Ok, fellow Iowans - did you know that the beautiful Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines was not the original Iowa Capitol? Despite learning Iowa history in elementary school, I had forgotten that the original capitol building was in Iowa City and served as its first seat of government for approximately ten years, from 1846 to 1857. The building would then become the University of Iowa’s first building.

If you’re like me, you love to discover unexpected little gems when you travel, especially ones that are underrated or somewhat unknown. When you find a place like that, it feels sort of like you have opened a surprise birthday gift and are delighted. That was the way I felt when I visited the ESSE Purse Museum and Store!

On a recent visit to Lincoln, Nebraska I had a bit of extra time and I wanted to see something I hadn’t been to before. Since most of the museums were closing soon, I decided to go to the National Museum of Roller Skating, since it was open an hour later and I enjoyed roller skating as a kid - at least most of the time.