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Midwest Living
Published on Midwest Living (http://www.midwestliving.com)

Home > 9 Terrific Hometown Tours

9 Terrific Hometown Tours

We invited 9 writers to take one cool tour of their hometown. Read why they loved getting a fresh perspective on familiar surroundings, and then book a tour in your backyard.

Milwaukee [1]

Historic Milwaukee Inc. Volunteers lead walking tours (and one boat trip), including a daily architecture tour that's a fun way to get fresh air during the work day. From $10. (414) 277-7795; historicmilwaukee.org

Why The architecture is interesting, but I'll remember the people and stories behind the buildings: territory disputes, the first white child (named Milwaukee) and the Polish immigrants who populated Brady Street in the 1800s. -- Manya Kaczkowski

Historic Milwaukee Inc [2]

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Cleveland [5]

Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corp. Actors dressed as historical figures chat with visitors during free tours downtown through a summertime program called Take a Hike! On weekends, dogs are welcome. (216) 771-1994; historicgateway.org

Why Lighthouse steps (but no lighthouse) and the buried storefront of a 19th-century theater? Throw in a "chance" encounter with John D. Rockefeller, and I'm suddenly hooked on the city's history. -- Sarah Routh

Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corp. [6]

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Indianapolis [9]

Crown Hill Cemetery Guide Tom Davis, who leads walking tours on these 550 acres, calls this Indy's "people museum." From $5. (317) 920-2726; crownhillhf.org

Why You'll hear the stories of locals you've never heard of (and a few you have). Near gangster John Dillinger's grave, you'll see the resting place of a World War I soldier who died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. And he's the one who captured my imagination. -- Danny Lee

Crown Hill Cemetery [10]

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Detroit [13]

Wheelhouse Detroit Hip guided bicycle rides offer an intimate view of the Motor City, with an eye toward the city's rich history and postrecession bright spots. From $25; bike rentals available. (313) 656-2453; wheelhousedetroit.com

Why On the Farm-to-Fork tour, we saw lush, verdant community vegetable gardens flourishing in the shadow of dilapidated buildings. What a powerful tribute to this city's resiliency. -- Emily Tennyson

Wheelhouse Detroit [14]

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Columbus [17]

Columbus Food Adventures Five food-theme van and walking tours include a dessert sampler, a German Village walking tour and a taste of the city's best taco trucks. From $45. (614) 440-3177; columbusfoodadventures.com

Why Ditch your fears of "roach coaches" or language barriers, and learn how to order the amazing red enchiladas from Los Potosinos. -- Cynthia Earhart

Columbus Food Adventures [18]

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Omaha [21]

Durham Museum Chatty, knowledgeable guides hop aboard Omaha's Ollie the Trolley (a local sightseeing staple) for five history tours that start at stunning Union Station (pictured at left). From $15 (402) 444-5071; durhammuseum.org

Why Seeing the stained-glass windows, variegated marble and stately porte cocheres of the city's grand mansions made me daydream about the glamorous events that once led stars and presidents to these doors. -- Tina King

Durham Museum [22]

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Chicago [25]

Chicago Architecture Foundation Architectural river cruises (several companies offer them) are a must-do, but if you want to delve deeper, the CAF's diverse tour menu includes Skyscraper Express, Macy's on State Street and Downtown Deco. From $5 (312) 922-3432; architecture.org

Why Chicago is an architectural think tank, and every CAF tour reveals something I didn't know about: a Henry Moore sculpture casually tucked in a lobby or Louis Sullivan stained-glass windows casting colored light on the place where Chicago Gospel was born. -- Kit Bernardi

Chicago Architecture Foundation [26]

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Saint Paul [29]

Summit Avenue Walking Tour This stroll takes visitors past the 19th-century mansions on a truly spectacular residential street. On Saturdays, a musician plays the vintage pipe organ in the James J. Hill mansion, where tours begin. Reservations recommended. $10. (651) 297-2555; www.mnhs.org/hillhouse

Why F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up around here. Seeing how his neighbors used their massive homes to show off their wealth and power, I understood in a new way his fascination with (and resentment of) affluence. -- Gustave Axelson

Summit Avenue Walking Tour [30]

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Cincinnati [33]

Queen City Underground Evening tours of historic Over-the-Rhine take curiosity seekers through the crypt of St. Francis Church and down a makeshift stairwell to a Gothic cellar that once kept barrels of German beer cool. From $20. (859) 951-8560; queencityunderground.com

Why Great storytelling backed up by extensive research (and the fact that you have to sign a safety waiver) makes it feel like you'll literally step into the colorful world of corrupt politicians, boxing stars, Franciscan monks, strong men and the first commissioner of baseball. -- C.M. Tomlin

Queen City Underground [34]

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Tags: 
Historical sites [37]
Milwaukee [38]
Cleveland [39]
Indianapolis [40]
Detroit [41]
Columbus, OH [42]
Omaha [43]
Chicago [44]
St. Paul [45]
Cincinnati [46]
July August 2011 Midwest Living [47]
Copyright © 2013, Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Source URL (retrieved on April 23, 2018): http://www.midwestliving.com/travel/around-the-region/9-terrific-hometown-tours/

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[1] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/milwaukee-2
[2] http://www.historicmilwaukee.org/
[3] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50174%23comment-form
[4] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50174%23comment-form
[5] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/cleveland-1
[6] http://www.historicgateway.org
[7] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50175%23comment-form
[8] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50175%23comment-form
[9] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/indianapolis-0
[10] http://www.crownhillhf.org/
[11] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50176%23comment-form
[12] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50176%23comment-form
[13] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/detroit
[14] http://www.wheelhousedetroit.com/
[15] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50177%23comment-form
[16] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50177%23comment-form
[17] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/columbus
[18] http://columbusfoodadventures.com/
[19] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50178%23comment-form
[20] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50178%23comment-form
[21] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/omaha
[22] http://www.durhammuseum.org
[23] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50179%23comment-form
[24] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50179%23comment-form
[25] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/chicago-0
[26] http://caf.architecture.org/
[27] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50180%23comment-form
[28] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50180%23comment-form
[29] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/saint-paul
[30] http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jjhh/
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[32] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50181%23comment-form
[33] http://www.midwestliving.com/slide/cincinnati
[34] http://www.americanlegacytours.com
[35] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/login/?destination=node/50182%23comment-form
[36] http://www.midwestliving.com/user/register/?destination=node/50182%23comment-form
[37] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/historical-sites
[38] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/milwaukee
[39] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/cleveland
[40] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/indianapolis
[41] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/detroit
[42] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/columbus-oh
[43] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/omaha
[44] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/chicago
[45] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/st-paul
[46] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/cincinnati
[47] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/july-august-2011-midwest-living