The Road to Summer

Web Resources

For many Chicagoans, summer travel isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. As the days grow longer and the temperatures climb, people get the urge to move. They just need to be pointed in the right direction.

That’s where Chicago comes in. Here are more than a dozen destinations, all accessible by car and, in some instances, by plane (there’s even a leisurely Great Lakes cruise). We introduce you to some of the region’s plushest resorts, hotels, and B&B’s, as well as to the plum restaurants, cultural attractions, and recreational activities nearby-inland treasures all. So this year, when summer beckons, you’ll know exactly which road to follow.

Photography by Matthew Gilson

Key to Summer

Where To Stay	Dining	Amenities	Things To Do	How To Get There

Greencrest Manor
Battle Creek, Michigan

Built for the family of George R. Burt, the son of a Michigan lumber baron, Greencrest Manor might be a chateau in Normandy rather than an elegant B&B overlooking the rolling meadows that lead down to St. Mary’s Lake. Of the eight rooms, six have private baths, and one-the VIP Suite-also has a double whirlpool and a fireplace. Rooms start at $95 and include breakfast in the dining room (6174 Halbert Rd.; 269-962-8633).

Guests may just want to kick back and read The Road to Wellville, T. C. Boyle’s hilarious take on Battle Creek’s John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943)-though more energetic visitors may want to check out some of the locations associated with that eccentric health guru. The Historic Adventist Village demonstrates some of Kellogg’s century-old treatments (480 W. Van Buren St.; 269-965-3000). Kellogg’s sanitorium is now the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center, named after the three U.S. senators-Philip Hart, Robert Dole, and Daniel Inouye-who recuperated there from their World War II wounds back when the place was an army hospital (74 N. Washington Ave.). Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg (1860-1951), the man who invented corn flakes, are buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, as are the abolitionist and feminist Sojourner Truth and the R & B musician Junior Walker (255 South Ave.; 269-964-7321). Kids will enjoy learning how cereal is made at Kellogg’s Cereal City (171 W. Michigan Ave.; 269-962-6230), as well as the city’s annual “world’s longest breakfast table” at June 10th’s Cereal City Festival. Head to Augusta (about ten miles away) and visit either the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary-home to W. K.’s 80-year-old Tudor manor house (12685 E. C Ave.; 269-671-2510)-or the 716-acre Kellogg Experimental Forest (7060 N. 42nd St.; 269-731-4597).

Drop by the Arcadia Brewing Company, take the Saturday tour, and then sample one of its British-style ales, stouts, or porters over lunch in the pub (103 W. Michigan Ave.; 269-963-9690). From atop the 16-story McCamly Plaza Hotel, Porter’s Steakhouse & Cigar Bar serves up Black Angus steaks and a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside (50 Capital Ave. SW; 269-963-9686).

Battle Creek is 176 miles-or about two and three-quarters hours by car-from Chicago.

For more information about other area attractions and events-including Battle Creek’s annual air show and balloon festival (June 30th to July 4th)-contact the Battle Creek/Calhoun County Visitor and Convention Bureau at 800-397-2240 or www.battlecreekvisitors.org

The Columbus
The Great Lakes

The largest ship on the Great Lakes, which it has visited almost annually since its 1997 launch, the 472-foot-long Columbus offers its passengers an opportunity to explore several big cities (Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago), to marvel at a variety of manmade wonders (including the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Welland Canal), and to revel in the natural beauty along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Superior, Ontario, Erie, and Huron.

What’s more, as you cruise the Midwest’s inland seas, your hotel room travels along with you, eliminating the need to pack and unpack as you move from place to place. Owned by the German company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises-the cruises attract Americans and Germans alike and are fully bilingual-the Columbus has 197 cabins (140 with outside views) and eight suites, in addition to a swimming pool, a fitness center, a sauna and hair salon, bars and a dance lounge, and several different dining options. The ship also offers live entertainment, sports activities, and lectures (both offshore and on), as well as opportunities to visit such destinations as Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Toronto’s sky-high CN Tower, and the Henry Ford Museum near Detroit ( more about Cleveland and Toronto). The Columbus plies international waters for much of the year, returning to the Great Lakes only in early fall-but the time to book a cruise is now. There are three options (and the exact itinerary can vary slightly from cruise to cruise): sail from Toronto to Chicago, September 20th to 30th (starting at $2,139 per person); sail from and return to Chicago, September 30th to October 11th (starting at $2,352 per person); or sail from Chicago to Toronto, October 11th to 21st (starting at $2,210 per person). Airfare to or from Toronto is additional.

For more information about sailing with the Columbus, call 888-891-0203, or go to www.great-lakes-cruises.com

Canoe Bay
Chetek, Wisconsin

A former Chicago TV weatherman who spent parts of his boyhood fishing on Lake Wahdoon, Dan Dobrowolski returned to Wisconsin’s Indianhead region in the early 1990s to open Canoe Bay, the magnificently well appointed resort that is the only Midwestern entry in Relais & Châteaux’s prestigious international lineup of lodgings and restaurants. With his wife, Lisa, Dobrowolski bought the 280-acre property (which had been a Seventh-Day Adventist camp from 1964 to 1979) and reinvented it as a solitary, high-end getaway. Each of the buildings reflects the Prairie-style influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, especially the Rattenbury cottage and the Edgewood house, which were designed by Wright’s protégé John Rattenbury. Other lodging options include guest rooms in the Lodge (where there is also a fitness center and a large library) and a variety of stand-alone cottages, some with private saunas. A two-person whirlpool, a fireplace, a private bath and deck, a mini-fridge, a TV, and DVD and CD players are standard for each unit. Rates range from $325 to $1,800 (for the 2,000-square-foot Edgewood) per night, with a two-day minimum on weekends. Neither children nor pets (nor smoking) are allowed (W16065 Hogsback Rd.; 715-924-4594).

Canoe Bay delivers a continental breakfast to its guests’ rooms each morning, and can prepare a lunch basket on request. The resort’s chef, Scott Johnson-singled out by Esquire magazine as one of the nation’s top-five “rising chefs” in 2004-has over the years established a good working relationship with regional farmers to ensure he has the fresh, mainly organic ingredients for his meals. His prix fixe dinner (which changes nightly) is $65 per person, though guests can also dine in the 4,000-bottle wine cellar ($220 a couple).

If you’re looking for madcap excitement, peaceful Canoe Bay is not the destination for you. Schedule a relaxing in-room massage, or walk down to Lake Wahdoon to swim or boat (the resort provides canoes, kayaks, and rowboats). Anglers can go after largemouth bass and other fish (catch and release only), though they will need a license (buy one in Chetek or at www.wildlifelicense.com). Walleye, northern pike, and other game fish are plentiful in Chetek’s Big Six Chain of Lakes, and the mighty muskie flourishes in Potato Lake, about 12 miles east of Chetek on County Trunk D (for specific locations and timely fishing reports, go to www.chetek.net). Canoe Bay provides a paved, one-mile-long jogging track, as well as miles of hiking trails-and ten miles southeast, near New Auburn, the 3,063-acre Chippewa Moraine Ice Age State Recreation Area has lots of trails, lakes, and wildlife, as well as an interpretive center that explains the area’s geological history and the peculiar topographical features left behind by retreating glaciers (13394 County Hwy. M; 715-967-2800). In Rice Lake (about 20 miles north of Chetek), the 18-hole course at Turtleback Golf, Dining and Conference Center has earned a high rating from Golf Digest (1985 18 1/2 St.; 715-234-6607). The quiet country roads around Canoe Bay make for excellent cycling, but you will have to take your own bike.

Chetek is 365 miles northwest of Chicago, typically about a six-and-a-half-hour drive. To shorten your travel time, consider flying to Minneapolis–St. Paul (about two hours east of Chetek) and renting a car.

For more information about Canoe Bay, go to www.canoebay.com

The American Club
Kohler, Wisconsin

One of the Midwest’s most luxurious resorts-it possesses a coveted five-diamond rating from the American Automobile Association-The American Club outside Sheboygan had its origins in 1918 as housing for immigrant workers who made toilets and other bathroom fixtures. Today this posh palace clearly caters to a tonier crowd, with weekend rooms for two starting at $323 a night and soaring to $1,152 for the presidential suite (419 Highland Dr.; 920-457-8000).

Nearby, at the Inn on Woodlake, weekend lodgings start at $197 a night and include a complimentary continental breakfast (705 Woodlake Rd.; 920-452-7800).

The American Club may be pricey, but its capacity for pampering visitors and guests is nearly unrivaled. Its 24,000-square-foot Kohler Waters Spa has a waterfall, a pool, saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools, and 21 treatment rooms, where guests can choose from a tantalizing menu of rejuvenating therapies. In addition to salon services, Sports Core offers tennis, recreational and competitive swimming, and fitness classes, many geared toward families and children. River Wildlife is a private, 500-acre hunting and wilderness club on the Sheboygan River. And Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits tee up 72 holes of challenging golf, including a rugged two-mile-long course on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan.

There’s lots to do beyond the environs of The American Club. The 99,000-square-foot John Michael Kohler Arts Center has ten galleries, a lunchtime café, a center for creative family fun (Artery), live theatre-and half a dozen colorful public bathrooms, so imaginatively embellished by six different U.S. artists that women often slip into the men’s rooms (and vice versa) to sneak a peek. This summer, the center’s main gallery ponders visions of utopia with A Better World; build your own model boat for the July 4th Art Armada (materials provided for a fee), or check out the 36th annual outdoor arts festival July 15th and 16th (608 New York Ave., Sheboygan; 920-458-6144). The center also has a gallery called Artspace in Kohler, inside the Shops at Woodlake (725 Woodlake Rd.; 920-452-8602). For a lazy day on a Lake Michigan beach, escape to the 1,000-acre Kohler-Andrae State Park (1020 Beach Park Lane, Sheboygan; 920-451-4080). About 20 miles northwest of Kohler, Elkhart Lake’s Road America Race Track offers a summer-long schedule of motor racing; the Ferrari Challenge (July 7th to 9th) is followed by the Kohler International Challenge (July 13th to 16th), which showcases cars from the 1930s through the ’80s (N7390 Hwy. 67; 920-892-4576). And it’s almost illegal to leave Sheboygan without sampling a bratwurst. Celebrate them, from August 3rd to 5th, during the city’s annual Brat Days (in Kiwanis Park, at 17th St. and Kiwanis Park Rd.), and then buy some for the BBQ back home at Miesfeld’s Triangle Market (4811 Venture Dr.; 920-565-6328).

There are ten different restaurants at The American Club, ranging from the casual Horse & Plow to the award-winning, gourmet-pleasing Immigrant Room & Winery Bar.

Kohler is 144 miles north of Chicago, typically a drive of a little more than two hours.

For more information about events near Kohler, contact the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitor Bureau at 800-457-9497 or www.sheboygan.org/visitor

Key to Summer

Where To Stay	Dining	Amenities	Things To Do	How To Get There

Lazy Cloud Lodge
Fontana, Wisconsin

As locals tell the story, Paul Newman slept here, in 1949, while doing summer stock in nearby Williams Bay. And J. D. Salinger, they say, spent a summer here as well, while writing The Catcher in the Rye. So it’s little surprise that bells don’t go off at the mention of Edward Uihlein, the wealthy Chicagoan (he owned the city’s Schlitz beer franchise) who originally built the place as a polo playground in the early 1920s (his nearby estate, Forest Glen, burned down around the same time). Today, Lazy Cloud Lodge is a romantic B&B situated on secluded, flower-filled grounds on the west end of Geneva Lake (eight miles from the town of Lake Geneva). On weekends, when a two-night stay is required, rooms go for $185 a night, while suites are $215. Most suites have their own deck, fireplace, double whirlpool, and private entrance. If you want to follow in Salinger’s footsteps, ask for the Log Cabin Suite-and it’s pretty easy to figure out whom the Paul Newman Suite is named after (N2025 N. Lakeshore Dr.; 262-275-3322).

Guests enjoy a continental breakfast each morning, and receive a complimentary bottle of wine each evening. For a ritzy romantic dinner, consider one of these Lake Geneva restaurants (each ensconced inside a local hotel or resort that makes a fine alternative to Lazy Cloud Lodge): The Grandview Restaurant at The Geneva Inn (N2009 S. Lake Shore Dr.; 262-248-5680); Ristorante Brissago at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa (at Hwys. 50 and 12; 262-248-8811); and Kirsch’s, on Como Lake at The French Country Inn (W4190 West End Rd., 262-245-5756; reach The French Country Inn at 262-245-5220). Looking for something more casual? Try Popeye’s Galley & Grog (811 Wrigley Dr., Lake Geneva; 262-248-4381). Global Gourmet sells a wide range of condiments and wine, as well as gift baskets to satisfy even the hungriest gourmand; sample various wines each Saturday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. (738 W. Main St., Lake Geneva; 262-248-3222).

There are many ways to explore Geneva Lake. Walk the 20.6-mile lakeshore path to see the great shoreline houses (many local retailers sell a guide called Walk, Talk & Gawk). For swimming fun, head off the beaten path to Big Foot Beach State Park (1452 Hwy. H, Lake Geneva; 262-248-2528). Jerry’s Marine has three locations for boat rentals and one for parasailing (262-275-5222), and the Lake Geneva Cruise Line offers day and evening trips on the water, including an opportunity to travel along on the mailboat tour (812 Wrigley Dr.; 262-248-6206). Finally, consider going airborne with the Lake Geneva Balloon Co., which lifts off just before sunrise and sunset (262-206-3975); balloonists gather at the Lake Geneva Pie Co. (in the Geneva Square Shopping Center), which offers a wide assortment of fruit pies, quiches, and picnic lunches (150 E. Geneva Sq.; 262-248-5100).

Lake Geneva is 75 miles from Chicago. It takes about two hours to travel there by car.

For information about other activities near Lazy Cloud Lodge, contact the Lake Geneva Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-345-1020 or www.lakegenevawi.com

The Raj
Fairfield, Iowa

After helping John, Paul, George, and Ringo discover their inner Beatle, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi put Fairfield, Iowa, on the map. In the 1970s, that guru of the transcendental meditation movement transformed sleepy Parsons College into what is today the Maha-rishi University of Management, and from that followed an internationally renowned health spa, a lively dining, arts, and music scene, and finally, in 2001, a whole new town (kind of a city within a city) called Maharishi Vedic City. Visitors can explore Fairfield in a variety of ways. Some opt to stay at the 13-year-old Raj Vedic Health Spa, which employs a 6,000-year-old discipline-called Ayurveda, or “knowledge of life”-to fend off modern-day maladies. Following a consultation with Nancy Lonsdorf, the spa’s chief physician (who trained at Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities) or one of the Raj’s other health experts, each guest undergoes an individualized regimen of rejuvenation therapies-called “panchakarma”-designed to relieve stress and rid the body of toxins and impurities. Rates start at $645 a day (for a minimum of three days) and include lodging, meals, and therapies-though guests can also design a one- or two-day stay, paying as they go for a limited range of services (1734 Jasmine Ave.; 641-472-9580).

The Belvedere Inn
Saugatuck, Michigan

The summertime crowds that overwhelm Saugatuck can occasionally blunt the charms of this capital of the self-styled “Art Coast of Michigan.” For relief, slip away to The Belvedere Inn, a sumptuous five-acre property on the city’s outskirts that has served, in various guises, as a haven for Chicagoans since the 19th century. (Built in 1913 from a design by Dwight Perkins, a colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright, the inn itself originally was the summer home of a Peoples Gas VP.) Accommodations start at $180 a night and top out at $295 for the Belvedere Suite, which has a separate living room, as well as a fireplace, whirlpool, and wet bar. The inn requires a two-night minimum stay on the weekends, and three nights during the months of July and August; no pets, nor children under 14 (3656 63rd St.; 269-857-5777).

The mile-long Oval Beach is one of the prettiest stretches along Lake Michigan, but Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers even more sand and seclusion, though you do have to hike a half-mile to the beach (just north of town off 138th Avenue; 269-637-2788). Other options to enjoy the waterfront include the Saugatuck Dune Rides (half a mile west of I-196 on Blue Star Hwy.; 269-857-2253), the Star of Saugatuck paddlewheel boat cruises (716 Water St.; 269-857-4261), and the annual Venetian Night celebration, with a lighted boat parade and fireworks (July 29th; 269-857-1701; various locations). Duffers can head to one of four local golf courses, including Ravines Golf Club, designed by Arnold Palmer (3520 Palmer Dr.; 269-857-1616).

Saugatuck’s reputation as an artists’ haven dates back to at least 1910, when the Art Institute of Chicago installed its summer school, Ox-Bow, which today regularly schedules exhibitions and auctions (3435 Rupprecht Way; 269-857-5811). There are more than 30 galleries in Saugatuck and in nearby Douglas, including the 12,500-square-foot Joyce Petter Gallery (161 Blue Star Hwy., Saugatuck; 269-857-7861). The four-day Waterfront Film Festival-think Sundance without Robert Redford-kicks off June 8th (at various venues; 269-857-8351). The six-week season for the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck begins July 13th, with an all-Mozart program scheduled for August 17th and 18th (303 Butler St.; 616-393-5555). The Mason Street Warehouse stages comedies and musicals such as Cabaret, from August 4th through 20th (400 Culver St.; 269-857-4898). Celebrated state-wide for its annual themed exhibitions, the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society this year presents Raising the Roof, which explores local buildings and architecture (735 Park St.; 269-857-7900). A 75-minute walking tour of historic Saugatuck begins each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 p.m. (or by appointment) at the information booth at Culver and Butler streets (269-857-2985).

A full breakfast (in the dining room or on the terrace) is included in your stay at The Belvedere Inn, which also offers afternoon tea and gourmet dining in the evenings (guests are invited to bring their own beer, wine, or Champagne). In town, Marro’s Italian Restaurant is a popular destination for pizza (147 Water St.; 269-857-4248), while Kilwin’s is known for its fudge and ice cream (152 Butler St.; 269-857-1195). The 93-year-old Saugatuck Drug Store has an old-fashioned soda fountain (201 Butler St.; 269-857-2300). Across the Kalamazoo River in Douglas, Everyday People Café serves upscale “eclectic comfort food” (11 Center St.; 269-857-4240). For more information, contact the Saugatuck and Douglas Convention & Visitors Bureau (269-857-1701, www.saugatuck.com).

Saugatuck is 142 miles from Chicago, a drive of about two and a half hours.

Key to Summer

Where To Stay	Dining	Amenities	Things To Do	How To Get There

The Chanticleer Guest House
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

The French, wary of shipwreck along the treacherous strait that connected Lake Michigan and Green Bay, called this place Porte des Mortes-Death’s Door. Today the surrounding land is known simply as Door County, and there’s nothing dead about this lovely and lively Wisconsin peninsula, particularly at the height of the summer season. The Chanticleer Guest House, created from a 91-year-old farmhouse and barn, sits secluded on 70 pastoral acres, but is only three miles from the shops, restaurants, and other activities centered around downtown Sturgeon Bay. Guests can book a suite in the beautifully renovated house or barn (starting at $130 a night), or slip off to one of four cabins (starting at $220 a night). Each suite and cabin has its own fireplace and whirl-pool. There is a two-night minimum on weekends, and neither children nor pets are allowed (4072 Cherry Rd.; 920-746-0334).

Breakfast is delivered to your suite each morning. For lunch, try Perry’s Cherry Diner, a fun, 1950s-style restaurant (230 Michigan St.; 920-743-9910). Some locals say you shouldn’t leave Door County without partaking of a traditional fish boil; by popular acclaim, the best on the peninsula is the fresh whitefish cooked over an open fire and served to the accompaniment of accordion music four nights a week at the White Gull Inn, some 20 miles north of the Chanticleer, in Fish Creek (4225 Main St.; 920-868-3517). For more sophisticated dining, try the continental American cuisine at Sage Restaurant and Wine Bar, which features live music on weekends (136 N. Third Ave.; 920-746-1100), or the Inn at Cedar Crossing, which also offers high-end in-town lodgings (336 Louisiana St.; 920-743-4249).

Home to Wisconsin’s tallest sand dunes and a family-friendly beach, the 865-acre Whitefish Dunes State Park curves for three miles along Lake Michigan and has 11 miles of trails for hiking and biking (3275 Clark Lake Rd.; 920-823-2400). Delve into the region’s watery past at the Door County Maritime Museum (120 N. Madison Ave.; 920-743-5958). One of the peninsula’s ten lighthouses, Canal Station Lighthouse, which was built in 1899, stands at the mouth of the Sturgeon Bay ship canal; you can get a map to all ten shoreline beacons, as well as details about other area attractions, from the Door County Chamber of Commerce (800-527-3529, www.doorcounty.com). Need a little culture? The Peninsula Players, one of the country’s oldest summer theatres (since 1935), kicks off its 2006 season on June 20th with Terrence McNally’s Tony Award–winning Master Class, followed by Noises Off, Cabaret, The Elephant Man, and The Mousetrap (4351 Peninsula Players Rd.; 920-868-3287).

Sturgeon Bay is 243 miles from Chicago, usually a drive of slightly more than four hours-though heavy summer traffic can sometimes slow things down. United and American airlines both make the one-hour flight from O’Hare Airport to Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, where you can rent a car for the 45-mile drive to Sturgeon Bay.

Drummond Island Resort & Conference Center
Drummond Island, Michigan

Before falling into the hands of a powerful pizza potentate, Drummond Island, the 87,000-acre wilderness in northern Lake Huron, was inhabited by the Ottawa and Ojibwa, the French and the British, the U.S. army-and an oil tycoon from Detroit named Mel Rinehart, who carved out his own fishing and hunting lodge. After Rinehart’s death, Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, bought the camp, with plans to build a private corporate retreat. He brought in Charles Moore, the former dean of the Yale School of Architecture, to craft a lodge and a bowling alley, and called on Harry Bowers, a protégé of Robert Trent Jones, to create an 18-hole golf course called The Rock. Monaghan himself even designed a few Frank Lloyd Wright–style homes and cabins before selling the property in 1991 to a couple of locals, who opened Drummond Island Resort & Conference Center to the public. Guests can stay in the 40-room lodge (called Woodmoor) or rent one of 27 comfortably outfitted cabins or cottages. From June 10th to September 6th, rooms in the lodge cost $154 a night, while cabins or cottages cost between $200 and $500, depending on the number of bedrooms (33494 S. Maxton Rd.; 800-999-6343).

A former horse farm, Black Star Farms has been one of the leaders in agritourism on Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula since 1998. Not that it’s left the horses behind: the place has two stables, as well as ample pastures and indoor and outdoor training facilities. But most of the farm’s 160 acres are given over to growing the grapes, pears, and other fruits for Black Star’s award-winning wines, brandies, cordials, and ciders. There is also a creamery, home to the Leelanau Cheese Company. As for the inn, there are eight luxurious rooms, each named after a northern star; they all have private baths, and some have a whirlpool and a fireplace. During the summer, rates start at $280 a night and top off at $375. And, yes, guests are invited to bring their horses and use the equestrian amenities (10844 E. Revold Rd.; 231-271-4970).

Guests are welcomed with a complimentary bottle of Black Star wine, treated to a predinner wine and cheese reception and a postprandial brandy in the Pegasus bar, and encouraged to visit the winery and creamery to sample the wares. In Suttons Bay, Samuel’s uses local ingredients to craft a fine-dining experience (111 St. Joseph Ave.; 231-271-6222); Café Bliss serves seafood, ethnic, and vegetarian meals for lunch and dinner (420 St. Joseph Ave.; 231-271-5000).

Guests can explore the wooded trails at Black Star Farms or decamp for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (9922 Front St., Empire; 231-326-5134). Cyclists can ride through forests and orchards, past streams and lakes, on the rolling Leelanau Trail, which follows an old railway corridor for 15 miles from Suttons Bay to Traverse City (231-941-4300). The Bay Winds Pony Club presents its Stepping Stones Horse Show at Black Farms, with jumping on July 22nd and dressage on July 23rd. The 14th annual Suttons Bay Jazz Fest takes place July 29th (Suttons Bay Marina Park; 231-271-4444). To learn more about other area offerings, contact the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce (231-271-5077, www.suttonsbayarea.com).

Suttons Bay is 340 miles-about five and a half hours-from Chicago. United and American airlines offer a two-hour nonstop flight from O’Hare Airport to Traverse City, where you can rent a car.

Cleveland
Why go now: Slip into enemy territory and check out the Sox-Indians rivalry, while also getting a close look at Sam Cooke, Chicago’s seminal soul singer of the 1950s and ’60s.
Where to stay: The luxurious Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, which opened in 1918, sits within a mile of major-league baseball and the city’s celebrated music museum (24 Public Square; 216-696-5600).
Where to eat: Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner-as well as Saturday-night salsa dancing-the Waterstreet Grill is a good jumping-off point for the Warehouse District’s teeming nightlife scene (1265 W. Ninth St.; 216-619-1600).
What to do: The Tremont ArtWalk-on the second Friday of each month between 6 and 10 p.m.-reveals Cleveland’s West Side galleries (centered on Professor Street and Jefferson Avenue; 216-575-0920).
Twist and shout: This summer, in addition to special exhibits about Ricky Nelson and the young Bob Dylan, the I. M. Pei–designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum salutes one of its original inductees, the Chicago-born gospel, soul, and R & B singer Sam Cooke (1 Key Plaza; 216-781-7625).
Play ball: The world-champion White Sox, looking to repeat, visit retro Jacobs Field to take on the Cleveland Indians, their chief Central Division rival, from May 29th to June 1st, and September 25th to 27th (2401 Ontario St.; 216-420-4200).
Where to learn more: Contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland at 216-621-4110 or www.travelcleveland.com

Minneapolis–St. Paul
Why go now: A timely chance to get reacquainted with one of America’s great writers.
Where to stay: In St. Paul (on the east side of the Mississippi River), the Saint Paul Hotel recently underwent a $6.5-million renovation (350 Market St.; 651-292-9292); across the street in Rice Park stands the statue of a celebrated native son: the novelist and short-story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. He and his wife, Zelda, made the hotel their temporary home in 1921, and there is a portrait of him in the hotel’s bar.
Where to eat: Serving fish, chops, and steaks, Kincaid’s is a St. Paul favorite (380 St. Peter St.; 651-602-9000); Minneapolitans feel the same way about the Oceanaire Seafood Room (1300 Nicollet Ave.; 612-333-2277). For French fare, try A Rebours (410 St. Peter St.; 651-665-0656) or Vincent (1100 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-630-1189).
Scott Free: St. Paul’s central library (a neighbor of Rice Park and the St. Paul Hotel) has an alcove and reading room dedicated to Fitzgerald and his works (90 W. Fourth St.; 651-266-7000); grab a snack at Zelda Coffee, the library’s café, and then pick up a free map to Fitzgerald’s local haunts, including his 1896 birthplace (481 Laurel Ave.) and the brownstone (599 Summit Ave.) where he revised his first book, This Side of Paradise.
Play time: This summer in Minneapolis, the Guthrie Theater presents the world première of Simon Levy’s adaptation of Fitzgerald’s finest novel, The Great Gatsby (818 2nd St. S.; 612-377-2224, www.guthrietheater.org).
A team for two cities: The Minnesota Twins host the White Sox at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on August 18th, 19th, and 20th (34 Kirby Puckett Place, Minneapolis; 612-338-9467).
Where to learn more: Contact the Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association (888-676-6757, www.minneapolis.org) or the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention & Visitors Authority (800-627-6101, www.visitstpaul.com).

St. Louis
Why go now: A recent spate of urban renewal (as in the Central West End) has put a modern polish on this charming city’s historic past.
Where to stay: The local Ritz-Carlton lives up to the hotelier’s reputation for excellence, while also orchestrating a lively cabaret scene in its lobby lounge on weekend evenings (100 Carondelet Plaza; 314-863-6300).
Where to eat: At Monarch, Jeff Orbin and Aaron Teitelbaum’s sophisticated menus are complemented by a stellar wine program (7401 Manchester Rd.; 314-644-3995).
Walkabout: One of the best ways to acquaint (or reacquaint) yourself with the city is a walking tour of the recently revitalized Central West End neighborhood (Euclid Avenue between Taylor Street and Kingshighway; http://stlouis.missouri.org/cwe/landmarks.html).
Art Attack: Check out the collection at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, where Richard Serra and Ellsworth Kelly have created specific works that harmonize with the vision of Tadao Ando, the Pritzker Prize–winning architect who designed the museum (3716 Washington Blvd.; 314-754-1850).
The play’s the thing: Belly up to the Bard at the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis (outdoors in Forest Park, at Fine Arts and Government drives, just east of Art Hill; 314-531-9800).
The double play’s the thing: Watch the Cards host the Cubs (on the first weekend of June or the last weekend of August) at New Busch Stadium (250 Stadium Plaza; 314-345-9000).
Hopped up: After riding to the top of Eero Saarinen’s 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch (707 N. First St.; 877-982-1410), sip some suds nearby on the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour (12th & Lynch streets, St. Louis; 314-577-2626).
Where to learn more: Contact the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission at 314-421-1023 or www.explorestlouis.com
–Deborah Wilk

Toronto
Why go now: Take advantage of travel bargains before the Canadian dollar grows any stronger.
Where to stay: Both Le Royal Meridien King Edward (37 King St. East; 416-863-9700), one of Toronto’s oldest hotels (since 1903), and the hip Hotel Le Germain (30 Mercer St.; 416-345-9500), are convenient to the theatre district, SkyDome, and other must-see attractions.
Where to eat: David Lee, the chef and co-owner of Splendido, puts a modern spin on fancy French fare, and his comfortable, low-lit restaurant encourages an intimate dining experience (88 Harbord St.; 416-929-7788).
Where to go: Galleries, clothing boutiques, and nightspots cluster along Queen Street West-the thriving district between Yonge Street and Bathurst Avenue, known unofficially as West Queen West.
Where to play: At Queen’s Quay (at the foot of Bay Street), catch the ferry (416-392-8193) to Toronto Island Park, where you can rent a bike (standard, tandem, or quad; 416-203-0009) and take in the many attractions-including Centreville Amusement Park, Manitou Beach (and the clothing-optional beach at Hanlan’s Point), and a plaque honoring Babe Ruth’s first professional home run-of this Lake Ontario refuge (416-397-2628).
Batter up: The 17-year-old SkyDome, home to baseball’s Blue Jays, may have a new name-the Rogers Centre, after team owner Ted Rogers-but its retractable roof remains an engineering marvel (1 Blue Jays Way; 416-341-3663). The White Sox visit August 4th, 5th, and 6th. Allow time to visit the giant next door: at 1,815 feet, the CN Tower is the world’s tallest structure (301 Front St. West, 416-360-8500; make reservations for 360, the tower’s restaurant, at 416-362-5411). And this being Canada, don’t leave town without visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame (30 Yonge St.; 416-360-7735).
Where to learn more: Visit the City of Toronto’s Web site at www.toronto.ca/visitors.

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