What kind of tourism in the American Midwest?

Where is the Midwest?

The Midwest is that huge region between the East and the West of the United States. Flat and monotonous as a whole, it is at best for many people only a transit area, even if here and there some places (starting with Chicago) ask to be visited.

Which American states make up the Midwest?

Twelve states make up the Midwest. They are North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.

What to see or do in different states?

North Dakota

Located on the Canadian border, it is one of the least populated American states with a very low population density. It is also the least visited of the whole American territory.
So, even if its winters are harsh, its prairie landscapes without too much relief, the distances consequent, the cities and the tourist sites few, North Dakota is also the country of the bison and the wild horses which one can discover in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park which remains the principal point of interest of the area.

More info: www.ndtourism.com

South Dakota

If it resembles in many ways its northern neighbor, South Dakota is more touristic than this one, if only because it hosts one of the most famous sites of the country with Mount Rushmore and its presidents’ heads carved in the cliff.
In addition, there are many testimonies of the conquest of the West and the Indian wars (Deadwood, Crazy Horse Memorial…), as well as several natural sites such as the Badlands Park or the Black Hills with the Custer Park. Interesting places for their landscapes, the bison, and the econature activities they offer.

> More info at: www.travelsouthdakota.com

Illinois

Everyone knows about Chicago but not many people locate it in Illinois.
It is true that the city (the third largest in the country) located on the shores of Lake Michigan attracts people and is sufficient in itself with its museums, its architecture marked in particular by the great Frank Lloyd Wright, or its renowned musical and cultural scene. To the point that it would almost make you forget that this traditionally rural Midwestern state is also the one from which the famous Route 66 starts, which crosses the country to the Pacific, or that small towns such as Galena with its period buildings, Springfield which is the city of President Abraham Lincoln, or the Shawnee forest with its particular rock formations among which to hike are worth a visit.

More info: www.enjoyillinois.com

Indiana

This is the “typical state” of the Midwest: flat, rural, sparsely populated outside of its major city Indianapolis or the area near Chicago, with just a few centers of life here and there.
Like the rest of the Midwest, it is also a place of few tourists even if the famous “Indianapolis 500 miles” which is the oldest car race in the world since it was created in 1911 attracts thousands of spectators every year, that Brown County offers beautiful landscapes with hiking opportunities, or that the Indiana Dunes, on Lake Michigan, are known for their outdoor activities.

More Info: visitindiana.com

Iowa

Like most rural Midwestern states, Iowa is not well known abroad and even less so for tourism. Explored by the French in the early 19th century who founded several towns, the area is fairly representative of this vast central part of the United States.
Along the way, one can visit the Amana Colonies, where the Amish presence has become a reason to visit, Dubuque, the oldest city in the state built on the Mississippi River by the French, for its buildings of historical value, or even the Iowa Great Lakes, which are three lakes developed for swimming and water sports.

More info: www.traveliowa.com

Kansas

Kansas has the distinction of being considered the geographic center of the United States, halfway between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
It presents itself as a vast agricultural state, flat, just embellished with hills, with a few towns and villages scattered here and there. A bit far from the main tourist circuits, several of its cities like Kansas City (partly also in Missouri), Wichita (the biggest agglomeration with various museums) or Dodge City (the “western” city par excellence) are nevertheless worth a visit if you have time.

More information: www.travelks.com

Michigan

There is the great city of Detroit, known thanks to Henry Ford but not really touristy. There is Lake Michigan and many others, small and big, with their harbors, their kilometers of coastline, their numerous beaches. And then there are the two immense peninsulas, wild lands if there ever was one, especially on the Upper Peninsula, with their unique landscapes of forests, small hills and stretches of water.
It is not surprising then that the region has developed over the years an outdoor tourism, summer as well as winter, for a primarily North American public.

> More information: www.michigan.org

Minnesota

Just by its nickname, “the Land of 10,000 lakes”, we already know that this state bordering Canada will appeal primarily to nature and adventure lovers, both in summer and winter.
So head for the forests, rivers, waterfalls and lakes that can be discovered in abundance in places like Voyageurs National Park, Itasca or the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. And in the middle of this environment, often still wild, the “Twin cities” which designates the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint-Paul around which the majority of the population lives and which concentrates all the economic and cultural activity of Minnesota.

More info: www.exploreminnesota.com

Missouri

Bordered by the Mississippi River, the state traditionally marks the “border” between East and West, carried in this by St. Louis, which at the beginning of the twentieth century was one of the first cities in the country, even hosting in 1904 the Olympic Games and the World’s Fair.
Nowadays, the state is not visited very often, especially by foreigners, at least if we except Branson, the “Las Vegas for families”, which receives millions of visitors every year because of its attractions and shows. Apart from that, besides St Louis and its famous arch, Kansas City for its architecture and the Ozarks for its hilly environment, hiking, canoeing and fishing attract their world.

More info: www.visitmo.com

Nebraska

It is a state in the heart of the Midwest and Great Plains that is often described as flat and monotonous, not touristy, sparsely populated outside of Omaha which is its major city, and mostly agricultural.
However, the Panhandle region, in the northwest, is known for its particular geological forms that incite a visit or a hike. It is also here that one can discover Fort Robinson, an old fort transformed into an open-air museum dedicated to the tragic history of the Indian nations in the region.

More info: visitnebraska.com

Ohio

Industrial, more than 95% urban, with three major cities: Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio has never been considered a tourist region.
However, the American-Canadian archipelago of the Lake Erie islands and the Cuyahoga Valley, known locally for its caves, rivers, waterfalls and small villages, are worth a visit. And then, in another genre, Warren County offers a succession of amusement parks that attract several million visitors each year.

More info: www.discoverohio.com

Wisconsin

We could call it “the state between two lakes” since it is wedged between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, which is what makes it so interesting. Wisconsin is first and foremost a natural place, with hundreds of kilometers of coastline and beaches, beautiful landscapes, and endless hiking trails (the Ice Age National Scenic Trail alone is 1,600 km long!), to the point of having become a reference for the North American public in terms of tourism and outdoor activities, notably with the Door County peninsula.

More information: www.travelwisconsin.com

What climate in the Midwest?

The climate of the Midwest is continental with, depending on the period, warm and humid currents coming up from the south or on the contrary (in winter) cold and dry air masses coming down from the great north. As the region is not very hilly, these air masses have no problem to have a direct impact on the climate.

As a result, summers are hot with some local heat, and winters are long and cold, if not very cold, with temperatures falling far below 0°C and a chilling wind.
In addition, the region also experiences heavy snowfall at this time. That said, depending on the latitude, climatic conditions can vary quite a bit and the southern Midwest is less subject to “polar” winters, while the north is less subject to summer heat and heat.

When to visit the Midwest?

Unless one has decided to go to winter sports or to discover the region under the snow, the most pleasant period for this part of the USA is from May to the beginning of October when the temperatures are pleasant.