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Our 25 Best Photos of 2012
- John Noltner
North Woods getaway
Minnesota's Lake Vermilion offers scenes that feel pulled from postcards of quintessential Up North lake vacations.
Tags: - Blaine Moats.
Cider-Spiked Apple and Pecan Tart
This tart made with oh-so-appley boiled cider is an edible work of art.
Tags: - Jason Lindsey
Misty morning
A path in the small town of Horicon, Wisconsin, leads into Horicon Marsh State Wildlife area.
Tags: - John Noltner
Tulip time
Each May, the Dutch-theme Tulip Time festival blooms in Pella, Iowa.
Tags: - Blaine Moats
Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake
This creation from a Saint Paul bakery boasts a buttermilk-cocoa cake, candylike chocolate frosting and creamy caramel sauce.
See this recipe and our other picks for all-time best recipes.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
Holy Hill Basilica
View Kettle Moraine State Forest from Holy Hill Basilica along one of our 25 ultimate fall drives.
Tags: - Greg Scheidemann
Porch style
Vintage wicker furniture offers comfortable seating and gorgeous views on the porch of this Door County, Wisconsin, vacation home.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
Little Traverse Bay
Michigan's Little Traverse Bay draws travelers looking for classic Midwest summer vacation fun: sandy beaches, loon-spotting, window-shopping, leafy drives.
Read about summer getaways in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Boyne City.
Tags: - Blaine Moats
S'more to love
Enjoy new takes on the gooey summer classic.
Tags: - Greg Scheidemann.
Barn charm
This timber-frame home in Kenton, Ohio, blends a couple's affection for barn-style design, primitive antiques and laid-back country living.
Tags: - John Noltner.
Native harvest
On a good day, a pair of experienced Ojibwe ricers in Minnesota will fill their canoe with as much as 400 pounds of wild rice.
Tags: - John Noltner.
Shawnee Hills Wine Trail
Autumn colors the fields at Owl Creek Vineyard, part of Illinois' Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
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Cat nap
Barbara Wetzel's cat Putter relaxes in Barbara's woodland garden.
Tags: - John Noltner
Eat, ride, repeat
On RAGBRAI—America's largest bike ride—up to 30,000 cyclists pedal 500 miles across Iowa's heartland every July. Eating is as much of the experience as pedaling.
Tags: - Nate Luke.
At bat
A getaway to Louisville, Kentucky, should include a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.
Tags: - Alise O'Brien.
Sparkling season
A fireplace mirror, wall sconces, coffee table and mercury glass all reflect pretty light, day or night, in this Missouri house decked out for the holidays.
Tags: - Blaine Moats
Chili challenge
In answer to our call for readers' best chili recipes, Midwest cooks submitted dozens of spicy-fine versions. The winners included this Go Whole Hog chili.
Tags: - Randall Lee Schieber
Spring in Cincinnati
In Cincinnati's hilly Eden Park, you'll find Ohio River views and historic Krohn Conservatory, which holds a butterfly show each spring.
Tags: - Jason Donnelly.
Fanciful pumpkins
Fluttering butterflies alight on pumpkins in this attractive fall centerpiece.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
Cedarburg holiday magic
The amazing decor outside Floral Expressions in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, hints at what shoppers find inside.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki
Hats off
Amy Hamilton of the Granville Millinery Company hosts hat-making workshops in a converted barn outside this Ohio town.
Tags: - Randall Lee Schieber
Lighting the Serpent
On December 21, the ancient Native American Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, glows with luminarias beneath the winter sky.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
Book view
In Chicago's Hyde Park, bookshops and coffeehouses thrive, including 57th Street Books.
Tags: - Marty Baldwin
Wonderland garden
This Door County, Wisconsin, garden delights with its whimsical "pot people" and artistic plantings.
Tags: - Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
Best burgers
The burgers at Roquette Burger Bistro in Charlevoix, Michigan, were among our favorites in the Midwest.
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