tomfuller

Why go back to Chicago? Milwaukee and Minneapolis have great airports. If you take a Hiawatha train from Chicago you can get off the train at the Milwaukee airport and rent a car from there. Return your car where you rented it and fly home from there.

andrews98682

You definitely DON'T want a car in Chicago. Parking in the city is expensive. It's easy to get around by train and bus when you're not walking, and it only costs a few dollars to get downtown from the airport.

If you follow AAfrequent flyer's advice, the fee for returning a car in a different city might be less than what you'd pay in rental and parking for the time in Milwaukee. Also, it's real easy to take the train from Chicago to Milwaukee.

Oleg1972

I guess I'm going to do the way everybody recommends concerning a car.

lincasanova

I would have suggested visiting Amish country in Northern Indiana on way west.

cd

Oleg, I'm not so sure you should give up seeing Niagara Falls. True the Canadian side is so much better to stay on but to go to Goat Island on the US side is beautiful. Take Maid of the Mist and maybe even Cave of the Winds and just SEE the Falls is awesome.
Cleveland is about 4hrs from Niagara Falls and a mighty fine place to visit, it had a nasty rep some years ago but it is being rebuilt with good hotels and restaurants and culture. Of course the Rock and Roll HOF you know of, but then if you enjoy Orchestra music the Cleveland Orchestra is magnificent and Severance Hall is gorgeous! You can Google and find their September schedule. We also have Playhouse Square for theatre and if you like to gamble, Horseshoe Casino right downtown. If you want to see Cleveland from the Lake, The Goodtime 11 is docked downtown next to the HOF and probably still takes tours of the Lake in September, you could Google and find out if interested in something like that.

As far as Indy goes, you could visit the 500 speedway if you are interested in racing, they have a nice museum and a bus that will take you around the track. http://www.indy500.com/
Have a great time planning your trip!

cd

Speaking of Amish Country, Holmes County in Ohio has a huge population with wonderful green pastures, clean hotels and good Amish cooking. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...reek_Ohio.html There are so many communities in this area, close together and easy to drive too. Berlin has some really good shopping. http://www.experience-ohio-amish-cou...rlin-ohio.html

cd

THis is the hotel with restaurant that I recommend in Sugarcreek: Carlisle Inn Sugarcreek. Other ones came up on the link I provided but the Carlisle is the one I recommend.

laurie_ann

I think you could make a great trip of the circle of Lake Michigan. That would include Milwaukee, with a slight detour to Minneapolis, up through Northern Minnesota and upper pennisula of Michigan and back down through NW lower pennisuala, slight detour to Detroit area. Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village. You may be a little past the peak colors but the trip would still be great.

College towns in the USA can also be great tourist destinations (examples on this circle tour are Madison, East Lansing, Ann Arbor)

Here are some resources you might browse for more specific ideas

http://www.timeout.com/chicago

http://www.michigan.org/

http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/

http://www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx

http://www.citypages.com/

http://www.travelwisconsin.com/

http://www.midwestliving.com/

Ozarksbill

I see this conversation has skipped from May to now Sept. Just back from a wedding in Des Moines...did you have a question about this city? As for river canoeing, this is also called a float trip, meaning you don't need particular skills as you meander down a stream bordered by woods and fields...really a lovely thing to do on a day in Autumn.

Also answering a question: no, you can rent a car one place and without charge drop it off elsewhere.

Oleg1972

Hello everybody,
I haven’t checked the topic I started for quite some time since I thought it already faded away.
But now I see it’s still alive and there are a few of new messages.
First of all, I’d like to thank everybody who took part in the discussion, I really appreciate your suggestions and advice.
Unfortunately the time frame doesn’t allow us to visit all the cities and places which were mentioned in your replies.
We’ve altered our itinerary a lot and now it has pretty much nothing to do with the original one.
Now it doesn’t involve that much driving and seems kind of laidback. The air tickets are bought, the hotels and a car are booked and it’s less than a month remaining before the trip.
The plan is like this:
1. 5 days/nights in Chicago
2. On the 6th day we pick up a car in Chicago in the morning and head to Galena, IL to spend a few hours in the historic town and then drive to Dubuque, IA to stay over at the hotel in the riverfront.
3. From Dubuque to St. Paul, MN. So here’s my first question: what route is the most picturesque one? It seems that road 35 is quite scenic route along Mississippi? Anyhow, are there any go-to guys who could recommend the exact route step-by-step? There are a few towns en route as well, any of them worthwhile to stop by? We are willing to take the long path and spend all day driving.
4. 4 days/5 nights in Twin Cities. The hotel we booked is in downtown St. Paul, right across the street from Xcel Energy Center and we’re catching 2 Minnesota Wild games. One day, I think, should be dedicated to Mall of America shopping, one day is for fishing, and 2 full days left. So could anybody suggest the must-see attractions in Minneapolis?
5. Drive from St. Paul to Milwaukee, WI via Madison, WI. Think of spending a few hours in Madison, but it’ll depend on whether we can make good time up to it or not.
6. 2 nights/1 day in Milwaukee. Harley Davidson museum. It seems big….
7. From Milwaukee back to Chicago, the hotel is not far from O’Hare airport to spend the night and drop off the car before the flight back home.
By the way, AAFrequentFlyer, this is pretty much the itinerary you’ve suggested. Thank you and again thank everybody for your feedback.

Dave_Ohio

Hi, Oleg! Have you taken your trip yet? If so, we hope it was everything that you imagined it could be. Stop by and tell us about it when you get the time.

Oleg1972

Hi, Dave_Ohio,
yes we've already got back)) All in all, it was quite good.
I'd like to thank everybody for advise and information.
Next year (knock on wood) will be planning a trip to Texas, will need your help as well)))