I guess I am not sure why you are flying into Chicago just to spend 7 hours driving across Wisconsin to get to Minneapolis. Can't you find a direct flight into MSP?

Mid-June is just the start of the summer in Minnesota but there is so much to do. You could drive Up North to the North Coast and hit Lake Superior and the little communities along its shore (Two Harbors, Grand Marais, etc.) and then spend sometime in the BWCA and/or the Gunflint Trail.

If you are interested in shopping, there is always the Mall of America near the airport in Minnesota. You could go to Stillwater and explore the little boutiques there. Spend time at the Walker museum, see a show at the Guthrie, walk around the Lakes, etc.

The reason I am not going to pay the extra to fly to Minneapolis is because I would like this holiday to be spent going from place to place. I quite happy driving to Minneapolis and stopping along the way. I've just been looking at Milwaukee and that seems to get nice reviews, so maybe that would be a good place for the first day or two? The extra airfare that I save pays half my car rental for the 10 days!

Thanks for the input. Laura

You might want to consider a stop in Madison, Wisconsin. Besides being the capital of Wisconsin, it's a college town (University of Wisconsin). It's a very nice little city built on an isthmus between two lakes. And has some great restaurants. There are also other interesting places to visit in that area such as Taliesen http://www.midwestliving.com/travel/destination/wisconsin/frank-lloyd-wrights-taliesen/ and the House on the Rock http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2254

I second the suggestion for the North Shore of Lake Superior. We spent a couple of nights in Grand Marais and really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful area. I would suggest driving along the Mississippi on your way back to Chicago. There's some gorgeous scenery and interesting towns along the way.

This is very long, but you might want to skim through it for some ideas:

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/a-big-campus-a-great-lake-and-a-mighty-river-wimn-trip-report.cfm

CAPH52 many thanks for trip report to read. It's really made me want to visit Wisconsin. Hadn't known there was so much to see. Thanks!

Possibly go up to Bayfield, WI and go out to Madeline Island for the day. From there, drive over to Duluth and head up the North Shore a couple hours.

I would normally agree with the advice to hit the Gunflint Trail or BWCA but not in mid-June. Too many bugs in Northern Minnesota that time of year to be enjoyable, and you'll have plenty to do elsewhere. The North Shore should be less buggy as the lake breeze will help keep them away.

I think the idea of driving back along the Mississippi is perfect. There are a number of state parks and little towns along the way for shopping. Depending on your itinerary, you may want to buy a Minnesota state park pass rather than pay the one-day entrance fee at each individual park.

Very glad if I could be of some help, Laura. Wisconsin is indeed a state with much to see. It wouldn't work for you on this trip since you're headed for Minnesota, but if you ever again decide to do a driving tour from Chicago, I'd highly recommend checking out the eastern part, along Lake Michigan.

CAPH52 I've been looking alot at Wisconsin and I think I will take the time to visit some of Wisconsin on my way to Minnesota and maybe skip going to Iowa. I have 10 days and I'm open to all possibilities!

Laura

I would choose WI over IA anyday of the week. Door County and really all of the Lake Michigan coast is great, inland you have that Rhinelander area which is breathtaking not to mention Wisconsin Dells and Elkhart lake and so forth

Gee, no one ever wants to come to Iowa. It's not THAT bad!

But ok, while there are certainly pretty areas to see in Iowa in the summer, if you really want to just skim through or past our lovely state, I would also suggest Galena, IL. We occasionally head there for weekend getaways. It's a neat little historic town not too far off the Mississippi river.

There's a lot of choices, but the distances between them can be quite far, so just make sure you map it out carefully before you begin. The north shore of WI/MN is great, but really, really far, and the driving can get monotonous. I think Milwaukee is great for its old world charm: see if they have any lake front festivals going on, you could also tour Miller Brewery and/or the Harley plant for unique experiences. The German restaurants are great, though it's getting a lot more Irish influenced restaurants/bars.
I also think Door County is beautiful and worth exploring. You could try renting a bike (state park is really nice for that).
I live in Madison, and also recommend it if it's anywhere near your route. Go inside the beautiful capitol, have a beer/soda on the Memorial Union Terrace while watching the sailboats, stroll down State Street for interesting shopping/restaurants. Outside of Madison, I'd avoid the House on the Rock (IMHO it's just dusty old collections of junk). Instead head to Devil's Lake State Park (#1 state park)has lots of trails that surround a lake and great bluffs. Near Devil's Lake is the Merrimac Ferry to cross Lake Wisconsin, which is fun/free. Near the Dells, the Circus World Museum in Baraboo is interesting if you like circus history.
The Dells is really commercial, but the Upper Dells Boat Tour is worthwhile as is the unique Original Wisconsin Ducks. The rest is a lot of waterparks and amusements, but downtown still has a certain tacky charm.
Closer to Chicago/Milwaukee - you may want to consider Lake Geneva for its lake tours of grand old mansions & history. Depending on your route, some of the other WI state parks offer things like bluffs and waterfalls and would be good stopping points. If you're heading thru the middle of the state, High Cliff state park is great (near Appleton which is a nice city with good ameneties.

JMN, your point about the distance to the North Shore occurred to me too. But she has 10 days. So she does have time. In fact, I think we only spent about a week on the trip the report for which I linked upthread, and we also started in Chicago.

But I do think, Laura, that if you decide to head for the North Shore, you probably need to focus the rest of the trip on seeing things that are on the way there or the way back. Anything in the eastern part of Wisconsin would probably have to be left for another trip.

Appreciate all the advice. What would be a good town to base myself to spend a few days on the North Shore?

Thanks again! Laura

We really liked Grand Marais and found it to be a good base. But I'd suggest reading some of the other threads here on that area. There are posters here who prefer other towns or have lodging choices they really like in other towns.

I also love Grand Marais. Think it has the most to do both in town and in surrounding areas. I do like Duluth also and would stay in the Canal Park Area. There are many lovely lodges, cabins, etc. along the shore from Duluth to Grand Marais, but as far as having a town you can walk and enjoy I would pick Grand Marais. Don't miss stopping at Split Rock Lighthouse.

I am now thinking that my itinerary should be Milwaukee - Madison - Minneapolis/St Paul - Grand Marais. What do you think? How long would you spend in each? I think I will need one more place to stay on the way back to Chicago after Grand Marais as that's going to be a very long drive. Any advice appreciated. I can stretch to 12 days away.

I would definitely recommend picking a place to stay on the way back. You're right about it being a long drive. We stayed in Red Wing, MN, a very lovely little town along the Mississippi.

If I had to say how long in each and if you can make it 12 nights, I'd probably say two nights each in Milwaukee and Madison, three in Minneapolis/St. Paul (at least in part because it'll be a longer drive than Chicago to Milwaukee or Milwaukee to Madison), three in Grand Marais, one along the way back and one in Chicago or near O'Hare before you fly out. But I think it could be easily adjusted to 10 days. In which case I'd probably start by cutting Milwaukee and Madison each to one night.

I hope you hear from others on this!

A great road trip to Minnesota from Chicago would include southwestern Wisconsin. I would recommend heading west from Madison, WI towards LaCrosse on the Mississippi River. Fantastic scenery with ravines, ridges and bluffs and very green. Very pastoral and bucolic with lots of black and what cows and Amish.
From LaCrosse you can head up the Mississippi River on either side to the Twin Cities. Duluth is a short 3 hours north of the Twin Cities and would be a great place to spend a night or two.
To see the "real" Minnesota head to the North Shore of Lake Superior between Duluth and the Canadian border. This 150-mile stretch is on Highway 61, an All-American scenic byway with Lake Superior on one side and rocks and trees on the other. Watch for moose, deer, coyotes, ravens, eagles, and wolves! Split Rock Lighthouse, a state historic site halfway between Duluth and Grand Marais, will be celebrating its centennial in 2010 and is a must see and a great place to experience Lake Superior. A loop back to Chicago through northern Wisconsin can take you to Bayfield and Ashland and back south through more beautiful country.

re: stop on your way back, just do Madison on the way up and Milwaukee on the way back. you can do a circle that includes Door County after you leave the North Shore. I'd suggest Chicago-Madison-Minneapolis/St Paul-Duluth-Grand Marais-Door County-Milwaukee-Chicago.