A tunnel of trees bows in greeting as my husband and I enter the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden in Kansas City, Missouri. Locals conversing with friends or with noses buried in novels perch on wooden benches tucked between painstakingly cultivated beds. This October mid-morning visit is our first, yet something feels sentimental about the spheres of yellow and fuchsia mums, meandering brick paths, and graceful fountains. A few beats pass, and then we smile at each other in a cheesy, light bulb moment of recognition: This regal oasis down the road from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art reminds us of the Sunken and Italian gardens at Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, which we visited on our honeymoon almost four years ago to the day.
The memorial garden's design was inspired by the parks the Kauffmans, notable Kansas City philanthropists, encountered on their world travels. Today, KCMO's warmth and worldly influences can be felt through its burgeoning global restaurant scene and history-steeped neighborhoods that host more activities than we can fit into our weekend stay.
Droves of visitors are in town for a marathon, the Chiefs game, a Lizzo concert and fall festivals. At Cornucopia, a family-friendly carnival in the Power and Light District, parents bounce babies on hips to the rhythm of oldies, and the air smells like funnel cakes and barbecue. A crowd reverently gathers around a stage where an artist leans over a pumpkin as tall as my torso. I, too, fall under his spell and watch a row of jagged teeth emerge as it transforms into a monster.
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Esta historia es de la edición Fall 2023 de Midwest Living.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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MAJOR KEY
HUNDREDS OF SMALL ISLANDS TRAIL LIKE STEPPING STONES OFF OF FLORIDA INTO THE GULF OF MEXICOAND THE PATH LEADS TO KEY WEST.
cream of the crop
IN A TINY TOWN OUTSIDE MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CENTURY-OLD CREAMERY HAS BEEN REVIVED AS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND CULINARY DESTINATION. FOR VISITORS TO PAOLI, SEVEN ACRE DAIRY COMPANY ANCHORS A SWEET WEEKEND GETAWAY. FOR SMALL DAIRY PRODUCERS, IT'S RESHAPING THE FUTURE.
HOME BAKED
ON A TREE-LINED RESIDENTIAL STREET IN DES MOINES, A BAKERY DREAM HAS COME WRAPPED IN LOVE, UNEXPECTEDLY TRUE COMMUNITY AND ALL-BUTTER PASTRY.
POST MODERN
AN INDIANA DIY'ER STUMBLES INTO SOCIAL MEDIA STARDOM BY SHARING HER HOME'S EVER-CHANGING STYLE.
POUR ME A DOUBLE
COFFEE BY DAY, COCKTAILS BY NIGHTTHESE HYBRID CAFES OPEN EARLY FOR CAFFEINE FIXES AND STAY UP LATE FOR LIBATIONS.
HOT IN HERE
THE UPPER MIDWEST (AND ESPECIALLY MINNEAPOLIS) IS FIRED UP OVER SAUNA CULTURE. HERE ARE 10 WAYS AND PLACES TO GET YOUR STEAM ON.
SHOP THE BLOCK
FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, ST. LOUIS' ANNUAL PRINT BAZAAR HAS TURNED CHEROKEE STREET INTO A BUSTLING, MAGICAL MILE OF ART AND HOLIDAY CHEERTHE PERFECT KICKOFF TO A WEEKEND EXPLORING THE LOU.
EASY SQUEEZY
THIS LITTLE LEMON LOAF HAS A SOFT TEXTURE AND A PUCKERY, BUTTERY GLAZE THE PERFECT AFTERNOON BAKE FOR A SNOW DAY.
WINTER RESET
THESE WARMING, SPICE-FORWARD MEALS PROVIDE A HEALTHFUL RESPITE AMONG (OR AFTER) ALL THE HOLIDAY INDULGENCES.
DARK ARTS
WITH HER DRAMATIC COLOR CHOICE AND SECONDHAND TREASURES, INTERIOR DECORATOR RUTHIE JACKSON BRINGS THE MOOD WHEN HOSTING FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND.