Looking for a Close by to Travel. . .

Nisha,
Galena is the way to go, it is a favorite destination for my extended family. if you haven't been there, it feels a bit like europe in IL!

my husband and i have a 13 month old little boy, so i know what you mean about not being able to do much that older toddlers would enjoy, but there are plenty of things to do in Galena. many good (casual) resturants, cute little shops (even some cute toy stores, baby clothes stores, etc) and a great resort - Eagle Ridge. we don't golf or care about spa stuff, but we love having all of the comforts of home, we usually rent a small house at Eagle Ridge. check out this website:

www.eagleridgeresortonline.com

good luck and congrats on 5 years!

Congrats on the anniversary! My husband and I WERE into rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing, but now have a 6 week old... so I don't know if these places are baby friendly, but here they are. At least they are also pretty nature areas:
1) Starved Rock State Park: close, nice lodge and you can also rent a cabin. Decent short hikes nearby. Check out http://www.utica-il.com/tourism2.asp
2) Kohler: We love the American club, tho we are not their average customer (we are poor bohemian artist types) Sometimes they have GREAT phone in deals... call a couple days ahead of time and you may get a room for $130 (tho it was in Oct and once in Nov). We went for a walks on their golf courses which you probably can't do in the sumer... their links course is particularly beautiful. You could at least go to the club house and have a snack, and look around.
3) Galena is quaint, and offers a lot of variety of restaurants, etc. If you go don't miss the look out point for a sunset
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/parks/R1/Palisade.htm
4) also near Galena, but maybe when she's older: http://www.chestnutmtn.com/summer/index.cfm
5) lastly, near Madison, and another great state park which may get too busy...
http://www.devilslakewisconsin.com/

Hi Nisha,

How about the Michigan wine country. It is about an hour and a half to two hour drive. You can stay at a nice hotel and drive to the wineries. Put baby in a stroller and you can walk around the towns or go to wineries and sample. Views are breathtaking. There are nice restaurants, or you can find a hotel with a suite and eat in.

The other option is Starve Rock. It is in Utica, Illinois and it is also beautiful and stroller/walk friendly. It has hotel or cabin accommodations, even camping. This sounds more like what you would want. Finding availability may be difficult and requires you to be flexible.

Good luck,
B.

We recently went to the Dells, stayed at the Wilderness Resort, fun for kids, even babies! They have babysitting available too if you want to have a moment for just the two of you...A boat ride is always fun too. WWW.ratethedells.com has great advice for going there with kids.
We went to Galena with our little ones, has beautiful scenery, there are parks to visit for a picnic. We strolled down the street with the shops, stayed at a resort with an indoor pool, had a park too.
Haven't been to Milwaukee but have heard they have a great Zoo.

I have heard good things abt door county in wisconsin.Check this site www.explorewisconsin.com/countypages/door.html.

south haven, michigan.... great to walk around the town- great pies and ice cream too!
We are in the same dilemna except we would like to go away on a short flight and stay on a beach somewhere b/c my son LOVES the water! Good Luck.