Your local news source ::
      Select a community or newspaper »

Subscribe to the Chicago Sun-Times
Subscribe   •   EasyPay   •   e-paper
Reader Rewards   •   Customer Service


Search »
Site STNG

Home Metro News Commentary Sports Business Entertainment Classifieds Columns Video Lifestyles Ebert Search Archives Blogs RSS
Search jump local

Phrase:

Date Range:

Category:

To select multiple categories hold your CTRL key and click

jump local
Art Bars + Clubs Beauty Community Dining Education Entertainment Fitness Green Living Health Holiday Home + Garden Music Neighborhoods Parenting Pets Religion Shopping Sports Transportation Travel Weddings + Events Wine + Grocery
Today's Paper
Classifieds
Autos Jobs Homes Place an ad Yellow Pages
Subscribe to paper
Subscribe to newspaper EasyPay Reader Rewards Customer service
e-paper
Account login Free trial offer Subscribe to e-paper
Daily Features
Chicago 24/7 Crime Crossword Health Horoscopes Jump 2 Web Neighborhoods P.M. Edition Real Chicago Shopping Sudoku The Ride Travel
Blogs
Full Court Press Footblog Health High School Confidential Lynn Sweet Mary Mitchell Neighborhoods Patch of Green Scratch Crib Shopping The Gold Rush The Ride The Right Place Travel
Newsletters
Bears Insider Bulls Insider Cubs Insider Hawks Insider Morning Update P.M. Edition Roger Ebert Sox Insider Sports Headlines
Manage Account
F.A.Q. Log In Register Edit Profile Forgot Password Change Password Unsubscribe
Readers' Favorites
Autos Auto Show Best of Chicago Blogs Books CenterStage Chicagopedia Commentary Crossword Dining Eating In Roger Ebert Editorials Education Food Health High School of the Week Horoscopes Lottery Made in Chicago Movie Times Obituaries Politics Prep Spotlight Photo Galleries Racing Challenge Real Chicago Real Estate School Report Cards Shopping Stock Market Sudoku Special Sections Technology The Fixer This Much I Know Travel What's missing?
CenterStage
Articles Bars + Clubs Chicago Events Dating + Advice Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Places A to Z Theatre Travel + Tourism User Reviews Virtual LTM Navigator Visual Arts Words
Search Chicago
Autos Careers Homes Place an Ad
Information
Advertising About Us Contact Us Feedback Subscriptions Media Kit
Feedback
Letters to the Editor Talk Back Contact Us
suntimes.com
RSS feeds AddThis Social Bookmark Button
What's this? E-mail us printer friendly email article

MOST popular jump local items Cool coffee shops Chicago may have a Starbucks on every corner, but it lays claim to something even more exciting: a robust community of local coffeehouses. Rooftop dining Here's a sampling of Chicago's best rooftop gardens and patios. But be warned: Like summer in the Midwest, they're only here for a limited time. Fashion's best blogs From snarky takes on silly trends (metallic leggings, anyone?) to tips on how to recreate your favorite star's hot outfit for less, these blogs rule when it comes to fashion. Go for a bike ride From five-mile loops to a 61-mile long haul, there's sure to be a ride that's right for you among these 10 bike trails. Cubs bars It's the ultimate weekend of bragging rights. If you're a Cubs fan, rest easy that you'll be with friends watching the games at any of these bars.

Home » Categories » Travel » Explore the Midwest
Explore the Midwest
July 8, 2008
Who says you have to take a plane ride to find a fun vacation spot? There's so much to see and do, and most of it is just a short car ride away.
Print Email
Harbor Country
http://www.harborcountry.org
Eight small towns, mostly hugging the Lake Michigan shoreline from the Indiana state line northward, make up Harbor Country. A popular vacation spot for Chicagoans fleeing the summer heat in the 1920s and '30s, the area was forgotten and then recently rediscovered again. Miles of pristine beaches await, along with enough restaurants and shops to keep you from getting bored. And you might run into Mayor Daley, who has a place in Grand Beach.

Print Email
Wisconsin Dells
http://wisdells.com
If you grew up in Chicago in the past 50 years, chances are one of your summer rituals growing up was the family vacation to the Dells. The self-proclaimed "Waterpark Capital of the World!" has its cheesy side, but there's a reason people keep making the trip up I-90/94 year after year: It's affordable and fun for the kids.

Print Email
Galena
http://www.galena.org
Everyone knows Illinois is the Land of Lincoln, but he's not the only U.S. leader who lived a good chunk of his life here. Ulysses S. Grant lived in Galena just before heading off to the Civil War and gaining fame as one of the greatest military leaders in U.S. history, which led to his being elected to two terms as President. His home is one of many historic sites worth checking out in Galena and neighboring towns.

Print Email
Door County
http://www.doorcounty.com
Money Magazine calls it "one of the top 10 vacation destinations in North America," and it's a lot easier to get to now that I-43 allows you to avoid all the traffic and stoplights along U.S. 41. For accommodations, you can rough it in a campground, get the personal touch at a B&B or be pampered in a resort. And you can try your hand at sailing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking or biking. Or you can lie on the beach and daydream.

Print Email
St. Louis
http://www.explorestlouis.com
Few places can get steamier than St. Louis on a summer afternoon, but if you plan your trip for the spring or fall, you're less likely to get hot and bothered. An easy drive down I-55 or an easier ride on Amtrak brings you to the home of the Gateway Arch and many more attractions. Union Station is the hub of a thriving entertainment district and the new Busch Stadium, opened in 2006, is a distinct improvement over its predecessor. Besides the Cardinals, it's home to some of the friendliest and most savvy baseball fans in America.

Print Email
Cleveland
http://www.positivelycleveland.com
Once known as "The Mistake by the Lake," Cleveland is no longer a punchline. There's plenty to do here, from checking out the night life in the Flats neighborhood to taking in a ball game at the Jake (the Indians' home is officially Progressive Field now, but only the bean counters call it that) or Classic Field (home of the Class A Lake County Captains). And set aside at least two days for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, or you'll go home disappointed about not being able to see everything.

Print Email
Nauvoo
http://www.beautifulnauvoo.com
It's hard to believe when you drive into this sleepy Mississippi River town that there was a time when it was a commercial rival to St. Louis and home to more people than a little village on Lake Michigan called Chicago. In the 1840s, Nauvoo had a population of 20,000, many of them Mormons under the leadership of Joseph Smith. But tensions rose between the Mormons and their opponents, leading to the former's departure for Utah. Several historic sites tell the story of the ebbs and flows of the town's fortunes.

Print Email
Cave-in-Rock State Park
http://dnr.state.il.us
If you think downstate Illinois is nothing but corn and soybean fields as far as the eye can see, this little gem will come as quite a revelation. This 204-acre park includes 60-foot hills and wooded bluffs along the Ohio River, but its centerpiece and namesake is a 55-foot-wide cavern that once sheltered river pirates. There's a lodge and restaurant on site, plus hiking trails, picnic areas and fishing opportunities either in a pond or the river.

Print Email
Northern Indiana Amish Country
http://www.amishcountry.org
There are all sorts of transportation on display in Elkhart County, a two-hour drive east of Chicago. Fun fact: More than 50 percent of the nation's RVs are manufactured here. Still, you're just as likely to see an Amish buggy trundling down a country road as a tricked-out Winnebago. But even if the way they get around is a little retro, the Amish are cutting-edge on the technology front with their own blog and MySpace page, a one-stop source for where to go and what to do in the area.

Print Email
Minneapolis-St. Paul
http://www.go-minnesota.com
The largest metro area between Chicago and Seattle offers something for everyone. There's a music scene that has produced Prince, the Replacements and The Hold Steady, among others. There's one of the quirkiest sports teams around: Mike Veeck's St. Paul Saints minor league baseball club, which will honor famed mime Marcel Marceau with a Moment of Noise on May 24. And, of course, there is the monument to the free-enterprise system: the massive Mall of America.




suntimes.com: Feedback | Contact Us | About Us | Advertise With Us | Media Kit | Make Us Your Homepage
Chicago Sun-Times: Subscribe | Customer Service | Online Photo Store

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

© Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group | Terms of Use and Privacy Policy



Member of the Real Cities Network