History and myth often weave together to create great stories and great attractions, and the Midwest’s lake resort areas have plenty of them.
The story of sheer guts and courage is now told in Mackinaw City aboard the Icebreaker Mackinaw (231.436.9825; www.icebreakermackinawmuseum.org), a recently decommissioned ship-turned-museum. The Mackinaw was cutting-edge technology when it launched in 1944 and still remains an impressive tribute to the sailing heroes who always cleared the way on the Great Lakes. Special group tours are available on request.
Legend has it that the footsteps of mighty lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his faithful ox, Babe, created the thousands of lakes in Minnesota; now the most famous statue of Paul and Babe, seen in books and postcards, is located at This Old Farm Pioneer Village (218.764.2524; www.thisoldfarm.net), which also houses the entire collection of rides from the Paul Bunyan Amusement Center. If you can’t wait until Memorial Day for the park to open, drop by the Brainerd Lakes Area welcome center and have your picture taken with a statue of the ultimate overachiever.
Forget that song and Leo DiCaprio; the truth of the Titanic is just as dramatic and interesting as the movie version at Titanic: the World’s Largest Museum Attraction (417.334.9500; www.titanicbranson.com) in Branson. Visitors can sit in a lifeboat and hear the stories of survivors, walk a re-creation of the grand staircase, touch a regenerating iceberg, and view more than 400 artifacts. Meeting planners can also rent the museum for an unforgettable event.
The ultimate and ages-old brain teaser lives on at Amaizein’ Grace (262.539.2317; www.fairwynfarms.com) near Lake Geneva, with two mazes carved into 14 acres of pristine corn and loaded with twists, turns and dead ends. For an extra thrill, try your skills through the maze at night by the soft light of glow sticks, or play one awesome game of Marco Polo. The estimated time to finish one side of the maze is one hour for sharp thinkers.
