A quickie trip

[kimrru]

I'm in Chicago looking for a quickie 8-hour drive in any direction. Not interested in Memphis, but possibly Toronto. Preferably some place that's dog friendly. At any rate, if anyone has taken such a trip and know of any cool off the beaten path places, I'm interested in hearing about it.

Thanks,

Kim

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm in Chicago looking for a quickie 8-hour drive in any direction.

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum -- It looks like the weather will be pretty nice this weekend -- temps in the middle 60's, slight chance of rain early today, but you could drive north along US-31 to US-2 and then back to home on US-41. Here are some tips on such a trip!

On the other hand, Toronto is a very nice city to visit.

Mark

[laydownthelaw]

Greetings from the left coast.

Chicago is a tough place to leave. Not for any sentimental reasons...it is physically difficult to get away from because of the surrounding traffic. A cousin of mine went to grad school in Chicago and rarely traveled outside of the city center. She was surprised when I told her that the traffic tie-ups getting in and out of the city are worse than NYC and Boston. Anyway...my point is that you should choose your departure day and time carefully.

Here are a few ideas for you:

1) Minneapolis and the Twin Cities Area. Great for a day or two on a lake, excellent for shopping if that's your thing (Mall of America in Bloomington and the Nicollet Mall, an outdoor mall strip in the middle of downtown Minneapolis.) The Twin Cities also have an excellent music scene, whether it's cutting edge, or a good jazz or blues club you're looking for. You'll also find extraordinary museums and the famous Sculpture Garden.

2) Cleveland, OH and the Erie Lakeshore. First of all, stop at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago on Lake Michigan. You'll find beautiful beaches and some dunes to climb if you're up for the challenge. (Try jogging up "Mount Baldy" a couple of times for a good workout.) You'll pass South Bend, and if touring a stately college campus interests you. Cleveland has the over-commercialized but still very interesting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a very active bar scene.

3) Nashville, TN. You mentioned not having interest in Memphis, but how about Nashville? I am by no means a modern country music fan, or anything more than tolerant of certain aspects of southern culture, but Nashville, Tennessee is a great place to spend a weekend. The Wildhorse Saloon
highlights a very active strip of bars and clubs on and near Second St. Excellent alt-country and blues will be playing just about every night. The 20-somethings in the area are surprisingly diverse due to the draw of Vanderbilt University's undergrad and graduate programs. (Should have applied there myself, dammit! Talk about a great city to start a roadtrip from!)

I'm sure there are other suggestions out there. Search the forum for previous suggestions.

Good hiking,

ldtl

[AZBuck]

Toronto would actually prove to be a fair bit better than 8 hours from Chicago, particularly by the time you factored in the time to get out of the Chicago metro area and to clear customs at the border. I like Mark's idea of once around Lake Michigan. One great stop along such a route, and perhaps a destination for such a trip would be Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Note that while there are a few restrictions they generally welcome pets. Be sure to read their page on pets. And read these hints on travelling with pets.

Another nice natural setting on the northwest shore of the lake is Hiawatha National Forest. And for a little history, take a stroll through Historic Mackinac at the top of the lake.

AZBuck

[Syv]

From experience, it is a 10-hr drive (speed limit or little less) from Toronto to eastern outskirts (Hammond, IN).