jimshep

When we spend a week in Chicago later in July, we plan to rent a car for a day to investigate the outlying area. We would like to go to Springfield, but that seems too far for a one-day outing. What is there near Chicago that we should definitely visit by car?

defconsult

Depending on your interests, go to Oak Park (just west of the City) to see Frank Lloyd Wright's studio and many houses he designed. Several good (and reasonable) restaurants there too.

It's also intersting to drive along Sheridan Rd. and see the North Shore suburbs -- Evanston to Lake Forest. YOu could catch a concert at Ravinia in Highland Park summer home of the Chicago Symphony. See www.ravinia.org for more info.

Even Milwaukee is withing a driving distance. Nice art museum, zoo and baseball stadium.

placeu2

Springfield is about 3 hours depending on where in Chicago you are.

How about the Indiana Dunes? Six Flags Great America? Several shopping options like Gurnee Mills or Woodfield/Ikea or the outlets in Kenosha, WI. You could drive to Milwaukee and take the new ferry across lake Michigan to MI just for the fun of it. You could just drive south on I-55 or I-57 to experience some fine agricultural regions. Madison is about 2 hours one way. Lake Geneva is a nice lake/touristy community with lots of golf.

Difficult question without knowing a bit more about your interests.

jimshep

Good point, placeu2. We are most interested in places of scenic, historic, or architectural interest. I have put Oak Park, North Shore suburbs, and the Indiana Dunes on my list. Other suggestions?

jacketwatch

For fun get on Sheridan road up by the Loyola area and go north, There is a Bahai temple in Wilmette along the way and if you keep going further you will see some awesome architecture and homes. And I would skip Springfield. Pretty boring really.

janeygirl

Galena, Illinois is a lovely old town close to the Mississippi River (about 20 minutes from Galena, I believe). Probably about a two-hour drive from Chicago.

Lots of Victorian era architecture and some historical interest with Ulysses Grant's home, etc. A nice variety of shops along its main street.

Kristi

Depending on when you are traveling there's a couple of events in NW Indiana that you might find interesting

Gary has an airshow July 17-18, we went last year and it was great. I know you are thinking-GARY, IN???? but the section of Gary where the airshow is held is near Lake Michigan and a lot of people go to this thing.

Whiting Indiana has Pierogi Fest from July 23-25, it's great fun and was written up by Saveur Magazine as one of the 8 best food festivals in the world. Whiting is only about 1/2 hour by car and you can continue onto the Indiana Dunes and do both in one day or continue even further to Michigan City to the Outlet stores should you have a shopaholic among you.

http://www.pierogifest.net/

Milwaukee is an excellent idea, the Chicago Botanic Gardens are within 45 minutes (can also do by public transport) and if you go to Ravinia (which is near the Botanic Gardens) that can also be visited by train, actually I would recommend the train as parking and traffic can be bad on concert nights depending on who is there.

I believe Oak Park is also doable by public transport.

Another possibility is Galena IL, I think it was 2-3 hours from Chicago.

DanB

I live in New England but I lived in the Chicago area for 23 years. My wife and I always said there was nothing to do within a couple hours of Chicago. I wouldn't even bother with a car for a day as the area isn't that intersting and the traffic in the summer can be maddening. I love architecture and I enjoyed the Lloyd Wright museum-I'd take Metra rather than CTA train, just my preference. There's also a great architecture boat tour in Chicago. You can also take the metra train to Geneva, IL for a day of shopping and strolling around a nice river town. Nice restaurrants too.

teddy1910

I think Oak Park, the north shore and the Indiana Dunes are all great ideas, but you probably won't be able to do them all in one day; two of the three is more manageable. If you rent a car, I'd recommend making your day trip on a weekday because weekend traffic to all of these areas can be pretty awful, and you should also try to avoid rush hour if you can.

Bill_I

If you are interested in some quaint type shops you might want to head northwest to Long Grove. Sometimes on a summer day when we are undecisive on what to do we head out to Long Grove for some walking around the various shops & the kids always want to come along. Some of the food shops also give out samples. 3 of our favorite shops are the Apple Haus (cider & other apple products), Long Grove Confectionary & the General Store(also have a good selection of wines here that you can sample for the asking). Also like to hit the British store where we can buy some trickle sponge in a can, (although not nearly as good as having it in England) & the Scandinavian stores.

jimshep

Thanks for all these sightseeing suggestions and for turning me on to the excellent public transportation system in Chicago and the surrounding area. Any more ideas?

patg

Jim, you'll want to organize your day excursion by area. People have mentioned sites that are all over the map. Since many of the main roads go through downtown Chicago, your travel times can balloon. Pick an area: North Shore/Botanic Garden is a good one. Indiana Dunes is a good choice for a weekday (you could add a stop Hyde Park). Oak Park/Brookfield Zoo/Morton Arboreteum is another, very full day. For anything more than 2 hours away, plan to stay overnight. Almost anywhere in the outlying area is cheaper than downtown Chicago.

Kristi

You could do a trip out to the Western suburbs, if you have a car, possible to visit the following:

Morton Arboreteum
http://www.mortonarb.org/

Cantigny
http://www.rrmtf.org/cantigny/

Naper Settlement
www.napersettlement.org/

Naperville also has some good restaurants, it is a growing area or you could stop at OakBrook but all the restaurants I can think of there can be found in Chicago

Brookfield Zoo can be reached by public transport and I like it a bit more than the Lincoln Park Zoo (which is free)

If you went up to the North Suburbs as suggested in previous posts, you could combine any of the following with a car:

Long Grove, Botanic Gardens, drive up Sheridan Road with a stop at the Bahai Temple (I think it also passes by Northwestern University)and a concert at Ravinia if you have time.

http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/

But I still think Pierogi Fest should be on your list (OK, I'm a bit biased since I live near there)

Don't overlook the neighborhoods in Chicago, you can get a greeter for a free tour (Must sign up in advance), Hyde Park has some lovely architecture (U of Chicago, Robie House, mansions on Woodlawn), Uptown has great architecture if you like terra cotta, Lincoln Square has some great shops and restaurants, etc.

www.chicagogreeter.com

Or you might look into the Architecture Foundation tours

www.architecture.org

saglassman

Within Chicago, the tours run by the Foundation for Architecture are excellent. I've taken both the boat tour and the walking tour (seeing the insides of amazing buildings!) and recommend them both.

The addition to the Art Museum in Milwaukee is supposed to be outstanding. A good friend who is an architect has been there more than once - he says it is one of this country's treasures. We will be seeing it next week.
I believe the architect is Calavatra. We were told to have lunch there (at the museum), as the view is exceptional.

Enjoy your visit!

swalter518

If you want to hit the beach and beach towns, head to southwest michigan, especially on a week day. New Buffalo is Exit 1 in Michigan, go north and you'll dead end into the beach. It has some great restaurants and shops. Head down Red Arrow Highway further into MI for great restaurants, antique shops and boutiques. Only about 1 hour away from Chicago. As for Dan B, how he managed to live here for 23 years and think there is nothing to do around Chicago is beyond me, apparently he never looked!

DMG

I live on the North Shore and would suggest spending a day exploring the area from Evanston to Lake Forrest. Spend some time in the Botanic Gardens, have dinner in Highland Park at the Rosebud or Cafe Central (or at Micheal's if you want the best hot dog), then end up with an evening at Ravinia (Pavillion seats or out on the lawn). Conerts usualy end by 10:00 PM and you'll back at your downtown hotel by 11:00

JJ5

Southwest Michigan is tremendous, but it is a vacation within itself and can not be done decently driving from Chicago in one day. I have a house on one of the hundreds of lakes in Southwest Michigan and it is my idea of heaven- but in the limited time you have, it is better to follow the many good advisors here who gave you "day" areas to explore.

The trip North to Botanical Gardens and the temple on the way is very doable and you can use public transportation. The Brookfield Zoo and western suburbs one would be my pick, if Chicago is new to you.

The highways and tollway to Indiana and Michigan are ungodly this summer. There is construction and only 2 lanes going around the lake on the Borman. I have to find my way going South around that- and my usual two hour trip to my lake is now three. I wouldn't wish it on any driver, let alone one who isn't used to driving in the valley of huge semis that is the I80-94.

JJ5

Tuesday night,Thursday night and Friday night trips to Michigan from Chicago (all different members of my family-2nd week of July) were from 3 to 4 hours each for a 120 mile journey. There are areas going both directions that are stand stills for up to 12-20 miles. I just want to warn all those who don't know this area of the Midwest- that every 18 plus wheeled semi and segmented vehicle in the top half of the United States has to go east or west through this area to get around Lake Michigan. Day trips from Chicago in this direction are for patient and highly skilled drivers. Having said that; the cherries and blueberries are ready for picking, festivals abound, and wine country/ vinyards/ tasting etc. is fabulous, swimming and water skiing, fishing are superb. Find any lake, not just the big one, and the sunsets are unforgetable.

patg

Thanks, JJ5, for the heads-up. My nephew is headed from Midway to Saginaw next weekend, on Saturday afternoon. What would you estimate his travel time to be?

JJ5

We have been flummoxed over the inconsistencies of this I80-94 journey around the lake. I can tell you that Saturday afternoon is very much preferred over Friday or Sunday- in either direction. Parts of Michigan 94 also have spots under construction but they have lane closures only at night from Monday to Thursday (all night after 7pm).

The first part of his trip to get past the Gary exits will take him about 1 hour, if he is VERY lucky. It has taken as much as 2 hours also. We oftentimes take Rt 30 or Sauk Trail to Rt. 65 North (this occurs in Merrillville, Indiana) and then hit 94 the rest of the way. I don't suggest this, unless you know the area pretty well.

I get off 94 at Exit 60 in Paw, Paw Michigan so I don't how much time the cross state trip to Saginaw would be. I can estimate that it will probably take him between 2-3 hours beyond where I am, depending on slowdowns, if they occur. But regardless, that portion will not be like the tollway/ Borman section near Indiana- much less traffic. Once he is in Michigan he probably will not experience those total stoppages. My oldest son went all the way to Detroit from my Michigan house in 2 hours to go to the new ballpark. It took him longer getting back for some reason. But your son's total trip will be anywhere from 5-7 hours. He might do better if he went through Indiana (east/west)on the 80-90 and then North. I do not know eastern Michigan. But I do know western- and especially Cass, Van Buren and Berrien Counties. It makes me laugh to think that people suggest expanding Gary airport for Chicago use. They should sit and look at the wheel wells of semis for hours at a time. They have been expanding it for 20 years and it's never going to be wide enough to take all the trucks in the U.S. and all the merges that enter it.