It is the Potawatomi Conservatory in South Bend, IN. It only takes about an hour or so to walk through and I believe is $3 per adult. The hours I think are 10-4 during week and 10-3 on Saturday. I'd say South Bend is probably about 1.5-2 hours from Chicago plus a time change so it would be a bit of a trip for you but we also have an awesome zoo right across the street!

We drove from NYC to Iowa, staying with friends along the way (which was part of the reason for the drive) when our daughter was about that age. It turned out to be fun, but we only drive about 8 hours a day--NAPTIME!. Here's how we handled the kid in the car seat. Get up, eat breakfast, gas up car, let kid run around and play while all these things are being done, EVERYBODY GO POTTY BEFORE YOU GET IN THE CAR. Get in the car, strap her in, she's in a good mood, talk, sing, point out stuff outside the window, she draws or colors, sometimes mommy got in the back to read story books, or tilted the seat way back (not the safest, though). Then, eventually, she falls asleep for a morning nap. Drive as far as possible--NO STOPS! (she wakes up at stops; hence the urgent need for the grownups to go potty, just in case, even if they don't think they need to or just went before lunch--go again now, you CANNOT STOP once the kid is asleep) Since she's lulled by the car, her morning nap is longer than usual. When she wakes, begin the search for food. (and a bathroom; we also did this right after she'd been potty trained; we used pull-ups for the trip in case, but had to get her to the bathroom if at all possible) Eat lunch, find some sort of playground (fast-food play area, or occasionally a city park) and let her run around for an hour. EVERYBODY GO POTTY BEFORE YOU GET BACK IN THE CAR! Back in the car, more talking and pointing out the window, etc. She gets lulled to sleep again for a long afternoon nap. When she wakes, find a bathroom and supper, then drive to the town we're staying in. It worked out pretty well in terms of distance, we usually arrived there right at dinner time. Playtime in the evening, and a sort of late bedtime because of all the extra-long naps in the car. The really long part of the trip was NYC to Clarion, PA (here we had to stay in a hotel). Then to South Bend, IN. Then over to Peoria, IL, then to the center of Iowa (the shortest hop of all). That'll give you an idea of how many miles you could hope to cover with a pleasant schedule. We stayed in very inexpensive hotels (Super 8, Day's Inn, Motel 6--it only has to be clean and safe, not w/ a pool or anything, and we brought our own playpen bcs the cribs were not very good, but it was cheap), We played in the hallways, alcoves, and outdoor walkways of the hotels (at 18months, everything is fun!) had great fun looking out the windows (I hate the new fences along the interstates in populated areas; I understand them, but boy they're boring!).

Quirky's suggestion is a good one. I once googled "South Bend" and "culture" and came up with a blog complaining about the lack of culture in the Bend - the poster liked the annual "Meet Me on the Island" art and music festival but felt there weren't enough opportunities like that. He also went on to complain, like feedingfrenzy's friends, that Notre Dame dominated the culture and made for an appalling lack of - strip clubs! Seems his wife was an "exotic dancer" and due to Notre Dame's pressuring the city to keep underaged students out of drinking establishments, there weren't nearly enough stripping opportunities for his wife as there should have been. So if you're into fine arts and stripping, apparently S.B. is not the place to be. Where is Michigan did you grow up? If it was on the west side of the state (Grand Rapids, K'zoo, etc.) the lake effect snow will be similar in South Bend. When we moved here from the leeward side of the lake (Chicago), everyone talked about the lake effect - I commute from Michigan to South Bend every day. I thought it was going to be like Buffalo, NY, but it hasn't been that bad - once in six years have I run into a white-out, and that was farther west by Valparaiso. Pluses for South Bend: right off of the Indiana tollroad, commuter train to Chicago several times a day - transportation is very easy. I grew up in Northern Virginia, so I have nothing to offer on Roanoke, but with a sister who is a Virginia Tech alum, I have to point out that the home of VaTech is Blacksburg, not Christiansburg: GO HOKIES! Boo UGa :-(

funky - I totally agree with the practicality of the extra sink, water by the cooktop, the baking area and as a beverage center for parties. Ranges, I don't like them much. The simple freestanding ones are out of the question, spills run down the side into the netherworld between cabinet and stove...yak, shudder! The slide-ins don't create that type of mess and cost less at the outset than built ins, but if either the cooktop or the oven stops working, both need to be replaced, not much of a savings there. We currently have a GE top of the line slide in range in which the oven racks keep falling off the guides as (can anyone even believe this?) the oven walls have started to bow out. So much for "American made" and "top of the line" in today's appliances. Also, we're aiming to achieve a minimalist scandinavian look, and ranges, even the slide-in ones just have so much bulk to them. As to occasionally bending down, it's probably good for us, and just doesn't bother me. I'd say the bending when filling and emptying the dishwasher is much more of an issue, as we do that repeatedly each day and often for a prolonged time. If my DW would butt up to tall cabinetry in my kitchen plan, I'd elevate the DW center to counter height, the way Europeans build theirs right into their cabs, now that would really make a nice difference. benje - I've seen that kitchen, it's very cool looking. An open galley like that is what my dream home would have, so practical and no corners. And yes, it would look and work fabulous in our family room. But, he problem is, the family room would not look good in the old kitchen space, for one the space is just too small. Secondly, the almost wall to wall and floor to ceiling window and sliding door in the current family room are what make sitting there and gazing into the backyard ideal. We also enjoy these views from our kitchen, as we can see through the family room into the backyard. The reverse would not be the case, the kitchen cabinetry would block the view from people who are sitting on low couches. In the current kitchen, the window sills are at ca. 37" and cannot be changed (beneath two of them sits our tall AC). anyway there is no view out the side yard, and we will not add a "picture window" to the front of our house. So, no, I don't think we would ever use this space as a family room. Nice try though benje - thank you.