Our 20 Best Photos of 2013
Fall picnic [1]
When the leaves turn and the air gets nippy, it's time to pack a cooler and have some old-fashioned outdoor fun one last time before winter.
Creative license [5]
The fantasyland in this wooded Wisconsin garden reflects the owners’ joy in indulging their imaginations by creating colorful mosaics and reusing old objects.
Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie [9]
Caramel in the bottom of the pan melds with the brownie, creating a dessert so rich and gooey that you need a spoon to serve it.
Outstanding in the field [13]
Uplands Cheese Company’s Andy Hatch stands with his business partners near Dodgeville, Wisconsin.
Porch pleasures [17]
This porch, on the cover of our May/June issue, suggests put-your-feet-up visits and wile-away-an-afternoon daydreams.
Spring harmony [21]
Artist Linda Volz captures flowers on canvas during the annual plein air (open air) art festival in New Harmony, Indiana.
We bought a camp [25]
Rather than let a storied Wisconsin getaway fade into the forest, a Chicago couple bought Camp Wandawega and set out to rebuild the rundown property as a vision of what summer camp used to be. One part: this vintage Boy Scout tent with World War II-era cots.
Colorful boots [29]
Pictured on the cover of our March/April issue, these rain boots filled with tulips make a sweet and simple spring centerpiece.
Michigan lights [32]
The North Pierhead Lighthouse is just one of the warming sights that greet visitors to the small town of Manistee.
Urban roots [36]
In the heart of Springfield, Missouri, Adam and Melissa Millsap share the bounty of their 1 acre at an annual harvest dinner. Here, their daughter Béla holds Strawberry.
Read about Urban Roots Farm. [37]
River cruise [40]
The romance of river cruises returned to the Mississippi with the refurbished American Queen.
Read about our steamboat journey. [41]
Why we love fall [44]
After Labor Day, autumn stretches ahead like this country road, winding through a few glorious weeks of corn mazes and apple cobbler, home games and scenic drives.
Double takes [48]
Soda-shop nostalgia meets cupcake-cute at with these desserts, which were featured on the cover of the January/February Midwest Living.
Lure of the lakes [52]
Vacationers bound into Gull Lake, a slice of summer life in Minnesota's Brainerd Lakes region.
Tomato Galette [56]
Tender Parmesan-pepper pastry cradles heirloom tomatoes, shallots, goat cheese and fresh herbs in a fold-over tart that's ideal for a summer weekend brunch.
Camp like a star [60]
We picked our favorite campgrounds in categories for scenery and for amenities—then crowned 5 “supercampgrounds” that have an amazing combination of both, including this Hayward KOA in Hayward, Wisconsin.
Chicago's Do-Rite Donuts and Coffee [64]
Don’t knock $14.95 for six doughnuts until you’ve tried the beauties from this Chicago Loop theater-district spot—one of our picks for the Midwest's best new restaurants.
Read more about top new Midwest restaurants, hotels and attractions. [65]
Door to the door [68]
Sturgeon Bay provides a memorable start to the lake views, forest drives, art galleries and orchards that have made Door County, Wisconsin, famous.
Deck the stalls [72]
Timeworn cedar planks cover the walls and ceilings of this cheery space, originally the tack room of a polo stable. The stable was converted to a residence in the 1970s.
Read more about this Chicago-area home and its holiday decorations. [73]
Thanksgiving feast [76]
Our Thanksgiving recipes hew to tradition, but a handful of small changes—orange zest in the biscuits, cider in the gravy—transform familiar dishes.