Kristen Fuhs Wells

“There is a perceived novelty in what we do, given our rural community nestled in the Heartland,” says Jonathan Balash, president and director of Spencer Pride. “People hear about small towns being small-minded, but that’s a big misconception.”

You can see thousands of the water-loving sandhill cranes from a new state-of-the-art visitor’s center, which overlooks the state’s largest wetlands preserve.

To enter the exhibit, guests walk through a vintage photograph that appears to hang in midair.

“Gandolfo’s is my new go-to spot,” says CityWay resident Zachary Lockett. “You feel like you’ve walked into a corner deli in New York.”

It turns out that the border town modeled its street plan after the Circle City’s in 1889.

How to avoid the lines, what to taste, and the edible accessory you’ll want to wear.

In Pioneer Park, the new Soaring Eagle Zip Line gives riders two thrills for the low $5 cost of one: load at the bottom, slide up the 600-foot cable, then zoom back down.