Hi all,

We will be driving cross country next week and one of our destination points is Mt. Rushmore/Badlands NP. Our next destination point is Chicago, but what town/city do you recommend that we spend a night in? We will be passing thru South Dakota taking in Wall and The Corn Palace along the way and passing thru Iowa. Any interesting overnighter's along our route to Chicago?

Can you give me some idea which interstates/highways you are planning to take from South Dakota to Chicago?

Will be taking interstate 90 in SD and then head down to route 20 thu Iowas to chicago

Probably the best place to spend the night is either Dubuque, IA or Galena, IL. Dubuque is on the Mississippi and Galena (about 15 minutes further east) is on a tributary of the Mississippi. Both are big tourist towns, but with different flavors. I would check out the websites for both towns.

Also, here are some interesting stops you may want to take along the way.

- Fort Dodge - Fort Museum and Frontier Village - a replica 1862 militia fort.

- Dyersville - Field of Dreams - definitely worth a stop if you are a fan of the movie or Kevin Costner.

I grew up in Chicago after moving from Sioux Falls, SD. Spent more time driving between the two than I can remember.

Some suggestions, if you are driving from the Hills to Sioux Falls you should plan on about six hours of driving time. Wall Drugs, Chamberlain (for lunch at Al's Oasis) and the Mitchell Corn Palace are must stops along the way. They will help break up the Plains scenery.

Unless you have a reason for doing Highway 20 across Iowa I would discourage it. It will add time to your trip and not really give you much of any interest except for seeng farms.

A more fun route would be to take Interstate 90 thorugh Minnesota and then head down through Wisconsin. Much prettier scenery. You can stop at some Laura Ingall Wilders sites in Western Minnesota if you want. Rochester, Minn. or La Crosse, Wisc. would make good stops.

You will not be able to drive from the Hills to Chicago in one day. It would take about 18 hours to do so and that wouldn't account for any stops. ?By going through Wisconsin you could see Barbaboo (Circus Museum) and Wisconsin Dells time permitting.

If you do insist on going through Iowa, skip 20 and take Highway 3 instead. Nothing of much interest crossing the state at either point. Although speaking of points you could take your photo with a giant Strawberry at Strawberry Point. It's not much but it's more than 20 has. Overnight in Galena, Ill and enjoy the town.

Good luck, but seriously consider not taking 20.

I would have to agree with the previous poster, Galena, ILL is a great place to spend a night. The town is historical, gorgeous and filled with great bed and breakfasts;however, if you are lloking for a hotel the Desoto House is right in the middle of everything. The main street is lined with cute shops. I would highly recommned Vinny Vanucchi's for a nice dinner, or Benjamin's for something more casual. My fiance and I go there quite often and really love it. Try www.galenachamber.com or www.galena.com for more info. It is about 3 hours west of Chicago.