Big Sur, California
Pair new flights to Santa Barbara with a reopened highway for an epic road trip.
Following a three-year closure caused by landslides, the 90-mile Big Sur stretch of Highway 1, fully reopened in January, beckoning travelers back for an uninterrupted road trip on one of the most breathtaking coastal corridors in the world. Start four hours south, in Santa Barbara, where United has added daily direct service from O’Hare. From there, take the open road to Big Sur and its highlights: Jade Cove, with its underwater deposit of nephrite jade; the steep coastal canyons of Limekiln State Park; and the secluded Partington Cove, with views of kelp forests and crashing waves.
While there: Pull up at the glamp-site Treebones Resort, now fully accessible, for an 18-course $160 omakase.
Bentonville, Arkansas
A massive museum expansion makes this a quintessential spot for American art.
When the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton of the Walmart empire, opened here in 2011, its world-class collection instantly made it a destination for art lovers. Nearly 15 years later, it’s almost doubled in size, adding 114,000 square feet of galleries. Through January, see the exhibition Keith Haring in 3D, which spans the artist’s rarely seen sculptures, skateboards, and even a hand-painted 1963 Buick Special. Wander around to see a new addition, T.C. Cannon’s painting It’s a Good Day to Die.
While there: Stay at the Compton (from $418), Bentonville’s newest boutique hotel. It brings the Ozarks indoors with limestone walls quarried in Missouri and artwork inspired by native forests.
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Saugatuck, Michigan
An inaugural food and wine festival showcases the Art Coast’s epicurean side.
Good food has never been hard to find in Saugatuck. But this fall, it’s all in one place. November 5 to 7, the lakeshore town debuts its Art Coast Food & Wine Festival (three-day passes start at $400), emceed by Top Chef host Kristen Kish. Alongside the Kalamazoo River, a four-hour tasting pairs culinary bites and Michigan wines with live music, plus cooking demos by Chicago’s John Manion and others. Around town, 15 restaurants offer prix fixe menus.
While there: In nearby Fennville, hit a harvest season high at Crane Orchards, with apple trees, a corn maze, hay rides, and $10 pie flights through October.
Wisconsin Dells
A new medieval-themed resort promises castles and dragons — and plenty of wins for adults.
With its fairy-tale-like rooms, castle motifs, and giant dragon sculpture out front, the fantasy-themed Dellshire Resort (from $201), which opened in May, will warm the heart of anyone who’s ever cosplayed Games of Thrones. You can make a quest of the five indoor and outdoor pools, as well as the massive arcade, but this isn’t just a kiddies’ playground. The resort keeps grownups top of mind: Hit the adults-only swim-up bar for a Dragon Slayer, made with tequila, rum, and dragon fruit, or the hot tub tucked into a faux grotto.
While there: At the reopened Dawn Manor, a restored 19th-century mansion on nearby Mirror Lake, get a taste of Wisconsin with herb-crusted walleye and prime rib.
New Buffalo, Michigan
A retreat brings wellness energy and an air of France to southwest Michigan.
Opened in June by former Chicagoans Jeana Anderson Cohen and Justin Cohen, the boutique resort Petite Acres spans four-plus inland acres, with 12 rural-France-inspired cottages (from $336) and larger maisons. This place is wellness focused, which should serve your deep-breath goals well when you attend open-air fitness classes and visit the yurt-style meditation spaces. Add to that a strength and cardio studio, a cedar sauna, a cold plunge, and weekly yoga and Pilates sessions to make your rajeunissement complete.
While there: At the onsite bar Château Aster, raise a Campfire Cherry Pie, a cocktail made with Lapsang Souchong tea and cherry-thyme cordial and crafted by Andrew Prazich of Chicago’s Best Intentions.
Indianapolis
A new trail network with itineraries gets you pedaling past the usual city highlights.
This year, with the launch of the Greater Indy Trailways, more than 800 miles of paved paths and greenways — touching nine of the Indianapolis metro area’s 11 counties — officially became connected. The $190 million project solidifies one of the most expansive urban trail systems in the country. Pick from 18 “premier” paths at thetrailways.com. If you like to nosh and ride, try a 20-mile section of the Monon Trail, linking you with brunch at Good Morning Mama’s, a blond cream ale at Sun King Brewery, and a Thai frozen coffee pop from Nicey Treat.
While there: Opened in May, the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis, housed in part in a former barn, has nine galleries (all with rotating works) on an eclectic campus that also features a bee sanctuary with native flowers.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Embrace winter adventure and the northern lights on these new expeditions.
Winter is Iceland’s dark-horse tourism season — and not just for peak aurora borealis viewing but for surreal, snow-covered landscapes. Active travelers can splurge on Explora’s new-for-winter seven-day expedition (from $17,900), running December to March, that start in the capital city and canvas remote territories like iceberg-dotted Jökulsárlón and Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. For a gentler journey, try Abercrombie & Kent’s new weeklong season-specific treks (from $11,495) that begin in November and trace the Golden Circle, Iceland’s classic sightseeing loop.
While there: At Kirsuberjatréð (Cherry Tree), shop for handicrafts made by female artists (think fish-skin bags).
Nina Kokotas Hahn is a freelance writer for Chicago magazine.