For added romantic charm, put your skates on and have laps on one of the city's many ice rinks - there are over 50 to choose from. The city's popular Longwood Gardens is transformed with amazing lights and live music, so it makes a great place to spend some time after the sun goes down (which happens early in winter!). You might not have thought of Minneapolis as a city break destination from Chicago, but Minnesota's largest city is an amazing mix of culture, music, awesome food and the outdoors which you really have to visit. The town of Holland sits along the length of Lake Macatawa that flows into Lake Michigan. It's a popular place to visit, so book lift passes in advance if you know when you're travelling. Our highlights: Toronto is a vibrant cultural melting pot, so when you spend time in the city you'll be able to enjoy influences on food, art and recreation from all over the world. 1. When it's complete the statue of Crazy Horse will be taller than the presidents at Mount Rushmore. (Disney Enterprises . While you're in town you can take a magical snowy hike through the trees at Madison Arboretum, then round off your day with outdoor dining - several Madison restaurants have heated outdoor domes so you can enjoy snowy views while dining al fresco. The 3 tallest sand dunes are all in the State Park with the tallest, Mount Tom, standing at 192 ft. If you want to encourage a little less screen time during the summer break, take your family to explore the great outdoors in a Budget rental. If you're having issues using the site, please enable JavaScript and refresh your browser. The key message is to wrap up warm and be prepared for whatever weather the city throws at you - pretty standard for DC! Just after London, the road merges with ON-403, which will take you right into the center of Toronto. Of course, NYC is famous for its shops, so leave some space in your case for whatever gifts and treats you might pick up while you're in town. The locals didn't stop at naming the lake after the slightly better known one in Switzerland. Nearby, Biltmore is a huge gilded-age mansion with vast formal gardens, trails to explore and its own winery. Plus, you can fill yourself with festive cheer with a visit to the traditional market at Love Park's Christmas Village, or a stroll through streets filled with fabulous Christmas lights. It took 14 years to complete the huge memorial sculpture at Mount Rushmore. It's the perfect place for a romantic getaway - wrap up warm and enjoy snowy views over the beautiful city and lake before warming up with a hot chocolate and a loop or two around an outdoor ice rink. Why you should visit: From January to March the town hosts the World of Winter Festival, which sees dozens of huge ice sculptures on display and special events held across the town. Take a carriage ride through Central Park, which is even more magical when there's snow on the ground. At Denver Art Museum you can see another collection dedicated to the heritage of this part of the country, as the Petrie Institute for Western American Art is housed here. 17. As far as Nashville I-55 runs parallel to the Mississippi before passing through Jackson. If you're wondering how the town got its name, it's as simple as it sounds it's because the lake is shaped like an Elk's heart. Staying by the lake, seeing as the water freezes over, you can go ice fishing here with a guide, who can provide all the equipment you need if you don't have your own. NOTL is also a really charming little town, and while you're here you might like to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through its historic streets - a wonderfully atmospheric way to travel through the snow-covered streets. Our highlights: Boyne Mountain is primarily a ski resort, so take to the slopes and explore more than 415 acres of ski runs. Through the rest of the season, winter sports fans will love to ski at Wilmot Mountain, a popular ski resort with over 20 ski runs suitable for a wide range of abilities. Best Travel Destinations Within Driving Distance of Chicago - Essence Whether you're looking for a rural, lake or city getaway, here are a few ideas all within 6 hours of driving distance. The local skiing may be limited, but there is a lot to see and do around Lake Geneva. Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa is located on one of the island's best beaches, and offers a variety of family-friendly amenities. Utica, IL 61373. A complete circle of Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island, READ MORE - Road trip from Chicago To Mackinac Island, Asheville is the perfect gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains, READ MORE - Road trip from Chicago to Asheville, READ MORE - Road trip from Chicago to Mount Rushmore, Denver is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, READ MORE - Road trip from Chicago to Denver, Road trip from Chicago to Yellowstone National Park. Why you should visit: Mild weather and weeks of flamboyant parades makes New Orleans the perfect contrast to snowy Chicago. Leave time to explore. A lot of these are built indoors so you can enjoy a weekend swimming, relaxing and going down crazy slides when everything outside is frozen! LazyTrips is a trading name of Uncle Bob Media Ltd. Get into the festive spirit and enjoy the iconic holiday views of the city - if it feels familiar, it's probably because they've featured in so many films and TV shows over the years. (Getty Images) Known as . From Chicago To Driving Time: Lake Geneva, WI: 1 hour and 30 minutes: Galena, IL: 2 hours 45 minutes: Kohler, WI: 2 hours and 20 minutes . The 830-mile road trip from Chicago to Washington DC will take you around 14 hours to drive non-stop. The Louisville Muhammad Ali Center and the Frazier History Museum will keep you busy! This waterfront city is the only destination on this list that takes you to another of the Great Lakes. Distance from Chicago: 353 miles northeast, five-hour drive Why it made our list: Sprawling over 850 acres, the Midwest's largest ski resort offers everything from skiing and snowmobiling to. Change your settings: from RV campgrounds 300 miles from Chicago 299 miles north of Chicago: Mowe Lake - Manistique Rapid River Dispersed 297 miles northeast of Chicago: Aloha State Park 300 miles east of Chicago: Orchard View Park Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds 301 miles southeast of Chicago: Around 20 miles south of New Glarus and a little closer to Chicago is the city of Monroe. You can join the river at Savanna or a little further down at Clinton depending on the route you take. Towns like New Buffalo, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, Holland, Saugatuck and Grand Haven provide pristine beaches, great shopping, lakeside restaurants and front-row view of sunsets over Lake Michigan. Ice sculptors spend nearly 2 months creating spectacular icy towers and turrets which are especially beautiful when they're illuminated at night. Parking can be difficult, especially in the summer months when hundreds of visitors head to town. Still under construction, this monument is dedicated to the Lakota leader who fought against the federal government to try and protect Native American land from being seized. This can be particularly handy if you're staying a little way out of town, or if you want to avoid a long walk back to your parking spot at the end of the day. 489 miles northeast of Chicago: Lake Bernard Park. Follow the Great River Road as it twists and turns and you will be rewarded with great views the entire way. Aaron of L.A. Photography/Shutterstock.com, Sidra Monreal Photography/Shutterstock.com, Road Trip From Chicago To Mackinac Island, Road Trip From Chicago To Yellowstone National Park. 3 hours 20 minutes from Chicago (190 miles). If you're in Grand Rapids earlier in the season, you can enjoy some great skiing at Cannonsburg Ski Area. Canada produces a significant proportion of the world's Icewine, a dessert wine created from grapes left on the vine to freeze before being harvested. If you want to get better scenery, you can always cut across to the Mississippi and drive up the Great River Road (see #18 above). Then, for a unique and romantic end to your trip, you can even take a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the city. Along the way you'll pass the cities of Madison, La Crosse and Sioux City, and you'll cross both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It's a tiny city with less than 1000 residents but its white-boarded houses, scenic sand dunes and fabulous beach make it a popular place to come to escape the city. While both parks are not as large as some, there is plenty to explore with trails going through canyons and some amazing rock formations. Whether you're looking for a festive shopping experience to ease you into the holiday mood, or a snowbird heading south for the winter, there are plenty of fabulous longer road trips that start out from Chicago. The City of Lakes is a bustling hub of activity - 6 of the Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here and it's known as a major cultural and arts center. If you're feeling active, there are places where you can sled on the frozen sand dunes. Best attractions: The Museum of the Rockies, which has the largest collection of dinosaur bones in the U.S. Also, just a 90-minute drive . 4 hours 20 minutes from Chicago (300 miles). Asheville is packed full of history, but the modern city has a distinctly creative vibe that makes it really unique. The same road takes you right into Philadelphia. Our travel tips: Pack layers, as even Florida can experience cooler days, but rest assured that with heated pools and plenty of daytime sunshine, you can enjoy yourself outdoors right through the winter. The biggest ski area in the state is perfectly set up for skiers, with fast lifts and dozens of trails to follow. As well as being a relaxed and varied city, Asheville is the perfect gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains, so a trip here offers a great combination of city vibes and the great outdoors. A work on this scale had never been attempted in the country before and Gutzon Borglum, who led the project, quickly identified that chisels would hardly make a dent on the vast rockface. Only an hour away from downtown Chicago, Indiana Dunes became the newest National Park in the United States in 2019. You can get a tour of the mansion and explore the vast grounds which include 620 feet of shoreline. There are plenty of places to stop and a lot of parks and trails if you want to get out of the car. Chicago is a fantastic city, known for its stunning lakeside location, the Magnificent Mile, and its world-class museums and galleries. This leads you south to join I-76, which you'll then follow past Pittsburgh, all the way across Pennsylvania. The capital of Wisconsin is often overlooked in favor of its bigger brother Milwaukee 80 miles east. How to get there: Head east out of Chicago and join Interstate 90, then just keep going! One is the Forever Curious Children's Museum - a non-profit organization created to spark a love for learning in kids of all ages. If you're visiting later in the season, check out Winter Restaurant Week. Ride down the Kalamazoo River on a paddle steamer, explore the lakeshore and river in a kayak, or charter a yacht. The parade brings together dragons and lions dancing through DC's streets, as well as drummers, dance troupes and firecrackers - it's a real feast for the senses. You can also go on a tour of the Cedar Creek Winery and try the local wines which might just surprise you. You'll find yourself in a warm weather wonderland with trees, lights, skating and fireworks. In Wasau, the nearest town to Granite Peak, there are some great food and drink options for the essential apres-ski part of the day! A little further north from Chicago than Milwaukee is the town of Cedarburg. Named after the tall cedar trees, it is particularly well known for its lush forests that cover the hills around Cedarburg. Once Christmas and New Year are behind you, the party season in New Orleans really gets going. Our travel tips: Parts of the city get extremely crowded in December, and accommodation prices rise accordingly. So, without further ado, here's what I would recommend for the Chicagoans ready to take on the road and create life-long Spring Road Trip memories with family and friends. It will satisfy a wide range of abilities, and you can also try out snow tubing and snowshoeing here. Other activities include spending the day at Kalapaki or Po'ipu beaches, setting. Starved Rock State Park is just 100 miles southwest of Chicago, offering an ideal spot to enjoy nature with more than a dozen sandstone canyons along with beautiful waterfalls that are especially powerful in the spring. There are only 3 other Luge tracks in the whole of the United States, so if you've always fancied trying out this exhilarating sport, this is probably your best chance. Everything from cow's milk to goat and sheep milk is used and there are imitations of European cheeses and unique local flavors available. Snow in the city often isn't much fun, so head out to one of the mountains or lakes for a one-day road trip that lets you enjoy the winter weather at its best. If you want to maximize your Swiss experience, then combine your road trip to New Glarus with a stop in Monroe - the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA.

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