Get outta town

Students staying in Bloomington over spring break have been known to acquire serious cases of cabin fever. It might be too late to book a hotel and a flight to a hot spring break destination on the coast, but it's never too late for a random road trip.\nA popular road trip destination for many students is Chicago. While the city is home to many well-known tourist attractions, students suggest checking out some of its lesser-known attractions. \nStudents can find a taste of IU in the big city at Kirkwood Bar & Grill, located at 2934 N. Sheffield Ave. An IU alum established it, said junior Ali Finkelmeier. The restaurant has a kids menu called the "Little 5.00" where everything is $5, Finkelmeier said.\n"You can't even move in there if there's an IU game," Finkelmeier said.\nStudents who make the trip to Chicago can also visit Ed Debevic's at 640 N. Wells St., a '50s-style restaurant where the motto is "good food and fresh service," said junior Ashley Abram. According centerstagechicago.com, "servers dish out sassy mock rudeness while taking and serving your order."\n"They insult you when you order, but it's expected because that's their reputation," Abram said.\nThe servers and cooks also stop what they're doing every 10 or 15 minutes to jump onto the counters and dance, Abram said.\n"It's a fun atmosphere with mom and pop cooking," she said.\nStudents could head to the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center for a more romantic dining experience.\n"It has a good view," said freshman Travis Walerko. "It's a nice place to take a date."\nIt's open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on weekends. The lounge above it is open till the early hours of the morning.\nSophomore Jenny Mann said she enjoys Chicago for things like shopping on Michigan Avenue and eating at the great restaurants on Navy Pier, but she also said she enjoys taking trips to local destinations where she can enjoy the wilderness. Mann has visited the Hoosier National Forest and McCormick's Creek.\nThe Hoosier National Forest covers 200,000 acres in southern Indiana and offers a variety of recreational opportunities such as camping, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking, according to the USDA Forest Services Web site.\n"You can forget you're in Indiana when you're there," Mann said. "There are some hilly parts that are really nice."\nFor more information, students can contact the Hoosier National Forest supervisors office at 275-5987.\nMcCormick's Creek State Park, located near Spencer, Ind., has 17 miles of hiking trails that take visitors past features like Wolf Cave, the Twin Bridges and the Falls on McCormick's Creek, according to the park's Web site.\n"McCormick's Creek is less intense," Mann said. "It's nice if you want to walk around in pretty stuff."\nThe park also offers horseback riding on guided trails, fishing on the nearby White River and 190 modern campsites with electrical hookup and modern restrooms with showers. For more information, contact the McCormick's Creek State Park Office at 829-2235.\nFor a more intense outdoor experience, sophomore Emily Erdmann suggests heading south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.\n"You can go hiking," Erdmann said. "And you might be able to see a bear."\nThe Great Smoky Mountains National Park has more than 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from "short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require back-country camping," according to the park's Web site. The park is also home to approximately 1,600 bears, which are what most visitors come hoping to see, according to the site.\n"If you're big into camping and don't want to spend a lot for a cabin, there's campgrounds where you bring your own tent and stay the night," Erdmann said.\nThere is no entry fee to the park, but activities such as overnight camping cost $14 to $23. The park offers back-country campgrounds that visitors must hike to get to, and front-country camping in a developed campground that has restrooms with cold running water and flushable toilets. Group campgrounds are also available for groups of eight or more people. Call 865-436-1200 for more information.\nIf driving to the woods doesn't sound like a fun road trip, junior Justin Salsburey suggests driving to Caesars Indiana, a riverboat casino. The complex is located outside the community of Elizabeth, Ind., about 100 miles southeast of Bloomington. The gaming area is housed on the "Glory of Rome" riverboat. \nRegardless of his luck in the gaming area, Salsburey has always had good fortune on his road trips to the casino.\n"I've never had to drive," Salsburey said. "I always ride with somebody else"