Other stories in "Shopping towns"

• A jolly holiday in Minneapolis
  Sometimes, the best tourist destination is in your own back yard.
• Winter weekend in Monticello
  Come for the swans; stay for the shopping and skiing.
• Mining for art in Mineral Point
  In southwest Wisconsin, artists and shoppers alike are drawn to a lovely village.
• Power shopping in Wisconsin
  On a late-fall foray, six bargain hunters find treasure amid scenery.
• Wisconsin's birthday town
  In laid-back Spring Green, any day is worth celebrating.
• Shopping in Madison
  In colorful college town, materialism and muckraking co-exist.
• Jolly Cedarburg
  In southeastern Wisconsin, a historic village has perfected the art of the party.
• Galena getaway
  In northwest Illinois, historic village is a favorite destination.
• Best boutique towns for weekenders
  Cute, compact, accommodating — these are good spots for girlfriend getaways.
• Destination: Stockholm
  Once the promised land, a Lake Pepin village now is a favorite day trip.
• Old World Christmas
  On the shores of Elkhart Lake, a resort imports a slice of Europe.

Spokes, sneakers and shops

She likes to shop and he likes to sweat? No problem.

As often as not, vacationing couples find they're in a mixed marriage: One likes to shop, one likes to bike or hike.

What to do? I've seen dozens of men patiently waiting on benches as their wives and girlfriends scour the shops, although these days, women are just as likely to ditch their husbands to travel with their girlfriends.

But it needn't be an either/or proposition. Pick one of the destinations below, and you'll find both great shopping and great riding (or running, or skating) routes, along with great restaurants in which to relax afterward.

Chicago

Where to ride: Chicago's 18-mile Lakefront Trail (pictured). Where to shop: The Magnificent Mile, Oak Street, the Loop, Old Town, Navy Pier.

Minneapolis

Where to ride: The 30-mile Grand Rounds, which can be extended on the Southwest LRT trails to Chanhassen and Victoria and the Luce Line to Winsted. Where to shop: Downtown, Uptown, the Mall of America.

Milwaukee

Where to ride: The Oak Leaf Trail in Milwaukee, with 48 miles of paved off-road paths, 31 miles of parkway drives and 27 miles of connecting streets. Where to shop: Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

Madison

Where to ride: The paved 17-mile Capital City State Trail, which connects Madison to the 40-mile Military Ridge Trail to Dodgeville. Where to shop: State Street and Monroe Street.

Cedarburg

Where to ride: The 30-mile Interurban Trail along Lake Michigan from just north of Milwaukee to Belgium. Where to shop: Cedarburg, a Yankee mill town with a winery, galleries and shops in antebellum buildings.

Lanesboro

Where to ride: The 42-mile Root River State Trail and 18-mile Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail in southeast Minnesota, which connects to the Root River trail five miles west of Lanesboro. Where to shop: Lanesboro and on Amish tours.

Nisswa

Where to ride: 130 miles of the Paul Bunyan State Trail from Baxter to Akeley, the Heartland State Trail between Park Rapids and Cass Lake and the Migizi Trail around Cass Lake in Minnesota lakes country. Where to shop and stay: Nisswa.

New Glarus

Where to ride: The 32 miles of the Badger State Trail from the Madison exurb of Fitchburg to the Illinois border, 13 miles on the Jane Addams Trail to Freeport, Ill.; and 23 miles on the Sugar River State Trail from New Glarus to Brodhead. Where to shop: New Glarus and Paoli.

Sturgeon Bay

Where to ride: The 31-mile Ahnapee State Trail from Casco to Sturgeon Bay, trails in Peninsula State Park and county roads around Door County. Where to shop: Algoma, Sturgeon Bay, Egg Harbor and Fish Creek.

Red Wing

Where to ride: The 19½-mile Cannon Valley Trail between Cannon Falls and Red Wing on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. Where to shop: Pottery Place and downtown in Red Wing.

Alexandria

Where to ride: Minnesota's 55-mile Central Lakes Trail, which connects with the Lake Wobegon Trail and spurs into Morrison County for a 127-mile system. Where to shop: Alexandria.

Last updated on August 28, 2008