Weespxx

Next week we will drive (my husband and I, our kids ages 4 and 6, and my mother) to Milwaukee (via Chicago where we will visit friends) for business. We have 5 days to get back to SE Virginia and would love to get some ideas for this part of the country. We've heard rumblings that Holmes County, OH is really nice, but the posts here are so old. Does anyone have any more recent ideas and suggestions? We love cool towns (the less touristy the better), cheese, B&B's, and getting to know a bit more about a part of the country that we have never visited. We're completely open to ideas and routes. The only thing is that since we're going to be a week in Chicago and Milwaukee, we're not interested in anymore big cities. Thanks, in advance, for any ideas.

LG2

Not sure of your interests, but here are some ideas:

Milwaukee - Italian Fest: http://www.festaitaliana.com/

Indiana Dunes: http://www.nps.gov/indu/

Put In Bay, OH: http://www.put-in-bay.com/
Sandusky, OH: http://www.ci.sandusky.oh.us/

Cedar Point: http://www.cedarpoint.com/
see: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34989382

Hershey, PA: http://www.hersheypa.com/
Lancaster, PA: http://www.padutchcountry.com/

LG2

Another forum post re Sandusky:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...=1&tid=1289116

Retired_teacher

Okay, here's a plan for a round-about way from Milwaukee back to the NW Chicago burbs. As you hail from Williamsburg, I hesitate to suggest Old World Wisconsin which is located near Eagle WI. However after reading some of your comments in other posts, I thought that maybe it would be worthy of at least an online look: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/oww/ The Kettle Mouraine SF which runs next to OWW would also offer some hiking & biking opportunities. Another suggestion involves a bit of tourist gridlock in Lake Geneva WI, but I believe your family would enjoy the U.S. Mailboat cruise which leaves at 10 a.m. M-Sat to deliver the mail to about 60 homes around the lake. The boat never stops, but it goes by the piers of vacation homes to some of Chicago's rich & famous including the Wrigley's. See http://www.lakegenevawi.com/ Then take Route 12 south til it merges with Route 31 and stop at the little town of Richmond for antique store heaven. A couple of miles further south you might stop at Glacier Ridge SP where you can climb to the top of a kame which are the deposits left by a retreating glacier. From there you can opt to work your way back to I 294 around the city, or continue a more leisurely pace down Route 31 and explore the St. Charles/Geneva riverwalk area. Cantigny, the Robert McCormick mansion and grounds, is located nearby in Wheaton IL and would be worthy of a stop. See http://www.dg58.dupage.k12.il.ua/gps/cantigny.htm From there, head east on Route 64 til you merge with I 294 south.

Retired_teacher

I'm sorry, that Cantigny link should read http://www.dg58.dupage.k12.il.us/gps/cantigny.htm

LG2

I guess I was focusing more on the kids. 5-day leisurely drive?

Here's a gem:
http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/
This would be a minimum 1/2 day stop. Our grandkids love it. Same concept as Please Touch Museum in Philly (we were there in June), but this one is newer and activities are different.

lincasanova

cantigny also has one of the nicest golf courses in illinois.

metamora outside columbus indiana ( an architectural gem not to be missed) is also fun with historic bridge and canals.

then you cross easterly to amish ohio.

northern indiana also has a very huge amish area near shipshawanee or something like that.

southern indiana is supposed to be the most picturesque area on the entire ohio river.

cincinnati does not have such a big town feel to it and has great museums, river boat cruises, fab zoo, and fun restaurants on the kentucky side looking across at the skyline. you neednīt go downtown for much as the museums are mostly up in the park area near mt. adams. New aquarium on kentucky side at newport.

nice botancial gardens and butterfly exhibit also.

do the queen city car tour following the crowns on posts around the city.
beautifully set up town/tour.

go for graeters ice cream in hyde park. mosey up to oakley for an array of good restaurants also, all this in very nice residential areas that actually have street life.

hocking hills state park gets rave reviews from locals and others.

there is a "safari" type park in natural stting somewhere in eastern ohio. ( i used to see the signs driving my son to camp but we never had time to get there.) it is some foundation and has animals in the wild. not sure of the name but it sounded very interesting.

lincasanova

www.thewilds.org

now i m really going to make sure i see this place next time!!