About Us
Howard and Mike met in the fall of 2000 when Howard was hired to teach history at the same school where Mike was teaching math. Initially drawn together by their love of baseball, they became good friends and confidants.
From 2006-2014, Howard led 3-6 day trips to popular tourist sites for students from his school and these became quite popular. When it was decided to make more epic journeys to every part of the continental US, Mike jumped on board as an assistant. The trips continued to be really well received until COVID came along and things came to a screeching halt. The 2020 trip was canceled by the school. Howard and Mike then decided to take things into their own hands and start American Adventures of Minnesota. In 2024, they even began planning international trips.
Join us to experience history like you have never before.
Meet the Team
-
As one of the fearless founders, Howard discovered a love of history as a child. He voraciously read books about American history, especially westward expansion and the Civil War. As he got older, his family began to take trips, mostly to the Western US, and he caught the travel bug. He also discovered that he had a talent for telling stories that seemed to interest others. People began to tell him he should be a history teacher. Marriage, three children, shout out to the one making this site, and several careers later, he finally finished his teaching degree.
A few years into his new career and with the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Award in hand, some students asked if he would take them to Washington, DC. The rest is history. Howard has now led historical tours to all the lower 48 states, and even to France. This allows him to indulge in his greatest passions, history, travel and teaching at the same time. Come join him at American Adventures of Minnesota and begin YOUR adventure today.
-
History was always Mike's second favorite subject in school (math being #1, of course). He is able to combine the two subjects in his role with American Adventures of Minnesota. He runs the numbers on the trips to make sure the customers are getting the best value. During the trips, he monitors the weather, handles the finances, and keeps things light with his sense of humor.
Mike also looks for ways to connect music to the tours, finding songs that talk about the places we visit or the surrounding areas. He'll even play Pokémon Go with you on the trip!