The nation’s leading travel experts have long been enamored of America’s East and West Coast destinations. But in recent years, their focus has shifted somewhat. From the New York Times to USA Today, from Travel + Leisure to Vogue, America’s travel gurus have ranked Middle American cities among their go-to destinations, singing the praises of the American Heartland.

Buzzing with renewed energy, Middle America offers rich history paired with new cultural attractions and a vibrant, locally sourced food and drink scene. And if that’s not reason enough to get you to America’s Heartland in 2020, consider this: Travel to this part of the United States promises to be more affordable than other U.S. destinations.

Indianapolis: Bicentennial and Bicycles

Don’t miss: Walking, bicycling or riding a Segway through downtown Indy’s White River State Park

The Surprise: “Shining a Light on Indianapolis” sound and light show, every night of the year

More info: VisitIndy.com

The Crossroads of America celebrates its 200th birthday from June 2020 to June 2021 with a variety of new cultural attractions. The Indiana Historical Society and Indiana State Museum, both in downtown Indianapolis, will unveil special exhibitions celebrating the city’s bicentennial. The new Madam Walker Legacy Center, a cultural institution honoring the nation’s first self-made female African American millionaire, opens in late 2020. And beginning in late 2019, a new “Shining a Light on Indianapolis” show illuminates downtown’s Monument Circle every evening with a patriotic sound, light and video projection system.

Indianapolis relishes its rich history. But while the city looks back, its residents are also focused forward in hopes of creating a destination that will be just as appealing a century from now. That transformation can be seen even in the city’s sports scene.

While fans of athletic events such as the Indianapolis 500 or Big Ten Football Championship Game flock to the city every year, Indianapolis has become more than merely a place for fans. The city has become a destination where sports lovers can get active themselves.

Indianapolis’ NCAA Hall of Champions and Museum sits within the city’s White River State Park, a 250- acre greenspace in the heart of the downtown. Use the park’s broad paved trails to make your way from the city’s cultural institutions – the Indianapolis Zoo, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and the Indiana State Museum – or concentrate instead on the trails themselves.

Bicycles are the perfect way to explore Indianapolis. More than 1.5 miles of paved footpaths along the Central Canal draw walkers, runners and bicyclists, and the 8-mile Cultural Trail connects seven distinct neighborhoods, nearly 200 restaurants and 50 attractions. Indiana Pacers Bikeshare stations rent more than 500 bicycles from more than 50 stations located in White River State Park and throughout the city.

And in 2018, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis unveiled the interactive Sports Legends Experience. The 7.5-acre outdoor park sits on the museum’s grounds and successfully melds organized sports and family play. Visitors can play basketball, football, soccer or tennis, race pedal cars on an Indy 500-themed drag strip or tee up at a spectacular Pete Dye-designed miniature golf course.

 

Cincinnati: Neighborhoods

Don’t miss: Findlay Market

The Surprise: The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, the only Shakespeare-dedicated theatre between Chicago and Philadelphia

More info: CincinnatiUSA.com

A row of 19th-century brick Italianate buildings stands tidily along Vine Street in Cincinnati’s trendy Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Overhead, graceful arch moldings of olive green, cream and orange brighten the rooflines and brilliant geraniums spill out of window boxes. On the street, boutique shops – such as Elm & Iron with its vintage home décor and Little Mahatma with its folk art from across the globe – flourish. Rhinegeist Brewery pours craft beers for customers, who in turn nosh on burgers made by the restaurant Sartre and delivered by pneumatic tube.

There’s more to any city than a single neighborhood. But fewer than 20 years ago, OTR (as the area is locally known) was deemed among the most dangerous areas in America. In Cincinnati, the rebirth of OTR marked the beginning of a city-wide revitalization.

A series of public/private partnerships brought new life and coolness to this Cincinnati neighborhood. Food vendors in OTR’s Findlay Market district entice locals and visitors with creative music and food offerings. Once-abandoned, historically significant OTR buildings – of which there are more than 900 – have become loft apartments and retail spaces, all linked to downtown by means of the new Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar.

Across the city, neighborhood life is good, and it’s a scene that draws not only new residents but tourists as well. In up-and-coming Washington Park, $400 million of new arts investment has boosted Cincinnati as a cultural draw. The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company operates the only Shakespeare theatre between Chicago and Philadelphia. The city’s Victorian 1878 Music Hall, home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops, the Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Opera, unveiled substantial renovations one year ago, as did the nearby Ensemble Theatre. And just a few blocks to the west is the newly restored Cincinnati Museum Center, formerly Union Terminal, home to five museums and an Omnimax Theater.

And still another up-and-coming Cincinnati neighborhood, Walnut Hills, has come alive in recent years with creative new businesses. Woodburn Brewery pours IPAs and porters, stouts and fruit infused session beers in glasses emblazoned with their trademark phoenix to symbolize Cincinnati’s rebirth. Boutique shop Left Coast Modern sells midcentury modern home décor and furniture next to Manifest Gallery, which was recently named Cincinnati’s best. And the Comfort House offers a cozy place for drinks, including a house-made Old Fashioned on tap, best shared with a neighborhood of friends.

 

Louisville: Spirits

Don’t miss: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

The Surprise: Main Street doubles as both Whiskey Row and Museum Row

More info: GoToLouisville.com

In the Civil War era, Louisville’s Main Street boomed. As many as 50 distillers crafted, stored and poured their bourbons on the city’s main drag, colloquially called Whiskey Row.

Prohibition nearly decimated downtown Louisville in the 1920s, wiping out one of the city’s most lucrative industries with the swipe of Congress’s pen. But some 125 years later, Louisville’s Whiskey Row has rediscovered its roots, with bourbon distillers returning to the street where Kentucky’s most famous product cemented its reputation.

Known today as Louisville’s Bourbon District, Main Street draws thirsty tourists to attractions such as the Evan Williams Experience, just across the street from the original location of their namesake, Kentucky’s first licensed distillery. The bourbon themed visitors center uses audio and video presentations to recount the story of Evan Williams, which set up his first whiskey operation in 1783, just five years after Louisville was founded. Multimedia presentations go on to explain the processes used then and now to create Kentucky’s signature drink.

Others have followed suit, setting up distilleries and tasting rooms on or near Whiskey Row in the past decade. Historic favorites include Old Forester, Michter’s, Peerless, the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse and Old Forester. Newer entries into the business are distillers Rabbit Hole and Angel’s Envy. And Copper and Kings distills bourbon, barrel aged brandies and craft gins. Distillery visits aren’t the only way to get familiar with Kentucky’s favorite spirit. More than 40 restaurants and bars lie along Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail, a collection of businesses that offer significant bourbon culture in their menus. All of the trail stops sit within an easy walk or cab ride of downtown hotels.

Louisville’s Main Street also happens to be home to the city’s most popular museums. The Muhammad Ali Center is part historical museum about the world’s most famous boxer and part educational and cultural center advocating Ali’s principles of personal greatness. The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory allows visitors to tour the manufacturer of the official bat of Major League Baseball and includes opportunities to swing your favorite players’ replica bats in batting cages. And the Frazier History Museum recounts Kentucky history, from Lewis and Clark to Kentucky bluegrass music, through artifacts, gallery talks and costumed interpreters.

 

Milwaukee: Festivals

Don’t miss: Summerfest, the granddaddy of Milwaukee festivals

The Surprise: Greater Milwaukee features a festival nearly every week of the year

More info: VisitMilwaukee.org

It seems there’s nothing Milwaukee enjoys more than a good festival. And the city’s packed events calendar proves it.

Launched in 1967, Summerfest, Milwaukee’s largest festival, traces its roots to Germany’s Oktoberfest. Former mayor Henry Maier, recently returned from a visit to the iconic festival in Munich, was determined to bring something of the festival’s vitality and fun to downtown Milwaukee, an area in need of revitalization.

More than 50 years later, Summerfest draws some 800,000 visitors annually to Henry Maier Festival Park on the Lake Michigan shore. Over 11 days and on 11 stages, musicians such as Jennifer Lopez, ZZ Top, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, the Steve Miller Band, the Moody Blues and the Red Hot Chili Peppers take center stage. And while the festival’s big-name acts draw lots of attention, there are more than 2,000 artists filling out the Summerfest line-up.

Summerfest is Milwaukee’s best-known festival, but it isn’t the only one. Milwaukee summers kick off with Pride Fest in June, followed by a string of ethnic festivals. Polish Fest features food tents with kielbasa and pierogies and the sounds of polka music, followed by the Milwaukee Highland Games and their celebration of Scottish culture. In July, France comes to the Lake Michigan shore during Bastille Days, followed by the music and wine of Festa Italiana, the beer and bratwurst of German Fest and the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. August brings Bronzeville Week, a celebration of African

American culture, art and music, then the world’s largest Irish festival and the Mexican Fiesta. And October brings the Hunting Moon Pow Wow, featuring the food, dance and music of Native Americans.

While music and food shine at Milwaukee’s numerous festivals, the city’s celebrations aim to do more than merely celebrate a particular ethnic group or holiday. The City of Festival’s chief aim is to bring people together for shared experiences. Travelers and

locals chat over cheese curds and bratwurst. Young people and their parents become reacquainted over frosty mugs of beer. Grandchildren and their grandparents take in one another’s music. And music lovers of all ages take turns dancing on picnic tables. That’s an atmosphere anyone can love.

 

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