Chicago has enough cloud-poking towers, rockin’ live-music clubs and world-class museums to keep you occupied for weeks, but just beyond city limits, you can also scale sand dunes at a national park, rev a Harley and amble around wineries.
Here are seven easy day trips that are no more than two hours away from the Windy City.
Travel time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rustling grasses, bird-filled marshes and white-pine forests fill a whopping stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline at Indiana Dunes National Park, which feels a world away from the big city. Rugged beaches beckon you and sweet hiking trails meander up the sand and through the woodlands.
Try the 3 Dune Challenge, a view-tastic 1.5-mile climb to the park’s highest dunes: Mt Jackson, Mt Holden and Mt Tom. (Just to confuse you, these are in Indiana Dunes State Park, a pocket within the national park.) Biking, paddling and winter snowshoeing are other fun activities available in the park.
How to get to the Indiana Dunes from Chicago: South Shore Line commuter trains make the 80-minute trip several times daily from downtown Chicago to Dune Park station. By car, the 50-mile trip takes one to two hours, depending on traffic.
Travel time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Milwaukee is Wisconsin's largest city and it's a rollicking day trip from Chicago. Stop by the Harley-Davidson Museum to gawk at hundreds of badass motorcycles, including Elvis’s custom-built hog. Harleys were invented in Milwaukee, hence the big bike love. The Milwaukee Art Museum drops jaws with its kinetic “wing” that soars open and shut, as well as its outsider art and Georgia O’Keeffe paintings.
During baseball season, Miller Park is the place to be for beers, bratwursts and the oddball sixth-inning foot race between people dressed in giant sausage costumes. Milwaukee has a reputation as a drinker’s paradise, with more bars per capita than anywhere in the US besides New Orleans. Friendly neighborhood taverns pop up on almost every corner. Champion’s shows the local spirit.
How to get to Milwaukee from Chicago: Amtrak runs seven trains a day to downtown Milwaukee, with a journey time of 90 minutes. By car, take the I-94 for the roughly two-hour trip.
Travel time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Harbor Country comprises several lakeside hamlets just over the Michigan border, where Chicagoans retreat for a taste of small-town life. New Buffalo is the most resort-y of the bunch, where you can catch a wave at the public beach and follow it up with suds at the Beer Church.
Three Oaks is a bohemian farm-and-arts village where you can browse Elm Street’s galleries and design shops. Antique stores and folksy delis abound in Union Pier, Lakeside, Harbert and Sawyer. Several wineries, such as Tabor Hill, surround the communities
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While you might have heard of North Dakota’s largest city, Fargo, from the Coen Brothers' 90s hit movie Fargo or the recent television series with the same title, the Midwestern city attracts hockey enthusiasts, college football fans, and those in love with the Great Plains to the Peace Garden State. With new hotel openings, the renovation of a Radisson Blu, and the opening of a community square—all taking place within the past two years, the city is reimagining its downtown area.
The United States is vast and varied, spanning roughly 3000 miles from east to west and 1650 miles from north to south – and that’s not including Alaska and Hawaii.
In welcome news for travellers who want more from their city breaks, Milan offers easy access to a host of handsome destinations. Interest piqued? Read on to discover the 12 best day trips from Milan. From exploring some of Lombardy's lakes, and discovering Bologna’s gastronomic delights, to revelling in Verona’s romance, this rundown might just leave you longing to extend your trip.
Denver is Colorado’s biggest city and home to a major international airport. As such, it’s a popular jumping-off point for quick getaways and longer trips into the Rocky Mountains and beyond.
Famous for its blustery winters, steamy summers and skyscraping skyline, Chicago sees the full range of seasons. But thanks to a calendar packed with festivals and events, a rich foodie scene and a full hand of world-class museums to duck into when the days get cold, there's always something happening in the Windy City no matter what month you visit.
Northern Ireland's second city and Ireland's northern-most county sit rather snug together in the corner of the island of Ireland. But many are yet to discover the two make a fantastic combination for a twin break. Blending thought-provoking history, striking landmarks and an incredible natural world, Derry~Londonderry and County Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula offer everything you could wish for in a short, action-packed getaway.
Compared to the typical Latin American tamale — a corn-based mixture steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf — the Mississippi Delta’s iteration is smaller, spicier, meatier and often simmered rather than steamed. Some say the dish came from Mexican migrants or soldiers in the Mexican American war; its origins may lie in Native American cuisine, or hail from the African dish, kush — cornbread hash. The flavours are as varied as the backstory — here are some of the best places to try them.
OAG, which dubs itself an “air travel intelligence company,” has released its top-10 rankings of the most and least punctual airlines in 2016. The group analyzed 54 million flight records using full-year data from 2016 to compile the list, and for the purposes of the study defined “on-time” as “a flight that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds (under 15 minutes) of its scheduled arrival/departure time.”
Enter the Cupcake Vineyards “Treat Today” sweepstakes by March 15, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a five-day trip for two to the 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, including air, hotel, airport transfers, and event passes. Runner-up prizes include $100 and $50 gift cards.
This month saw the launch of what many in the travel blogosphere are calling the best travel-rewards credit card ever: the Sapphire Reserve Visa card from Chase.
When experts name the “best” days to travel, they usually name the days airfares are lowest—which often aren’t optimal for most people once you factor in personal convenience and schedule constraints. There’s typically a reason why these ones are the slower travel days.