Don’t finish your summer saying you did N-O-T-H-I-N-G over your break. There’s still time to get away and experience something totally out-of-the-ordinary, totally offbeat–and still be home by dinner. Ask your parents to gas up the car, grab a map and check out one of these wacky adventures with you. Driving times are estimated from downtown Chicago.
NORTH
Richardson Farms, 9407 Richardson Rd., Spring Grove, Ill. (the name of the state as published has been corrected in this text).
You can lose yourself–maybe for good–at the world’s largest corn maze. Farmer George Richardson used a satellite and laptop computer to help carve out seven miles of trails in 18 acres of corn. From the air, you can spot patterns: people, animals, the name “Richardson Farms.” But at ground zero, all you can see is corn and more corn, and that’s where the fun comes in. Go with friends and race to find the finish. Don’t worry: There are maps, checkpoints and staffers to make sure you don’t get seriously lost.
Driving time: 1 1/2 hours
Information: 815-675-2297
Cost: $7, people 13 and over; $5, kids 12 and under
Along the way: If you hurry, you can still catch Wisconsin’s Bristol Renaissance Faire (847-395-7773), which wraps up this Saturday and Sunday. Watch knights joust on horseback, sing with minstrels or watch the dirty tricks of peasants frolicking in mud.
WEST
The House on the Rock, 5754 Hwy 23, Spring Green, Wis.
This mansion of magnificent cheesiness is perched atop a 60-foot chimney of rock and filled to its crannies with kitschy, cool clutter. Check out the world’s largest carousel; amazing, room-filling music machines (including one that looks as if a full ghost orchestra is playing); and a sea creature that makes the “Jaws” shark look like a minnow. And you thought you had a lot of junk in your basement!
Driving time: 4 hours
Information: 608-935-3639, www.houseontherock.com
Cost: If you’re 13 or older, tickets are $19.50; children 7-12, $11.50; children 4-6, $5.50; children 3 and under, free.
Along the way: Ever wonder what it’d be like to step back in time? See for yourself at Midway Village and Museum Center in Rockford (815-397-9112, www.midwayvillage.com). The village lets you experience life around 1900, from a general store to a police station to (our favorite) the newspaper office. Weekends are your best bet–that’s when costumed workers make the village come to life.
SOUTH
Rockome Gardens, 125 N CR 425 E., Arcola
TV documentaries always make the Amish seem so serious. But you may lose that image if you visit Rockome Gardens, which has been described as an Amish theme park. Sure, there are demonstrations about how the Amish live and cook, yada, yada, yada–but there’s also a trained chicken who can probably beat you at Tic Tac Toe. Plus, there are buggy rides, a haunted cave and 6-foot sculptures of toadstools.
Driving time: 4 hours
Information: 217-268-4106, www.rockome.com
Cost: Admission is free most days; certain rides and activities do have a cost.
Along the way: You’ll have to stop for gas, right? Pull into the Dixie Truckers Home (309-874-2323) in McLean, which has gas, hamburgers and the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum. Route 66, once the main highway across America, has been featured in songs and movies–and somehow still oozes cool, even today. Find out why.
EAST
Kellogg’s Cereal City USA, 171 W. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, Mich.
Get your picture on a souvenir box of Corn Flakes at Kellogg’s Cereal City USA theme park. It may not be a box of Wheaties–but let’s face it, most of us aren’t Tiger Woods, either. While there, head to “The Best to You Revue,” where you’ll be “shrunk” to the size of a salt shaker, and shake hands with Tony the Tiger. If you get hungry watching the full-scale, cereal-making production line, there’s a yummy reward: You’ll be served a bowl of Corn Flakes to munch.
Driving time: 3 hours
Information: 616-962-6230, www.kelloggs cerealcityusa.org
Cost: $7.95 for people 13 and older; $4.95 for kids 3-12
Along the way: After all that driving, you’ll want to stretch your legs. Why not take a hike straight up Mt. Baldy at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (219-926-7561, www.nps.gov/indu)? From the parking lot, it’s a 127-foot climb to the top of this skyscraping dune. You can bet Florida doesn’t have sand like this!
