Day Trips
Door County
Lakeside towns, cherry orchards and shoreline parks on Wisconsin's peninsula, planned from Chicago.
Day Trips From Chicago
Within reach of downtown there are Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Oak Park, dunes on the Indiana shore, a botanic garden and older lake towns. Each guide says whether the train gets you there, what entry costs and how long the day runs.
Day Trips
Evanston Day Trip
The easiest day trip from Chicago: lakefront, campuses, and a walkable downtown one train ride away.
Day Trips
Naperville Day Trip
Take the Metra BNSF line an hour west and spend a day on Naperville's Riverwalk.
Day Trips
New Buffalo, Michigan
The closest Lake Michigan beach town to Chicago, about 90 minutes around the lake.
Day Trips
Indiana Dunes
Dunes, beaches and prairie on Lake Michigan's southern shore, an easy full-day escape from Chicago.
Day Trips
Lake Geneva Day Trip
A lake town day trip from Chicago: boats, downtown, and the drive explained.
Day Trips
Milwaukee Day Trip
The closest big-city day trip from Chicago, with a brewery stop and a walkable downtown.
Day Trips
Oak Park Day Trip
Frank Lloyd Wright's home turf, 40 minutes from the Loop on the Green Line.
Day Trips
Starved Rock State Park
Canyons, waterfalls, and river bluffs, the best full-day escape from Chicago.
Day Trips
Wisconsin Dells
The waterpark capital of the Midwest, and the Chicago family escape that earns its long drive.
Day Trips
Day Trips from Chicago
Canyons, dunes, breweries and small towns, all within two hours of the city.
Experiences
Geneva and the Fox River
An hour west of the city, a river town of brick storefronts, bike trails and Victorian streets.
Experiences
South Bend & Notre Dame
A two-hour hop east to the Notre Dame campus, the Basilica and Indiana's second-largest city.