The Midwest may not have the Atlantic or the Pacific or the Gulf of Mexico, but that doesn’t mean it lacks awesome summer destinations. America’s heartland is not only a charming place to spend the Fourth of July, but any week of the summer. Visitors can hop from lakefront retreats to historic towns and grassy parks.
Oh, and did we mention that getting here is almost guaranteed to be cheaper than jetting to Europe or the Caribbean? You don’t need to fly to the French Riviera for the blue-water adventure you crave — here are 14 places to visit instead.
1. Charlevoix, Michigan
The terribly nice harbour of Charlevoix, Michigan
A picturesque harbor, beaches and its family-friendly atmosphere make “Charlevoix the Beautiful” the perfect little summer town. Charlevoix is triple awesome because it boasts three lakefronts — Lake Michigan, Lake Charlevoix and Round Lake. NearbyPetoskey is an equally charming spot known for its art scene.
2. Duluth, Minnesota
Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth is known for outdoor adventure, historic mansions and gorgeous lake views. Duluth also features the Great Lakes Aquarium, America’s only all-freshwater aquarium. Take note, wannabe aquatic biologists.
3. Chesterton, Indiana
Indiana Sand Dunes
Nope, this isn’t Mexico: It’s Indiana Dunes, a 15-mile beach on the shore of Lake Michigan. Visitors will love to hike, boat, swim and horseback ride, with plenty of great breweries nearby for when the sun goes down.
4. Pella, Iowa
USA, Iowa, Pella, storefronts lining street
This pretty little Dutch-influenced town has what claims to be the largest windmill in the U.S., shipped straight from Holland. Its quaint canal and historical village are sure to win any road tripper’s heart.
5. Bayfield, Wisconsin
Kayaker passing cave, Lake Superior, Wisconsin, USA
Bayfield is a serene, welcome escape from the hustle of everyday life. Hop in a sailboat, kayak to a sea cave, take an Apostle Islands Lighthouse cruise or hang out on land and take in the gorgeous views.
6. Lake Erie Shores, Ohio
Marblehead Lighthouse
Ohio’s Lake Erie shore is a favorite for active families. The shore is home to the famedCedar Point amusement park, so thrill seekers can have a summer’s worth of excitement. Nature lovers can ride the ferry over to islands like South Bass and Kelleys Island, while beach lovers can bask on the shore or splash around in Lake Erie. A visit to Marblehead Lighthouse is a must.
7. Galena, Illinois
Galena, IL
Galena claims to be the Midwest’s “premier destination getaway.” Golf courses, wineries, hiking, biking, boating and cultural activities all await visitors to Galena. The area’s lush farmland and historic downtown don’t hurt either.
8. Saugatuck, Michigan
Oval Beach.
Located on the “Art Coast of Michigan,” Saugatuck offers lakefront beaches and tons of culture. Visit one of the town’s many art galleries, take a class at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, or get jazzy at a music festival.
9. Mackinac Island, Michigan
Island House Hotel, one of the grand old buildings.
Mackinac Island is a nostalgic, idyllic escape. The island is car-free — visitors ride bicycles or take horse-drawn carriage rides — and offers plenty of activity, from museums to state parks.
10. The Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
View of Lake of Ozarks
The Lake of the Ozarks looks kind of like a spikey, snakey river. But it is, in fact, an awesome summer lake destination. The lake offers more than 1,150 miles of shoreline, plus a number of charming towns, challenging golf courses and excellent dining.
11. Grand Marais, Minnesota
Northern Minnesota Lake Sunset
Situated between the Sawtooth Mountains and Lake Superior, Grand Marais truly offers something for everyone. The town was named a top adventure town by National Geographic Adventure magazine, and it also boasts the Grand Marais Art Colony. So whether you’re into exploring the wilderness or taking a class at the North House Folk School, you’ll never be bored in Grand Marais.
12. Door County, Wisconsin
Peaceful sailboat at sunset
Door County consists of towns and communities that make up the Door Peninsula — and they’re all worth a visit. The county offers more than 300 miles of shoreline and five state parks, making it heaven for nature lovers.
13. Okoboji, Iowa
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Yes, Iowa has a resort town. And yes, it’s very beautiful. Located in northern Iowa, Okoboji is home to the “Iowa Great Lakes” — glacier-carved lakes that cover approximately 15,000 acres. Go sailing, water skiing or fishing on the lakes, check out the retro Arnolds Park amusement park nearby, picnic in a local park or catch a show at the town’s summer stock playhouse.
14. Branson, Missouri
Wooden bench near lake
This southwest Missouri town is the perfect place to relax and get in touch with nature. Explore Table Rock State Park and Table Rock Lake, mosey through the historic downtown, play a round of golf or hop on the Branson Scenic Railway.
Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.
This is a terrific site, will you be involved in doing an interview regarding how you created it? If so e-mail me!
I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
Greetings! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this problem. If you have any recommendations, please share. Cheers!
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any support is very much appreciated.
Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Cheers
Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my users would really benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this alright with you. Thank you!
Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any recommendations?
This design is wicked! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
Thank you for your offer, please do share.
My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on several websites for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform. I have heard good things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Hello there! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks weird when browsing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. With thanks!
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Kudos
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same results.
Do you have a spam problem on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have created some nice methods and we are looking to trade techniques with others, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.
Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Cheers
I’m not sure exactly why but this web site is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Howdy! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.
This is a excellent web site, could you be interested in doing an interview regarding just how you created it? If so e-mail me!
In the great pattern of things you actually secure a B+ with regard to effort. Where exactly you actually confused me personally was on all the particulars. As people say, details make or break the argument.. And it could not be more accurate right here. Having said that, permit me tell you just what exactly did work. Your article (parts of it) is definitely quite persuasive and that is probably the reason why I am making the effort to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. 2nd, whilst I can certainly see the leaps in reason you make, I am definitely not certain of exactly how you appear to connect your points which in turn help to make the final result. For the moment I will yield to your point however wish in the foreseeable future you connect your facts better.
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos
Hmm it looks like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any tips for newbie blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.
Audio began playing as soon as I opened up this webpage, so frustrating!
Hi there I am so grateful I found your blog, I really found you by accident, while I was searching on Askjeeve for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a tremendous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the minute but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb work.
Hi tһere! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d aѕk.
Would yoᥙ be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writіng a blog article or vice-versa?
Ⅿy blog goes over a lot of the same subjects as y᧐urs and I believe ᴡе could greatly benefit from eɑch
other. If you hapрen to be interested feel free tо shoot me an email.
I look forward to hearing from yοu! Awesome blog by the wаy!
Hello, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, great blog!
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a very good job with this. Also, the blog loads super fast for me on Internet explorer. Exceptional Blog!
Hey there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m absolutely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Hello! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!
I am regulаr reader, how are you evеrybody? This piece
of writing posted at this web sіte is really nicｅ.
Нi colleаgues, how is the wholе thing, аnd what you woᥙⅼd like to say regarding tһis piece of writing, in my view its really гemarkable in favor
of me.
Excellent blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Thank you!
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your blog. You have some really great posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Many thanks!
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thank you
I am regular reader, how aｒe you еverybody? Thіs parɑgraph posted at tһis web site iѕ really good.
Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any tips for novice blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.
Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?
My partner ɑnd I stumЬled over here by a different web page and thought I might aѕ
well check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you.
Look forward to fіnding out about your web page ｒepeatedly.
Α motivating discussion is woｒth сomment. I do belіeve that you need to publish moｒe on this subject matter,
it might not be a taboo subject but ᥙsually
folks don’t speak about such topics. To the next!
Many thanks!!
The core of your writing while appearing reasonable in the beginning, did not really work well with me after some time. Someplace within the sentences you actually managed to make me a believer but only for a short while. I however have a problem with your jumps in assumptions and one might do well to fill in those breaks. In the event that you actually can accomplish that, I will definitely end up being impressed.
At this time it seems like Movable Type is the preferred blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
Hello there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
I do not even know һow I fіnished up herе, however I thought
this put up waѕ good. I do not realize who you might
be howevеr definitely you are going to a famous blogger in case you are not
alreɑdy. Cheeгs!
Thank you, I have recently been searching for details about this subject for ages and yours is the best I have found so far.