Where do I take my girlfriend of 5 years?

July 3, 2006 9:43 PM

Where should I take my girlfriend for our 5-year anniversary in the Upper Midwest?

So I've been going out with this fine young lady for 5 years now (we are high-school sweethearts) and since we both like to travel, I'd like to take her somewhere nice for a romantic weekend getaway. The only problem is, we're both freshly graduated from college and "working to pay the bills" so a) can't go anywhere for longer than a weekend and b) would like to keep the mini-roadtrip on the cheap side.

We're currently located in Milwaukee, WI (we both grew up here), so my first thoughts were Wisconsin Dells, Chicago, Minneapolis, or Manitowoc. We've been to all of those places, though, and have "seen the sights," so can you suggest some other things to do? How about the rest of the Upper Midwest? Is there anything fun going on the weekend of July 14 - 16?

Bonus Points if you can somehow tie in the fact that she's moving off to Minneapolis for grad school in August and I'll be stuck working in Milwaukee.

posted by yellowbkpk to human relations (14 comments total)

Apostle Islands in Lake Superior.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 9:55 PM on July 3, 2006

It would be really helpful to know what kinds of things you both enjoy...

Chicago, where I live, has so much to offer and a lot of it is affordable.
posted by twiggy at 9:55 PM on July 3, 2006

I was going to suggest the Apostle Islands, but I see I've been beaten to it.

How about a B&B on Mackinac Island? It's about eight hours away, which might be a little far for you only have two days, but if you can take three days total, you'd get about a day and a half. (The Apostle Islands are a similar distance.)

Or, take the ferry over to Muskegon or Ludington. The whole Michigan coastline along that stretch has some gorgeous state parks — I remember P. J. Hoffmaster State Park being quite nice.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:17 PM on July 3, 2006

Door county or Mackinac Island are perfect for weekend getaways
posted by vionnett at 10:18 PM on July 3, 2006

Mackinac Island, Door County, the American Club in Kohler?
posted by anjamu at 10:18 PM on July 3, 2006

Mackinac, definitely, if you like fudge and golf carts (not golfing per se).
posted by kcm at 10:32 PM on July 3, 2006

Ever tried flying? Lots of local airports with general aviation facilities have flight tours, bit pricey, but very memorable.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:16 AM on July 4, 2006

Does it have to be that week? If not, consider the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, being held July 24 - 30, 2006.

And the Hodag Festival is being held in Rhinelander from July 13 to 16.
posted by yclipse at 6:17 AM on July 4, 2006

(depending on your view of "romantic", of course)
posted by yclipse at 6:18 AM on July 4, 2006

Galena, IL is quite pretty. I've stayed in a townhome at Eagle Ridge Resorts, which may be out of your price range. (I split the cost with 4 other people, and it was seriously nice.)

Grand Bear Lodge in Ottawa, IL might be fun. It's more family-oriented, with a water park, so not particularly romantic in a traditional sense. But you're close to Starved Rock State Park and Lodge, where you could hike and picnic.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:32 AM on July 4, 2006

not the best idea, but a night or two at the edgewater in madison might be nice.

go out to classy, affordable dinners and enjoy the beautiful lakes. Bonus is that you wouldn't have to spend so much of the weekend traveling.
posted by milarepa at 7:37 AM on July 4, 2006

Personally, I would avoid The Dells or Door County for something romantic, especially this time of year. If you like Manitowac, you might want to stay at Point Beach State Park, which has some of the coolest beaches in the state.

The Kohler resort is supposed to be awesome but incredible.

The House on the Rock Resort should be great fun and brings you close to the tons of things to do in Baraboo and the Dells.

Mackinac Island is really neat.

The Apostle Islands should be pretty cool as well.

I'll see if I can think of more.
posted by drezdn at 10:14 AM on July 4, 2006

Starved Rock Lodge and Starved Rock State Park in Illinois are beautiful and affordable. There is camping if you don't want to stay in the lodge.
posted by intoxicate at 10:26 AM on July 4, 2006

This former Minneapolis-St. Paul travel editor says Canoe Bay.
posted by GaelFC at 11:57 AM on July 4, 2006