Oh! The Places You'll Go!

I've spent my Saturday morning thus far doing lovely Saturday morning things: making brunch with Scott (scrambled eggs with sauteed veggies, fruit salad, and orange-glazed cinnamon buns), drinking TWO cups of coffee (not even out of necessity, but desire), cleaning the kitchen, taking a leisurely shower, and looking up places I'd like to visit near Indianapolis.  Though I haven't had the opportunity to travel often, I do enjoy it very much... even if it's just a small trip within NC or traveling to a new place for a friend's wedding.  I've started to devise my list of places in the midwest (or NEAR the midwest) that I'd like to travel to, and here's what I've got so far:

1. Chicago, IL: This is a trip that is about as far from Indy as Wilmington was from Raleigh... so I think this would be a simple trip! My friend, Lindsay, and I briefly discussed a girls' trip there for a weekend (or random mid-week trip when we're both off from work) which I would LOVE.  I also hope to go with Scott once we're married for a fun getaway when he needs a break from school!

2. St. Louis, MO: This is more of a 4-hour weekend kind of trip, but St. Louis is another place I've always wanted to visit.  I'm thinking this will be another weekend trip once we're married, but it's fun to dream about :)

3. Red River Gorge, KY: Scott has camped here with friends before and the pictures from his trip are really incredible.  I'd love to go camping here with him next fall sometime, we'll see if I can become an outdoorsy, camping kind of girl up here!

4. Louisville, KY: I've been here twice, actually, to visit Lindsay, but I'd love to go with Scott sometime just to do something different that's not too far from home.  This could be a quick day trip and maybe we'd even be able to meet Lindsay and Landon for lunch or dinner while there.  We'll see!

5. Bloomington, IN: This is supposed to be a super fun college town just a little ways up the road; it's also supposed to be quite beautiful for a college campus (I'd love to compare it to UNC's, to be honest!).  This is where Indiana University's main campus is, and I just think it'd be neat to make a day trip out of this to see what other parts of Indy are like.  

6. Cincinnati  OH: I don't know if this is technically considered the midwest, but it's not very far from here at all and would be another fun day trip.  I really like exploring new cities and finding good eats... I'd be excited to take a little trip down the road for some fun in Ohio! 

7. Detroit, MI: This would be another weekend trip to be sure, but I've always been interested in Detroit for no apparent reason.  My best friend has family there and visits every so often, and I think it would just be a fun place to check out so I can mark it off my list!

8. Minneapolis, MN: This would definitely be a longer trip, maybe would need to stay for a few days.  It's about 9 hours from here, so drivable for sure but maybe not such a pleasant drive.  I have a few friends who moved here after college, and I just love their pictures that the post of this city.  I'd probably want to steer clear of it during the winter months, however!

9. Lexington, KY: Scott has a good friend who lives in Lexington and he has actually visited once (and maybe has seen a horse race? I can't quite remember), and I've just always thought this would be fun! 

10. Southern Indiana: Scott walked in and found me looking up places to visit and just suggested this because of the caves they have down there.  I've never done much cave exploration before, but why not? 

Anyone have any suggestions of drivable locations around Indianapolis that we should check out during our time here?  I'd love some suggestions, and if you know of any good restaurants or places to visit in any of the places listed above, I'd love that, too!

Happy Saturday :)

C