Pullman National Historical Park
Chicago
Part of the National Park Service, Pullman offers a rare look at a capitalist's fallen utopia. The community's design and architecture make for a…
Must-see attractions in The Great Lakes
Cincinnati
The elegant 1867 spanner was a forerunner of John Roebling's famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The Romanesque arches and draped cables have made it an…
Minneapolis
The late, great Mary Tyler Moore (of '70s TV fame) put Minneapolis on the pop-culture map. The spot, at the corner of 7th St S and Nicollet Mall, where…
Cincinnati
The collection spans 6000 years, with an emphasis on ancient Middle Eastern art and European old masters, plus a wing devoted to local works. While…
Minneapolis
If the rides at the Mall of America aren't enough, drive out to this full-scale amusement and water park 22 miles southwest of Minneapolis in Shakopee…
Cincinnati
Fountain Sq is the city's centerpiece, a public space with a seasonal ice rink, free wi-fi, concerts (7pm Wednesday to Saturday in summer), a farmers…
Chicago
Walking through the conservatory’s 3 acres of desert palms, jungle ferns and tropical orchids is like taking a trip around the world in 30 minutes. The…
Chicago
TheMart, as the Merchandise Mart is now called, is the world’s largest commercial building. Spanning two city blocks, the 1931 behemoth has its own zip…
Chicago
This plain-looking park across from the Newberry Library has quite a history. In the 1920s it was known as ‘Bughouse Square,’ where communists, socialists…
Ohio
The Hocking Hills claim some of the country’s darkest skies, which is why this astronomy park provides an amazing opportunity for earthlings obsessed with…
DuSable Museum of African American History
Chicago
This was the first independent museum in the country dedicated to African American art, history and culture. The collection features African American…
Prairie Avenue Historic District
Chicago
In the late 1800s, Prairie Ave between 16th and 20th Sts is where Chicago's millionaires lived in their mansions. Today the district is good for a stroll…
Indiana
Founded in 1842, the University of Notre Dame is often touted as one of America's prettiest higher education campuses and its Fighting Irish football team…
Indiana
The Dunes, which became the USA's 61st national park in 2019, stretch along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Swimming is allowed anywhere along the…
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago
A world-class leader in technology, industrial design and architecture, the IIT owes much of its look to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the famed mid-century…
Chicago
The enchanted Garden of the Phoenix floats in Jackson Park. Birds flit through the sunlight, turtles swim in the lagoons, and stone-cut lanterns dot the…
Chicago
The final resting place for some of the biggest names in Chicago history, including architects Louis Sullivan and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and retail…
Chicago
This 154ft-tall, turreted tower is a defining city icon: it was the sole downtown survivor of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, thanks to its yellow limestone…
Chicago
The architects behind the 1896 Marquette Building made natural light and ventilation vital components. The most impressive features, however, are the…
Northern Minnesota
Like most of the parks dotting the North Shore, Tettegouche State Park offers fishing, camping, paddling and hiking trails to waterfalls and little lakes,…
Chicago
Space enthusiasts will get a big bang (pun!) out of the Adler. There are public telescopes to view the stars (10am to 1pm daily, by the Galileo Cafe), 3-D…
Wisconsin
Little House on the Prairie fans can make a pit stop at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. This is where she was born and the abode that starred in Little…
Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago
This grand, art-filled building with free internet terminals and wi-fi is Chicago's whopping main library. Major authors give readings, and impressive…
Illinois
This small but worthwhile 2017 addition to Evanston's cultural landscape houses a two-fold collection of American stained glass, mostly recovered from…
Northern Minnesota
The directors here claim this 39-room mansion, built on a 12-acre estate, is the most-visited home in the Midwest. Whether that's true or not, a visit…
Cleveland
Whiskey Island floats at the edge of downtown, where the Cuyahoga River empties into Lake Erie. The area consists of a boat-filled marina, a raucous bar…
Chicago
To understand Chicago's sports psyche, peruse the memorabilia-filled cases at this gallery attached to Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch restaurant. See…
Northern Minnesota
The five cascades, scenic gorge and easy trails draw carloads of visitors to Gooseberry Falls State Park. Several cool stone and log buildings, built by…
Chicago
Famed landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted designed stately Washington Park. It hosts heaps of community festivals and athletic fields for teams…
Chicago
Faculty and students have racked up more than 80 Nobel prizes within U of C's hallowed halls. The economics and physics departments lay claim to most of…
Illinois
Illinois' 'new' and current state capitol occupies a soaring French Renaissance/Second Empire–style building, completed in 1888, topped by a 405ft zinc…
Chicago
Fans of modern architecture shouldn't miss Chicago's newest gallery, designed by Pritzker Prize–winner Tadao Ando. Walk past the facade of the former…
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
Ohio
Poignant and powerful, Columbus’ newest museum tells the stories of US service members over the past 250-plus years. The focus is on individual people,…
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Founded in 1971, this collection acts as the westernmost anchor to a string of West Town art galleries. Two rooms display a permanent collection of…
Ohio
Ohio's most popular park is splendid to explore in any season, but it's especially lovely in autumn. Thirty miles of hiking trails meander through the…
Chicago
The Plant occupies an enormous former meatpacking facility where a community of food producers is now engaged in a collaborative experiment to eliminate…
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Illinois
A surprise awaits near Collinsville, 8 miles east of East St Louis: classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site, with the likes of Stonehenge and the…
Ohio
Serpent Mound is perhaps the most captivating of all of the native mounds that dot southeastern Ohio. The giant, uncoiling snake stretches over a quarter…
Illinois
A few miles south of Ellis Grove, Fort Kaskaskia sits on a bluff beside the river. The French built it around 1759 to defend against British attacks. All…
Detroit
The Scarab Club transports you back a century to a gilded age of arts appreciation when costumed balls and visits by Diego Rivera and Norman Rockwell were…
