A very useful travel guide to America’s mid-west, covering many historic sites and attractions. It’s not comprehensive, as the author tells us, but a compilation of those places she has personally visited on her travels. Not a book to read straight through (unless you like that sort of reading) but certainly one to dip in and out of, and certainly one I will refer to if I ever get a chance to travel in the area.

I loved this book, found it extremely helpful in planning a trip through the Midwest, and know that I will go back to it again when I visit areas that are covered in it. The structure of the book took some time getting used to, but once I got into it made sense. I would highly recommend this to anyone who lives in the heartland of the USA because you will learn all different kinds of things that you never knew.

I found the first part of the book very interesting as a Midwestern history nerd, but I didn't love the recommendation portions. Mainly, my low rating comes down to the fact that I'm confused as to who the audience is for this book. It's written too much like a travel guide for people simply seeking knowledge and history of the Midwest. But it is organized by 'thing' as opposed to by state, making it hard for travelers to page through when planning their trips to Minnesota. While I would recommend the first part of this book to people who find the Midwest underrepresented in history texts, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a travel guide.

What a fun and interesting read about the Midwest. I loved the thorough explanations of the area and side notes. I have been to several of these sites and the author certainly made me want to add more to my future travel plans!

While I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, I did enjoy this part history part travel tour guide book. It was a bit disappointing that the angle on the book is settled=modernized= worthy of history and I wish there was more attention to indigenous communities, but perhaps that is also a reflection in what is available in these Midwest states for places to visit and educate.
The book was organized mostly by "themes" so it was difficult to get a feel for each state because it was not organized that way. I would have also like to see some "Rick Steves"-style maps that are a bit more informal, but could point out the locations in each state that are included in the book.
I certainly think more attention could be paid to this region of the U.S. (where I am from!) and appreciate the author's enthusiasm to research and compile into one text.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the concept, the book felt repetitive and high-level at the same time. This is really a journey through the history of the Midwest starting with colonization. There is some touching on the history of Indigenous tribes in the area, but not much. The book is organized by historical thing - museum, park, restaurant, etc. throughout the Midwest. There's an emphasis on some of the first-settled areas in the area with information about each historical location or thing.

This is maybe a good book for history buffs who are interested in the region.

As a born-and-raised Midwesterner myself, I enjoyed this guide to America's Heartland. The detailed descriptions of historic sites and occasional photographs provide useful information and background for travel and local history enthusiasts.

Reading the book description gives one the impression that this is travel writing, but it is in fact, a travel guide, and a not a particularly good one at that.

For starters, the book is organized by type of thing (museum, living history, etc.), which not only makes the readers' eyes glaze over as one cries "Oh not _another_ museum" but also robs the reader of the ability to get a feel for a state by what is offered there. (There is an appendix at the end but that comes too little too late.) Furthermore, the descriptions of each location are both too long and too short: too short because they just barely touch on what to see in each location, but too long because there is a lot of "Facebook update" level travel writing (as in, "I saw this, it was cool.") Moreover, for a travel guide, there are remarkably few pictures or maps in this book.

On the whole, while I did get some great ideas for places to visit, I found Destination Heartland a sad disappointment.

Tremendous resource of smart/education Midwest destinations. The ARC didn't have many pictures which is a huge negative to me. HOWEVER - the information on each location was just outstanding! As someone who plans travel, I was blown away by the information.

Great resource for campers & roadtrippers!

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help prepare my honest review.

Destination Heartland
by Cynthia Clampitt
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
3 Fields Books
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
States covered in the book: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Growing up and living in the midwest for 60 years, I really enjoyed this book.
I have been to many of the places described but I was able to add a few to my bucket list.
An informative handbook and introduction to the Midwest's colorful past, Destination Heartland provides travelers with a knowledgeable companion on the highways and backroads of history.
We will be purchasing this for our library.
4 stars

Clampitt provides a quick overview of some places to visit in tour in the 12 stores she labels as part of the Midwest. It’s not a comprehensive list, but serves to highlight many of the delightful historical attractions that are often overlooked. I have visited many of the sites she covers in the book so it was interesting to read her synopsis and recommendations.
I appreciate her writing this book since I have been a midwesterner for most of my life.

Cynthia Clampitt’s Destination Heartland is the type of informative travel book one might logically expect from a university press. It’s not a list of places to see arranged by state and complete with addresses, prices, and hours. Instead, it’s a guide to learning and experiencing the history of one often overlooked region—the American Midwest.

Clampitt focuses on a new way of viewing history in each of her chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief historical overview, speaking of Native Americans, traders and trappers, pioneers and settlers. Chapters 2-5 cover living history and open-air museums; vintage sites such as historic homes, frontier forts, and archaeological sites; larger sites that merit an extended stop to wander and explore, such as sites with multiple buildings or both indoor and outdoor components, and historic towns with multiple sites worth visiting; and places where one can experience history more first-hand, sometimes by participating in it oneself. This fifth chapter centers on military reenactments, frontier rendezvous, participating (for example, helping with sails on an 18th commercial sailing vessel on the Great Lakes), or volunteering. In Chapter 6, Clampitt introduces readers to historic sleeping and dining experiences, and in Chapter 7, she discusses a variety of ways those interested in historic travel adventures can discover more places than she can include in one book.


Although the author has chosen to arrange her material by ways for experiencing Midwestern history and offers enough history about each place to provide an idea of the place’s history and importance, she provides an appendix that lists places by state, including the page number where the reader can find that place discussed. Her chosen approach makes more interesting reading, but the appendix would be helpful for anyone planning a trip to one or two particular Midwestern states. Since Clampitt focuses on history, a brief second appendix lists Midwestern states by date of statehood.

Clampitt clearly explains her focus at the outset, pointing out that she makes no attempt to include non-historic sites. This is not a book for those readers who want to experience natural geographical wonders. Instead, in the author’s words, “Destination Heartland is a celebration of what is here and what has happened, as well as why it matters to Midwesterners, to the nation, and to the world.”

Although the book includes some black and white photos and is not intended as a coffee table book, more photos of the type used could help bring the history to life

Thanks to NetGalley and the University of Illinois Press for an advance reader copy of this valuable addition to travel books.

This book gives a little bit of history of the Midwest as well as providing different sites that you can visit. She does tell a little bit about the sites in the book as well as providing some of the background of the sites. She also tells you how to find historical sites that are open to visitors that one can visit when they will be in the area. I would recommend this book for any history buffs who either live or plan to visit the Midwest. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.

I read this book from NetGalley. I enjoyed it so much. I will have visited some of the sites listed in the book and really enjoyed them. I agree with many of the author's recommendations. I also learned about new places to visit. I will be using this book as a reference and recommend that others look for it as well.

The information within each section is well laid out and clear. I liked the additional information that was provided. It wasn't just a list of places to visit and included information about the site and additional things to do.

Destination Heartland is the perfect travel guide to explore the Bread Basket of the United States. With multiple stops at historic sites in each of the twelve Midwestern states, the tourist can leave the present behind and learn of the history of each spot.

Just a few of the sites include two Presidential libraries (Hayes and Lincoln). There are dozens of museums, including The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Michigan.

I am looking forward to visiting the places listed in this book!

Ms. Clampitt has a decent book here. It covers multiple states , often referred to as “the Midwest” Iowa , Illinois ,Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin andMinnesota .
There are museums, old functioning hotels, state parks, restaurants that are in the original old building, and of course , small , charming towns.
Living in Iowa, I was very familiar with many of her selections: the John Deere pavilion, Bill Cody museum and many others. I can say she is spot on in her description of those place I am familiar with and expect she is just as accurate with the ones I am not familiar with..
This won’t be a book for everyone though. If you are looking for “roadside attractions” such as water parks or theme parks …
Those aren’t here. This is a history trip. So , if you really like history, seeing how things used to be, want to learn about, say the Pony Express, this is your book. If you want to go to Six Flags, it is not.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I do recommend.

This book was more than I expected. The author's love and enthusiasm for the Midwest comes out through the entire book. She explains why this area is important to explore and know its history. As she describes landmarks we can visit, she is detailed about the sites provide. This is a great resource to look at for traveling or even students wanting to research more. The author is thorough throughout the book.

This book really packs a punch of insightful knowledge into the Midwest and provides a great guide book if you ever want to visit. You can really tell how passionate the author is about all things history especially when it comes to all things Heartland!

I loved how the book was broken into different themed sections, each being a different type of experience. From historical houses and museums to re-enactments to living history sites you can visit. There is something for everyone! There were many different extra history facts and even recipes included!

This is a great book for anyone interested more in visiting the Midwest or even just wanting to learn more about the history surrounding there!

This book was more than I expected. The author's love and enthusiasm for the Midwest comes out through the entire book. She explains why this area is important to explore and know its history. As she describes landmarks we can visit, she is detailed about the sites provide. This is a great resource to look at for traveling or even students wanting to research more. The author is thorough throughout the book.

This is a history and travel guide for the Heartland of America. It covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. I have been to each of these states but have only visited a few of the sites mentioned. This will appeal to the traveler who loves small towns, history and historical sites and niche interests like reenactments. The chapters are: Defining the Midwest, Witnessing History (Living history venues), Perusing History (Vintage sites, historic homes, museums), Exploring History (Historic towns), Experiencing History (reenacting, volunteering), Eating and Sleeping History (Historic Inns and Dining venues). This is well researched with a lot of information provided.

For me there are a few drawbacks resulting in a lower rating. There are some photos but only in black and white. I would like more photos and color would enhance the book (and sadly increase the costs). There are no maps. You would to rely on the internet or other travel books for a travel plan. The information is given by topic so this isn’t a book that you can easily lay out a road trip through a particular area. There is no information given on admissions or hours of operation for locations. They do have suggest visiting local information centers to seek out deals in the area.

My feelings overall are mixed. It gave me new ideas for places to visit and things to do but it is not the most user friendly requiring other resources beyond the book alone. This is the kind of book I would like for own state and surrounding areas. I like visiting living history sites, historic homes and local festivals. Things that I can do on weekends. Thank you to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.