U.S. citizens with permanent disabilities are eligible for free annual passes, while residents ages 62 and older can visit the National Park System on a $10 lifetime pass. www.nps.gov/planyourvisit Entrance fees for everyone are waived at national parks on select dates each year. Get in free Aug. 25-28; Sept. 24 and Nov. 11 in conjunction with the National Park Service’s 2016 centennial celebration. But be warned: parks can be congested on free days. Arrive early for the best spots at picnic sites and trail head parking areas.

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the NatioNal Mall

Steve Jordon/the World-herAld

National Mall, Washington, D.C.

‘America’s Front Yard’ Memorials and museums are the obvious things to see, but quieter spots impress even more

By Steve Jordon WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The National Mall traces its history to George Washington’s selection of land for a “federal city” in 1790, making it the oldest parkland managed by the National Park Service.

As “America’s Front Yard,” the Mall’s main features — the presidential monuments, war memorials, museums, pools of water and open spaces — are well-known, visited annually by some 29 million people from around the globe.

For our family, the Mall has become personal, and some of its lesser-known features are the most interesting and fun for us.

The evening before our son’s wedding in Washington, D.C., newly acquainted families of the bride and groom trooped from the prenuptial dinner at the Dubliner Restaurant in the Phoenix Park Hotel to the steps of the Capitol, a few blocks away, enjoying the crisp fall air.

Years before, my brother and I had walked

from Crystal City to the Lincoln Memorial and back one morning, stopping to look toward Arlington National Cemetery, where we buried our father later that day.

My son and I have ridden bicycles along the Mall’s broad walkways, across the Potomac River, pedaling up to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial with a statue commemorating the Battle of Iwo Jima.

We’ve spent many evenings sitting on blankets, watching the Marines’ Drum and Bugle Corps on the parade deck in front of the statue, with the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome visible in the distance.

Sure, we’ve visited the monuments, including the lesser-known Franklin Roosevelt display, with its bronze depiction of Americans standing in bread lines during the Great Depression, and the statues of nurses helping wounded soldiers in Vietnam.

In 1984, we walked the Mall with umbrellas that worked equally well in the rain and as por-

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the NatIONal Mall table shade. The kids rode the carousel, and we saw the Wright Brothers’ flying machine at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the Mall’s most popular (free) attraction.

These days we stop regularly at the Summerhouse, which eludes most tourist maps. Located near the northwest corner of the Capitol, the roofless, hexagonal red brick structure encloses a fountain, a hidden grotto and stone benches. Designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (the first architect of Yosemite Park) and completed in early 1881, it’s a perfect spot for recovering after walking the two-mile stretch between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial — and back.

If you stop for lunch in the lower level of the National Art Gallery, you can sit near a cascading fountain with water that disappears below the long picture window. It’s like sitting on a beach with the sound of waves continuously rolling in.

The Mall itself is always busy. Office workers play flag football, softball and soccer on its lawns. Each year there’s a soapbox derby along a stretch of street near the Mall’s east end, where Capitol Hill provides just the right slope for the non-motorized racers.

You could lay more than four football fields end-to-end, sideways across the Mall between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue; the turf is forever taking a beating. The Park Service counts more than 3,000 rallies, concerts, festivals and other events each year. Organizers cover the grass with tents and pound stakes into the ground.

Workers are perpetually renovating the turf in phases, installing new topsoil, grass, drainage systems and irrigation equipment.

Every time we visit, there’s something new.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2004. The National Botanical Garden seems to grow every year and changes its programs and displays regularly.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was dedicated in 2011. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is slated to be dedicated this September. The Lincoln Memorial’s underside is undergoing a renovation to display more of its history.

Damage to the Washington Monument from an earthquake in 2011 has been repaired, so you can ride the elevator to the top once again. These days, the Capitol dome is encased in scaffolding while workers fix cracks, replace paint and otherwise restore the cast-iron structure.

The Mall continually makes history.

My wife and daughter were there in 1988 when quilts commemorating AIDS casualties literally covered the Mall. The

FDR Memorial, at right, and Lincoln Memorial, below, National Mall, Washington, D.C. Kurt A. Keeler

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Washington Monument. largest crowd in recent years was for Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.

You can stand where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Count the stars representing World War II casualties. Walk at ground level with Korean War soldiers on patrol. And feel our nation’s loss at the black granite Vietnam Memorial.

While the Mall doesn’t have mountains and wildlife — if you don’t count Republicans and Democrats — it does have Park Service rangers and other staffers.

They’re on hand to discuss the historic features, give directions and generally keep things orderly.

What’s next for the Mall?

Perhaps a Middle East war memorial.

Most certainly notable ceremonies.

Perhaps great-grandchildren will walk the pathways, carrying umbrellas for shade.

As the nation continues to change, so too will the Mall.

IF YOU GO Learn more and plan your own itinerary: www.nps.gov/nama; www.nationalmall.org

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Presidential libraries

Chris ChristeN/the World-herald

Air Force One Pavillion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

National treasures Public archives trace lives, legacies of nation’s leaders; preserve moments in history

Presidential politics this election year are, to say the least, very different from past campaigns. Gain some historical perspective and a better understanding of presidencies past with a visit to one of the 13 presidential libraries that dot the nation from California to Massachusetts.

Most presidents since Herbert Hoover are buried at their libraries/museums with the exception of John F. Kennedy (Arlington Cemetery) and Lyndon B. Johnson (at his ranch near Austin, Texas).

Run by the National Archives’ Presidential Library and Museum system, these shrines offer interactive exhibitions, educational events and vast public archives. They’re also filled

with memorabilia iconic to specific presidencies such as Harry S. Truman’s “The Buck Stops Here!” desk, George W. Bush’s bullhorn at Ground Zero after 9/11 and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 “I Like Ike” campaign button.

Start humming “Hail to the Chief” and check out the following museums and libraries that top our list based on first-hand visits. Think you might like to visit all 13 in person? The Passport to Presidential Libraries program offers a booklet ($5) for obtaining a stamp at each museum.

Collect all 13 and receive a commemorative crystal paperweight with an etching of the presidential seal — for your personal Oval Office.

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P

Ronald Reagan

L LIBRARy & TIA M N E

Harry S. Truman Independence, took office Missouri in 1945 following the death of President www.trumanlibrary.org Franklin D. Roosevelt, less than three months into his fourth term.

The 33rd president guided the country through difficult times, including the dropping of the first atomic bombs, ending World War II and the framing of the united Nations.

The first of two permanent exhibitions, “Harry S. Truman: The Presidential years,” offers an introductory film about Truman and explores the factors that prepared him for the challenges of his presidency. It also contains two “decision theaters,” where background is given on important presidential decisions and visitors can vote on whether they agree with the president’s decision. One involves racial integration within the armed forces, while another deals with potential spies among us.

The second permanent exhibition, “Harry S. Truman: His Life and Times,” follows the president’s birth in Lamar, Missouri, his early years in Independence, his service during World War I and his return to Independence at the end of his presidency. Children can make campaign buttons, sort mail like

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On the 50-mile drive from LAX to Simi Valley one begins to wonder if the GPS is leading Simi Valley, you astray. The countryside becomes California rolling foothills and agricultural. Signs of habitation become sparse. Simi Valley is a pleasant-enough city, easily navigated, and then you’re back to ag land and www.ReaganFoundation.org horse ranches. Winding your way up the foothills seems like a route to desolation … until you reach the top and take in the 30-mile vista in all directions. And, an ‘aha’ moment: immediately in front of you, the library’s Spanish-style architecture seems the perfect setting for Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s final resting place and historical repository.

Many phrases suit this experience. Educational. Historic. Dramatic.

Fun. High-fashion. Sobering. Respectful. Emotion-evoking. Fiercely patriotic. Folksy. Pragmatic. Inspirational. Spiritual. Botanical. Beautiful.

And, oh yes, there’s a Boeing 707 (the real Air Force One) and a Sikorsky military helicopter (the real Marine One) in a space nearly big enough to fly in. The cavernous glass-walled Air Force One Pavilion is barely visible from the front of the Library, so cleverly is the building set into its hilltop site. Guests are welcome to walk through both aircraft that played significant roles during the Reagan Administration.

Reagan’s life history is traced from childhood to actor to California governor, through his presidency and the defeat of communism.

The moment of the assassination attempt in Washington, D.C., and Reagan’s composure following that near-fatal event is detailed.

Here, too, is Nancy’s story of the final trail of events for “Ronnie” as Alzheimer’s disease slowly took the nation’s 40th president away from her … and us.

The meticulously manicured grounds include a replica of the White House Rose Garden and a section of the Berlin Wall — which came down during Reagan’s presidency.

Tastefully elegant and dramatically informative, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library consistently is hailed as “the best” among the 13 and is worthy of a day-long visit. Advance ticketing recommended: systemtickets@ReaganFoundation.org — Kurt A. Keeler

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Harry S. Truman

Truman did when he was postmaster and test their knowledge in a Truman quiz.

“A More Perfect union: How Critical Presidential Elections Reshaped the Constitution,” which runs through 2016, examines how Civil War President Abraham Lincoln inspired the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments and how the assassination of John F. Kennedy resulted in passing the 25th amendment.

Another must-see attraction is a replica of the Oval Office as it appeared in 1950, including period furnishings, desk accessories and the first television set to appear in the Oval Office.

The grave sites of Harry and Bess Truman, their daughter, Margaret, and her husband E. Clifton Daniel, are found in a tranquil courtyard. From there, you can see the working office the president used six days a week from 1957 until 1966.

Sometimes, he was one of only a handful of people who worked on Saturdays.

When the public called, they were surprised when the president answered.

The nearby Truman Home Visitor and Information Center offers guided tours of Truman’s residence, where he lived for more than five decades except for his time in Washington. Known as the Summer White House, the home remains as it was when the president died in 1972, even down to the coats, hat and cane hanging behind the back door. Tours are limited to eight people.

— Marge Peterson

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Dwight D. Eisenhower

West Point), a 1950s fallout shelter and a replica of Eisenhower’s retirement office.

He was the first president of the television age. Eight percent of American homes had TVs when he was elected and more than 80 percent had them by the time he left office.

Eisenhower hired actor Robert Montgomery to coach him for speaking on television and reportedly said, “I don’t want to look like a movie star.” He received an honorary Emmy for his extensive use of the new medium.

The Mamie Eisenhower Gallery emphasizes her life as First Lady. A mutual friend introduced her to Ike, but the president had to wait six weeks for a date.

Reportedly, Mamie said upon meeting him, “Here is a real man.”

The gallery displays her second inaugural gown (Mamie’s first is on display at the Smithsonian), hats, bed jackets and jewelry.

Her work for charitable organizations is also showcased.

The Place of Meditation serves as the final resting place of the president, Mamie and their first-born son, who died of scarlet fever at age 3. The campus also presents a bronze statue of the president in his familiar World War II “Eisenhower Jacket.”

The “World War II Remembered: Leaders, Battles & Heroes” exhibition running through 2016 focuses on the pivotal events of World War II, marking the 70th anniversary of the conflict. It shares stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, Native American Code Talkers and women at war and on the home front.

— Marge Peterson

L LIBRARy & TIA N M E

Herbert Hoover led a fascinating life, and his West Branch, Iowa Presidential Museum does an impressive job of presenting it www.hoover.archives.gov with commentary, documents and artifacts.

Hoover was sworn in as president in March 1929. The Roaring Twenties were soon to end, Prohibition was still in effect (until 1933) and just months after Hoover took office, the stock market crashed, plummeting the country into the Great Depression.

The museum, situated in Hoover’s hometown of West Branch, Iowa, contains nine galleries, each presenting an important chapter in Hoover’s personal life, career and the years following his presidency. The museum also features a re-creation of the interior of Hoover’s fishing cabin in Virginia and a reproduction of his New york City home after he left office: Suite 31A of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The museum grounds feature the two-room cottage where Hoover was born, a Quaker meeting house where his family worshipped, the one-room West Branch schoolhouse built in 1853 and a reproduction of Hoover’s father’s blacksmith shop. The graves of Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, are on a hill overlooking the museum.

— Scott Darling EUM US

M EU US

Dwight D. Eisenhower rose Abilene, Kansas from humble beginnings in the heartland of America, and in 1952, became www.eisenhower.archives.gov the only five-star general to be AN DB ME elected to the highest O OyHOOD H office in the nation.

The 34th U.S. president was born in Denison, Texas, the third of seven boys. The family’s Kansas home, which is part of the complex, is located on its original site.

The Military Gallery displaying documents, photographs and objects such as the mahogany table where generals planned the D-Day invasion help visitors understand Eisenhower’s role as Supreme Allied Commander.

This gallery also honors the men and women who served during World War II with troop landing displays, D-Day relics excavated from Normandy and a photo of the general talking to the troops before the invasion. He tried to keep it light by telling one young soldier how to make the perfect fly cast.

One display contains the “in case of failure” message the general penned to accept responsibility in event the D-Day operation failed.

The Presidential Gallery chronicles the eight-year history of the Eisenhower presidency and includes interactive displays and learning centers. Exhibits include the bible he used for his inauguration (given to him by his parents on his graduation from

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www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

Born in Omaha and raised in Grand Rapids, Gerald Ford had an unconventional path to the White House. He became Richard Nixon’s vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned and ascended to the presidency following Richard Nixon’s impeachment and resignation from office.

Although president for just two years and five months, he helmed the country through difficult times and has the distinction as the only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected to either.

Located downtown next to the “rapids� of the Grand River, the Gerald Ford Museum is the only presidential museum located in a town different from its presidential library, which is in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan campus.

Museum highlights include an interactive reproduction of Ford’s Cabinet Room that lets visitors participate in the decision-making process, a recreation of the Oval Office and an exhibition detailing the presidential pardoning of Nixon and the ensuing reaction among Americans. The Ford Museum is closed for renovations and will reopen June 7. The Library in Ann Arbor remains open. — Scott Darling

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OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

KANSAS: OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Mike Whye

At Cosmosphere, left and top, artifacts trace early missile launches and manned space flights. Strataca, above, takes visitors to salt cellars 650 feet underground.

Salt mine, space artifacts among ‘wonders’ of hutchinson

By Mike Whye World-Herald CorreSPoNdeNT

When the 8 Wonders of Kansas were announced in 2008, Hutchinson had claimed two on the list. Truthfully, everyone in this community of 42,000 northwest of Wichita already knew they had two gems — Strataca and Cosmosphere. The competition simply validated it.

Strataca, about a mile north of U.S. Highway 50, is one of the low points of Kansas, literally. It’s 650 feet beneath the surface in a salt mine that began operating in the 1920s.

The Cosmosphere houses the world’s largest collection of Soviet-era Russian and American space artifacts.

Before a 90-second ride down in a 6-ton hoist, Strataca visitors are given an orientation, hard hats, and breathing gear.

If anyone is worried about claustrophobia, it isn’t likely to happen here. The well-lit, vast white-walled rooms are carved from salt deposits formed about 275 million years ago.

Exhibits in The Gallery — the main part of the museum — depict the history of salt mining.

A 15-minute ride on the Salt Train Express explores

the history of the mine, and takes visitors to a break room and areas where items such as newspapers and canned food were left by miners decades ago.

During the 30-minute Dark Ride, visitors take in an area mined in the 1950s. “It covers the history of mining and the geology of the mine,” Clements said. The salt here is used for roads, not cooking.

A 60-minute ride on the Safari Shuttle leads into another mined area.

“The only lights you have are the flashlights in your hand and the lights of the tram,” she said of the 12-person tour.

Strataca hosts a 5K run through its underground chambers the third Saturday of February and a Tour de Salt for bicyclists the second Saturday of October.

A bonus for visitors is a display created by Underground Vaults & Storage, a company independent of Strataca that has storage units in an area the size of 35 football fields. Movies, props, costumes — including Russell Crowe’s “Gladiator” armor and items from “Men In Black” — are preserved here.

Strataca’s gift shop, The Salt Cellar, has items unique to the underground museum and is just steps from the movie artifacts.

Cosmosphere began as a small planetarium more than 50 years ago. Today’s roll call of authentic items, which is about as endless as space itself, includes a Redstone rocket, an SR-71 spy plane, Gemini 10 spacecraft, Sputnik I satellite, Apollo 13 spacecraft which orbited the moon and the Vostok I spacecraft. Replicas of a Lunar Module; a Lunar Rover, and the V-1 and V-2 rockets of World War II also can be found. Displays in the galleries are dedicated to early space flight, Project Apollo, the Cold War, experiences of astronauts and more.

Mimi Meredith, Cosmosphere’s vice president of development, said the Justice Planetarium was upgraded last year to all-digital equipment which can link with presentations being shown elsewhere and live events.

The planetarium currently is showing a 45-minute documentary about telescopes, “Two Small Pieces of Glass,” followed by presentations about astronomy.

Movies about space, nature and science rotate in the Carey Digital Dome Theater. Dr. Goddard’s Lab has long been a hit with visitors because the informative scientific demonstrations are sometimes quite startling.

For more information, visit www.underkansas.org, www.cosmo.org or www.visithutch.com.

OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

KANSAS: OFF THE BEATEN PATH

K a r e n Wa l l e r s t e d t B l a n c

Lindsborg, Kansas, celebrates its Swedish heritage 365 days a year.

Dala horses, cobblestone streets and traditional foods are part of the town’s charm.

lindsborg packs scandinavian charm, authenticity

By Karen Wallerstedt Blanc WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

I’m 100 percent Swedish, and I pack a great deal of Swedish pride on my 5’5’’ frame.

I grew up in Oakland in northeast Nebraska, where dala horses top flag poles and Scandinavian names like Nelson, Olson and Swenson dominate the phone book.

I love my hometown, but Lindsborg, Kansas, takes visitors to Sweden without having to set foot on a plane. It also has the power to transport visitors to the past.

For me, Lindsborg has the same feel as my grandparents’ stories and the Christmas family dinners I experienced as a child.

I travel between Nebraska and Dallas for business, and it was a happy coinci-

dence the day I ventured two miles off Interstate 35 just south of Salina, Kansas, to the place that bills itself as “Little Sweden.”

With a population around 3,400 and home to Bethany College, this charming community features a two-block cobblestone main street lined with lively momand-pop businesses.

Swedish-related festivals draw crowds of 20,000 each year. One of those is the Messiah Festival of the Arts, which Lindsborg has staged in conjunction with Easter since 1882. It’s the longest-running oratorio performance in the United States.

During the first Saturday and Sunday in May, Millfest celebrates the town’s 19th-century mill work. The third Saturday in June, locals observe a Midsummer’s Festival with Swedish food, music,

dancing, games and the raising of a Midsommarstång (Midsummer Pole) in the town square.

There’s also the biannual Svensk Hyllningsfest honoring Swedish immigrants who settled in the Smoky Valley in 1869.

Founded in 1941, the festival features art, crafts, special foods, ethnic music, folk dancing, a parade and a Swedish smörgåsbord. Look for the next one in mid-October 2017.

As fun as these events are, my recommendation is to venture into Lindsborg when there’s nothing going on to experience the town on its own terms.

On my regular overnight trips, I enjoy popping into the Blacksmith Shop, a former smithy that sells freshly roasted coffee, peeking into the studio window of National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson and shopping at Helmslojd,

which welcomes patrons with a 6-foot-tall hand-painted dala horse.

Shops carry a wealth of Scandinavian items, including glassware, textiles, books, prints, food, cards, toys, holiday decorations and, of course, dala horses.

The experience transports me to a place where I can almost feel my ancestors’ presence.

Other local attractions include the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, the site of a 19th-century mill, and the historic Coronado Heights Castle, built on a 300-foot promontory less than 4.5 miles outside town. It commemorates the expeditions of the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who passed through central Kansas in the mid-16th century.

For more information, visit www.lindsborgcity.org.

omaha WorLD-heraLD

Winterset, ioWa

John Wayne museum pays tribute to movies

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

By Mike Whye WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

Although John Wayne played many roles in the movies — pilots, detectives, marines, business executives and even a boxer — most people think of him as a cowboy of the early American west. After all, of his 142 movies, 83 were westerns.

Wayne’s rough-and-ready persona stood tall in his trademark cowboy boots, Stetson, neckerchief and open leather vest. A sixgun usually rode in a holster slung low on a hip, and he often carried a Winchester rifle.

That image of Wayne — in the form of a larger-than-life bronze sculpture — greets visitors to his birthplace and museum in Winterset, Iowa.

That’s right, John Wayne, so often associated with the American West, hails from the Midwest.

The one-story, white frame house where he was born May 26, 1907, has been open to the public since 1982. An adjacent 6,100-square-foot museum and gift shop opened last year.

Visitors unfamiliar with Wayne’s career or in need of a refresher can view a video in the museum’s theater, complete with scaleddown marquee. The film covers the Iowa native’s success as an actor, director and producer. Flanking the theater’s 24 plush seats (from Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood) are posters of Wayne in “Fort Apache” (1948), “Back to Bataan”(1945), “Rio Lobo” (1970) and the one that propelled him to stardom, “Stagecoach” (1939).

The museum’s main gallery is watched over by a life-size figure of Wayne dressed as a cowboy against a backdrop of Monument Valley, the setting for five of his westerns. “The Searchers” may be his best; The American Film Institute proclaimed it the greatest western of all time.

Visitors can see Wayne’s emerald-green 1972 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon with its custom roof to accommodate the actor’s 6’4” frame. Wayne liked the car for its comfort and safety, according to the museum’s executive director, Brian Downes, a former Chicago Tribune reporter who once interviewed Wayne. “He wasn’t at all about show.”

Display cases, each with a theme, line the walls. One contains items from his memorable role as one-eyed, over-the-hill, beer-guzzling Marshal Rooster Cogburn in 1969’s “True Grit.” Among the artifacts is his black eye patch. However, it isn’t opaque because Wayne wanted to see what was happening around him.

Another display case has more western movie memorabilia, including a shirt and vest, reddened with special effects blood from “The Shootist” (1976), Wayne’s last movie.

Still another display case holds items from nonwestern movies such as “The Green Berets” (1968) and “Hellfighters” (1968).

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A life-size statue of John Wayne, set against the backdrop of Monument Valley, where five of his westerns were made, watches over artifacts in the museum’s main gallery.

The jaunty horse-drawn car that Wayne shared with actress Maureen O’Hara in “The Quiet Man” will soon join the collection, said Downes.

Also in the gallery are items such as a scale model of Wayne’s yacht, “The Wild Goose” (originally a World War II minesweeper), personal appointment and address books, and a letter from actress Lucille Ball. “John’s Winterset birthplace is a bit bigger than the one I started in,” she wrote in longhand.

Just steps from the museum is Wayne’s birthplace, a four-room cottage with a front door angled to relate to the corner lot.

The annual John Wayne Birthday Celebration is planned May 27 and 28. The new Iowa Quilt Museum will open nearby, and visitors can take in a barn dance, a benefit dinner with live music, a horse parade, an auction of John Wayne memorabilia and a showing of “The Searchers” on the courthouse lawn.

August 5th & 6th

the name game Clyde and Mary Morrison named their firstborn son Marion Robert Morrison.

They changed his middle name to Mitchell upon deciding to name their second child Robert. As a young actor, he appeared in 20 movies, mostly in uncredited roles. Director Raoul Walsh gave him the screen name John Wayne for the 1930 movie, “The Big Trail.” Still, the famous actor never legally changed his name, and his passports always read Marion Mitchell Morrison. Learn more: www.johnwaynebirthplace.museum

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