So, you didn’t buy your flight in time. You don’t have a ride home this spring break. Or, you just want to avoid your family. Besides escapism, there are only so many places you can turn to within Hillsdale itself. But if you’re bored and stuck in Hillsdale this spring break, you can always leave for a short day trip.
Day trip to Chicago
Three hours away, Chicago is an adventurous but doable day trip. For the first time since Covid hit, Chicago’s St. Patrick’s day parade is back. Go on March 12th to see the crowded streets full of bagpipe players in tartan plaid and the sidewalks lined with green bowler hats (and the occasional orange beard). This year, there are even boat tours of the famous dyed-green river. Being surrounded by kelly green bowler hats, emerald green kilts, and a neon green river might just cheer up an otherwise gray week. Just pop on that Irish cabbie cap that’s hidden in the closet, and you’re set.
While you’re in Chicago, there are few more places you won’t want to miss. If you’re an oil painter, an aspiring intellectual, or an artsy science student, go visit the Art Institute of Chicago. You won’t want to miss Van Gogh’s self-portrait or Picasso’s “Old Guitarist.” Feeling vaguely narcissistic, but in a surrealist kind of way? Go see your reflection in “the Bean.” Need a high to get you through the rest of the semester? Visit Skydeck, a small glass box sticking out of the 103rd floor of the Willis Building. And, of course, remember to stroll by the Trump Tower.
Go on a date in Mackinaw City
Want to take Hillsdating to the next level? Call it a date and go stargazing at the local dark sky preserve near Mackinaw City. Dark sky preserves have minimal light pollution, making the stars more visible. Visit the museum inside the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and then drive across the Mackinac Bridge, a suspension bridge where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. Mackinaw City is four hours away, so take a group and rent an Airbnb to make for a more relaxing trip.
Day trip to Holland
Always wanted to visit the Netherlands? There’s nothing stopping you: go to Holland. No, not Amsterdam, Holland: Holland, Michigan. Just over two hours away, Michigan’s very own Holland has the Dutch aesthetic — windmills, spring tulips, dainty architecture — without the travel expenses. If you want to get your feet wet, then Holland is the perfect lakeside town to visit. Along with a view of Lake Michigan and Macatawa Bay, you’ll get to see the most photographed lighthouse in Michigan, the iconic “Big Red.”
Day trip to Quincy
Need something a little closer? Book Haven, in Quincy, is just 20 minutes away. Get a coffee across the street, then amble down the aisles of thrillers and westerns, gaze at the walls of sci-fi, and investigate shelves of classics. Junior Elyssa Witskin, who recently visited Book Haven, described it as a mix between “quaint” and “clown.”
“It was a little clown, mostly because of all the Star Trek,” Witskin said, “but it was an awesome bookstore.” Book Haven has just about every genre—and that includes a small section dedicated to Star Trek. When junior Ceara Kerwin visited Book Haven, she rediscovered one of her old favorites.
“I found one of my childhood favorite books, the fourth in the Penderwicks series,” Kerwin said. “They also have large windows in the bookstore too, one of which they’ve made into a little reading corner.”
On your way back to Hillsdale, stop in Allen for some antiquing. From Hog Creek Antiques to Peddler’s Alley to Allen Antique Barn, the opportunities of finding inexpensive and slightly quirky gifts are endless.
Go on a spontaneous road trip
Feeling particularly bold? Check some states off your bucket list. Junior Andrew Davidson had three states to go before he hit all the states in the continental US. So, he road-tripped through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota all in one break. Be warned, this 28 hour trip takes commitment.
“It was an adventure,” Davidson said. “People wiser than I saw me getting ready to leave and wondered whether or not they’d ever see me again.”
Davidson had planned ahead, but he had not checked the weather.
“I had a camping spot reserved in Bismark, North Dakota. I camped outside three nights with my pillow over my head instead of under,” he said.
“I broke my windshield near the Canadian border. I had accidentally backed into a sign in the pitch dark. So, my advice is not to do that, especially not alone.”
Take a mini pilgrimage
Need more of that Catholic aesthetic than Hillsdale can provide? Visit South Bend, home of the University of Notre Dame. If you need some inspiration to get you through the next half of the semester, a pilgrimage to “Touchdown Jesus” just might do the trick. Touchdown Jesus, as it is nicknamed, is a mosaic-like mural on the Hesburgh Library, called the “Word of Life.” Naturally, a mural of Jesus should be seen from all over campus. However, this mural is particularly visible from the football field. Jesus’ arms are raised up in blessing—or so the artist, Millard Sheets, claims. But during a game, the victorious spirit of the mural is unmistakable.