The Midwest United States is known as “America’s Heartland” for its role in the nation's manufacturing and farming sectors, as well as its collection of big cities, small towns, rolling hills, prairies, and forests, which makes the region a good representation of America. While states in the region are often called “flyover states”, there are plenty of cities and attractions to see in this region. Read below to learn more about this area of the United States.

Places to Visit and Things to Do:

• North Dakota: The geographical center of North America, North Dakota is home to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Lewis and Clark Historical Trail, and Norsk Høstfest, which is North America’s largest Scandinavian festival

• South Dakota: Well known for Mt Rushmore, South Dakota is also home to Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, and the rugged Badlands National Park. Along Interstate 90 are a slew of unique roadside attractions, such as Wall Drug, Mitchell Corn Palace, Minuteman Missile Visitors Center, and the casinos in Deadwood. Additionally, the city of Sturgis hosts an annual motorcycle rally with over half a million riders, the largest motorcycle rally in the United States

• Nebraska: Nebraska is home to Carhenge, a replica of England’s Stonehenge, where the large stones are replaced with old cars. Scott’s Bluff National Monument and Chimney Rock National Historic Site are several of the natural attractions in the state. In addition to several museums, the city of Omaha also hosts the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder’s Meeting

• Kansas: The geographical center of the United States, and known for being the home of the Wizard of Oz, Kansas is home to some unique attractions such as the Evel Knievel Museum, the Eisenhower Presidential Library, and the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, which has the most USA and Russian space artifacts in the world

• Minnesota: Best known for the Mall of America, Minnesota is also home to Lake Superior, Minnehaha Falls, Gooseberry Falls State Park, and Voyageurs National Park. Fishing and canoeing are popular activities for locals and tourists

• Iowa: Surprising to most people who think of the state as mainly corn fields, Iowa is home to some unique attractions such as the Maquoketa Caves State Park. Iowa is also home to the Field of Dreams movie site, the American Gothic house, the world’s largest truck stop, and RAGBRAI, a week long bike race throughout the state

• Missouri: The St Louis Arch is recognizable by everyone, but St Louis is also home to the popular City Museum and the St Louis Botanical garden, one of the best in North America. Kansas City, yes it’s in Missouri, is home to attractions such as the Kansas City Library’s Giant Bookshelf, several art museums, and Kansas City style BBQ, which is some of the best in the United States

• Wisconsin: Wisconsin is home to several buildings designed by famous architects - several houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Santiago Calatrava. Wisconsin is also home to several unique museums, such as the National Mustard Museum, Harley Davidson Museum, and Circus World Museum. Wisconsin is also known for the capital city of Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Dells, a popular area with boat tours, theme parks, and water parks

• Illinois: Best known for the city of Chicago, which is home to The Bean and the Skydeck at Sears Tower, Illinois also has the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library/Museum, located in Springfield. Chicago is also known for having the best deep dish pizza in the world

• Indiana: Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis 500 and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest in the world. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan is Indiana Dunes National Park, one of the newest national parks. The University of Notre Dame is a popular tourist site due to some of the university’s architecture, such as the Golden Dome and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

• Michigan: The largest city of Detroit is home to Motown Museum, the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, and the Museum of African-American History, the world’s biggest permanent collection of African-American culture. The lesser visited Upper Peninsula is a popular area, with popular natural attractions such as Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Isle Royale National Park

• Ohio: Home to several large cities, such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton, Ohio has some famous attractions, such as Cedar Point theme park, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame

• Kentucky: The Bluegrass State is most recognizable for the annual Kentucky Derby horse race, but Kentucky also has the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Mammoth Cave National Park, and several famous Kentucky Bourbon distillery tours

Travel Tips:

• Part of the midwest United States experiences some extremely cold weather in the winter, particularly North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

• Due to the low population density in many of these states, transportation and rideshare through many of these states are not always available, meaning you will likely need to have a rental car to travel around. With that said, Amtrak does have rail service connecting the major cities

• People in the Midwest are known for their friendliness, genuineness, and honesty