MIDWEST:

20. Columbus, OH:
Zane Caverns

Why would an astronomer drive out to a cave to view the stars? Because right near them is Campbell Hill — the highest point in Ohio (Elevation 1,549ft!) — and while you’re there you might as well check out these cool caverns (and their famous pearl deposits).

Directions: US 33 northwest, right on Rte. 540, (couple of miles to the Caverns).

21. Cleveland, OH:
Erie Islands

At one time there were so many snakes that the island folks imported hogs that were turned loose to route ‘em out. And while you’re unlikely to spot any of them wild hogs, you may see Red Fox, Black Squirrels, Ring-necked Pheasant, American Great Egret and a variety of nesting ducks before you turn your binocs to the sky.

Directions: SH 2 west to Sandusky; catch the ferry to Kelley’s Island and the Kelley’s Island State Park.

22. Detroit, MI :
Bay City State Park

Get in the car and drive a 100 miles north on US 75 to Bay City — pretty little town (a river runs through it) near Saginaw Bay and the Bay City State Park. Wenona Beach is your spot.

Directions: From Bay City, follow RRte. 247 north and east to the park.

23. Indianapolis, IN:
Hoosier National Forest

Located in the rolling hills of southern Indiana this Forest is within two hours drive of town. Yet its timeless hills and sharp ridges, its lakes, streams, and springs, and diverse stands of hardwoods has kept it feeling like rugged wilderness. Still, much of it was once stripped of its trees, and since it’s creation in the 1930s, the U.S. Forest Service has had the monumental task of restoring the forest’s vigor. Check out their miraculous turnaround.

Directions: South on State Highway 37.

24. Chicago, IL:
Williams Bay

In 1897 — the year of the observatory’s completion — Charles Tyson Yerkes could spot (from the balcony encircling the great dome of the new observatory that bore his name) the summer homes of the Chicago society figures who had spurned him. The streetcar tycoon could only hope that his funding of the observatory that bore his name (located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin) would change his damaged reputation. It never did. Now the Yerkes Observatory is a part of the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and still works. As Chicagoans are fond of saying, “Escape to Wisconsin”.

Directions: Rand Road northwest out of the city; becomes SH 12; follow to Williams Bay.

25. Madison, WI:
Spring Green

Visit one of the great architectural masterpieces of the twentieth century (House on the Rock); have dinner at a nearby restaurant designed by the same master (Frank Lloyd Wright); see one of the Bard’s plays at the American Players Theater (the only outdoor Shakespearean Theater in the United States); and then — after the culture binge — look to the skies.

Directions: State Highway 14 due west 45 miles.

26. Minneapolis, MN:
Frontenac State Park

Perched on the Mississippi River, Frontenac is a birdwatcher’s paradise. It’s one of the best spots in the country to view birds migrating in the spring and fall. Over 220 species of birds have been recorded here. No wonder: Lake Pepin’s has an amazing diversity of habitats — bluff land, prairie, floodplain forest, and upland hardwood forest.

Directions: Located in Goodhue County on Hwy 61, the Park is approximately 10 miles southeast of Red Wing.

27. Pittsburgh, PA:
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

One of the most important historical sites in the world lies only a few minutes east of St. Louis in Cahokia. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated Cahokia Mounds as a World Heritage Site because of its importance to our understanding of prehistoric North America. Found here are the archaeological remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric Indian civilization north of Mexico. Where better to peer up into the universe from?

Directions: I-55/70 east to exit 6, Illinois Rte. 111.

28. Kansas City, MO:
Harry S. Truman State Park

Small but formidable like its namesake, this park is a 1,400-acre natural playground surrounded by water (tributaries of the Lake of the Ozarks). Make sure you get there early — the Park closes at 10 (hey, its Missouri!).

Directions: SH 71 out of the city, becoming Hwy 7. The Park is west of Warsaw, off Hwy 7 on SH UU in Benton County.

29. Omaha, NB:
Platte River State Park

Ever have a yen to rough it Indian-style? Well, in another first for Nebraska parks, you can rent an actual tepee in the Oto or Pawnee tepee villages. Each tepee accommodates 6 to 8 people. Some concession has been made to modern comfort, though, with wooden floors replacing the packed earth of the traditional Indian dwelling. But, so what? Its still a tepee.

Directions: US 80 southwest. South Bend exit.