You've got a weekend to burn and a cauldron of possible activities bubbling in your mind. An escape a world away from the Motor City can be found putting fewer than 500 miles on your car one way, whether you're keen on pitching a tent in the most remote corners of lake country or yearning to soak in a trove of theatrical giants.
You can plan a packed weekend at diverse big cities all within 500 miles of Detroit. Stroll through the 19th century Distillery District or take a ferry to the island park off Toronto. Get in the groove at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alone Lake Erie in Cleveland. Explore the artistic side of a steel town at the Andy Warhol Museum or Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Head to Ohio to see the extended furry and feathered family of Jack Hanna at the world-renowned Columbus Zoo. Fulfill your need for speed by watching top drivers circle the track for 500 miles in Indianapolis. Pack a fabulous hat and prepare your taste buds for a mint julep at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Use waterfront Buffalo as a staging point for a trip to nearby Niagara Falls. And satisfy a craving for deep-dish pizza among the museums and theaters of Chicago.
Heading for famed Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, would put you just over the 500-mile mark, but there's no need to go so far to visit Amish Country. Less than 200 miles to the southeast you'll find yourself in Holmes County, Ohio, where you can relax with the simplest way of life at a bed and breakfast, sample a smorgasbord of farm-fresh eats, pick up some locally made furniture or crafts, canoe through Loudonville or camp in the Mohican-Memorial State Forest. And your Amish options abound to the east as well in Shipshewana, Indiana., about 175 miles away and just across the Michigan border. Explore the countryside, shop for handmade quilts, indulge in homestyle cooking and learn more about the region's Amish and Mennonites. Start your weekend on a Friday and drive back Sunday as many businesses in Amish Country are closed on the Sabbath.
Get your Groundhog Day fix any time of the year by connecting with Interstate 80 at Toledo and taking it east to the heart of western Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney's population balloons each year on Feb. 2 when groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerges on Gobbler's Knob and decides if he sees his own shadow or not, thus predicting how many more weeks Americans will have to bear winter's chill. Year-round, though, you can visit Phil's burrow, scoop up groundhog souvenirs, taste vintages at local wineries, stroll through historic neighborhoods and find your own burrow at a bed and breakfast. For a trip steeped in the theatrical, head to Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, for summer and fall performances at the Shaw Festival. Four theaters within walking distance set the stage for a vibrant playbill including musicals and new spins on the classics evoking the time of Bernard Shaw.
If you've got your passport and are itching for a road trip north of the border, cross into Ontario and trek through lake country toward Algonquin Provincial Park for a getaway less than 400 miles away and a blissful nature retreat even farther from civilization. Fish for trout in the spring or wield binoculars to watch birds return home from the winter, take a dip or paddle a canoe through one of nearly 2,500 lakes or hike through the backcountry with nature as your alarm clock. For a more primitive camping experience and wilderness destination, head to Killarney Provincial Park on the north end of Georgian Bay. For just one of many lakeside camping experiences in the states, take a ferry across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, then hug the lake on Interstate 43 toward Green Bay. Keep proceeding up the peninsula to Fish Creek, an artistic hamlet on the doorstep of Peninsula State Park. Stroll the old-town shops, stay at a cozy inn, relax at free summer concerts and sample locally made wine. Reserve one of 468 campsites at Peninsula State Park and enjoy water sports, hiking or biking, as well as exploring the restored 1866 Eagle Bluff Lighthouse.
