It’s the weekend, which means you can finally get away from the city. With an empty agenda and nothing but time on your hands, here are your options:
1. Lake Geneva, WI
Escape the heat of summer by kayaking or swimming in Lake Geneva. Visitors can also rent a boat and cruise atop the waters while playing “I’m on a Boat” as they sail off into the horizon.
Total travel time: one hour and 30 minutes by car
2. Oglesby, IL
Oglesby is where “friends and rivers meet.” To tame your thirst for adventure, head over to the Vermillion River for a bout of whitewater rafting before hiking along the trails of Starved Rock State Park.
Total travel time: 1 hour and 30 mins by car
Photo via David Schwen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
3. Michigan City, IN
The 15,000 acres of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore include 50 miles of hiking trails, sandy beaches, rugged dunes and peaceful forests.
Total travel time: one hour and 10 minutes by car
4. Crystal Lake, IL
Located only 50 miles northwest of Chicago, Crystal Lake boasts a beach, a boardwalk and several hiking trails. Appropriately, its slogan is “A Good Place to Live.”
Total travel time: one hour and 20 minutes by car; one hour and 35 minutes by Metra
Photo via Dan Perry (CC BY-SA 2.0)
5. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Who wouldn’t want to spend the day hanging out with bison and birds? Truly experience nature by hiking and biking in this 19,000 acre restored prairie in Illinois.
Total travel time: one hour by car
Photo via U.S. Department of Agriculture (CC BY-SA 2.0)
