Best River and Lake Cruises in Chicago

Even though it feels like it's been forever since we lived in Chicago (it's been 2.5 years), I answer emails about what to do in the city all the time. One of the emails I answer most often (other than where to eat!) is about Chicago river and lake cruises. We went on six cruises during our year in Chicago! Now that the weather is nice again, I wanted to share some of my favorite Chicago cruises.

Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise
This is one of Chicago's most popular river cruises, and there's a good reason for that. It's packed full of information about Chicago's gorgeous architecture. The one negative I will see is this tour would be a little better if it was shorter. I thought it went into too much detail on some buildings that weren't all that interesting. Overall, it was a great tour, though!

Shoreline Sightseeing Classic Lake Tour
This was my least favorite of the tours that we did, mostly because I prefer guides to audio tours. It was the cheapest and shortest of the cruises we did (only 40 minutes), and it's a nice way to see the skyline from Lake Michigan. If you are short on time, this cruise is worth doing!

Odyssey Cruises Sunset Dinner Cruise
This cruise was more about the views and the food than learning about Chicago, but it was a great experience! We loved the boat, and the food was good. Plus, watching the sun set over the Chicago skyline is just magical.

Wendella Lake Michigan Fireworks Cruise 
If you are in Chicago during the summer (on Wednesdays and Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day), a fireworks cruise is a must! The fireworks cruise includes a short overview of Chicago's architecture, but the real highlight is watching fireworks with a view of the Chicago skyline.

Wendella Lake & River Architecture Tour 
This is by far my favorite cruise tour in Chicago (I'm hoping to do a full review of it in the future). I went on this cruise three times with family and friends, and I would happily go again. The guides are funny, the architecture portion was really interesting, and it was fascinating to go through the locks to Lake Michigan. The combo of being on the lake and learning Chicago's architecture is just perfect!

Have you done a river or lake cruise in Chicago?

Best Weekend Trips from Chicago

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Chicago travel post, and I still have so much to share about our year in the Windy City. Last year I shared my three favorite day trips from Chicago, so today I wanted to share my favorite weekend trips! Chris didn’t have many weekends off last year, so we saw most of these places on our week-long road trip around Lake Michigan, but they are completely possible to do in a weekend!

Grand Haven, Michigan
Time from Chicago: 172.5 miles, about three hours
What to do: Walk around the boardwalk, see the Grand Haven Lighthouse, and eat all kinds of yummy food.
More information: Grand Haven Lighthouse and Boardwalk and Grand Haven, Michigan Food Adventures 

If you followed our Lake Michigan Circle Tour, you heard me mention Grand Haven a lot. Chris and I were totally surprised by this gorgeous little town by the lake. If we had been in Chicago for more than a year, I know we would have visited multiple times. Not only is it beautiful, it had some great eats!

Traverse City, Michigan
Time from Chicago: 319 miles, about five hours
What to do: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the wineries at Old Mission Peninsula, Leland, pick cherries or eat cherry product, enjoy many amazing restaurants
More information: Pyramid Point Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Traverse City is slightly pushing it for a weekend trip, and I think this city deserves more than two days, but if a weekend is all you have, it’s still worth going! One of these days (soon), I will write posts on all we did in this amazing city, but for now I will say it had some of my favorite views and eats of our entire trip. The wineries were wonderful, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is stunning. It’s definitely a place I would love to visit again in the future.

Door County, Wisconsin
Time from Chicago: 244 miles, about 4.5 hours
What to do: Tour all the towns, shop, go to a fish boil, visit Cave Point County Park, eat all the cherry products

If you are looking for a relaxing weekend trip from Chicago, Door County is the perfect spot. It’s full of beautiful views and lots of great shops and restaurants. I even enjoyed the local tradition of a fish boil, even though it sounded a bit gross to me before we went!

Bonus: Galena, Illinois
Time from Chicago: 163 miles, about three hours

Galena was the trip that didn’t happen. We had plans to go in June before we moved back to Texas, but then I got sick, and it wasn’t possible. I wanted to included as part of this list because Galena is constantly voted as one of the best small towns in America, and about a million people told us to go while we lived in Chicago. We definitely hope to make it there someday!

Where do you like to go on weekend trips from your city?

SaveSave

Three Great Day Trips from Chicago

During our year in Chicago, I really wanted to make an effort to explore the rest of the Midwest. Since Chris worked on the weekends, we had to settle for places we could visit in a day. I’m a huge fan of day trips. It’s so fun to have a mini adventure and still come home to your own bed. Though we went on more than three day trips while we were in Chicago, today I wanted to share my three favorite trips in case anyone wanted some day trip ideas.

Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois
Time from Chicago: 1.5 hours
What to do: In the fall, hike and enjoy the fall color. Take a trolley tour to get an overview of the park. In the spring, hike to the waterfalls.
More information: Starved Rock State Park blog post
Bonus: Stop by Two Girls and A Cupcake for a post-hiking treat!

When I was researching day trips from Chicago with gorgeous fall color, Starved Rock State Park kept popping up. I could see why from the moment we got there. The colors were stunning, and the canyons were fun to hike. We had planned on a return trip in the spring to see the waterfalls but had to cancel when I got sick. It’s definitely on the list for the next time we’re in the Midwest.

Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, Indiana
Time from Chicago: 1 hour
What to do: Climb the dunes and be rewarded with amazing views of Lake Michigan
More information: Blog post mentioning our Indiana Dunes adventure
Bonus: If you don’t feel like hiking, there is a beautiful beach close to the Indiana Dunes.

I never expected for climbing the Indiana Dunes would be so hard! Don’t worry, there are easy trails, but Chris accidentally picked the most strenuous trail for us. When you are wearing flip flops a little too big for you, the result is entertaining. Still, the hike was worth it for all the pretty views of Lake Michigan.

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Time from Chicago: 1.5 hours
What to do: Walk around the cute downtown area. Shop. Take a boat tour on Geneva Lake to see the mansions. Walk the trail for a closer look at the mansions. Visit Black Point Estate.
More information: Fall color boat tour on Geneva Lake blog post
Bonus: Have lunch or dinner at Oakfire for some delicious pizza and a nice view.

I loved all the day trips we did, but the one to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was my favorite. I loved walking around the downtown area, but the boat tour was the highlight of our day. I loved seeing all the mansions and hearing stories about the families who built them. The stunning foliage made it the perfect fall adventure.

Are you a fan of day trips? Where have you visited?

What Is the Best Deep Dish Pizza Place in Chicago?

A few months after moving to Chicago, I started getting emails asking me for restaurant suggestions, and deep dish pizza was always on top of the list! I made it my mission to try the “big three” deep dish pizza, so I could report back to y’all. It’s the kind of research I really don’t mind!

Gino’s East

What I Thought:
I know a lot of people like Gino’s East, but it was by far my least favorite of the three. The tomato to cheese ratio was off. They did have some great appetizers, though. We enjoyed the Bavarian soft pretzels and the cheesy pizza bread.

Go Here If:
You want a lot of toppings on your deep dish pizza. Gino’s East has the largest list of topping options. Also, Gino’s East has started to build franchises outside of the Midwest. There are even several in Texas!

Giordano’s

What I Thought:
I love Giordano’s, but I always throw in a caveat when I recommend it: it is not “traditional” Chicago deep dish pizza. It’s actually a stuffed deep dish pizza, which just might make it even more delicious. I definitely miss having pepperoni stuffed deep dish pizza whenever I want it.

Go Here If:
You don’t care if you are eating traditional deep dish pizza and just want some delicious food!

Lou Malnati’s

What I Thought:
Lou Malnati’s wins the deep dish battle hands down for me thanks to its Buttercrust™. I’m one of those people who doesn’t usually eat the crust of the pizza, and I absolutely love Lou Malnati’s Buttercrust™. Plus, Lou Malnati’s brother Rudy Malnati is said to have invented deep dish pizza, so this is as authentic as it gets! You won’t find a lot of options for toppings, but it doesn’t matter because the choices they have are all great. Plus, Lou Malnati’s makes one of the best tiramisus I’ve ever had in my life. I may or may not have asked Chris to pick it up on his way home from work several times during our year in Chicago.

Go Here If:
You want the best! Just be prepared to wait. Since deep dish pizza takes 45 minutes to cook, you can order your pizza while you wait, and they will start cooking it for you before you get a table!

Have you been to Chicago? What is your favorite deep dish pizza place?

Our Fall Adventure at Starved Rock State Park

We have been on a mission to see as much fall color as we can this year, so on one of Christopher’s days off, we decided to go on a fall color tour at Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois, about two hours from Chicago. The tour included a lunch, a fall colors trolley tour, and a guided hike to Council Overhand and Ottowa Canyon.

When we do day trips, I usually look for boat or trolley tours, so we can see as much of the area as we can. The trolley tour gave us a nice overview of the park and gave us an idea of which canyons to visit when there are waterfalls in the spring. It was relaxing to sit back and enjoy the beautiful weather and fall foliage all around us.

The guided hike to Ottowa Canyon was easy (though I almost slipped on the mud a few times) but it was worth doing for the beauty. The sandstone and the size of the canyon was striking, and it was interesting to hear that the Council Overhang got its name because they think Native Americans used to meet in that area.

After our tour, we hiked over to Starved Rock and Lover’s Leap for stunning views of fall foliage and the Illinois River. The trail is mostly paved, but it does require many steps to get to the top of the overlooks. The views from the top are worth every step.

Chris and I had so much fun exploring Starved Rock State Park that we hope to have a chance to come back in the spring to see all the waterfalls.