Exploring the Midwest with Jody Halsted Jody Halsted

The fairy door trail in downtown Dublin, Ohio is a whimsical adventure for all ages. PLUS an 'adults only' trail and tips for visiting from Sara Blatnik, Marketing Director for Visit Dublin, Ohio.

Austin, Minnesota has a really incredible story of how revitalization formed the base of public art in the community.

Guest Laura Helle is Executive Director of Austin Area Arts. She shares information about the arts in Austin as well as Austin MN travel tips

The city of Louisville, Kentucky has one of the most encompassing community arts programs you will find in the Midwest.

Explore all Louisville has to offer and get Louisville travel tips with Andre Guess, President and CEO of Fund for the Arts.

The Wichita City Arts Council's slogan is "We Make Art Happen".

Guest Alisha Gridley, Education Director and Interim Executive Director of CityArts, guides us through public art and CityArts, and offers top tips for a visit to Wichita.

NoCo Arts & Cultural District in Jeffersonville, IN has been specifically planned, zoned & set aside for the arts and art businesses.

Learn more about this fun area and get tips for visiting from Emily Dippie, the Public Arts Administrator for Jeffersonville.

After you've found your ancestors and traced them back to your 'homeland' it's natural you will want to visit.







Today we're going to talk about a few things you should do before taking a heritage tour.







Allison Singleton is Senior Librarian at The Genealogy Center and the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.







Learn more about The Genealogy Center















Discovering the history of Ireland







How Much Information Do You Need to Plan a Heritage Tour?







Singleton suggests having at least a little bit of family information before taking on an ancestry tour or trip. "You really want to know where your ancestors are from," says Singleton. "So you need to actually be able to find that ancestral village or town, or maybe even the home, and in order to do that, you have to exhaust all the resources in the United States before you can jump the pond. Otherwise you're just going to be wandering around aimlessly."







Find everything you can from the United States first before making an overseas trip. Exhaust all of your resources locally and get as much information as you can from your local experts before you go.







The Irish Family History Centre in Dublin, Ireland







Finding Genealogy Experts in Other Countries







When you are planning heritage travel plan to meet with a local historian or genealogist wherever you're visiting.







"I 100% recommend always using the knowledge base of the experts when you're doing research like this," says Singleton. "Otherwise you can get frustrated very quickly."







One great way to find experts is by using familysearch.org. Go to their research Wiki and find the specific location you're going to. There, you should find a list of archives and libraries. This is an excellent place to start, suggests Singleton.







"Another thing that might sound crazy is to get on Facebook," says Singleton. "Find out what research groups are in existence. There are some for every nationality. Ask what other people are using and utilize the resources people recommend."







"Genealogy is not a solitary hobby or occupation," says Singleton. "It's very much about communicating with and learning what you can from others."







Never take original documents on a genealogy trip







Information to Take on an Ancestry Tour







When you take that trip to another country, Singleton recommends making sure you have the immigration information with you.







She also suggests taking any documentation that gives the specific locations in the home country that you're looking for. "Sometimes these might be in different languages or give a clue that maybe you missed that a local might actually see," says Singleton.







Instead of taking hard copies, uploading to the cloud and being able to access the information from a computer, tablet or phone is the best idea. "If you are going to take a hard copy, take a photocopy," says Singleton. "Never take the original."















Tips for Avoiding Heritage Travel Disappointment







It's easy to "build up" an ancestral visit in your mind. How do you keep from being disappointed by what you do -- or don't -- experience?







* Go into the trip expecting to learn about the culture an...