2025, Can You Believe We're Still Alive? Travels Far & Wide From a Year That We Survived

Well, well, well; w-e-l-l. You know, that’s one of those phrases I picked up somewhere along the way that I return to again and again, but for which the source material is lost to the ages. Where the hell did I get it? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. But can you guess what the world is about to know? That’s right! The deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts, recollections, and reminiscences on the year that was right here on All Things Wanderful.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2026travel, travelogue, travel blogging, travel guide, travel recommendations, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel writing, travel reviews, travel tips, travel appreciation, travel diary, travel planning, year-in-review, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Jaws, Steven Spielberg, Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace, NPR, Las Vegas, Sin City, Luxor Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Cajun, Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis, Biloxi, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Monroe County, Old Monroe County Courthouse, Gregory Peck, Mrs. Teresa' Homemade Treats, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dodger Stadium, Freehand Hotels, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand, hostel, hostel stays, Boston, Boston Calling, Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, All Time Low, The Maine, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, all-nighter, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Tron, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expedition Everest, Alice in Wonderland, Euro trip, cheap airports, cheap travel, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, All Things Wanderful, Chicago, Miami, New York, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Ruby Slipper, The Natchez, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Gary, Indiana, Michiana, Chicagoland, West Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, South Shore Line, Maycomb, Maycomb County, Truman Capote, Confederacy, 2026, 2025, ten-year anniversaryComment

All Beach Bums Report to Beverly Shores, The Lakefront Hideaway Tucked Inside a National Park

It feels wildly unlikely that I would ever come across a Lake Michigan beach that didn’t tickle my fancy, but the 4.5-mile stretch of sandy shoreline belonging to Beverly Shores, Indiana, is increasingly becoming one of my new favorites. The “town” of Beverly Shores, which is tucked between Gary and Michigan City and surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park, isn’t much of a town at all — what you will find here on the underside of Lake Michigan is mostly a mix of beachfront, forest, marshland, and sand dunes. But, honestly, what more do you need?

North AmericaLogan T. HansenAugust 30, 2025travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, Indiana, Hoosier State, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes, Indiana Dunes National Park, Beverly Shores, beach, beach day, beach life, lake life, sand dunes, summer, summer travel, nature, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, outdoors, outdoor recreation, Michigan City, Gary, Northwest Indiana, Midwest, hidden gem, International Dark Sky Community, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, US Route 12, US-12, Beverly Shores Depot, Beverly Shores Depot Museum & Art Gallery, South Shore Line, Chicago, Chicagoland, South Bend, Insull Spanish, Insull Spanish architecture, architecture, Mission Revival, California, 19th century, Beverly Shores Heritage Trail, Wes Anderson, South Broadway, East Lake Front Drive, Century of Progress, Century of Progress Historic District, Century of Progress Homes, 1933 Chicago World's Fair, I Love Lucy, America's First Glass House, Cypress Log Cabin, Florida Tropical House, Armco-Ferro House, Rostone House, House of Tomorrow, Robert Bartlett, Frederick H. Bartlett Company, Atlantic City, Save the Dunes, Save the Dunes Council, Indiana Landmarks, National Register of Historic PlacesComment

Three States for the Price of One: This is the Place Where Michigan, Indiana, & Ohio Meet

You’ve no doubt heard of the Four Corners — the monument that marks the spot where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona come together, allowing you to stand in all four states at once — but there’s another convergence of state lines over in the Midwest that’s likely never crossed your mind. It’s so obscure, in fact, that it might as well just be marked by a rock on the side of a dirt road.

5 of the Most Romantic Places to Visit in the Midwest

As all traveling fiends are aware, sometimes getting away for a while is the perfect remedy to get you out of whatever funk you might be in at any given time. The same could be said for couples who are feeling bogged down by the daily routine.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenFebruary 6, 2020travel, travelspiration, travel inspiration, travel advice, travel guide, Midwest, couples travel, romantic weekend, romantic getaway, seasonal affective disorder, Midwestern, Midwestern U.S., Indiana, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Dells, Michigan, Saugatuck, Douglas, Holland, Grand Rapids, French Lick, French Lick Resort, French Lick Springs Hotel, West Baden Springs Hotel, Larry Bird, NBA, Bloomington, Sin City, Las Vegas, spa, spa treatment, massage, relaxation, hiking, outdoors, the great outdoors, LGBTQ, Lake Michigan, Kalamazoo Lake, Oval Beach, Saugatuck Dunes State Park, Hotel Saugatuck, The Hotel Saugatuck, cabin, cottage, vacation, vacation rentals, Sundara Inn and Spa, Sundara Inn & Spa, Waterpark Capital of the World, Mirror Lake State Park, sunset, sunset dinner cruise, Wisconsin River, TripAdvisor, waterpark, waterparks, Hocking Hills, Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park, zipline, ziplining, waterfalls, prehistoric caves, camping, Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, Glenlaurel Inn, Rockbridge, Logan, Lead, South Dakota, Terry Peak Ski Area, Deer Mountain Ski Resort, George S. Mickelson Trail, cross country skiing, cross-country skiing, skiing, snowboarding, winter, summer, Spearfish Canyon, Spearfish Canyon Lodge, Black Hills, Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, outdoor adventure, romance, romantic, romantic retreat, Valentine's DayComment

Moscow Madness: 23 U.S. Communities That Share Their Name with the Russian Capital

With thousands of cities and communities the world over, there's bound to be some places that bear the same name — people are only so original, after all. For example, in the United States alone, there are 31 cities named Franklin, 29 each named Clinton and Washington, and 28 named Arlington.

The B1G Tour: Wending Our Way to West Lafayette

On Saturday, three hours or so past the crack of dawn, a friend, my brother, and myself squashed ourselves into my brother's black Ford Focus and took to the freeway, heading south for the great(ish) state of Indiana, America's Crossroads, as they say.

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