Daniel Mercer

A quiet lake walk is one thing. A quiet lake walk that can end at an old marble…

By Daniel Mercer · Oct 2

Quick favor before you head in: bring cash. Not because the card reader is down. There simply is…

By Daniel Mercer · Oct 1

Bring your grocery list. Just know it may lose voting rights somewhere near aisle three. At this family-owned…

By Daniel Mercer · Oct 1

Okay, be honest. Are you grabbing the crunchy corner piece, or heading straight for the cheesy middle? That…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 30

Here is a history lesson I would happily show up hungry for. The tavern dates to 1784. The…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 30

Bring a jacket. Oregon hid 44-degree weather underground. That is your first clue: this cave plays by different…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 29

Five minutes in, and suddenly you are comparing pieces of jade like you have done this your whole…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 29

The potato has spent long enough being treated like a side dish. Give it one baked version and…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 28

If someone hands you a long wooden stick and a circle of potato dough, try not to look…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 28

Wisconsin breakfast can become a cardboard engineering problem very quickly. You walk in expecting one pastry. Then the…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 27

Tell your hiking boots not to take it personally. On these drives, they may spend most of the…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 27

Tuesday has been keeping the same appointment here for more than a century. That alone tells you something.…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 26

The rocks are not changing color. Your eyes are just getting new evidence every hour. Morning can pull…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 26

Nothing says “pull over” quite like a row of Volkswagens trying to become lawn ornaments. Near Amarillo, that…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 25

Turns out, “yeehaw” is not a complete cattle-moving strategy. On this western Montana ranch, you actually get to…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 25

Croissants are basically edible peer pressure. One buttery layer turns into another, and suddenly the pastry case has…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 24

Who said the adults have to guard the towels? This Michigan indoor waterpark gives grown-ups plenty of excuses…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 24

Catfish has the headline, but the hushpuppies are already stealing clicks. That is the kind of dinner setup…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 23

Apparently, choosing a table can turn you into someone with very strong feelings about maple. Inside this Michigan…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 23

Brace yourself. With more than eighty flavors waiting in this Tennessee shop, things are about to get a…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 22

Ever had a road trip make you say, “Okay, but what is around that next bend?” That is…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 22

Some small towns seem to change personalities when summer shows up. This northern Michigan community had just 2,348…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 21

No need to sugarcoat it: this place has been on a serious candy streak since 1919. In Chesapeake,…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 21

The first thing you notice is the water. It is dark enough to look like somebody steeped the…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 20

By the time the pie comes into view, pretending this was going to be a light meal is…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 20

I have never trusted a Friday that does not involve something fried. In Wisconsin, this supper club gives…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 19

If the boiled peanuts are hot, I am already slowing down. This North Carolina roadside market has been…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 19

Michigan can be wonderfully quiet right up until the calendar flips and everybody remembers the same beach exists.…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 18

Most festivals ask you to find one parking lot. This Ohio one sends you back to the car.…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 18

Some bakeries have a signature pastry. This Michigan one seems to have given cannoli cream its own career.…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 17

October starts changing color before this East Tennessee road has finished climbing. Near the river, green can still…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 17

Indiana burgers clearly did not agree on a dress code. Some show up thin, crispy, and happy with…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 16

Texas wings have commitment issues. Some come breaded. Others skip the batter entirely. You will also find Korean-style…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 16

Connecticut did not stumble into a pizza reputation by accident. This state has been perfecting its craft for…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 15

Wisconsin does not do anything halfway. Especially when it comes to a buffet worth driving across the state…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 15

Retirees have a sixth sense for the good stuff, and word is slowly getting out about a quiet…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 14

Missouri just pulled off something nobody expected. A waterfall pouring over billion-year-old volcanic rock, surrounded by moss-covered ledges…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 14

Fresh Gulf seafood and a warm atmosphere that actually makes a person want to stay longer than planned.…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 13

Veteran-owned since 1958. A massive retail space packed with clothing, furniture, jewelry, shoes, and finds that make the…

By Daniel Mercer · Sep 13