Q: Over the Labor Day holiday we’re attempting a slightly crazed road trip to Branson with our kids, ages 2 and 4. We’re going through the Ozarks both ways–our first night will be in Jefferson City, MO–and would like to try and figure out any good stops along the way or things to see with the kids. Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

A:  That’s some trip!! Please feel free to email us a video of your adventures. I asked Kathy Mackdanz, the Auto Travel Resources Manager at  AAA Minneapolis, for some recommendations. Since the first leg of your trip is roughly 500 miles of Iowa farmland, she suggested regular stops at Iowa Tourist areas, including one two hours into your trip at exit 214 on I-35w/I-35.

Once you get to Branson, you can put away the portable DVD since you’ll be overwhelmed with family activities, including White Water water park, Branson’s Dinosaur Museum, World’s Largest Toy Museum, Showboat Branson Belle cruises,  the Branson Scenic Railway tour and  The Family Fun Factory.

On your way home, the drive to the Osage Beach resort area from Branson is roughly 125 miles. From there, it’s 320 miles on US 63 to Des Moines. On the way, you can check out the tallest working windmill in the U.S. in Pella, IA and the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center in Prairie City.

A just released report from researchers at Harvard University confirms that travelers have three times the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blog clots in a vein, which can be fatal if they travel to the lungs. While frequent flyers have been aware of the potential risks of VTE for some time, the report also states that people who spend more than two hours  traveling by car are also vulnerable. The study says that drinking extra fluids and getting up and moving at least every two hours help ward off the condition. 

Q: My husband and I are planning a weekend in Madison. Any suggestions about what to do?

A:  The Wisconsin capitol is one of our favorite midwestern getaways. Home to both the University of Wisconsin and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, Mad Town mixes the high brown with the down-home. We suggest starting your trip with a crash course in Wisconsin humor by attending a live performance of Michael Feldman’s radio program Whad’Ya Know. We especially recommend the shows that are held at the  Monona Terrace Convention and Community Center, a gorgeous lakeside complex inspired by the designs of native son Frank Lloyd Wright. Other must-dos  include the Dane County Farmers’ Market held at the Capitol and a visit to the U of W’s Aboretum. And what self-respecting traveler could visit the epicenter of America’s dairyland without a stop at an ice cream store? There are no shortage of options, but we particularly love Babcock Hall Dairy Store, where the university’s Department of Food Science peddles its yummy inventions.

What are your favorite things to do in Madison?

Despite the economic crisis, tomorrow promises to be the biggest travel day of the year in the United States. By car and by air, we go home, wherever that is, to be with our families. The popular idea of travel is signified by palm trees and exotic shores; but by far, the biggest reason Americans travel is to be with families. More than 80 percent of leisure travel in the U.S. consists of car trips to relatives’ homes, according to multiple surveys.

My trips home usually consist of a seven-hour drive to Lincoln, Neb., to visit my mother and sisters, followed by a two-hour drive to the tiny town of Dannebrog, Neb., to visit my grandmother, father and stepmother. That means, like a lot of Americans, I usually get two Thanksgivings. This year, I have a new grand nephew to greet (born yesterday afternoon), along with a lot of other things to be grateful for. Where are you going this Thanksgiving, and what are you grateful for?

The September issue of Coastal Living magazine named Duluth the third best B&B town, after Santa Barbara, Calif., and Troncones, Mexico. Our northern city beat out such B&B icons as Key West, Fla. and Kennebunkport, Maine. The magazine singled out the Firelight Inn for being a place that’s particularly great for birders. The other B&Bs mentioned were Olcott House and Solglimt.

What do you think of these choices? Do you go to Duluth for a vacation, or is it a quick stop on your way to the North Shore or beyond? What are your tips for visiting Duluth?

I hate the term “leaf peepers,” so let’s just dispatch with that now. Why not hue hunters? Deciduous drivers? I know, I know, I’m barking up the wrong tree. So let’s get to the matter at hand. What makes a good fall color road and where are your favorites?

To my mind, fall roads should be lightly traveled two-lanes with a satisfying mix of hills and curves. In other words, they should be fun to drive as well as scenic. Mine are in Otter Tail County, in the northwest part of the state, and to the southeast, in the Bluff Country of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. I also have a soft spot for all of the roads in Itasca State Park (pictured above in 2007), where the orange maples pop against the old-growth white and red pines of the forest. I wrote a more detailed account of my wanderings in Otter Tail County last fall for the Sunday Travel section (Sept. 7).

What are your favorites?