Travel Tour

Farm & Agricultural Tours in America’s Heartland

Start in Chicago and enjoy big-city sights, plus the Board of Trade, where agricultural futures are traded and fortunes are made and lost every day. You can choose from a long list of farms and food processing plants in Illinois and Wisconsin, including a John Deere factory and a university experimental farm, plus time for shopping and fun. A popular highlight is a traditional Midwest whole-hog roast with corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, garden salad, fresh bread and “Black Cow” desserts, all served in a country setting. (Three to seven days, for groups.) 

Scandinavian Heritage in America’s Heartland

Illinois joins Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa to offer you an opportunity to trace the history of Scandinavian Immigration to the USA. Start in Chicago and enjoy big-city sights, plus the Swedish-American Museum Center in Andersonville, a Swedish neighborhood. Visit Rockford, where Småland and Skåne immigrants and their descendants continue to impact daily life, from industry and medicine to philanthropy and the arts. Tour Bishop Hill (once a Swedish utopian settlement), Decorah (with Vesterheim, a major Norwegian cultural center). Drive along the Mighty Mississippi River to Minneapolis/St. Paul and its many Scandinavian sites. Shop the famous Mall of America before your flight home. Or return to Chicago via Wisconsin and visit Mount Horeb (known as Little Norway) and Racine (famous for Danish Kringle). (Nine days, for groups and for individuals.) 

Four Days of Fun Just Outside Chicago

After doing business in Chicago, bring your family or colleagues to Rockford for a little “rest and relaxation”. Just 60 minutes west of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Rockford lets you experience the “real” America and take short day-trips to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin and Iowa. Golf, shop and dine. Tour gardens, forest preserves, museums. Enjoy concerts, auto races, waterparks and hiking trails. Chat with friendly residents. When it’s time to fly home…you’re a hassle-free 60 minutes from the airport. You can rent a car in Chicago…or ride the O’Hare shuttle to and from Rockford and rent a car. (Four days, for groups or individuals.) 

Fall Foliage in America’s Heartland

From mid-September through mid-November, America’s Midwest is a blazing palette of autumn colors: red, yellow, gold, orange, burgundy. See Chicago’s big-city attractions, then explore the countryside of Illinois and Wisconsin. Drive scenic highways along the Rock and Mississippi Rivers. Explore rural roads along lesser-known rivers named by Native American Indians: Kishwaukee, Sinnissippi, Menominee and Pecatonica. Visit farm markets, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, state parks, flea markets, harvest fests. Just as spectacular as the fall foliage tours of New England and the Great Lakes, but much easier to book and less expensive. (Seven to nine days, for groups and individuals.) 

Immigrants & Ingenuity in Northern Illinois

A great add-on to a Chicago trip. Discover why people from 24 different countries immigrated to America’s Midwest. Learn about their remarkable histories and lasting contributions. Enjoy their food, music, festivals, handicrafts and homes. Tour the prosperous cities and quaint villages from Chicago west to the Mississippi River. (Four days, for groups and individuals.)