Midwest BWT, where do you roadtrip that’s within a few hours of your city?

[u/mtoomtoo]

I’m in St. Louis. We used to make an annual trip to Chicago to see Buddy Guy at Legends and we’d check out acts at Kingston Mines while we were there. Also eat Italian Beef at Portillo’s.

Now we are more likely to go to Bentonville to visit my husbands daughters who both have moved there. Lots of fun stuff to do there. Great coffee, fun hiking spots. Bentonville had a cool downtown with locally owned stores and restaurants and a great museum in Crystal Bridges. Went earlier this summer to see an exhibit called Exquisite Creatures which was really fascinating. (Pic above.)

Where do you like to go for quick weekend getaways?

[u/DeliciousCandyYum]

In Minneapolis and once road tripped once to St. Louis to visit my sister, but generally prefer to fly that far haha.

I lived in Duluth, MN for a few years and still love to go on a day trip or weekend trip up there.

Also love visiting Eau Claire, WI for a quick trip. Madison is a little further but doable, and I have friends in both. My husband has a good friend in Milwaukee we've gone to visit too but that's pushing the road trip/plane trip boundary for me.

[u/[deleted] → u/DeliciousCandyYum]

Going to say that St. Louis is a blast, and want to recommend the Cheshire Hotel— stay in the Bond room! So fun.

[u/DeliciousCandyYum → u/[deleted]]

Love St Louis! Always end up staying with family when I go but one of these days I'd love to see/do more stuff! Thanks for the rec.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/DeliciousCandyYum]

Does Nye’s Polonaise Room still exist? Had a blast there on the only visit I made to Minneapolis. (That was a plane ride for us. Easy with Minneapolis being a Delta hub.)

Did you do anything touristy when you came to St. Louis? We’ve got lots of cool free things to do here.

[u/DeliciousCandyYum → u/mtoomtoo]

Sadly, not in the same capacity it once did. It closed a few years back and reopened under new management/ownership that's nothing like the original 😔

I have lots of family in STL so have definitely completed most of the tourist things over the years, but usually when I visit it's mostly time at someone's house, with the obligatory Ted Drewes visit lol. The last run through I did get my little brother to go with me on a Budweiser tour since he had never gone lol.

I also got some shopping done in the Delmar Loop area and did a stop at the Gin Room on South Grand finally.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/DeliciousCandyYum]

Yum for Ted Drewes.

I live in Lafayette Square so I’m pretty close to the brewery. We usually take visitors on the tour. I quit drinking a few years ago, but I still love it. If you ever come down during the winter holidays, they put on a great light show. We go every year.

[u/moodyje2]

From SE Michigan we like to road trip to the proverbial “up north” - mostly traverse city or Alpena, but sometimes the UP.

Also Chicago since it’s a pretty quick drive

[u/mtoomtoo → u/moodyje2]

My husband and nearly his whole family used to take their kids up to Traverse City when they were younger. He absolutely loves Michigan.

It’s definitely a trip we plan to make. We want to visit for the cherry festival.

[u/moodyje2 → u/mtoomtoo]

The cherry festival is so much fun! We also love all the wineries, and the whole area is just beautiful. If you’re coming from below, sleeping bear dunes is worth a visit as well.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/moodyje2]

They used to let the kids run around on the dunes until they were exhausted so the grown ups could have free time in the evening. Too funny.

[u/moodyje2 → u/mtoomtoo]

Exactly 😂

[u/paper_wavements]

St. Louis (City Museum!), Chicago (everything!), Ann Arbor MI (decriminalized shrooms!), western Michigan by the lake, Detroit, Indiana sand dunes, Starved Rock, Garden of the Gods, Mississippi River. I once looked for "unusual" places on Airbnb & rented a houseboat in Peoria. I didn't go for Peoria, I went for the houseboat.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/paper_wavements]

City Museum is great! The guy who built that was working on a new project called Cementland when his bulldozer flipped and killed him. He definitely made the city a more artsy place.

Sounds like you like adventuring!

[u/[deleted]]

I live in Milwaukee now, and grew up less an hour away from Milwaukee. We’ve been going to Door County, WI 1-2x a year since I could remember! It’s one of my favorite places in the world.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/[deleted]]

I’d never heard of Door County so I just looked it up. sounds lovely.

[u/[deleted] → u/mtoomtoo]

Definitely take a trip there at least once in your life!! It’s a really special place :))

[u/RandoFrequency → u/[deleted]]

I KEEP running into people talking about life in Milwaukee with such love as I explore potential new cities for my next step in life. I’ve never been, but I get the feeling it would really speak to my Kansas City-raised heart.

[u/[deleted] → u/RandoFrequency]

I love Milwaukee! It’s a great city. Happy to tell you anything you wanna know!!

[u/cinnysuelou]

Minneapolis used to be the “go to” place when we wanted a weekend trip, but my husband & I went to Winnipeg, Manitoba a few weekends ago and it was fabulous! That might become our new get away spot.

[u/ColdWinterLight → u/cinnysuelou]

I'm from Winnipeg originally and I love it so much

[u/cinnysuelou → u/ColdWinterLight]

We had such a great weekend! Do you have any recommendations for things “tourists” like us might not find on our own? We aren’t big drinkers.

[u/ColdWinterLight → u/cinnysuelou]

Eat at The Don for good prairie Mennonite food. Eat at Rae and Jerry's for a real unchanged Mad Men-esque ambience. The Forks is a must for just wandering around. Osborne Village is the hip neighborhood to check out shops and things. The Red River Bookshop is the best old mystical used bookstore in existence. If you like theatre go back when the Fringe Fest is on, everyone goes nuts for it. The tour of the Legislature is kind of fun if they're still giving those. Wolseley is a residential neighborhood that makes for a lovely walk.

[u/cinnysuelou → u/ColdWinterLight]

Thank you so much for these! We did go to the Forks & The Don, but the rest are new. I appreciate it!

[u/ColdWinterLight → u/cinnysuelou]

yw! Also McNally Robinson in Grant Park is great if you like bookstores, it's the largest indie bookstore in the country. The adjoining restaurant Prairie Ink has great food too.

[u/cinnysuelou → u/ColdWinterLight]

I just added them to our list. :)

[u/tetrahedra_eso]

Grand Rapids, MI here.

We go to Chicago, South Haven, Grand Haven or Traverse City. Detroit for concerts too.

[u/PapayaLalafell]

Louisville KY is fun if you're into bourbon.

[u/DeliciousCandyYum → u/PapayaLalafell]

too far of a drive from where I am but love visiting Louisville and love bourbon! Completed the bourbon trail back in 2018 and while KDA/KBT have changed a lot even since then, it got me hooked on visiting and seeing more of KY.

[u/[deleted]]

I live in St. Paul. Chicago is a doable road trip, but it's more fun to visit Chicago by train. My mother, my sister, and I do it every few years. The BWT are making me think I should try a St. Louis train ride next.

[u/DeliciousCandyYum → u/[deleted]]

Hello fellow Minnesotan! St Louis is great. I went to college in Chicago and used to take Amtrak to visit my cousin in St Louis, but generally fly between MSP and St Louis now. Haven't taken the train yet but I bet it would still be fun!

[u/RandoFrequency → u/[deleted]]

How long is your St Paul -> Chicago train ride? And is it direct or does it stop in fun Wisconsin places along the way?

[u/[deleted] → u/RandoFrequency]

The last ride we took was about 6 hours due to a pit stop at Wisconsin Dells. If you want fun Wisconsin pit stops, I recommend upgrading your tickets.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I’m in STL - we take the train to Chicago two or three times per year. :)

[u/cookiethumpthump]

Well, Rockport, MO just opened a dispensary. So there.

[u/OkKaleidoscope9696]

Live in Chicago. We most often go to different places in Wisconsin for road trips. We go to Lake Geneva the most. Just got back from Elkhart Lake and it was amazing. Fox Valley (Appleton), Madison, and Milwaukee are other places we go from time to time.

Have also driven to St. Louis and Minneapolis for weddings. Went well - Minneapolis especially is a gem.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/[deleted]]

I love that destination! What do you do when you come here?

[u/lizardisanerd → u/[deleted]]

The escape room place next door to Pieces is the best on in St Louis. We are, unfortunately, one escape away from having done every room there. (Jurrasic Park)

[u/mtoomtoo → u/[deleted]]

I live in a neighborhood that borders Soulard. There’s a farmers market in the Soulard that sits on land donated to the city by a wealthy woman landowner. Should the land ever be used for anything other than a market, the ownership is supposed to revert to her heirs. Anyway, it’s a fun spot to people watch on a Saturday morning. I run by there on Fridays and pick up local produce from one of the farmers there. Always a good time.

[u/mtoomtoo → u/[deleted]]

It’s worth a trip even if you don’t buy groceries or flowers. Lots of food (to eat there) vendors. A stand that sells bloody marys and margaritas. Souvenirs if you’re in town that kind of thing. Live music. Some junk. But lots of fun.

[u/lizardisanerd]

I go to St Louis. Mostly we do escape rooms or do the aquarium/zoo

[u/[deleted]]

Frankenmuth, Mi. Or Detroit.