10 Midwest Trips You'll Talk About

Sail away

During weeklong "Adult Adventures" hosted by Milwaukee's Discovery World Museum, the guests on the S/V Denis Sullivan, a 19th-century schooner, are neither passengers nor experienced sailors. Rather, the Sullivan becomes a 137-foot-long classroom out on Lake Michigan -- part science lab, part history seminar and part sailing lesson. While on board, students immerse themselves in the full, stern-to-stern maritime experience.

Every day, students hoist the sails, scrub the deck and monitor the backup engines. Lively lectures and sea-chant sing-alongs fill the long summer evenings. The Sullivan stays in open water the whole week, making it easy to imagine being out on the high seas. "Once you've been out on the Lakes, you'll never see them the same way again," Capt. Hugh Covert says.