Touring holiday to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, etc

torbrex

Hi Guys

I have just booked my flights for my latest trip to the USA I May and I am wondering if anyone knows of any interesting places to visit in the following States:

• Wisconsin
• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Illinois

And possibly:

• Indiana
• Ohio
• Michigan

I am not a city lover and tend to keep my visits to them as short as possible; I also have a good guidebook that covers most of the major cities in the states that I am visiting.

What I am looking for is any out of the mainstream places that anyone knows of or has been to.

Distance is not a problem as I enjoy driving over there, I have been known to drive 500 miles to get somewhere that only took an hour to see around the sights. This will be a long distance driving holiday as usual and I will definitely get round the first 5 states and will make a good attempt at the last 3 as well in my quest to visit all of mainland states.
I will be travelling on my own so I can be selfish, I am not looking for hotel/motel advice as I tend just to stop when I am tired and never book anything passed the first night.

Any help would be gratefully received.

torbrex

Has no-one ever been touring in this area?

Murphy_The_Cat

I have, but I've only been in Illinois, Missouri & Indiana for relatively small periods, so nothing that I can really help you with--- sorry.

torbrex

Thanks anyway Murphy, it seems to be an area where all the interesting things are in the cities, looks like I will just have to 'play it by ear' when I get there.

macca64

Minnesota is a fantastic state. Lots to do and see, but depends on what you are interested in. They do have over 10,000 lakes, so if you like fishing your in luck.

They have the Mall of America, which is the largest mall in the USA, it was the largest in the world, but Canada have a larger one now. Definately worth a trip if you like shopping. The Mall is close to the airport, probably 45 minutes away IIRC.

You could also go to North Minnesota and visit Lake Superior, Duluth is a nice place, as is Two Harbours which is further north of Duluth, where you can visit split rock light house.

I've not been to the other states you have mentioned, so I hope that helps.

Murphy_The_Cat

One thing that I have remembered is eating here , Its a really different/fun place to eat that is a BIG change from the norm. if you do go, be sure to ask for some molasses to go with your bread.

If my memory serves me correctly, for part of the journey you'll be crisscrosing the route taken by Lewis & Clark . If American History is your thing, you might find stopping at any of the numerous Lewis & Clark museum/information points quite interesting. Or, if you fancy chilling out somewhere different sometime, stop at a picnic area next to some lock gates adjacent to the Ohio / Mississippi and watch some of the massive river barges doing their 'thing'.

torbrex

Thanks Murphy, I have had a look at some possible stops at Lewis & Clark sites and will be adjusting my route accordingly. I had also planned to follow the Mississippi for a while to take in some of the Mark Twain stuff so I will look out for the shipping as well, thanks. There are also some caverns in Missouri that I have on my list as is a place called Spook cave in Iowa and the Paul Bunyan Amusement centre in Minnesota.
I am finding some places to visit now, I was a bit worried that I would just be driving all day with no targets.

BrookeJ_2

I ran across this site while doing research for my trip to Scotland and am hooked. Then I saw your question about visiting my fair state and thought I would give you some ideas.

You say you would like to avoid the cities, so here goes.

Wisconsin-About 120 miles north of Milwaukee is Door County. It looks like the thumb of the state sticking out into Lake Michigan. There is always something to do there. I try to go once a yr. The fish boils that are on Fridays started up this weekend so should be in full swing by the time you arrive. If you are driving, Wisconsin has a big list of roads called 'Rustic Roads'. These are roads that offer great views of the countryside around them. Some of them are just a couple of miles long, others can go up to 30-60 miles.

Not having spent much time in MN, I can't really give you alot of suggestions, but a must do on my list would be to visit the Mall of America, just to say you did. I can't remember ever walking out of there with a shopping bag in my hand, it's more the sheer magnitude of the place that's amazing.

Iowa is beautiful for alot of great farmland. Having grown up on a farm, I seem to like the countryside more than most. I usually don't get a chance to stop there, as I'm zooming through on my way home to KS.

Do you know how long you plan to spend in each state? Hopefully this helped a little. I'll try to stop back to see if there are anymore questions.

ml3jp

Northern Michigan is a bit of a trek but it's def worth it for the beautiful Leelanau peninsula, and at the right time of year Traverse City is awesome too (esp. the National Cherry Festival)

tingtong

My best advice would be to visit www.roadtripamerica.com and post your question there.

The whole forum is dedicated to roadtrips and you will get advice from people who live there (they should know best !).

Hope this helps.