Midwest

The American heartland with Chicago as its gateway, where Great Lakes dunes and lake islands, Mississippi River cities and the Black Hills of the Great Plains make a vast stage for road trips.

Following the US Census Bureau's definition, the Midwest includes twelve states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, running from the Great Lakes in the east to the Great Plains in the west. Chicago is the regional gateway and top destination, known for its skyscraper architecture, lakefront trail, art museums, Millennium Park, and blues and jazz; an architecture cruise on the Chicago River is a classic experience. St. Louis's Gateway Arch rises beside the Mississippi River; Kansas City is famous for barbecue and jazz; Minneapolis and Milwaukee represent lake country and beer culture. For nature, the Lake Michigan shore has Sleeping Bear Dunes and car-free Mackinac Island, and the boundary waters of northern Minnesota are ideal for canoe camping; in the west, South Dakota's Black Hills hold Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park, and nearby Badlands National Park has a strange landscape. A city tour of Chicago takes just three to four days; a drive around Lake Michigan, "Chicago–Lake Michigan shore," takes about a week; the Black Hills and Badlands suit a three- to four-day trip from Rapid City. The region is vast, and between cities you mostly fly or drive; Route 66 also begins in Chicago. Summer and autumn are the best seasons; winter is cold and some lake-area facilities close, and in spring and summer watch for severe thunderstorms.

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