The Best of the Midwest

I’ve never met a strange, niche museum I didn’t like and the National Mustard Museum just outside of Madison is no exception. With more than 5,500 varieties of mustard and a fantastic sense of humor, the museum is the world’s largest collection of prepared mustards.

While you're in Wisconsin, head northwest of Madison to Dr. Evermor's Forevertron, a whimsical scrap metal sculpture built by artist Tom Every in the 1980s. Admission is free and the trip out of your way is one you won't regret. I promise.

"If you build it, they will come." I can't image the mystical voice Kevin Costner heard from the Iowa cornfields was talking about a movie set, but here we are. If you grew up on this cult classic, the "Field of Dreams" movie site is a great place to relive a little piece of that magic.

Who would ever expect to love SPAM enough to visit a museum about it? Regardless of your feelings on the processed meat, this is one of the most delightful small museums I've ever visited.

Located thirteen miles southwest of Decorah, Iowa, the Bily Clocks Museum houses a collection of dozens of handmade clocks crafted by two local brothers. Their craftsmanship was so exquisite that Henry Ford once offered to buy one of their clocks for $1 million. But the brothers turned him down, and, in fact, never sold a single one of their clocks.

Over the past 39 years, Iowa artist Patrick Acton has transformed more than 4 million matchsticks into 65 pieces of unique art. From the U.S. Capitol building to the Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter, Matchstick Marvels offers a treasure trove of stunning sculptures sure to leave you in awe of this unique artist's craft.

I have a deep love for "world's largest" things so it's no surprise Elwood the World's Largest Concrete Garden Gnome made the list.

West Bend, Iowa's Grotto of the Redemption is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year. It is estimated that over $4.3 million of stones and precious gems were used to construct the grotto.

Albert the Bull is a to-scale Hereford with some major heart. When he's in need of a spruce, it takes 65 gallons of paint to cover Albert's huge hide.

If you've ever driven across Nebraska, you know that there's not too much to see along the way. However, Fort Cody is an essential stop. Part gift shop, part museum and part collection of oddities, this attraction is one not to be missed.