Beyond Chicago

Architecture buffs can get well acquainted with Oak Park, the Cook County suburb that was once the home of Frank Lloyd Wright. Many of his buildings — including Unity Temple, the Nathan G. Moore House and Wright’s own studio — and the creations of his protégés (Cheney Mansion, for example) can be admired up close by taking a stroll around this small but historically significant town.

Other famous residents of Oak Park have included Edgar Rice Burroughs — the man who brought Tarzan to life — and influential author Ernest Hemingway, whose childhood home has been converted to a quaint museum for curious tourists.

This beautiful and entirely unexpected edifice in the western suburb of Bartlett may be a mouthful to say, but it provides quite an eyeful. Built to ancient specifications laid out in the traditional Hindu text on temple design (The Shilpa Shastras), its striking attention to tiny Indian-inspired details and its magnificent marble construction certainly help it stand out against the more modern buildings that exist nearby. The mandir also features an adjoining wooden cultural centre known as a "haveli."

With nearly 2,000 acres of historic Hoosier landscape to explore, the tranquil topography of this stunning park will help you escape hectic city life.

Large sand dunes beyond the shoreline of Lake Michigan formed over thousands of years and tower nearly 200 feet above the rippling waters. See sweeping panoramic views across the Prairie State from the top of one of these natural wonders.

This marvellous Midwestern community has more quirks than your typical suburban town, plus shops, a cozy bookstore and the perfect lunch spot, La Petite Creperie.

The town square was famously featured in Bill Murray's film "Groundhog Day" and the annual festival featuring everyone’s favourite furball, Punxsutawney Phil is still held annually in February. The Woodstock Mozart Festival also is popular and takes place in early August.

The Geneva Lake area in southeastern Wisconsin has been an upscale resort spot since the Civil War. Many wealthy Chicagoans built mansions on the lake's shore as summer retreats.

Black Point Estate, completed in 1888, remains one of the finest examples of Queen Ann architecture in the Midwest. It houses one of the most intact collections of Victorian furniture in the region.

The mansion has a four-story crow’s nest and reclaimed brewery brickwork, and the beautiful grounds slope down toward the lapping waters, making it a prime location for relaxation.