Wisconsin Dells to Birmingham train

Wisconsin Dells is a city on the Wisconsin River, where you can see glacier-carved sandstone formations. It made a name for itself as a destination for family-friendly activities, offering multiple theme parks like Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park and Noah's Ark Water Park. Aside from having some of the best and most thrilling water parks in the US, Wisconsin Dells is also popular for its natural scenery. The Mirror Lake State Park, a forested reserve surrounding a lake, is popular for hiking, walking, and camping. There are also spots for history and architecture, like the Seth Peterson Cottage, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Museum of Historic Torture Devices.

Although it's popular as a kid-centric destination, Wisconsin Dells also offers exciting nightlife and fun activities for adults. You can check out the Ho-Chunk Gaming Casino or visit some of their interactive gaming exhibits. The Wilderness Resort and Kalahari Resort in the city have indoor mini-golf courses, and there are spots for outdoor golf open during the summer. Due to the different resorts in the city, you can also enjoy spas, restaurants, antique shops, and more. The city is home to wineries and craft breweries.

You can easily access Wisconsin Dells by train or bus, provided by Amtrak Empire Builder and OurBus, respectively.

Birmingham may not be the capital of Alabama, but it does hold the crown as both the cultural and entertainment capital of the Cotton State. The second-most populous city, Birmingham was founded during the Reconstruction Period, which followed the American Civil War.

Quietly going about its business as an industrial powerhouse, producing much of America's iron and steel, Birmingham didn't enter the world's consciousness until the Civil Rights Movement one hundred years later. It’s one of the 8 iconic cities on our Martin Luther King, Jr. road trip, as it’s the city where Dr. King wrote his famous “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” When visiting, be sure to stop at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to learn more about the city’s civil rights history.

Today known as America's 'Magic City,' new life has been blown into downtown Birmingham in recent years. Its streets have been cleaned up, allowing the city's historical gems such as the Alabama Theater to shine once more both by day and by night.

The Birmingham Museum of Art contains the most extensive collection of artworks in the southeastern United States. It's connected to the nightlife districts of Five Points South, Lakeview, and Uptown by a series of charming tree-lined public squares. Close by Five Points South also lies Red Mountain's Vulcan Park, home to the world's largest cast-iron statue. It was made for the St. Louis World Fair of 1904.

Birmingham is an important regional hub linking the Deep South, the Appalachian Mountains, and Piedmont. Travelers can easily reach other noteworthy destinations in the U.S., including Dallas, Phoenix, and Montgomery, thanks to the hundreds of bus and train routes to and from Birmingham.