Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play and Stay This Winter

      7 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play and Stay This Winter

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      One has conquered the world of plant-based baking. Another runs a microbakery from her home. Two own businesses with their spouses. And the fifth is a James Beard finalist chef. The common thread? Absolutely delicious cakes. Read More
    • The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      For many Midwesterners, holiday feasting kicks off with a relish tray. We dare not mess with an icon—at least, not too much. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Why Wisconsin Supper Clubs Just Keep Getting Better With Age

    Why Wisconsin Supper Clubs Just Keep Getting Better With Age

    At Wisconsin supper clubs, the steak is served rare and the traditions are well done. Like the brandy in an Old-Fashioned, these timeless institutions only get better with age.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Tomatoey Parmesan Beans

    Tomatoey Parmesan Beans

    This sleeper hit of a weeknight dinner comes from Food Network star Molly Yeh's cookbook Home is Where the Eggs Are—and is basically a vehicle for Parmesan and garlic toast. No complaints! (The alternate version, with ham and cream, is excellent too.)
    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    Avid DIYers Transform a 1929 Chicago Home One Project at a Time

    Avid DIYers Transform a 1929 Chicago Home One Project at a Time

    With visions of dinner parties and game nights dancing in their heads, a Chicago couple renovated their historic (and first) home, one DIY project at a time.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    How to Care for Flowering Houseplants

    How to Care for Flowering Houseplants

    Author Lisa Eldred Steinkopf shares how to make blooms last longer—and repeat.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Unique Midwest Light Displays to See This Winter

    Unique Midwest Light Displays to See This Winter

    Buses, trains and very few automobiles—check out these out-of-the-ordinary holiday lights displays.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Tamales are a project, but many hands—even tiny ones—make lighter work.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • DIY Pistachio Wheat Stalks for Fall Decorating
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    About Us

    About Us

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
    • Fall 2022 Issue
    • Winter 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Travel
  3. Around the Region
  4. Great Girlfriend Getaways

Great Girlfriend Getaways

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com Updated January 26, 2022
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Main Street, Galena, IL
Credit: David Nevala

Reminisce, relax, reconnect. Those are the only rules that apply when girls hit the road. This collection of girls-only outings will inspire your next escape.

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Kansas City

Power and Light District. Kansas, MO

"My daughter and I have gone to Kansas City for the past three years. We stay at the Raphael Hotel, which looks out onto Country Club Plaza. We spend a day shopping at Country Club Plaza and getting manis and pedis. One day is spent at the art museums and finding different places to dine (besides barbecue). Our trip this year will include the Power & Light District, and, of course, shopping. It's a great way for a mom and daughter to spend time together."—Karen Vokracka, Oakville, Missouri

Related: Midwest Living's Kansas City trip guide

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Madison, Wisconsin

Art Fair on the Square
Credit: COURTESY OF TRAVEL WISCONSIN

"We have a sisters weekend every fall. One of our best trips was to Madison, Wisconsin. We stayed at the Concourse Hotel right on Capitol Square. We walked around the city center, seeing the capitol building, the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Monona Terrace center on Lake Monona, and State Street shops and eateries. The Saturday farmers market around Capitol Square is full of treats and a variety of people, plants, and animals. This town definitely has something for everyone, but the best was just to have time together."—Lynda Ryan, Kenosha, Wisconsin

Related: Midwest Living's Madison trip guide

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Galena, Illinois

Main Street, Galena, IL
Credit: David Nevala

"My mom and I took a road trip from Des Moines, Iowa, to Galena, Illinois. We stopped at some great small towns along the way to eat and shop and then had a fun weekend in Galena. We did a lot of shopping there! We also walked up the stairs that take you up the bluffs from downtown and enjoyed the incredible views. One afternoon we drove around to look at some of the historic sites, including Grant's home. It is just always so fun to spend this girl time with my mom."—Jennifer Carroll, Fair Grove, Missouri

Related: Midwest Living's trip to Galena

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Northern Minnesota

North Shore Minnesota
Credit: NICHOLAS J. NAROG PHOTOGRAPHY

"My friends and I hike in northern Minnesota. We love the fall colors, the lack of mosquitoes and black flies, and Lake Superior in all its moods."—Barbara Goetzelman, Antioch, Illinois

Related: Top Places to Enjoy Fall on the North Shore

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Door County, Wisconsin

Door County, Wisconsin
Credit: Photo Courtesy of Door County Visitors Bureau.

"Five of us worked together for many years and vowed that we would retire together. Well, one of us moved, and the office where the rest worked was closed. But we still get together every year. One of our favorite spots is Door County, Wisconsin. We meet on a Friday and have a delicious dinner. We shop till we drop all day Saturday. Saturday night is spent in the hotel suite, catching up. On Sunday we eat breakfast and leave for our respective homes, with plans for next year already in place."—Terry Schmitt, Lakeville, Minnesota

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Chicago

On the Fridays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, thousands of visitors gather near the Bean in Millennium Park to sing carols along with guest choirs and their conductors.
Credit: Bob Stefko

"Beginning in 1984 and going strong ever since, my girlfriends and I go to Chicago before Thanksgiving to shop for Christmas presents, eat at wonderful restaurants and see the lights of the season. Not all of us have gone every year, but most of us haven't missed more than a couple. We have shared happiness (marriage, babies, retirement) and sorrow (one dear friend died of cancer). And now we're planning for the next year."—Ann Siegfried, Huntington, Indiana

Related: Get Our Ultimate Chicago Trip Guide

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Madison, Indiana

Downtown Madison, Indiana
Credit: Jason Lindsey

"My daughter and I have gone to Madison, Indiana, since she was in first grade. We stay at Clifty Falls State Park and shop, hike and play board games. I've watched her graduate from juice boxes to fine wines, all while watching paddle wheelers float by on the Ohio River."—Cindy DiBiase, Lawrenceberg, Indiana

Related: Midwest Living's Madison Summer Getaway

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Duluth

North Shore Duluth, MN large red ship vessel anchored at Duluth Ship Canal, smaller ships docked

"My girlfriend Terry and I used to take our daughters for our 'girls weekends' to Duluth. We would travel up the North Shore on Saturday and then stay the night in a hotel in Duluth Saturday night. Sunday we would shop in Duluth—lots of fun places to shop there!"-Marie Hess Keefe, Pine City, Minnesota

Related: Top Things to Do Around Duluth and the North Shore

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Amana Colonies, Iowa

Amana Colonies The High Amana General Store facade

"My mom and I loved taking day trips to the Amana Colonies in Iowa. I can see all the stores in my memory, though their names escape me now. Our noon mainstay was rhubarb pie, and our last stop was the meat market to buy summer sausage for my husband and cheese for my dad. Mom is gone now, but thinking of the Amanas brings happy tears to my eyes."—Kay Porter Westendorf, Fort Worth, Texas

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lakelands of Minnesota

Aerial photo of bots on the water in Park Rapids, Minnesota

"We love to head for the lakes area of Minnesota: Detroit Lakes, Park Rapids, Walker. We hit all the little shops on the way. It's a beautiful drive, a day of great shopping treasures found, good food and drinks, and maybe a quick stop on the way home in Dorset (which bills itself as 'Restaurant Capital of the World'). Beware, lines for dinner in this tiny town form in the late afternoon."-Deb Watne, Moorhead, Minnesota

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

"My friends go to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This year, we all turned 70 (ouch). The first time, we were in high school. You do the math! Great town, beautiful shops—and we love each other's company."—Terry Wuich, Des Plaines, Illinois

Related: Midwest Living's Lake Geneva Trip Guide

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11 Kansas City
    2 of 11 Madison, Wisconsin
    3 of 11 Galena, Illinois
    4 of 11 Northern Minnesota
    5 of 11 Door County, Wisconsin
    6 of 11 Chicago
    7 of 11 Madison, Indiana
    8 of 11 Duluth
    9 of 11 Amana Colonies, Iowa
    10 of 11 Lakelands of Minnesota
    11 of 11 Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Great Girlfriend Getaways
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.