Snow time!
Midwesterners love to celebrate the seasons--even winter! Click ahead to learn about the cold-weather fun at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Missouri's Clarksville Eagle Days, Wisconsin's Book Across the Bay and Cleveland's Snow Days.
Pictured: In the Saint Paul Winter Carnival parade, marchers storm the streets to battle spring winds, upholding a tradition dating back 126 years.
Saint Paul Winter Carnival: A Vulcan fairy tale
Fireworks explode, and a hardy crowd outside the Saint Paul Public Library cheers and dances, probably as much to keep warm as to herald victory in this quirky citywide ritual. Each winter, some 525,000 frozen souls lose themselves in a Vulcan fairy tale in which a winter king battles Vulcans eager for spring. Winter always loses, the story goes, even though everyone knows it'll be months before the spring thaw comes.
Legend says the event started with a snub: An East Coast newspaperman visited in 1885 and said Minnesota was unfit for human habitation. No matter that Minnesotans themselves spend countless hours complaining about the cold--the gauntlet had been thrown. Two years later, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival began. These days, the carnival (January 26 to February 5, 2012) packs 125 events throughout the town. "The Winter Carnival defines us as Northern people," carnival historian Bob Olsen says simply.
Pictured: Ice-skating is free (skate rentals are $2) at the rink outside the Landmark Center.
Saint Paul Winter Carnival: Winter showdown
Rice Park transforms into a Christmas tree garden decked with thousands of twinkling lights. Visitors eating a potato hotdish from Simply Steve's Food Truck shuffle among ice sculptures shaped like unicorns, dragons and Vikings at the state fairgrounds (pictured). Kids cheer as fireballs launched from the Torchlight Parade puncture the crisp night air, and couples glide on the rink in front of the castlelike Landmark Center. The stately St. Paul Hotel lays down carpet-protecting plastic sheeting as it welcomes families eager to warm up and sip hot cocoa in a scene out of The Polar Express. Outside, bartenders sling spiced winter ales over ornately carved ice bars.
On the last night, mischievous Vulcans clad in red suits and black ski goggles run through the crowd, marking black V's on visitors' cheeks, leaving them bewildered if they don't know the legend. It's just a little reminder about whose side they should be on during this annual winter showdown. -- Gustave Axelson
TRIP GUIDE
For information, contact the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Authority (651/265-4900; visitsaintpaul.com).
WHAT TO DO
Saint Paul Winter Carnival Prepare to party January 26 - February 5, 2012 (651/223-4700; winter-carnival.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Saint Paul Hotel This luxurious landmark is convenient to the carnival. From $169 (800/292-9292; saintpaulhotel.com).
Clarksville Eagle Days: Regal birds
A conservation naturalist in Clarksville, Missouri, watches a single bald eagle soar over the Mississippi River--and then hopes for more so visitors will get their fill, plus great snapshots. Each winter, more than 2,000 eagles pass over this Great River Road town (population: 500) 75 miles northwest of St. Louis. Clarksville Eagle Days celebrates with talks, films, sales in art galleries and more (January 28-29, 2012).
A bonfire in the park flares while folks in the visitors center learn how eagles leave their nests in Canada and the Great Lakes states and choose nesting sites near the Mississippi's locks and dams, all because the water movement keeps ice from forming. On a good day, dozens of eagles dive-bomb at 60 mph near Lock and Dam No. 24 in search of fish. (You're more likely to see eagles in the morning, which--as all fishermen know--is the best time for a good catch.)
Clarksville Eagle Days: Rounding out the weekend
But not all days are good for spotting eagles. When the skies are as blank as an artist's gray canvas, a one-hour live eagle show awes visitors unaccustomed to seeing these 8-14-pound birds up close. Inspired, they tie scarves on tight and head out to River Front City Park Pavilion, then peer into scopes for peeks at eagles in the trees. Fried catfish lunches, served alongside ham, beans and corn bread, satisfy at the American Legion Hall and the Methodist church; the VFW Hall holds a barbecue lunch.
To round out an eagle-spotting weekend, some travelers find their way to Overlook Farm, a Missouri-proud story of history and heritage rolled up into quiet, plush inns and a farm-to-fork restaurant known for creative twists on comfort foods. It's a perfect end to a day spent admiring American royalty. -- Nina Kult
TRIP GUIDE
For more information, contact the city of Clarksville (573/242-3336; clarksvillemo.us).
WHAT TO DO
Clarksville Eagle Days January 28-29, 2012 (573/242-3336; clarksvillemo.us).
WHERE TO EAT
Eagle's Bluff Restaurant and Lounge Enjoy river views and great sandwiches (573/242-3309; clarksvillemo.us/eaglebluffgolf.html).
WHERE TO STAY
Overlook Farm This 200-acre farm offers a lovely restaurant and guest suites. From $150 (573/242-3838; overlookfarmmo.com).
Book Across the Bay: Fire and ice
A line of 1,000 luminarias stretches across Wisconsin's Chequamegon Bay, beckoning skiers down Book Across the Bay's 10K track. Their welcoming flicker--and more than a little adrenaline at the idea of cross-country skiing across Lake Superior after dark--pulls 3,000 adventurers away from the enormous on-ice bonfire behind the Hotel Chequamegon and across the starting line.
As skiers glide past each kilometer marker, cheers erupt from volunteers working the water tables: 1K down, 9 to go on the journey from Ashland (70 miles east of Duluth, Minnesota) to Washburn. The skiers (and more than a few snowshoers) clump up at the start, but the hard-core racers eventually pull ahead, exhaling puffs of steam in a measured cadence.
Book Across the Bay: Party on the lake
Sunset's ruddy glow on the ice dissolves to reveal mirrored moonlight, and fireworks sprinkle red, green and gold over the course as the leaders raise their arms in victory and rush inside heated tents, eager to grab a mug of hot chocolate or steaming bowl of chili. Slower skiers and snowshoers trickle in much later, smiling to hear their names called out on loudspeakers as they cross the finish line, thanks to the computer chips strapped to their ankles. As they pop off their skies, a band revs up, determined to keep the party going.
This frigid fund-raiser for the local library has blossomed since it started 15 years ago, and it's easy to see why. Bonfires. Luminaria-lined paths. Fireworks. Cheering crowds. Steaming chili and ice-cold beer. And an invigorating trek with several thousand fun-loving folks across the largest freshwater lake on earth. That's how you do winter in northern Wisconsin. -- Melanie Radzicki McManus
TRIP GUIDE
For more information, contact the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce (800/284-9484; visitashland.com).
WHAT TO DO
Book Across the Bay The 2012 event will be February 18 (800/284-9484; batb.org).
WHERE TO EAT
Good Thyme Feast on fig-and-fromage pizza in a pretty house-turned-restaurant (715/373-5255; goodthymerestaurant.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Pinehurst Inn This ecofriendly B&B near Bayfield has a small spa. From $99 (877/499-7651; pinehurstinn.com).
Cleveland's Snow Days: Skidding down the Batterhorn
From the top of the bleachers at Cleveland's Progressive Field, the tube run seems a little scary. No matter that friendly attendants are there to help, or that these closed-bottom tubes don't have the typical big holes in the middle, or that a guy in a hot dog suit just skidded his way down without a problem. Second base at the bottom feels dangerously far away. But it comes up quickly--a few seconds and some air-catching later.
In its second year, Snow Days, a pop-up winter amusement park, shows off the home of Major League Baseball's Indians. Vintage Christmas lights strung throughout salute GE's long history in Cleveland. Fireworks draw crowds on Snopening Day (November 25) and on New Year's Eve (the fest runs through January 16, 2012).
Cleveland's Snow Days: Thrill seekers
Ice-skating on the iconic ball field competes for crowd fave. A quarter-mile-long Frozen Mile, groomed by the Lake Erie Monsters' Zamboni but bumpy nonetheless, winds gracefully through the park and guides skaters to a center-field rest area teeming with holiday vignettes and light displays. Christmas trees line the ice, and locals snap pictures of the blow-up version of the famed leg lamp from the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story, which was filmed in Cleveland.
Still, thrill seekers can't resist the lure of the Batterhorn. A ski-resort-style tow rope hauls the tubes to the top of the mountain, so all people have to do is walk up, hop on, hang on and smile as they zoom. -- Sarah Routh
TRIP GUIDE
For information, contact Positively Cleveland (216/875-6680; positivelycleveland.com).
WHAT TO DO
Snow Days November 25, 2011 - January 16, 2012. Free parking if you buy tickets ahead (216/420-4487; indians.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Cleveland Airport Marriott This recently renovated gem has a fantastic restaurant. From $99 (800/228-9290; marriott.com).
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