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Recommendations for Illinois area beaches??

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somethingshiny

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DH and I are planning on taking a couple days away for our anni in August. We''d like to go to a beachy area not far from home. We usually go to Lake Geneva, WI (which is only a couple hours from us), but wondering if there''s any other "beaches" in IL we should try (for swimming and boating, not fishing). Would also be great if their were wineries nearby. Any recommendations?
 
I completely recommend Galena...which is a wonderful town with lots to do. You''d have to swim in a pool--but the boating is really fun there, they rent pontoon boats hourly! The winery''s are to die for...especially the Galena Wine Cellar...try their apple wine, it is out of this world. The "down town" is quaint and friendly...with lots of little shops full of good finds! I would encourage you to say at Eagle Ridge since it''s right on the water and has various levels of accomidation.
 
Ditto to Italia - we like to stay at a smaller B&B in Galena (Abe's Spring Street Guesthouse - the private hot tub/spa is literally my favorite part, second only to Sandy's breakfasts) but have been to Eagle Ridge, too. DH and I did horseback riding there which was a ton of fun, and DH loved the golfing there. Friends of mine really enjoyed the Irish Cottage Inn. I don't know a whole lot about water activities, but I know there are things to do. If you go to the Galena tourism website, they'll send you a DVD, haha (it's very cheesy, but does give a decent overview).

What about Madison, WI? Not in IL of course, but DH and I went there last year and it was gorgeous - and pretty quiet with the students gone. You can swim right outside of the student union (it was closed though when we went), sail, and then enjoy an Oberon on the terrace.

Any other "beaches" I can think of are really just day trips, not anywhere I'd want to spend a whole weekend.
 
How about New Buffalo, MI?
 
Oh, how about Chicago proper?

Sure it''s not a quaint little town with local winery''s...but Chicago is an amazing trip period.

There are plenty of public beaches that line Lake Michigan...so swimming isn''t an issue. You can take crusies off of Navy Pier and top it off with a ferris wheel ride and fireworks. You can stay at any number of beautiful hotels. The shopping is, well, awesome. Dining...check! Chicago has some great resturants ranging from cheap and easy to fancy-fancy. You can catch a show, if that''s your thing...or just spend the day walking the mile, which is great for people watching. Plenty of sight seeing opportunities as well as tours.

All and all, it might be a bit much for a weekend...but it''s something to consider.
 
What about Chicago proper?

Wisconsin Dells?
 
SS, come to Bloomington, IN !!! We have Oliver Winery (you might see Oliver wines in stores where you live, I know they sell it in Chicago), and Lake Monroe is HUGE and freaking awesome. You would love it here! (And I promise I will leave you alone on your anniversary weekend, ha ha!)
 
Thanks for the recommendations, ladies! I have to do some web surfing to get more info on all of them!

Italia~ Thanks for all the recommendations! My in-laws went to Eagle Ridge last year in Galena and didn''t really like it. They said it was only good for a day trip. Of course, they aren''t into the wineries, so we may find more to do than they did. We decided against Chicago already because we went there on one of our more recent trips. TONS to do, of course, but I can''t handle Chicago regularly! God bless anyone who lives there!!! We''ve thought about the Dells, but we figured there would be tons of kids there, what do you think?

Elmorton~ Thanks for naming a B&B. DH and I stayed at our first last summer. We really liked it, but after further searching, it seems really good ones are rare. And, I hadn''t even thought of Madison.


Monnie~ HI!! WEllll, do you know John Mellancamp?? He''s from Bloomington, right?!!? What''s fun to do there?


AprilBaby~ I''ve never heard of New Buffalo. That''s less than 3 hours from my house (according to Mapquest).Lots of great ideas on their site!!
 
Date: 6/20/2009 5:10:49 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Thanks for the recommendations, ladies! I have to do some web surfing to get more info on all of them!

Italia~ Thanks for all the recommendations! My in-laws went to Eagle Ridge last year in Galena and didn''t really like it. They said it was only good for a day trip. Of course, they aren''t into the wineries, so we may find more to do than they did. We decided against Chicago already because we went there on one of our more recent trips. TONS to do, of course, but I can''t handle Chicago regularly! God bless anyone who lives there!!! We''ve thought about the Dells, but we figured there would be tons of kids there, what do you think?

Elmorton~ Thanks for naming a B&B. DH and I stayed at our first last summer. We really liked it, but after further searching, it seems really good ones are rare. And, I hadn''t even thought of Madison.


Monnie~ HI!! WEllll, do you know John Mellancamp?? He''s from Bloomington, right?!!? What''s fun to do there?


AprilBaby~ I''ve never heard of New Buffalo. That''s less than 3 hours from my house (according to Mapquest).Lots of great ideas on their site!!
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Ha ha, no, I don''t know Mellancamp but I know people who do...word on the street is that he''s a total jerk. But I like his music, especially the older stuff.

There is a lot to do here if you love the outdoors, wineries, etc. Little Nashville is not far, it''s a very cute town (which hasn;t been over commercialized yet) where you can stay in B&B''s, ride horses, hike, etc. It''s not far from Lake Monroe which has great beaches, fishing, rental boats/jet skis/fishing. I.U.''s campus is in B-ton, it is beautiful, and the downtown area is full of great restaurants and bars. There''s a place called The Farm (if you want to google it, I think you should!) which is absolutely fantastic, the chef serves locally grown everything, from the meat to the beer to the wine to well, everything, and it''s all organic. Nothing is really expensive, it''s all reasonably priced for this area, imo. There are some great jewelry stores as well! The farmer''s market is downtown every weekend, there is always live music, etc. I think you''d really like it. If not this time, maybe keep it in mind for future getaways.
 
how about grand haven, mi? it''s a great little beach town with a lot of accommodations options and grand rapids is only a half hour away if you wanted to do something urbanish. if you''re from WI you could take the ferry across to muskegon :)
 
Monnie~ Sounds like a possibility, thanks!!

Mimzy~ Thanks for the suggestion. We''re actually in IL, so I''m not familiar with that area at all. I''m going to google it.
 
Any beach town in MI is awesome except Benton Harbor. New Buffalo is exit 1, Michigan Dunes are exit 16, St Joseph is exit 30? Keep going up and Saugetauk, Holland and Grand Haven are Awesome!
 
I think the Dells "experience" is going to be highly dependant on where you stay. Great Wolf Lodge? Kid-city. Wilderness? Kids, kids, kids. But somewhere more geared towards adults--like Chula Vista--will give you a more relaxed experience. Sure there will be kids...anywhere you go...but there are absolutely more "adult" experience in the dells. But Chula Vista has a nice spa, good dining...and I think there are all-inclusive packages as well.

You can take the Jet Boat Tour, which is so fun. Similar to the classic duck tour, the jet boats take you around the lake with a little history, but they do power jet boat stuff too...you get soaked and laugh and it's a blast.

There are small wineries in the area...most give tours, its a nice full day for you to just jump around from one to another.

The food is good and dependable...lots of BBQ and home cooking...nothing over-the-top fancy, but still good.

The downtown is very much a resort town...tee-shirts and nic-nacs...and tons and tons of candy stores. The night time is very laid back down there--most kids are tucked away for the night, so it becomes calmer and the hours are nice and late so it's not a rush-rush-go-go experience as you're shopping the stores.

The water parks are second to none. Many have grown-up sections, so kids don't invade your space. Some have activity centers like go-carts and other high energy things to do if you're into that. You could spend a day just playing, and relaxing in the sun with absolutely everything you could need on location.

You can actually buy "passes" which allow you to buy two or three activities for one low price...when we go, we buy a three pack which includes the jet boat, waterpark and mini-golf. But there are so many different activities you can choose from the combo's are unlimited really.

There are tons of small activities too. There is a wonderful deer park/petting zoo where they have deer that come right up to you and so many other animals there as well. There are Ripley's Believe It or Not museums up and down the strip and along the drive into town, so you can always find something to do if the weather isn't on your side.
 
AprilBaby~ Thanks for all the beach listings! It sounds like a great place to take JT, so maybe a day trip would be fun for the family.

Italia~ Do you have other recommendations for hotels/b&b''s at the Dells?? The Chula Vista seems to have some good package deals, but I want to compare. Any other more adult geared places you can think of? I''m afraid I''ll end up booking at the party place for kids or something!
 
We''ve stayed at a little known resort called Rhapsody Resort and Spa. We stayed in the "themed" room--Italian Villa. It was lovely and nicely appointed. It had an awesome trayed ceiling with a cloud scape painted on and these cool lighting effects. The room was filled with over stuffed furniture, a huge 4-post pillow topped bed, pebbled stone flooring, a really deluxe shower with multi faucets, it also had a private balcony, and huge spa tub. Our room had a walk way right to a private beach right on Lake Dalton. I was very romantic, very peaceful. We were very happy there during our stay. Some of the theme rooms were cheesy...they do have a motorcycle room (which looks like the inside of a tool box) and a jungle room (yes, it has lots of fake plants)...but some of the more "modest" themes were very cool, and done well.

A perk: When we were there, there were NO kids anywhere...we went over a weekend in July, too.

A con: It didn''t have any of extra''s like all inclusive, room service or anything...but it was perfect for how we vacation.

http://www.rcdells.com/accommodations/courtyard2br/courtyard2br.html
 
Date: 6/20/2009 6:16:30 PM
Author: mimzy
how about grand haven, mi? it''s a great little beach town with a lot of accommodations options and grand rapids is only a half hour away if you wanted to do something urbanish. if you''re from WI you could take the ferry across to muskegon :)
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My parents live in Muskegon, and I can second that they have gorgeous beaches! Pere Marquette is a gorgeous beach and I think it was featured on the Dr. Beach list one year. My parents live close to the Muskegon State Park and its lovely, when we visit we go walking along the beach and in the dunes. If you walk far enough, it can be pretty private. Let me know if you have any questions!

I also grew up in the St Joseph area, and they have lovely public beaches, too.
 
I highly recommend Lake Shelbyville. Only with all the rain recently there are limited high water boat ramps and the beach is closed.

http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/
 
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