Our family went to Eureka Springs, AR. for a spring break get away this year hoping to find warmer climate in the south. Driving down from the Chicago area was an ~11+ hour trip. From the Chicago area to St. Louis the drive is your typical flat and somewhat boring drive found in the mid-west. Shortly after leaving St. Louis the landscape changes and becomes much more engaging. A little further south and you start getting into hills and curves that wake up the drive. Eureka Springs is a very small town that makes a fun long weekend destination. The driving in and around the area is quite fun as well. No need to go for speed, there are plenty of funny twisty roads to be found that can be exciting, especially for a flatlander from IL. The kicker is I was driving our 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan My MINI is still on order, which I was reminded of several times throughout the drive by my wife who was sitting shotgun. The trip would be quite fun with a like minded group of enthusiasts to hang out with and explore the area.
As a former central IL flatlander, I feel your pain! There's a whole other Country out there that's a whole lot better than the land of Ill. Enjoy it as frequently as possible.
...so be sure to come back for MINIs in the Ozarks, held in Eureka Springs every October! 200-300 MINIs on all those good roads, much fun.
+1 Registration is now open for MITO. The website is ozarkmini.com. You will find a list of the events and runs scheduled with maps showing the routes. I would strongly suggest Galen's Elk Run for sure. For a novice, avoid anything associated with Dustin. His activities are very aggressive and appropriate for seasoned track type driving. The entire rally is very well organized and loads of fun with lots to do and see. You can visit the registration page and see who all is registered and what State they are from. So far the furthest is Washington State along with Nevada and Mass.
Very cool. I didn't realize this was an annual event. We did have fun while visiting on our own, so we'll have to check this out.