Midwest Road Tripping

[filup]

i am looking to throw together a nice little surprise road trip for myself and my girlfriend. ideally, the trip would be quite scenic, perhaps historically rich through the midwest states (IL, WI, OH, IA) in late october. any thoughts? i appreciate your input very much.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There really are too many possibilities of things to do to list, so could you help us narrow things down by telling us where you are starting from, and how long you plan on being gone?

I will start you off with some history suggestions, while there are tons of great museums in this area on a million different subjects, one of my favorites is the Abe Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, IL. I'd highly recommend it if your trip will be taking you in that general area.

[filup]

starting in chicago...

plan is to be on the road for about 3 days.

thanks for your thoughts.

[Midwest Michael]

Well, I think then I would head south toward Springfield to start. Heading there, you can follow sections of the Illinois part of Route 66, which is fairly well marked in many places. After spending several hours touring the Lincoln museum, I'd keep going to St. Louis for a trip up inside the arch and a tour of the Museum of Westward Expansion below.

After that, I'd start heading back north following the very scenic Mississippi River. The Great River Road is always a nice drive, but I suspect late october would also let you see a fairly good amount of fall color along the drive in Northern Missouri and Iowa.

There are lots of other options, but I think that's the one I'd go with considering your interests and time available.

[RoadDog]

Midwest Michael has given you a good trip in the amount of time you have.

Possible stops on 66 in Illinois to eat would be the Riviera in Gardner, Fedderson's (old auto dealership with lots of automotive items on the walls, including a complete run of the same Illinois license number from the 20s to 70s) in Dwight, The Old Log Cabin in Pontiac, Kicks on 66 in Towanda (an old gas station), the Dixie Trucker's Home (good buffet in one of the first truckstops in the US) in McLean, and a Cozy Dog in Springfield.

You might have to forego St. Louis if you want to do a roadtrip along the Mississippi with its views and color as well as a definite stop in Galena, the town that time forgot (1840s). Perhaps a night at the Desoto House Hotel where US Grant and Lincoln stayed.

Then there is a great US-20 drive from Galena to Freeport (and especially the little town of Elizabeth, a personal favorite) on your way back to Chicago.

There is still leaf color here in northern Illinois.

That would be one busy three days.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

[filup]

thanks for your thoughts-- really appreciate your input. anything else you come up with in the next few days is welcomed. cheers