lcpc22

My husband and I have an opportunity to get away without children (yeah!) for two nights Monday thru Wednesday. We live in the Chicago area and we'd like to go away somewhere other than the city itself, not Door county only because we'd like to go no more than 3 hours away by car. Any ideas? A place with a beach, woods, trails and romance is what we are looking for! Thanks! Also, if you know any B & Bs to stay in, that would be wonderful to see as well!

notbob

Galena Illinois, antiques, b&bs, restaurants

http://www.galena.org/

Starved Rock Lodge at Starved Rock State Park near Utica Il

http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/

Hiking, swim, nature

abram

Lake Geneva

barefootbeach

Iron Horse Hotel or Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee....Bradford Beach rated best urban beach by Midwest Living (excellent beachside hamburger, shake lunch restaurant)....go hiking in Kettle Moraine Forest or Harrington Beach state park north of Milw....eat at acclaimed restaurant in Iron Horse Hotel

makai1

What are your lodging preferences? We like the French Country Inn on Lk Como just 1 mile north of Lake Geneva, WI. Love long strolls down the neighborhood streets, or will bring our bikes to ride lakeside. Very simple accomodations. Mars Restaurant w/in walking distance is an ole Wis standby, frequented by the locals, or you can enjoy Kirschs right at the FCInn. Live entertainment lakeside on the deck weekends in the summer. We like it fine. Not 5* but quaint and simple.

makai1

ps. great lakeside walking trail around Lk Geneva... park and walk. Excellent views of the lakefront homes.

taitai

Canoe Bay in Wisconsin. Exquisite.

barefootbeach

I second Canoe Bay but it's a 6 hr drive from Chicago.

Back2Sabi

I think Saugatuck, Mich., would fit that bill quite nicely.

lcpc22

Thanks for the suggestions...we go to Lake Geneva quite a bit with the kids; maybe seeing it in a different way by ourselves could be good. i've heard of Iron Horse in Milwaukee and th
at looks to be a great possiblity and Saugatuck is awesome...we just may be have to land there.

Any suggestions on a B & B there? Or even St. Joseph? Anyone know anything about that place? Is it nice? We don't want to spend big $ but we are aware that this won't be a $100 get away either.

Keep them coming...

Back2Sabi

I wouldn't stay in St. Joseph, it's about as romantic as Benton Harbor or Gary, Ind.! Saugatuck can be quite pricy; you might want to move north to Grand Haven or thereabouts; you'd still be within striking distance of the Saug. Or move inland; Grand Rapids actually has some very pretty parts; East Grand Rapids, esp.

lcpc22

Good point about St. Joe. Any ideas about WI other than Lake Geneva? Anyone know anything about Sheboygan Falls?

gresting

I would not take a suggestion from anyone comparing St. Joseph to Gary, IN as this sounds like something someone who has never been to St. Joseph would say. There is a sign in downtown St. Joe that says it is Michigan's most romantic city. The quote is credited to the Detroit Free Press but it is a misquote. The woman from the Free Press said that some call St. Joseph one of Michigan's most romantic cities and she can see why. Can anyone say the same thing about Gary, IN

To me, St. Joseph is a romantic city but not that much more than other Michigan beach towns. So New Buffalo, St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland, and Grand Haven are all pretty similar and to me one is not greater than the other.

One plus for St. Joseph is that it is centered on Lake Michigan as opposed to an inland lake-like Holland and Saugatuck- so catching glimpses of the sunset and walking along the lake are easily accessible from the downtown area.

St. Joseph has been gearing itself as a family destination so be prepared for children. Interspersed with your typical beach town sites of antiques and arts you will find a brand new interactive compass fountain, carousel, and cutesy public art installation called hot diggity dogs. However, the local art institute has a very large public sculpture display spread throughout town as well. There is also a brand new Jack Nicklaus golf course as well.

Just outside of town checkout Grand Mere State Park and Warren Dunes State Park for dune hiking and one of the many wineries in the region as well.

It takes about two hours to get to St. Joseph from Chicago unless the traffic is really bad where it could be closer to three hours but that does not happen often. I do not stay at B&Bs so you are on your own. If you choose to stay at a hotel I would suggest the Holiday Inn Express in St. Joseph, the Boulevard in downtown, or one of the hotels near I-94 and Red Arrow Highwy South of St. Joseph. Some of the hotels in other areas of town are hit and miss as they are old and rely on tourists making the mistake of just assuming they are ok.

http://www.sjtoday.org shows some B&Bs and an overview of what to do.