A question for the Midwest ladies

Hi ladies,

I need your help! My son will be touring again this summer with a drum and bugle corps and we would like to meet up with him at some point during the Midwest leg of his tour to see his show. We are unfamiliar with this part of the country and would appreciate recommendations on which city to visit. Ideally, we would like to combine it with a few days of sightseeing, perhaps even renting a car and driving to nearby cities or attractions. Last year we saw him perform in Atlanta, South Dakota, and Indianapolis. This year we would like to visit different cities.

Here are the Midwest cities he'll be performing in:

Rockford, IL
Merrillville, IN
Bowling Green, OH
Battle Creek, MI
Evansville, IN
Muncie,IN
Madison, WI
Rochester, MN
Mankato, MN
Cedarburg, WI
Whitewater, WI
Michigan City, IN
Lisle, IL
Metamora, IL
La Crosse, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Lebanon, IL

And this is only the Midwest portion! He travels all night by bus and wakes up in a different city practically every day.

Any recommendations?

Many thanks!

12 years ago

Anonymous

Skip Rockford, there's nothing to see there. Cedarburg is nice, but small and not worth a trip, in my opinion. Whitewater is another non-destination. La Crosse is larger, but right on the WI-MN border and if you're going that far, I'd venture further and just go to Minneapolis, which has some great shopping. Madison is a good destination, too. I'm a bit biased because I live there!

Debora

Veteran

Thanks so much, Anne. My son had a free evening last summer in Madison and said it was a really nice city. Out of the 88 days he was on tour, the only free time he had off was that evening in Madison and a free day in San Antonio. No wonder he has fond memories of Madison!

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the Midwest. Thanks again!

Mochi

Definitely go to Madison, WI! It's a vibrant university city.

jayne

How about Bowling GReen if not too far out of the way,.I have heard it is lovely

JulieinMI

Active Member

If you visit Michigan City or Lisle you are in the Chicago area and could probably spend days there. Michigan City does have a huge outlet mall if you like that type of shopping. Battle Creek probably would not be a place I would visit, but our Lake Michigan coastline is outstanding in the summer. Have fun!

Mochi and Jayne, thanks so much. I'm keeping Madison in mind and will check out Bowling Green.

Julie, we are visiting Chicago later this month, but you raised a good point about seeing Lake Michigan in the summertime.

I can't tell you enough how helpful this is. We probably won't be doing any shopping if hubby has any say in it, but I would love to hear more about what to see and do in your cities. This is also extremely useful knowing which cities to cross off the list. Thanks!

Laurinda

Madison! but I am biased enough to live here. Waving to Anne ;-). With a population of around 200,000 it is small enough to not have too many big-city problems, but as the state capitol and location of a major research university there is a lot going on. Sports, music, a diverse selections of restaurants, all located between two beautiful lakes. If you are fortunate enough to come over a Saturday the Farmer's market is located on the four blocks around capitol square with Wisconsin-grown or made produce, cheese, honey, baked goods, meats and flowers. http://www.visitmadison.com/

Nearby attractions (may or may not be to your taste) include Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, competitor and borderline kitshcy "House On The Rock", Circus world at Baraboo, the Wisconsin Dells with their beautiful scenery and ... waterparks, Devil's Lake State Park, Antiquing in Mt Horeb, swiss-style New Glarus, Cave of the Mounds, etc. Let us know if you are coming and what your interests are and I'm sure we can help you with the options.

Madison is not much for shopping, but there are a couple of nice upscale malls. State Street is a shopping/bus way that runs between the Univ. of Wisc and the state capitol, it has the usual student-type import shops, and Lands End, and ShopBop. Hilldale has Title9, Lululemon, Anthropologie and a 'European shoe' store. http://www.hilldale.com/ Greenway station in next-door suburb Middleton has Orvis/Marshalls/DSW. http://www.greenwayshopping.com/

Minneapolis/St Paul is a large urban area with great art and theater. Mpls has a beautiful park and trail system on its chain of lakes, Locals can probably tell you more.

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

RunnerChick

I don't know much about the midwest at all, but drum and bugle corps caught my eye. Who does he march with? My husband marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard, lo so many years ago, and some of my very good friends are Blue Devils We always go to the summer show (it's been at Stanford the last few years) and the show in Stockton if we can. We <3 DCI!! Good luck to your son and his corps.

Looks like Madison is taking the lead. Keep it coming, ladies! Perhaps a Midwest gathering might be in the works if I can find something to occupy my husband for an afternoon??

Oh wow, Laurinda, such great information! Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin may tip the scales for me. I can't wait to sit down later today and go over the options with my husband. I'm getting really excited now.

RunnerChick, he marches with the Blue Stars. I saw Santa Clara perform last summer at finals and they were awesome! My son has friends who also march in Madison Scouts, Carolina Crown and Troopers. Last summer was an amazing experience for him and he can't wait to do it all over again.

biscuitsmom

Minneapolis has SO much to offer! First off, for shopping fiends we have Mall Of America, http://www.mallofamerica.com/ with over 400 shops, a huge area with fair/carnival type rides, Underwater World (a really neat aquarium exhibit w/sharks, jellyfish, seahorses, etc) also has several movie theatres, good restaraunts/fast food. Its in the southern suburb of Bloomington. Other much smaller shopping areas include Uptown area, and 50th & France, both in South Mpls. As Laurinda mentioned there is a huge art scene here and our fishing, boating, etc in the chain of lakes is great. Lots of museums, too...If you are into Antiquing, a short ride to nearby Stillwater cant be beat We have great local transportation, with metro buses and a growing lightrail system. If you can give a little more info on what your family's interests are, I'd be happy to tell you what our city offers for you I think a Midwest gathering would be amazing!

Forgot to mention there is also a huge (several stories high) curling water slide a block or 2 from the MOA! Ive heard it's awesome.....

Thanks for all the great information, Biscuitsmom! Minneapolis sounds like a great place to visit. I think we are going to have a tough decision ahead of us.

Full disclosure: I grew up in Mpls (not too far from 50th & France in fact), so just between Madison and Mpls you have two great possibilities. The choice would be between a more urban vs. a smaller city/countryside experience. Or maybe plan on two mini vacations ?

Category