South Bend is home to numerous museums and other attractions and is a short trip from Lake Michigan and Chicago. Aside from the suggestions below, further information can be found at the South Bend/Mishawaka Visitors Bureau (click here) and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (click here). Clicking on the name of each attraction below will take you to the appropriate website.

South Bend

Snite Art Museum - located on the campus of Notre Dame
South Bend Regional Museum of Art

Studebaker Museum - highly regarded museum on the grounds of the now defunct automaker

Northen Indiana Center for History - exhibits on regional history, including South Bend and the University of Notre Dame

South Bend Museum of Art - houses a permanent collection of works largely from regional artists and hosts traveling exhibits

College Football Hall of Fame - fun for fans of the college game, perhaps interesting to foreign visitors curious about the popular sport

South Bend Chocolate Factory - tours of the candy factory can be scheduled ahead of time for larger groups (no Willy Wonka, though)

Potawatomi Zoo - a remarkable zoo for a small town

Morris Performing Arts Center - site of concerts, theater performances, and other shows, both local and touring

South Bend Silverhawks - South Bend's minor league baseball team

There are also numerous parks (in addition to the Notre Dame campus) that are great for running, walking, and cycling. More information can be found at the South Bend Parks website here.

Greater South Bend Area

Warren Dunes State Park - this park on the shores of Lake Michigan is a great place to picnic, relax, or try to hike up and down sand dunes

Michigan Wineries - southwest Michigan is home to nearly twenty wineries, all within reasonable driving distance of Notre Dame

Shipshewana/Amish country - less than an hour east of South Bend, a very popular shopping destination

Chicago

Chicago is less than a two-hour drive from the Notre Dame campus, and the South Shore train (click here) runs a regular schedule from the South Bend airport into Chicago.

Chicago Field Museum - one could spend days in this incredible museum; highly recommended

Museum of Science and Industry - near the University of Chicago, has lots of hands-on activities for the younger crowd

Adler Planetarium - not only a first rate planetarium, but also a top-notch museum of astronomy

Shedd Aquarium - the largest indoor aquarium in the world, located within walking distance of the planetarium, along the lakeshore

Art Institute of Chicago - a fantastic art museum, recognized especially for its collections of Impressionist and American paintings