Over 44 million Americans, or 14% of the U.S. population, are of German heritage, making them the nation's largest ancestry group.  Until the early 1900's, in fact, German language and customs  were more common than English in dozens of U.S. communities.  All that changed, however, when two World Wars pitted nation against nation and neighbor against neighbor.  Facing widespread anti-German sentiment, many German Americans quietly and quickly left their German traditions behind.  Yet, as post-War prosperity then led to the desire for road trip adventure vacations, several towns cheerfully revived their German heritage.  Add to that the growing nationwide popularity of the big bash Oktoberfest, and a tourist craze was born.  The happy result is that today there are many great ways to enjoy and experience German American culture.