Trip from NJ to Chicago

My boyfriend and I are headed on a road trip from NJ to Chicago for Lollapalooza in about a week and are looking for good places to visit on our way back. We already booked a hotel to check out Cedar Point in Ohio on our way there. I should also mention we'll be getting a late start leaving Chicago to head toward home, probably around 5 pm so we don't want to drive more than 6 or 7 hours that night. We're not opposed to detours and are lucky enough to have plenty of time to travel and explore but relatively limited funds. Looking forward to your suggestions!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

People tend to think that the main luxury that time affords them is the ability to see or do more things. However, there's another benefit that almost certainly tops even that - the ability to skip the antiseptic, homogeneous, boring Interstates and travel the back roads. Take the time to drive through an occasional small town; hike through local, county and state parks; stop at a roadside stand; etc. In your case, you might want to look at some alternatives to I-80 or I-70 , and save on the tolls and high cost Turnpike gas to boot. US-30 across Indiana and Ohio is a good four-lane road with relatively high speed limits, while US-22 through central Pennsylvania or US-6 through northern Pennsylvania are slower but more scenic roads crossing the Alleghenies to put you within easy distance of New Jersey. One thing though. If you're not going to be able to leave Chicago until 5:00 PM, I wouldn't. There's nothing worse than trying to get out of a major American city at rush hour and Chicago's is one of the worst in the country. Stay in town until around 7:00, have a late dinner, walk along the lake shore at sundown, and then just drive a couple of hours before pulling up for the night. Start the return RoadTrip refreshed and during the daylight the next morning.

AZBuck