• I grew up in the Midwest and have traveled to all 50 states.
• When in the region, I love visiting Bayfield, Wisconsin, and Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.
• I enjoy spending time in downtown Chicago when I'm in the mood for a city adventure.

As an experienced solo traveler who has visited all 50 states and every major US national park, I'm often asked for recommendations on what to do in popular vacation spots across the country.

However, as someone who grew up in Illinois, I love highlighting and recommending some of the impressive spots the Midwest has to offer.

From the dramatic beauty of the Great Lakes to the badlands in the Dakotas, there is a surprising amount of diversity and beauty within what some may consider to be flat land.

Here are some of my favorite things to do in the Midwest.

Visit Bayfield, Wisconsin, for hiking and relaxation.

My favorite thing to do in the Midwest is visit Bayfield, Wisconsin, which is often considered the smallest city in the state.

Located on Lake Superior, Bayfield has a quaint downtown for shopping, plenty of local restaurants, and fantastic outdoor recreation opportunities.

The city is also the gateway to Apostle Islands National Seashore, which offers lots of opportunities for hiking and sea kayaking. I recommend taking a ferry to Madeline Island and Big Bay State Park.

Spend a weekend in downtown Chicago.

Despite being a major city, Chicago doesn't always get enough credit. However, it's one of my favorite spots for a weekend getaway.

When visiting The Windy City, I always make sure to visit Millennium Park — where the iconic Cloud Gate (aka "The Bean") is located — before exploring the nearby Art Institute of Chicago.

I always recommend attending an improv-comedy show at The Second City, which has been a launchpad for "Saturday Night Live" cast members like Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and John Belushi.

Whether you're into deep-dish pizza or love exploring neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Hyde Park, Chicago has something for everyone.

Drive North Shore Scenic Drive from Duluth to Grand Portage in Minnesota.

In my opinion, Minnesota is one of the most beautiful states in the country. It's also home to one of my favorite drives — the North Shore Scenic Drive.

The 154-mile drive along Highway 61 starts in Duluth and makes its way along the rugged Lake Superior shoreline, offering breathtaking views, opportunities to stop in charming small towns, and access to some of Minnesota's most iconic outdoor destinations.

My favorite spots to stop are Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse, and Tettegouche State Park.

Hike at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.

Although Illinois isn't necessarily known for its canyons, waterfalls, or hiking trails, there are many spots to find all three — my favorite being Starved Rock State Park.

The popular park is just around 100 miles southwest of Chicago, making for an easy day trip or weekend getaway from the city.

With 13 miles of trails, 18 canyons, and beautiful seasonal waterfalls, visiting Starved Rock feels like stepping into a different state.

Visit Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Illinois.

Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO World Heritage site just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, is an essential stop for anyone fascinated by history, archaeology, or Indigenous culture.

This Illinois state-historic site preserves the remnants of the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico. At its height around AD 1100, Cahokia was a thriving metropolis and is believed to have had a population of nearly 20,000 people.

A visit isn't complete without climbing Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthen structure in North America, built by the Indigenous people who once lived here. Make it to the top for sweeping views of the surrounding landscape, dotted with 70 preserved mounds.

Hike at Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

South Dakota probably isn't the first state that comes to mind when considering the Midwest. However, this sparsely populated state on the region's westernmost edge is packed with natural beauty.

One of my favorite stops in the state is Badlands National Park, a rugged and awe-inspiring landscape with dramatic scenery of eroded buttes, pinnacles, spires, sprawling grasslands, abundant wildlife, and fossils.

Take a scenic drive or hike through the otherworldly landscape that feels far away from the Midwest.

An ex-Chicagoland police chief says violent ambushes and murder of on-duty police officers need to be punishable as a federal crime, and he's calling on President-elect Donald Trump to move the effort forward. 

"Attacks on police officers are certainly on the rise since 2020, and what's really on the rise is ambush," retired Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel told Fox News Digital in an interview. "There's been more ambush attacks on police officers in the last two to three years than I've ever seen before, and that goes from everything from just an officer sitting in a squad car, either writing a report or he or she is on an assignment, and somebody walking up and just shooting the officer right in the squad car."

"That's happened several times over the last couple of years, or fake 911 calls where – the whole purpose of the calls [is] to get the officer to respond and to open fire on that officer and kill that officer. That's happened many times. We had never seen that, you know, 10 years ago," he added.

CHICAGO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ID SUSPECT, ANNOUNCE CHARGES IN MURDER OF POLICE OFFICER

Currently, killing state or local law enforcement officers can lead to a federal penalty only if the killing is committed to influence or retaliate against the officer's official duties and involves interstate commerce or federal jurisdiction. While some laws have been passed in recent years to curb the uptick in police killings, there's no official federal law that killing a police officer in any state is a felony because most cases are prosecuted under state law.

States generally treat the murder of a police officer as an aggravated form of homicide that can carry harsh penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty.

"What I'm looking for is uniformity, and I'm looking forward to give the family and loved ones some relief that things are being done properly, and I know for a fact that they're not prosecuted and investigated the same in every state in America. That's not happening," Weitzel said.

Weitzel, who was almost killed in an ambush shooting during his time as a cop, said he's sent letters to his state legislators, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and both the Biden and previous Trump administrations, but he only heard back from Trump's DOJ with a list of best practices. Last week, Weitzel sent another letter to Trump urging him to look at the proposal.

CHICAGO REMOVES LARGEST HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT, RELOCATES TENT RESIDENTS INTO APARTMENTS AND SHELTERS: REPORT

"There's still an unsolved police murder in the west suburbs of Chicago, and that really that also made me think, like, we need to get an outside agency's experts in doing it. I'm not criticizing local law enforcement, I'm saying we just want it done uniformly," he said.

FBI data shows a significant rise in officer fatalities nationwide between 2020 and 2023, with nearly 200 officers feloniously killed over three years. In Chicago, the police department saw several of its officers killed last year: Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso on March 1 and Officer Arenah M. Preston on May 6. Officer Enrique Martinez, 26, was killed in November during a traffic stop in the city's East Chatham neighborhood.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS RIP CHICAGO MAYOR TO HIS FACE JUST DAYS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL REJECTS HIS TAX HIKE

"President Trump has publicly stated he's a law-and-order president. He has stated he supports law enforcement, many of the law enforcement ideals and legislation," Weitzel said. "So, it's the right time to at least push this, because we have somebody who in the White House says he's willing to work and pass legislation and funding with local law enforcement."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

CHICAGO – Community activist and Chicago Against Violence founder Andre Smith may be a Democrat, but he says he's willing to work with incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan to deport illegal immigrants from the Windy City. 

"I welcome in Chicago the border czar [Tom Homan]," Smith told Fox News Digital in an interview. "And [truth] be told, I wouldn't mind working with him seeing that I was the first person in Chicago to stand up and fight against the migrants."

Smith, who is also a preacher, has been on the front line of helping his community in Chicago, from helping the homeless population to fighting against local efforts by Mayor Brandon Johnson to disperse migrants throughout the city. 

CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE 'STUPIDITY' OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING

"I would love when he come[s] to Chicago to work with him, and getting them expedited back where they came from," Smith said of Homan. "Because to lie to a federal official is a federal offense, and if they came over on the pretenses of they are in fear of their life, then you have women, you have men, and all of them said they're in fear for their life because someone is going trying to kill them, and lying, you have to make examples."

Smith's comments come as many Chicago residents have been outraged by "sanctuary city" policies that have brought in thousands of migrants to a city already plagued by one of the highest violent crime rates in the U.S.

"Here we are in Chicago, where we [are] supposed to be celebrating a season of joy, love and happiness," Smith continued. "And a lot of people have Christmas trees and under their trees in Chicago. We are unwrapping gifts of neglect. We are unwrapping gifts of disappointment and heartaches. We are unwrapping gifts of $575 million of taxpayer dollars given to and misallocated to give to illegal migrants. We need solutions, and we need change."

NEW DATA REVEALS AMERICA HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS FROM US ADVERSARY WITH DEPORTATION ORDERS

Following President-elect Donald Trump's re-election, Johnson — who allocated millions of dollars to migrant resources — vowed to defend the illegal migrants residing in Chicago, saying "we will not bend or break," according to local news outlet WTTW. 

"Our values will remain strong and firm. We will face likely hurdles in our work over the next four years, but we will not be stopped, and we will not go back," Johnson said.

Meanwhile, Homan spoke in Chicago last week and told local Republicans he wanted Illinois Democrats to "come to the table," but if not to "get the hell out of the way."

That comment sparked a fiery response from Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.

"Tom Homan, the next time you come to #IL03 — a district made stronger and more powerful by immigrants — you better be ready to meet the resistance," she warned.

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR SAYS 'VIOLENT' ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE DEPORTED, OPEN TO MEETING WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS

"You may think Chicago needs to get out of the way of Trump's plans for mass deportation, but we plan to get ALL UP IN YOUR WAY."

Ramirez's comments add to a growing number of statements from Democratic leaders nationwide vowing to oppose or refuse cooperation with Trump's mass deportation plans. 

But while Homan may face opposition from Illinois Democrats, there's one Democratic leader willing to work with him: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. 

"Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported," Pritzker said at a Northwest Side GOP gathering last week. "I do not want them in my state, I don't think they should be in the United States."

Pritzker, 59, is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful.

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and Pilar Arias contributed to this report.

The Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, says he agrees with one part of border czar appointee Tom Homan's historic mass deportation campaign under the incoming Trump administration.

Pritzker was responding to comments made by Homan at the Northwest Side GOP gathering that happened Monday evening,  according to FOX 32 Chicago, where he threatened to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The move would impact tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Chicago and Illinois.

"Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported," Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference, the local station reported. "I do not want them in my state, I don't think they should be in the United States."

Homan has said no one is off the table when it comes to deportations, although public safety threats will be the priority. He directly mentioned Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson in his remarks.

CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE 'STUPIDITY' OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING

"If your Chicago mayor doesn't want to help, he can step aside," Homan said. "But if he impedes us, if he knowingly harbors an illegal alien, I will prosecute him."

Pritzker has said he would welcome a meeting with Homan or the incoming Trump administration, according to FOX 32, but no one has reached out to him.

NEW DATA REVEALS AMERICA HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS FROM US ADVERSARY WITH DEPORTATION ORDERS

Illinois republicans not only urge Pritzker to work with Homan, but say the state should repeal sanctuary laws that generally limit law enforcement's cooperation with ICE.

Currently, 1.4 million noncitizens have deportation orders but are not currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, according to new figures obtained by Fox News. 

The top countries of nationals on the list include Mexico (252,044), Guatemala (253,413), Honduras (261,651) and El Salvador (203,822).

Other countries include China, which has 37,908 nationals on the docket with final orders of removal, Haiti (32,363), Iran (2,618), Pakistan (7,76), Uzbekistan, (975) and Venezuela (22,749).

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

Photobucket was sued Wednesday after a recent privacy policy update revealed plans to sell users' photos—including biometric identifiers like face and iris scans—to companies training generative AI models.

The proposed class action seeks to stop Photobucket from selling users' data without first obtaining written consent, alleging that Photobucket either intentionally or negligently failed to comply with strict privacy laws in states like Illinois, New York, and California by claiming it can't reliably determine users' geolocation.

Two separate classes could be protected by the litigation. The first includes anyone who ever uploaded a photo between 2003—when Photobucket was founded—and May 1, 2024. Another potentially even larger class includes any non-users depicted in photographs uploaded to Photobucket, whose biometric data has also allegedly been sold without consent.

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President-elect Trump flipped six highly competitive states in his election victory last week. But as a Fox News analysis showed last week, his gains with voters were not limited to the battlegrounds. 

This list covers the 10 states where Trump most outperformed his 2020 margins.

Notably, conservative strongholds aren’t the only states that made the list. The top 10 also includes deeply Democrat areas. Trump didn’t win these states, but they swung to the right.

Vote counting continues in some highly populated states on this list, including California and New York.

IN ELECTION VICTORY, TRUMP'S GAINS WENT BEYOND THE BATTLEGROUNDS

Note: As of this writing, approximately 3% of ballots have not yet been counted in New York.

So far, New York has swung 11 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 6.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while his Democrat opponent, Vice President Harris, slipped by five points.

He gained across the state, with his largest swings in New York City and Long Island.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 97% of the vote counted, she is winning by 12 points.

TRUMP TRAIN CHUGS PAST 2020 MARGINS, PARTICULARLY AMONG HISPANICS, URBAN NORTHEASTERNERS

Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in New Jersey.

So far, New Jersey has swung 10 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.7-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by 5.3 points.

He gained across New Jersey, with his largest swings in the northeast corner of the state. Hudson and Passaic counties lead the pack.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by six points.

Florida swung 10 points toward Trump.

'FASCIST': LIBERAL CRITICS MELT DOWN AFTER FLORIDA VOTERS REJECT ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT

The president-elect posted a 4.9-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by the same amount.

He gained across the state. The most notable swing was in Miami-Dade County, which flipped to the GOP for the first time since 1988.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With the results certified, he won by 13 points.

Massachusetts swung nine points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share and Harris slipped by 4.6 points.

ABORTION SUPPORTERS AT WOMEN'S MARCH IN BOSTON TURN OUT IN DROVES TO SUPPORT HARRIS PRESIDENCY

He gained across the state, with double-digit swings in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, and Bristol County.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 25 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 5% of ballots have not yet been counted in California.

So far, California has swung nine points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.8-point improvement on his 2020 vote share as Harris slipped by 4.8 points.

He gained in many areas across the state, including the two most populated cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 95% of the vote counted, she is winning by 21 points.

DEMOCRAT WINS HOUSE RACE TO RETAIN SEAT IN CALIFORNIA'S 21ST DISTRICT

Texas swung eight points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 4.2-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount.

He gained across Texas, with the largest swings concentrated in the southern parts of the state. Webb County, for example, home to Laredo, moved 25 points toward Trump. That gave Republicans their first win there in over a century.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 14 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 2% of ballots have not yet been counted in Mississippi.

So far, Mississippi has swung eight points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a four-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by roughly the same amount.

EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL PREDICTS ‘ENTIRE MINDSET CHANGE’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER, HAILS ‘FANTASTIC’ PICK TO LEAD DHS

He gained across the state, including in Yazoo County, a majority-Black county that last voted for the GOP in 2004.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, he is winning by 24 points.

Rhode Island swung seven points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.3-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by four points.

He gained across the state, led by Providence, the city’s highest-populated area.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 98% of the vote counted, she is winning by 14 points.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

Tennessee swung 6.5 points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.5-point improvement on his 2020 vote share, while Harris slipped by three points.

He gained across the state, including a double-digit swing in Trousdale County, a rural area outside the Nashville metropolitan area.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Trump would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, he is winning by 30 points.

Note: As of this writing, approximately 1% of ballots have not yet been counted in Illinois.

So far, Illinois has swung six points toward Trump.

The president-elect posted a 3.4-point improvement on his 2020 vote share; Harris slipped by 2.9 points.

He gained across Illinois, with a notable eight-point swing in Cook County, home to Chicago.

On election night, the Fox News Decision Desk projected that Harris would win the state. With 99% of the vote counted, she is winning by 11 points.

Illinois’ Democratic attorney general and a court-appointed monitor are among those warning Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson that his administration’s proposed cuts to police resources may land the crime-wracked city in litigation.

During a status hearing last week, monitor Maggie Hickey told Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer that cuts to the Chicago Police Department's (CPD’s) Constitutional Policing division could "could be a devastating blow to the future of CPD reforms" under a legally-mandated consent decree, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

State Attorney General Kwame Raoul separately warned Johnson that adopting cuts proposed in his new budget would place Chicago "at significant risk of being held in contempt of court for failing to comply with the consent decree."

In 2017, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, then-Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and then-Illinois Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan entered into the consent decree after the Justice Department reportedly found evidence of systemic civil rights violations within CPD.

DEMOCRAT MAYOR NOT WELCOME AT FUNERAL FOR SLAIN CHICAGO OFFICER

Verbal warnings for use-of-force and requirements to render first aid were among the other agreed upon terms besides the funding. The decree came after Madigan sued Chicago for oversight of its police department, which effectively mooted a separate plan from then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- who reportedly opposed consent decrees -- according to NBC News.

In his letter to the mayor, Raoul credited Police Superintendent Larry Snelling with working diligently to deliver on the decree’s commitments to the state and the court, and overseeing a simultaneous decrease in gun violence and homicides.

"I am writing to you today because of my grave concern over your proposed budget cuts to the CPD -- the deepest of which target units within CPD responsible for implementing the consent decree's reforms. I strongly urge you to reconsider these proposed cuts," Raoul wrote in a letter to Johnson obtained by the Sun-Times.

"Now is not the time to undermine the progress the department is making through unwise budget cuts."

He told the mayor that while the progress in Chicago may be frustratingly slow, it remains "quiet and steady" through his work in Springfield.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Raoul signaled CPD itself is working in earnest toward the decree’s goals.

"Superintendent Snelling and his leadership team at CPD are building momentum toward effective, constitutional policing and, ultimately, a safer Chicago."

"I have had positive conversations with the corporation counsel and believe the right leadership team is in place at CPD," Raoul said.

CHICAGO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ID SUSPECT, ANNOUNCE CHARGES IN MURDER OF POLICE OFFICER

"Now is the time to build on their momentum, not to pull the rug out from under CPD’s progress. Certainly, the city at large is facing budgetary concerns; however, targeting court-ordered reform work for budget cuts is simply not an option."

Both Snelling and Raoul separately pointed to the police department’s handling of the Democratic National Convention in August as an example of the strides it has made in effective policing.

"We have to make sure the allocation of resources reflects the trends we have seen," Snelling said.

"As evidenced during the DNC, no matter what challenges we are presented with, we will get the job done with the highest levels of dedication and professionalism," he said at a City Council meeting on Friday.

Snelling added that the buck stops with him when it comes to police accountability and that he will not back away from public criticism.

"I don’t fear it," he said.

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After resources were used to create a robbery task force earlier this year, the number of such crimes has gone down by 1,400 over previous statistics, he added.

Snelling responded to an alderman’s question by saying he convinced Johnson to reverse one of the cuts: a nine-job bloc for mental health clinicians in precincts currently lacking them.

"The consent decree is extremely important," CPD Chief Angel Novalez added at the meeting, noting he meets with Pallmeyer and the court monitor’s team on a regular basis.

Johnson’s budget includes a reduction of about 450 police vacancies in areas the Chicago Sun-Times reported would greatly affect the consent decree’s reforms.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office, as well as the CPD which referred back to a stream of Snelling’s City Council testimony.