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Other stories in "Fall"

• This weekend
  See elves, artists and Irish dancers.
• Next weekend
  Elves, artists and Irish dancers are hard at work during holidays.
• Remember the wrecks
  On Lake Superior, gales of November bring haunting memories.
• Welcome, Southwest
  Finally, low-cost air fares to Chicago have returned.
• All quiet up north
  Like the leaves, room rates have dropped.
• Big birds
  Eagles are flocking to a stretch of river best known for tundra swans.
• Join the fun
  With an outdoors club, make friends, see new places and save money.
• Homes for the holidays
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Culture in the bluffs
  Follow musicians to four unusual venues near the Mississippi.
• Ghouls ahoy
  On Great Lakes, two haunted ships are spoiling for a fright.
• Bash on a bike trail
  Kick up your wheels at small-town fall festivals.
• Closing the deal
  Believe it or not, it's time to reserve hot dates for 2009.
• Ely's blue over hues
  Act now to keep town's future bright.
• Eyes on the skies
  On bluffs and ridges, it's time to watch the hawk migration.
• Price check/A northwoods weekend
  Two Minnesota B&Bs offer a Boundary Waters adventure — is it a deal?
• On the ropes in Lanesboro
  Try walking a high wire on Halloween.
• In Iowa, a singular inn reopens
  Through December, snag a $99 room at the Hotel Pattee.
• Hunters on the North Shore
  A special deer season this weekend may put guns close to hikers.
• Geocaching for beginners
  Try a fall treasure hunt.
• Hot tip/A different North Shore
  Didn't reserve for fall-color season? Thunder Bay has rooms.
• On the road/A fall drive along the St. Croix
  A stretch of river valley is packed with attractions.
• 10 great trails to ride in fall
  Here's where to get your fill of flora, fauna and fall colors.
• Go on a trail-clearing trip
  If you enjoy a hike, help make it possible for others.
• In river towns, favorites debut anew
  On the Red Cedar and in Red Wing, three inns and restaurants finally reopen.
• Home of horsepower
  In Wisconsin, see where race cars, snowmobiles, outboards and motorcycles were born.
• Go swan watching
  

Scenery in the studios

On autumn art tours, treasure hunters strike gold (and orange and red).

In September and October, artists everywhere throw open their studio doors, inviting the public to see some fall colors along with some fine art.

It's so tempting because of the scenic landscapes in which so many artists live: the bluffs of northeast Iowa, the coulees of southwest Wisconsin, the towns around Lake Pepin, the lumpy terrain of the Ice Age Trail.

"This is such a pretty area in the fall, and we thought it would be nice to have a tour where people could travel through it,'' says potter Diana Johnston, who helped found southwest Wisconsin's Fall Art Tour, the region's oldest.  "It's such an adventure — you've got your map in hand, and you're trying to get where you want to go.''

The tours are free, and many artists demonstrate their craft and provide music and treats. It's not like shopping at the mall.

"You can get a slice of someone's life and see just what they do out there,'' Johnston says. "You can go home with a piece of art and have a story to go with it.''

Sept. 5-14, Autumn Winds Studio Tour in eastern Minnesota, along the Willard Munger State Trail, with 14 artists in 12 studios in Kettle River, Moose Lake, Willow River, Askov, Sturgeon Lake and Carlton.

Sept. 19-21, Amana Artisans Studio Tour in eastern Iowa's Amana Colonies.

Sept. 19-21, Dunn County Artist Tour in and around Menomonie, Wis., with artists at nine studios.

Sept. 20-21, Studio Ramble in and around Red Wing, Minn., with more than 25 artists at 14 sites.

Sept. 25-Oct. 5, Crossing Borders Studio Tour on Lake Superior's North Shore, with 19 artists at 10 studios between Duluth and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Sept. 27-28, Art Leap in northern Minnesota, with artists at 14 studios and cultural sites in and around Park Rapids.

Oct. 3-5, Meander, the Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl, with 45 artists at 33 sites in and around Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo and Granite Falls in western Minnesota.

Oct. 3-5, Hidden Studios Art Tour along the Ice Age Trail in central Wisconsin, with 21 artists in 10 studios in  Almond, Amherst Junction, Iola and Waupaca.

Oct. 3-5, Fall Fresh Art Tour, with artists at 16 studios along the Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin, from Bay City to Durand and Pepin.

Oct. 3-5, Northwoods Art Tour in northeast Wisconsin, with artists at 23 studios in and around Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, Minocqua and Eagle River.

Oct. 4-5, River Crossings Art Fair in Motion along the Minnesota River in St. Peter and Mankato, with artists at 16 studios and music, dance, poetry and improv at 11 restaurants and galleries.

Oct. 10-12, St. Paul Art Crawl, with artists at 25 sites in downtown St. Paul and the Raymond-University area.

Oct. 10-12, Northeast Iowa Artists' Studio Tour, with 56 artists at 43 sites around Decorah, Burr Oak, St. Lucas, Waukon, West Union, Cresco, New Albin, Lansing, Elgin and Clermont.

Oct. 10-12, Art Studio Tour of Northeast Wisconsin, with 20 artists at 19 studios in and around Green Bay, Kewaunee and Algoma.

Oct. 17-19, First City of Arts Studio Cruise in Bemidji, Minn., with artists in a 40-mile radius around this northern-Minnesota college town.

Oct. 17-19, Southwest Wisconsin Fall Art Tour, with artists at 40 studios between Mineral Point, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Baraboo. This tour, started in 1994, is very popular; reserve lodgings early.

Oct. 17-19, Twenty Dirty Hands Pottery Tour, with artists at four studios and a wood kiln in and around the northwest Illinois towns of Galena and Elizabeth.

Oct. 24-26, South Central Minnesota Studio Art Tour, with 32 artists at 15 studios and galleries in and around Northfield, Faribault and Owatonna.

Oct. 25-26, Earth, Wood & Fire Artist Tour east of Madison, with 20 artists in and around Lake Mills, Cambridge and Fort Atkinson.

Last updated on October 17, 2008