It’s no secret that Chicago is one of the best cities in the country (IMHO), but I often don’t give enough credit to the areas surrounding the Windy City. One of my goals this year is to get out of Chicago more for a bit of exploring, whether that means heading to Holland, Michigan, for the spring tulip festival or driving to the Indiana Dunes for a beach day. (As a Notre Dame grad, Indiana holds a special place in my heart.) Here are a few day trips I’m thinking about taking this fall! 

Apple River Canyon State Park for scenic bluffs and rolling hills. 

Harvest Time Orchards on the border of Wisconsin for apple-picking. (You can see photos from Liz’s trip there last year here!) 

Galena, Illinois, for small-town charm. My family has actually had a place here since I was little, but I haven’t been in forever. The fall foliage is supposed to be amazing. 

Starved Rock State Park for gorgeous waterfalls and hiking. 

Fennville, Michigan, for cider tasting and pie. (Virtue Cider and Crane’s Pie Pantry look so good.) 

The Morton Arboretum for botanical beauty. They also have a Cider & Ale fest on October 20 that sounds like a blast! 

Anything else I should add to my list? I admittedly know very little about the rest of Illinois and the nearby states, so any and all recommendations are welcome. 

Happy Saturday!
– Carolyn