Day 1: Our destination is the Annual Cranberry Festival in Warrens, WI. As we leave central Kansas, we travel to Clear Lake, IA, for night.

2: This morning we travel east to Spillville to visit the Bily Clock Museum. The museum houses the collection of hand-carved time pieces of Frank and Joseph Bily including the 10-foot tall American Pioneer History Clock with 57 bas-relief panels depicting pioneer life. Later we continue on to Decorah, a community settled by Norwegian immigrants. Here we visit the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum which chronicles the culture of these early pioneers. Following we travel to Wisconsin Rapids, WI, for night.

3: Today is our day to learn about cranberries. This morning we tour Rooted in Red Cranberry Farm near Wisconsin Rapids. Our tour will include learning about the growing and harvest of cranberries. In late morning we travel to Warrens. Our visit starts with lunch and a visit at the Cranberry Discovery Center which showcases Wisconsin’s cranberry growing heritage. Later we visit Wetherby Cranberry Farm and a second opportunity to hear and see what it is like to raise and harvest cranberries. Next we drive to Rochester, MN, for the night.

4: We start the day with a tour of Rochester with a local guide. The tour includes an opportunity to view the campus of the Mayo Clinic. Next we travel to Austin, also known as Spam Town, USA. Our first stop in Austin is at the Hormel Home. The home was built in 1871 for George Hormel founder of Hormel Foods. Following a tour of the home, lunch will be served. A visit to the Spam Museum gives us information about the history and development of this popular food product. In the afternoon we travel into Iowa to spend our last night in Des Moines.

5: As we drive toward home we think about the new and interesting things we have seen and experienced along the way.

Note: The cranberry harvest, like other crops, is contingent on weather conditions. We have planned this tour within the window of the typical cranberry harvest season.