We are leaving Sioux Falls early in the morning on July 7th with our two teens -- we need to be in Chicago the next day -- any suggestions on where to stop along the way and where we should spend the night? We%26#39;d like to get into Chicago on the early side, so we%26#39;d like to cover most of the state on the 7th. What is the approximate driving time if we did it straight through?
We will be coming back through Iowa on our way to Nebraska and will stop at the Colonies etc.
Where to stop driving from Sioux Falls to Chicago
Roughly estimating, it%26#39;s about 5 hrs. from Sioux Falls to Des Moines, IA and about 3 hrs. from Des Moines to Davenport, IA (on the Iowa/Illinois border). Depending on where you%26#39;re going in the Chicago area, Davenport is 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. away. So driving straight through could be done in around 11 - 12 hrs. plus time for stops en route.
If you stop overnight, I suggest staying in Iowa City or Davenport/Bettendorf, IA. Both offer the most hotel and food options in eastern IA/western IL and are just a few hours west of Chicago.
Where to stop driving from Sioux Falls to ChicagoI was thinking we%26#39;d stay north -going to Dubuque probably -- is there a specific reason to go down to Davenport?
More than likely we%26#39;ll be starting off from the Spirit Lake area as we have plans at Okoboji on the 4th and 5th, so if we drove from Spirit Lake to Dubuque is there anything special to see?
Would we be better off not stopping and going across to Galena, Il for the night?
Thanks for your input!
Dubuque to Chicago on route 20 is not expressway and takes about 3 hours. I am not familiar with the route from Sioux Falls to Dubuque.
Galena is a nice place to visit, but there%26#39;s no particular reason to stay there. There are lots of hotels in Dubuque and probably more of the kinds of restaurants you will want with your teens.
Most of what is between the Iowa Great Lakes area (Okoboji) and Dubuque or Galena is farmland. Clear Lake, Mason City or Waterloo/Cedar Falls would make good potential lunch stops, but there isn%26#39;t really anything significant for travelers to do or see in any of them. However, if you like driving on blue highways to see rural and small town life, the northern routes are be good. The Field of Dreams (from the movie) in Dyersville (between Waterloo and Dubuque on Hwy. 20) may be a fun stop for your family.
Dropping down to I-80 may be longer in miles, but the interstate is preferred by many people. There are larger towns for food and lodging, as well as more visitor attractions along that route. Examples: Neal Smith nature preserve and prairie east of Des Moines, Living History Farms in suburban Des Moines, the Univ. of Iowa in Iowa City, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch.
Enjoy your trip!
I agree with your line of thinking Babs45 - I would stay the northern route and spend the night in Dubuque. Generally 6 hours of pretty much straight drive time will get you from one side of the state to the other.
As previous poster stated, the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area would be a good place for a lunch stop. The Field of Dreams would be a nice quick stop also.
Dubuque has the Mississippi River Museum and the Grand Harbor Hotel. The last leg into Chicago will take between 3 and 4 hours, but would be much more intersting scenery than all interstate through the Quad Cities. Just outside of Galena, along Hwy 20 is a very cool look out tour that your kids would probably enjoy a short stop at too.
After re-reading your post, I would definitely recommend the %26#39;northern route%26#39; through Iowa on your way to Chicago as it sounds like you will be doing plenty of interstate driving on your way to Nebraska.
According to a route planner that I often use, Sioux Falls to Chicago is a distance 570 miles and the driving time is 8 1/2 hours, not including stops.
Follow I-90 East for 474 miles, Rochester, Mn; La Crosse, Wi; Madison, Wi; to Illinos.
Turn south on I-39/I-90 for 17 miles, approaching Rockford Il.
Turn east on I-90 for 58 miles.
Approaching Chicago.
Continue East on I-90 for 17 miles.
We have done this trip many times ...I live near Lake Okoboji ...I would definitely stay away from I 80 .Its a mess most of the time with tons of traffic always in both Iowa and Illinois. I would go I 90 and cross the Mississippi River at Lacrosse. The scenery is just wonderful and in MInn. not much traffic to contend with. Also you can stop at the Wisconsin Dells ...lots of neat stuff there. Traffic gets more on the weekends and between the dells, Madison and Chicago of course more traffic...but thats a given. Have a great trip!
Oh there is the Windmill Restaurant right off the Dexter, Mn exit which is really good
Babs45 I agree with some of the other posters I would stay away from I-80 -- have taken it many times (I live near Chicago and my daughter goes to college in Iowa). It can really be a mess. I-90 is a nice option but once you get into Illinois it can be a real pain too.
Highway 20 across Iowa into Dubuque is a nice drive once you get into Galena you can follow Highway 20 but if you want a nice alternative you can take Highway 20 to Route 84 to Route 64 which takes you right along the Mississippi River (The Great River Road) and is a beautiful scenic drive through farmlands and generally has very little traffic.
Galena is a nice little stop over and has many little shops to wander through and quaint places to eat. The tower that was mentioned in one of the earlier posts is the highest point in Illinois and offers a really nice view.
Route 64 will take you into some nice little towns along the Fox River (Sycamore, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, etc.) and depending on whether your teenagers are boys or girls you could find some interesting things to do.
You might want to check out www.RoadsideAmerica.com -- it has a lot of weird and fun places to just stop and stretch your legs on whatever route you choose.
Have a fun drive!
Another fun idea would be to take I 90 like I said before, then stop at Harvard, IL and take the Metra train into Chicago. If you go to www.metrarail.com, you can get schedules and all. It costs $1.50 a day for overnight parking, and the train rides run about 6.00 per person. On weekends you can ride for 5.00 all day. The metra takes you to the Ogilvie Transportation center and you take cabs or public transportation to get where you want to go. It sure beats parking charges and driving challenges. We do this all of the time. all additional info. you can find on the internet at www.rta.com or cta.com. If you need more info, let me know and I can give you a buzz.
Hey thanks everyone for all the great input -- the trip is coming up fast and it looks like we%26#39;ll take the I-90 thru most of Minn. -- dropping down at Hwy 35 (I think) and kind of sidling over to Dubuque for the night. I%26#39;m hoping we%26#39;ll all still feel perky enough to see the River Museum or take a boat onto the Mississippi when we get there!
I%26#39;ll be printing out allthe info I got here and tucking it into my travel folder to take with us -- you can be sure all your tips will be put to good use -- any incredible highlites will be posted for others.
Thanks again -- Babs 45
No comments:
Post a Comment