What’s Here?
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Cincinnati, Ohio
The city of Chicago, Illinois is the largest in the state and the third largest in the country. Chicago is a popular tourist destination – each year, millions of tourists visit the Windy City. Instead of confining yourself to Chicago proper during your visit, why not take a road trip for a couple of days and visit some great destinations near Chicago? There’s just so much to see in this region! Here are some suggestions for road trip destinations within a few hours of Chicago that you should definitely make time for.
Louisville, Kentucky
Indice
– The city of Louisville is located five hours south of Chicago. If you want to visit Louisville, make sure to plan your visits appropriately as the city is home to several annual cultural events that you don’t want to miss. The most famous event in Louisville is the Kentucky Derby, an internationally known horse race. The Derby takes place ever year in May. Louisville is also host to the largest annual Beatles Festival in the World. This festival is known as Abbey Road on the River and takes place on Memorial Day weekend. In the summer you can enjoy the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival by attending one of the many free Shakespeare plays performed in the Central Park in Old Louisville.
Indianapolis, Indiana
– Indianapolis is located three hours south of Chicago. Indianapolis is famous for being the host city of several annual events. The Indianapolis 500 takes place in Indianapolis annually over Memorial Day weekend and is regarded as one of the three most significant motor sports events in the world. Two other annual motor racing events are the Brickyard 400 and Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. Indianapolis is also a great place for people interested in football and basketball. It’s the home of two major league level sports teams – the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers.
Cincinnati, Ohio
– Located a six hour drive southeast of Chicago, Cincinnati is one of those cities that gets overlooked far too often. There are so many fascinating things to do in Cincinnati. If you’re an architecture buff, make sure to visit the largest collection of 19th century Italianate architecture in the United States. These buildings are located in the neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, which is one of the largest historical districts in the National Register of Historic Places. Festivals held annually in Cincinnati include the Cincinnati Flower Show, the largest Oktoberfest in the country, Taste of Cincinnati, MidPoint Music Festival, Festival of Lights and Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Make sure to check out the many restaurants that serve chilli in this region – Cincinnati is known as the Chilli Capital of America. Museums within Cincinnati include the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, Lloyd Library and Museum, Taft Museum of Art and American Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Trevor Stuart is interested in travel and cars. He currently writes for the auto insurance website Complete Insurance and he is also planning a big road trip of United States for the fall.
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