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?

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Best Places for Brunch in Chicago

One of the emails I receive most frequently since our year in Chicago is people asking me where to eat in the city. I’m currently working on a huge guide to restaurants in Chicago, but today, I wanted to share my favorite places for America’s favorite pastime—brunch.

Wildberry Pancakes and Café
The Signature Berry Bliss Crepes is one of the best breakfast items I’ve ever had, and Chris really loved the Caramel Apple Pancakes. Put that together with their amazing Wildberry Orange Juice, and it’s pretty much the breakfast of my dreams. The only problem with Wildberry for brunch is they don’t serve alcohol, but their delicious orange juice makes up for it!

Wildberry is extremely popular, so I would suggest getting there as early as possible. You can also use the “No Wait” Yelp app to get in line without having to be there physically.

The Bongo Room
The Bongo Room is known for its pancakes, and Chris was a big fan of his. I opted for spinach flour breakfast burrito, which was both unique and tasty! The next time we’re in Chicago, I want to try the deconstructed lobster roll benedict.

Please note that the South Loop location does not serve alcohol, so if that’s important to you, go to Andersonville or Wicker Park.

The Gage
We went to The Gage for brunch when friends came to town for a girls’ weekend, and my only regret is not going again! The Gage has it all—great breakfast mixed with plenty of savory choices. I loved their cinnamon buns (made with salted caramel!) and peach bellini. We also decided to go crazy and try their fried pickles, and they definitely didn’t disappoint. The smoked serrano aioli they came with was spectacular. The Gage also has a spectacular location in the South Loop super close to Millennium Park.

Have you been to Chicago? What is your favorite place for brunch?

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?

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Arcadia Inspiration Point Scenic Overlook

One of my favorite things about road trips is all the little stops you can make on the way to your destination. Inspiration Point was one of the shortest stops we made as we drove from Grand Haven to Traverse City, but it’s memorable because of the stunning views of Lake Michigan.

Inspiration Point is the highest point on the west shore of Lake Michigan, so you can really see the beauty of the lake and the surrounding scenery. I loved that the overlook had a deck with a staircase, so I could get the best view possible.

Isn’t the color of the water just amazing? Even though we spent a full year in Chicago, I never got over how gorgeous the lake is.

I could have stood at Inspiration Point and admired it all day, but Chris was quick to remind me there was so much more left on our itinerary. Still, I’m so glad we were able to enjoy this gorgeous overlook!

Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:

Quick Thoughts

Seven-Day Itinerary from Chicago
South Haven Lighthouse
Big Red Lighthouse
Grand Haven, Michigan Food Adventures
Grand Haven Lighthouse and Boardwalk
Hiking to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse
Big Sable Point Lighthouse

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?

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan

I don’t usually like to pick favorites, but if I had to choose, I would pick the Big Sable Point Light as my favorite lighthouse on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour. I just love the red roof of the house combined with the black and white light. It also probably had to do with the perfect weather we had that day, compared to the rainy and windy weather we experienced when we visited South Haven, Holland, and Grand Haven.

Built in 1867, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands at 112 feet tall and is one of the tallest lighthouses in Michigan. In 1949, it became the last lighthouse on the Great Lakes to get electricity. The easiest way to get to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse is with an easy two-mile hike on mostly paved roads.

The Big Sable Point Light was also Christopher’s favorite lighthouse because he got to go to the top. Since we had Skyler with us, one of us had to stay with her, and I knew he wanted to go to the top more than I did. It costs $5 and you have to go up 130 winding steps, but the view of Lake Michigan from the top are worth it! Of course, I had Chris take several photos so we could share with y’all. I had fun walking by the lake with Skyler and taking photos of Chris on top of the lighthouse.

Catch up on our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip:

Quick Thoughts

Seven-Day Itinerary from Chicago
South Haven Lighthouse
Big Red Lighthouse
Grand Haven, Michigan Food Adventures
Grand Haven Lighthouse and Boardwalk
Hiking to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse