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| Coeur D'alene, image from idahobyways.gov |
Illinois: You are never at a loss for good food and plentiful shopping in Chicago. And for those of you lifelong learners, don’t miss the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, or the Field Museum of natural history. But if you are driving, watch out! In Chicago, four-way stops don’t mean “first come, first served” or “take your turn” as they do everywhere else. Whoever is the bravest (?) or most aggressive goes next. Take a deep breath and step on the gas.
Indiana: It’s probably not a destination in an of itself, but I have taken many a trip to the outlet shopping mall in Michigan City near the Lake Michigan shore. It makes a great pitstop on a drive between southern Michigan and Chicago. Other points of interest… hmmm… you can visit James Dean’s grave in Fairmount -- covered in lipstick prints and other tokens of love even after all these years.
Iowa: What can I say about Iowa? For me, it has always been a drive-through state, maybe stopping for gas or McDonald’s. What can anyone else tell me about it? Anything worth going back for?
I grew up in Illinois and always encourage people to visit more of the downstate area. There's more to Illinois than Chicago! (And four-way stops in Downstate Illinois usually mean, "You go first. No, seriously, I insist. Please go first." ;) ) Take the Great River Road (there are several portals, but I grew up near Quincy, Illinois, so I usually started there) and travel south. Shortly before you get to Grafton, Illinois, make sure to keep an eye out for the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It's one of the most beautiful spots in Illinois. Grafton itself is a neat little town, as well, although I was never able to spend as much time near there as I wanted. Pere Marquette State Park is Illinois's largest state park and is also located around Grafton.
ReplyDeleteIowa can be the state that never ends when you're traveling, but take time to stop in the Amana Colonies for a day or two. It's interesting to see how they used to live in the Community there. Heck, why not get a taste of two distinct and different cultures and go a bit further south to Kalona, Iowa, to experience Amish life a bit? Make sure to stop for fresh cheese curds and watch them make cheese there, too. I went to college in Iowa and always enjoyed little day trips to Iowa City or Des Moines. Pella, Iowa, gives you a taste of Dutch life in the middle of America as well. Iowa seems to be the place to go to get a little taste of different cultural backgrounds: Swedish (Swedesburg), Amish (Kalona), German Pietists (Amana Colonies), Dutch (Pella), and so on. Most people are surprised that the largest immigrant group in Iowa is currently from Latin and South America due to the many programs that Iowa has in place for immigrants. (I was greatly interested in ELL in college, and Iowa is a great place to find out more about that due to its wonderful background in education and immigration.)
Feel free to email me if you want to know more things to potentially do in Illinois or Iowa. We just took a anniversary/meet-up-with-friends vacation to the Amana Colonies and Des Moines and were definitely not lost for things to do while in Iowa. :)
(I currently live in an M state, so I am waiting to see what you've done in those states! :D )
~the celt
Awesome! Thanks for the information -- you have made Iowa and Illinois sound so much more interesting. :)
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