JustinHammond wrote:St Louis
Nashville
Chicago
All doable for weekends, good advice. Closer by, Shakertown at Pleasant Hill can make for a peaceful weekend getaway. The restaurant on the premises has shed some of the authentic 19th century Shaker cuisine and gone more bistro-ward, but it's still a beautiful setting with decent fare - and, after many dry years, a full liquor license.
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/shake ... le-getawayCincinnati and Northern Kentucky is another possibility. There's a first-rate aquarium in Newport, on the Kentucky side, and lots to do in Cincy, not to mention IKEA, Jungle Jim's, and a little time spent walking around Mount Adams, an urban neighborhood that feels a little more like San Francisco than Cincinnati should.