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Michigan's newest wine trail hides in the oft-overlooked Irish Hills region between Ann Arbor and Lansing. Seven wineries, including Sandhill Crane Vineyards (left), operate nine tasting rooms along quaint main streets and rural two-lane highways, perfect for a casual weekend tour.
The little towns also hold their own surprises. Jackson has a budding arts scene, while Chelsea is home to Michigan native Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre. Tecumseh has one of the area's best restaurants, Evans Street Station, where a lovely apple-and-pecan salad tastes as fresh and unexpected as, well, a crisp Michigan white on a hot day.
Click ahead for details on the Pioneer Wine Trail, and then browse 17 more ideas for weekend getaways. If you'd like to jump directly to getaways near Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Chicago, Kansas City or Cincinnati, click on the links below.
WHAT TO DO
Hidden Lake Gardens Small (and aptly named) Hidden Lake sits at the heart of a 755-acre botanical garden and arboretum operated by Michigan State University (517/431-2060; hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu).
Southeast Michigan Pioneer Wine Trail In addition to maps and special event information, the wine trail's website includes a nice rundown of area attractions (pioneerwinetrail.com).
Purple Rose Theatre Intimate seating, reasonably priced tickets and plays highlighting its middle-American roots make this theater a popular regional destination (734/433-7673; purplerosetheatre.org).
Walker Tavern Historic Site Visitors to this restored 1800s stagecoach stop near Brooklyn can see how hard travel must have been before the Chicago Road was paved (517/467-4401; Michigan.gov/walkertavern).
WHERE TO EAT
Evans Street Station In Tecumseh, this bright-red onetime fire station offers sophisticated cuisine, made from local and seasonal ingredients (517/424-5555; evansstreetstation.com).
ZouZou's In the heart of Chelsea, this small-town coffee bar (pictured at left) serves up hot coffee with an international twist (734/433-4226; zouzouscafe.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Brickhouse of Somerset Bed and Breakfast Cross your fingers that owner Sandy Yeager serves her egg-and-prosciutto souffles for breakfast. From $90 (517/547-5885; brickhousebb.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Pure Michigan (888/784-7328; michigan.org).
Lexington, Michigan: 83 miles northeast of Detroit (pictured at left) Umbrellas dot the sand, Lake Huron twinkles, and the sweet smell of vacation wafts from Oh Fudge Shoppe. Lexington, which calls itself "the first resort north," is a tiny shore town with a nice lineup of cottage rentals and B&Bs. The mood here is decidedly laid-back, with just a handful of businesses, but isn't that what beach vacations are all about?
Monroe, Michigan: 45 miles southwest of Detroit Mellow jazz and happy chatter fill the air during Monroe's biweekly free concert series, which culminates in the River Raisin Jazz Festival in August. Besides an emerging music scene, Michigan's third-oldest city has a new river walk, several restaurants and a surprisingly chic place to crash, the Hotel Sterling.
It takes faith to climb as many as 100 steps from your car to a vacation cottage, especially after you've had to shift gears and say a little prayer just to drive up to the parking lot. But as you listen to leaves rustling in the treetops, you won't regret the effort.
Perched on a bluff in Fountain City, Wisconsin, Hawks View Cottages makes the perfect endpoint to a weekend drive along the east bank of the Mississippi. The sun sets over the verdant valley, and you think of what you saw (and ate!) along the way. Stockholm's shops include Abode Store and Gallery, featuring river-inspired crafts. Pocket gardens hide behind artsy shops in Alma. In Pepin, the peach pie at Third Street Deli tastes like pure summer. And tomorrow morning at Perrot State Park in Trempealeau, you can hike up Brady's Bluff for one last sweeping Mississippi view.
Pictured: Buena Vista Park in Alma overlooks the Mississippi River.
WHAT TO DO
Abode Store and Gallery Abode is one of several artsy shops -- many with a Swedish theme -- in Stockholm (715/442-2266; abodegallery.com).
Buena Vista Park A moderately easy wooded trail from Second Street in Alma leads up to one of the region's finest river views (608/685-4442; almawisconsin.com).
Perrot State Park The park offers fabulous overlook hikes, including Brady's Bluff (608/534-6409; wiparks.net).
WHERE TO EAT
Nelson Cheese Factory In Nelson, a former cheese factory now houses a gourmet wine and cheese shop that also serves deli sandwiches and ice cream (715/673-4725; nelsoncheese.com).
Kate and Gracie's Don't miss the divine roast beef sandwich (608/685-4505; kateandgracies.com).
Pier 4 Cafe & Smokehouse (pictured at left) The tangy sauce and smoky flavors here bring Memphis barbecue to Alma. You can even get a barbecue fix at breakfast with the heavenly Smokehouse Omelet (608/685-4964; pier4cafe.com).
Smiling Pelican Bake Shop A Twin Cities pastry chef brings her baking talents to tiny Maiden Rock (715/448-3807).
Third Street Deli More than a deli, this Pepin restaurant serves high-quality bistro fare from a deli case (715/495-2982).
WHERE TO STAY
Hawks View Cottages and Lodges Basic breakfast fixings are provided, but with so many nice bakeries along the road, you'd be wise to pick up something special for your morning noshing. From $175 (866/293-0803; hawksview.net).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit wigreatriverroad.org or contact Travel Wisconsin (800/432-8747; travelwisconsin.com).
Northfield, Minnesota: 44 miles south of Minneapolis You'll see lots of bikes and Birkenstocks in this two-college town on the Cannon River. St. Olaf offers great music, while Carleton has an 880-acre arboretum. A food and crafts market takes over the river walk on summer Saturdays, and a full day's worth of cute gift shops and bookstores lines Division Street. Don't miss the tiny museum about a foiled Jesse James bank raid. Pictured at left: Northfield hosts a reenactment of the Jesse James robbery (800/658-2548; visitingnorthfield.com).
Lanesboro, Minnesota: 126 miles southeast of Minneapolis Tiny Lanesboro (aka Bed and Breakfast Central) struck tourism gold in the 1990s with the Root River Trail. Most visitors still come for easy, scenic cycling (rentals are available). But other draws include Scenic Valley Winery, the Commonweal Theatre and the Old Village Hall, where seasonality feeds the creative menu (just be sure to make a reservation!) (800/944-2670; lanesboro.com).
OK, so Santa Claus isn't quite within 150 miles of Indy. But this family-centric town offers such a nice variety of affordable activities, we broke our own rule.
The big lure is Holiday World and Splashin' Safari (left), with a plethora of colorful rides and slides that will elicit squeals from the backseat. (Grown-ups will cheer for the free pop, parking and even sunscreen.) In town, you can read kids' letters to Santa at the Santa Claus Museum or try frozen hot cocoa at Santa's Candy Castle. But the area isn't all kitsch. Plan to visit a handful of Abe Lincoln sites, canoe on the Blue River or tour Marengo Cave. Lake Rudolph Campground provides RV rentals for newbie campers, or, if your crew prefers plusher digs, the Leavenworth Inn is lovely--and kids are welcome.
Lincoln boyhood sites and Santa-theme attractions draw big crowds to this south-central town of 2,200. For information: Spencer County Visitors Bureau (888/444-9252; legendaryplaces.org).
WHAT TO DO
Cave Country Canoes Water lovers can get their fix by taking advantage of a half-day trip along the Blue River (812/365-2705; cavecountrycanoes.com).
Holiday World Theme Park and Splashin' Safari Families dig the slides and rides, plus free parking and inner tube use. Give yourself one day for rides and coasters and another for the water park (877/463-2645; holidayworld.com).
Lincoln Amphitheatre Watch Lincoln, the new theater production of his life (800/264-4223; lincolnamphitheatre.com).
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial A small but well-executed museum commemorates the place where Abraham Lincoln spent most of his childhood (812/937-4541; nps.gov/libo).
Lincoln State Park Vacationers lodge, fish and swim at the 1,700-acre park (812/937-4710; stateparks.in.gov).
Marengo Cave This family-friendly attraction includes an in-cave movie and post-tour mining (888/702-2837).
Santa Claus Museum The museum focuses on the town's history through displays of newspaper clippings, photos and letters mailed to Santa (812/937-2687; santaclausmuseum.org).
WHERE TO EAT
Blue River Cafe This little place next to Cave Country Canoes serves spruced-up dinner fare (812/633-7510; bluerivercafe.com).
Overlook This family-friendly spot serves mile-high biscuits, delish coconut cream pie -- and great Ohio River views (812/739-4264; theoverlook.com).
Santa's Candy Castle Shop for specialty chocolates, candy canes, souvenirs, and frozen hot chocolate (812/544-3900; santascandycastle.com).
Silent Night Cafe This urban-style cafe near Holiday World serves great coffee as well as fresh breakfast and lunch choices (812/937-9066; silentnightcafe.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort This park next to Holiday World is family-oriented, with playground, pool, organized kids activities, mini golf, ice cream and pizza stand, and a game room. RV rentals from $125 (877/478-3657; lakerudolph.com).
Leavenworth Inn (Pictured at left) This four-building complex has recently updated rooms plus outdoor activities such as bicycles, shuffleboard and a tennis court. From $109 (888/739-2120; leavenworthinn.com).
Columbus, Indiana: 44 miles south of Indianapolis Two-hour bus and walking tours highlight Columbus' striking architecture, including buildings by Eliel Saarinen, his son Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei and other noted architects. (At left, visitors view Eliel Saarinen's First Christian Church and Henry Moore's Large Arch sculpture.) The hip Hotel Indigo downtown perfectly complements the city's modernist spirit, and local restaurants hold progressive dinners and other special events (800/468-6564; columbus.in.us).
Winona Lake, Indiana: 120 miles north of Indianapolis This seen-better-days resort town is, well, seeing better days. Rehabbed houses along a European-style canal hold a handful of shops and galleries. Two pretty, art-filled parks beg for strolls or picnics, and on the lake, the luxe Blue Heron Guest House offers stunning lake views (574/268-9888; villageatwinona.com).
In tiny Nappanee, an Amish man parks his buggy by a gas pump, a living metaphor for the way new and old coexist in northern Indiana. Some people come here for classic Amish Country: 29 kinds of pie at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, hand-sewn gifts and homemade jellies at Little Helpers Quilt Shop, treasure-hunting at the Shipshewana Flea Market. But towns like Goshen, Middlebury and Elkhart also are modern communities.
You can shop for journals and cards at Accents Framing and Gifts (left), see an original Grandma Moses at the Midwest Museum of American Art, browse through novels at Better World Books or share Asian-inspired tapas at Kelly Jae's Cafe. What's unexpected here is that, like the Amish themselves, you can mix the old and new in the way that feels right for you.
WHAT TO DO
Accents Framing and Gifts Colorful artwork, jewelry and clothing fill this shop in downtown Goshen. (574/534-5698; artcanthurt.com).
Better World Books This small, cozy bookstore helps support global literacy programs (574/534-1984; betterworldbooks.com).
Cinnamon Stick Shop for gifts and home decor items in a refurbished 19th-century storefront. 574/825-7725; mycinnamonstick.com).
Little Helpers Quilt Shop Handmade Amish quilts are the specialty at this small countryside shop just outside Shipshewana (260/768-4278).
Midwest Museum of American Art In downtown Elkhart, this small museum offers a surprisingly nice collection of 18th- and 19th-century American artworks (574/293-6660; midwestmuseum.us).
Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market Held Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May through October, the flea market is the largest in the Midwest (260/768-4120; tradingplaceamerica.com).
WHERE TO EAT
Das Dutchman Essenhaus Hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners; choose from buffet or menu dining (574/825-9471; essenhaus.com).
Kelly Jae's Cafe (pictured at left) In a renovated historic building in downtown Goshen, Kelly Jae's offers innovative Asian-influenced tapas (574/537-1027; kellyjaescafe.com).
WHERE TO STAY
The Homespun Country Inn Bed and Breakfast Rooms from $89. Ask the friendly owners about arranging a dinner in an Amish home (800/311-2996; homespuninn.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau (800/262-8161; amishcountry.org).
Kenosha, Wisconsin: 67 miles north of Chicago Put away your preconceived notions and take a day to explore this Wisconsin bedroom community on Lake Michigan. A hearty breakfast at Franks Diner will fuel tours of the lakefront, the new Civil War Museum (left) or the Anderson Arts Center, which hosts free Tuesday-night jazz concerts in summer. Dinner at Mangia Trattoria is a must; try the gnocchi (800/654-7309; kenoshacvb.com).
Woodstock, Illinois: 60 miles northwest of Chicago It's just a train ride from Chicago, but Woodstock feels anything but suburban. The historic town square (famously featured in Groundhog Day) is adorable, with great home decor shops, a cozy bookstore and the perfect lunch spot, La Petite Creperie. Come for the Woodstock Mozart Festival in early August or the farmers market (815/338-2436; woodstockilchamber.com).
Out in the Flint Hills, everything you ever heard or learned or read about the big prairie sky suddenly makes sense. It's immense and domed, ever-changing and never-changing, soothing and a little scary. You watch the sun (seemingly) travel each day from east to west, and the horizon surrounds you like a giant circus ring.
Europeans flock here to experience this landscape; you can just hop on Interstate-35 and drive southwest to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where free bus tours take you out into the 3-foot grasses that once covered much of the Midwest. The historic cowtowns of Council Grove and Cottonwood Falls are perfect bookends to the prairie. Stay at the restored Grand Central Hotel and groove to a jam session at the Emma Chase Cafe. But don't overbook your vacation. There's nothing wrong with coming here just for the tingly feeling of realizing how vast the world is.
WHAT TO DO
Emma Chase Cafe The ever-popular jam sessions get rave reviews (as do the Friday fried-catfish dinners) (620/273-6020; emmachasecafe.com).
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (pictured at left) Rangers offer free daily guided 1881 ranch house tours and 90-minute prairie bus tours May-October. Hiking trains are open year-round. (620/273-8494; nps.gov/tapr).
WHERE TO EAT
Grand Central Hotel and Grill The restaurant in the Grand Central Hotel is known as one of Kansas' best places for steak (800/951-6763; grandcentralhotel.com).
Hays House This 1857 eatery specializes in fried chicken (620/767-5911; hayshouse.com).
WHERE TO STAY
Grand Central Hotel Stay in an elegant inn with an on-site restaurant, in Cottonwood Falls. From $160 (800/951-6763; grandcentralhotel.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition (866/660-2622;
kansasflinthills.travel).
Independence, Missouri: 10 miles east of Kansas City Once you get past the big-box stores, historic Independence Square doesn't feel a bit like suburban sprawl. The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (pictured at left) has impressive exhibits. The Truman home offers an intimate glimpse of the 33rd president, and Ophelia's serves inventive fare such as a grilled shrimp Cobb salad (800/748-7323; visitindependence.com).
Fort Scott, Kansas: 94 miles south of Kansas City Kansas' Civil War history spirals around Fort Scott, where today, a national historic site preserves 20 buildings. (Look for 170-year-old ax marks on the beams.) Try to time your visit for a special event, so you can chat with reenactors. Also, don't miss the nearby National Cemetery (800/245-3678; fortscott.com).
We mean this in the kindest way, but Bardstown is soaked. Three of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail's six distilleries are here, as well as a whiskey museum. You can take a bourbon-theme trolley tour, see Abraham Lincoln's liquor license or dip a bottle of Maker's Mark in red wax.
The town's cooks seem engaged in an unspoken competition to out-infuse each other, and a bourbon guru who goes by Colonel hosts a lively tasting and demo dinner. On the menu? Eclairs with bourbon-chocolate sauce. But you don't have to imbibe to appreciate the town's rich history. Bardstown's other claim-to-fame is the plantation house that inspired the song "My Old Kentucky Home."
WHAT TO DO
Chapeze House Home of the Kentucky Bourbon Cooking School (800/704-4917; kentuckyshomeforbourbon.com).
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Three of the trail's distilleries are clustered around Bardstown; the others are closer to Lexington. The trail website is outstanding, with maps, directions and links to area restaurants and lodgings. All distillery tours are free except Woodford Reserve. Pictured at left: The wares at Woodford Reserve (502/875-9351; kybourbontrail.com).
My Old Kentucky Home State Park In addition to the namesake plantation home, an outdoor summer stock theater company performs Stephen Foster: The Musical (502/348-3502; parks.ky.gov).
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History This little museum includes a surprisingly pretty collection of antique bottles (502/348-2999; whiskeymuseum.com).
WHERE TO EAT
Kurtz Restaurant Owner Marilyn "Toogie" Kurtz learned to fry chicken here when her mother opened the restaurant in 1937 (502/348-8964; bardstownparkview.com).
Xavier's Restaurant Entrees at this elegantly casual spot include a fabulous crab-and-brie stuffed salmon (502/349-9464).
WHERE TO STAY
Rosemark Haven Bed and Breakfast This lovely B&B has an upscale restaurant in a renovated tobacco barn. From $109 (502/348-8218; rosemarkhaven.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist and Convention Commission (800/638-4877; visitbardstown.com).
Dayton, Ohio: 50 miles northeast of Cincinnati Sights in this National Aviation Heritage Area range from humble (the Wright brothers' bike shop) to humbling (the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force). The popular Dayton Air Show (July 17-18) stars the Blue Angels. Pictured at left: The Wright flyer sculpture at RiverScape Metro Park (800/221-8235; daytoncvb.com).
Yellow Springs, Ohio: 62 miles northeast of Cincinnati The 1960s might be history now, but funky Yellow Springs never got the memo. Many shops have a hippie vibe--even baby clothes smell like patchouli! Glen Helen Nature Preserve rounds out a day trip, and the Winds Cafe is special-occasion worthy (937/767-2686; destinationyellowsprings.com)
(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® July/August 2010.)
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Once again Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad locted in Flint, Michigan left out. Take a look here for Hallween and Christmas fun!
9/1/2010 10:02:51 AM Report AbuseMy brother and his family just visited Indiana's Holiday World and Splashin' Safari last week. They loved it! The park really caters to families with elementary-school-age kids!
7/6/2010 01:08:48 PM Report Abuse