Midwestern United States

Introduction

Gateway to the west

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The Midwest isn't generally high on international tourists minds, except for Chicago, as a place of interest. Generally thought of as being flat and dull, with row after row of corn as "high as an elephant's eye." But the Midwest includes some amazing sights that are off the usual tourist track, and some of the great outdoor adventures for the camper, hiker or kayaker.

Geography

Regions and States

Regions:

• East North Central States (ie. Great Lakes States): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
• West North Central States (ie. Great Plains States): Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

States:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin

Cities

The Bean

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• Chicago is the Midwest's jewel on Lake Michigan, Chicago is a city of blues and jazz clubs, deep dish pizza, shopping on the golden mile and Oprah.
• Detroit is motortown, USA, and home to Joe Louis and one of the world's most important centers for automobile production. The downtown core is slowly revitalizing itself after years of abandonment and neglect, and the suburbs surrounding the city offer some inexpensive and interesting trips for tourists.
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul These cities, right across the river from each other are know as the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Its most known for its hockey, and for hosting the largest indoor mall in America, hosting over 520 stores, a amusement park, an underwater adventures, a waterpark, and attracting over 40 million visitors per year. It's also know as the "Icebox" of the nation for having such extreme cold temperatures.

Sights and Activities

The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes, consisting of Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, are some of the most amazing features of the United States and are located mainly on the Canadian border with the Midwest. These giant bodies of freshwater seem like oceans and offer great opportunities for relaxation and adventure. If you want to hang out on the beach at Union Pier, hike the Superior Trail or explore the wilderness of Isle Royale National Park there is plenty to do along the shoreline.

Mount Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore, S.D.

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Mount Rushmore is the iconic monument to US political history that is carved into the side of a solid granite mountain. It consists of the faces of four famous US presidents. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. In fact the statue is a compromise as the original design also included the upper bodies of the presidents. The design is by Gutzon Borglum, who also was the supervisor on the project, but it was his son Lincoln Borglum, who finished the project in 1941, which is also the year in which his father died. There is a visitor center, named after Lincoln Borglum near the mountain, where more information about the construction of the monument can be found. In the evening Mount Rushmore is illuminated for two hours after sunset.

Wisconsin Dells

The Wisconsin Dells is an intense regional vacation destination. Starting after World War II people from the surrounding states started to visit the Dells to see the amazing river bluffs abroad old World War II landing craft, known as duck boats. The area has grown into a sort of mega-resort aimed to towards family boasting countless water parks, mini golfs courses, go cart tracks, odd museums, duck boat rides and other family oriented entertainment. Starting in the 90s Indian Casinos were built nearby making the elderly folk in droves for nickel slots. Interestingly though the natural beauty is still there and great hikes and rocking climbing can be found at Devil's Lake. Official website:

Other Sights and Activities

• The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is currently the tallest building in North America. It was also the tallest building in the world until 1998. Completed in 1973, it has 108 floors and measures 1450 ft (442 m) from the ground to the roof. The Skydeck is Chicago's highest observatory and was remodeled this last year with two clear glass floor balconies that hang out over the side of the building. Located on the 103rd floor or 1353 feet (412 metres) above street level, it gives visitors an amazing bird's eye view over Chicago.
• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a great place to relive the greatest moments in rock history! Located in Cleveland, Ohio the legendary memorabilia fills the halls, from Tina Turner to Jimi Hendrix. The Rock Hall also features special art exhibits, concerts and music classes.
• Carhenge, located outside of Alliance Nebraska, is an example of the more quirky side of the USA. Carhenge is a replica of Stonehenge made out of crushed cars and shows the creativity of middle America.
• The Wilder Trail is one way to truly experience the midwest. It travels to several of the homesteads that the famous frontier children's writer Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in, or more correctly suffered in. It starts in Pepin, Wisconsin and meanders through Independence, Kansas to Walnut Grove, Minnesota to De Smet, South Dakota. There are other Wilder sights scattered throughout the midwest including Missouri.
• Gate Way Arch is the famous arch and a symbol of how St. Louis was the gateway to the west.

Events and Festivals

• The Indianpolis 500, usually called the Indy 500, is one of the most important auto races held every year in the USA. If your planning to attend this event make sure to have tickets and a hotel room far in advance.
• RAGBRAI is an annual crazy and fun 7 day bike ride, not race, around Iowa. Remember this is not a race and to register early to get a spot!

Weather

The climate of the upper Midwest is typical of a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The region's location in the Upper Midwest allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the United States, and each of the four seasons has its own distinct characteristics.

Temperatures during the summer months of June to September can hit 100 °F (40 °C) on some days, though generally it is more like 65 °F to 75 °F (25 °C to 30 °C) during this time with pleasantly warm nights.

From December to March is wintertime with temperatures plumitting sometimes to -40 °F (-40 °C) although this is quite rare and mainly in the northern part of the region. Heavy snowfall can strike the Midwestern states during this time as well although mainly in the northern part of the region.

Spring and autumn are good months for a visit, avoiding the cold or hot conditions.

Getting There

By Plane

• O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is one of the busiest airports in the world. From O'Hare there are hundreds of flights to just as many cities within the USA and almost all continents. It is located in the far north west corner of the city, about 17 miles (27 kilometres) from the Chicago Loop. It's the 4th busiest airport in the world with around 65 million passengers a year.
• Midway international Airport (MDW) is the smaller of the Chicago airports. It is located conveniently near the city centre on the west side of the city. Midway Airport is a hub for many domestic discount airlines, flying to almost any city in the USA and has limited international service.
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is the main gateway to Cincinnati/Ohio. It mainly has domestic flights and some international connections to Canada and the Caribbean.
• Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is about 9 miles (14 kilometres) from the central business district of Cleveland. It mainly has domestic flights, though international connections include Cancun, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Toronto and Montreal.
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is the main airport, and is a major hub for Delta Airlines, which mainly has domestic flights but also a significant number of international flights, including to/from Amsterdam, Cancun, Frankfurt, Manila, Tokyo, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Mexico City and Rome. Several dozens of other airlines serve Detroit, with many domestic services and quite a few international flights, like Amman, Paris, Toronto and London.
• Indianapolis International Airport (ND) is about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from the central business district of Indianapolis. It has a range of flight with destinations including most of the main US cities and international flights to Toronto, Montreal and Cancun.
• Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is located about 15 miles (24 kilometres) from the central business district of Kansas City. It's one of the best mid-sized airports in the USA. Although it mainly functions as a large domestic airport, there are a few international connections to Canada and Mexico.
• General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is located about 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the central business district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It mainly serves other US cities, though there are international flights to Toronto and seasonal flights to Cancun.
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is the main gateway to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. It has dozens of airlines serving hundreds of destinations throughout the country and outside. Destinations include London, Cancun, Reykjavik, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, New York, Anchorage, Las Vegas, Toronto, Tokyo, Puerto Vallarta, San Francisco, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. There are many more flights within the region and the US.
• Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) is the main gateway to St. Louis. It is located about 10 miles (16 kilometres) from the downtown area. It mainly has domestic flights but there are some international connections as well, to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

In addition, many of the major cities have airports with service offered by both international and US domestic carriers.

By Train

There are several trains travelling from states and cities in the Midwestern United States to the south, east and west of the country. Most trains arrive and depart in Chicago.
The main trains include:

• The California Zephyr which travels between Emeryville (near San Francisco) and Chicago, stopping in places like Salt Lake City, Denver and Omaha.
• The Cardinal/Hoosier State travelling between Chicago and New York, including stops in Ohio like Cincinatti and also stops in Washington DC.
• The City of New Orleans travelling between Chicago and New Orleans.
• The Capitol Limited travelling between Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• The Empire Builder travelling between Chicago and Seattle.
• The Lake Shore Limited travelling between Chicago and New York.
• The Southwest Chief travelling between Chicago and Los Angeles.
• The Texas Eagle travelling between Chicago and San Antonio.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

The midwest is dotted with airports, from small town single runway terminals to Chicago O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the entire world. Many carriers offer services in around the midwest.

By Train

Most of the trains mentioned above in the getting there section also stop in a number of other places within the Midwesern United States. There are a few more which only travel between states in the midwest. These include:

• The Missouri Routes.
• The Michigan Services
• The Illionois Service
• The Hiawatha between Chicago and Milwaukee.

By Car

Highways are generally in excellent shape. Speed limits are strictly enforced, and sherrif departments can demand payment for fines prior to leaving the jurisdiction. Drinking and driving laws are strict and punishments are severe.
Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Bus

By Boat

The SS Badger travels between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin once or twice a day between late May and early October. The trip takes around 4 hours and costs $67 one way, $110 roundtrip for adults.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:

• Motel 6
• Super 8
• Days Inn
• Quality Inn
• Red Roof Inn
• Howard Johnson
• Best Western
• La Quinta Inns and Suites
• Holiday Inn
• Econo Lodge
• Travelodge
• Hilton
• Choice Hotels
• Ramada
• Radisson
• Starwood Hotels
• Marriott Hotels