Great Lakes Overview

Though the region’s alternative name—the Midwest—evokes a bland image of cornfields and small-town, white-picket-fence America, the states that hug the five Great Lakes encompass a variety of personalities. The world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior, and its unpopulated, scenic coast cradle some of the most stunning natural features in the region—from the dense forests in northern Wisconsin to the waterfalls of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. Meanwhile, the Lake Michigan coast hosts sand dunes, swimming, sailing, and deep-water fishing. Minneapolis and St. Paul form a bona fide coastal metropolis, while Chicago dazzles with a stunning skyline, incredible culinary offerings, and world-class museums.

Devour deep-dish pizza in Chicago , traditional pasties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula , and the feast-like results of a Door County fish boil .
Simplify your life among the Amish in Ohio’s Hardin County .
Groove to the music at the Motown Historical Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .
Don your stovepipe hat and iconic facial hair for the brand-new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum .
Press your nose against the glass of the fish tanks and watch penguins pummel each other at the Shedd Aquarium .

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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.