If you live in Kentucky, Wisconsin Dells is about 600 miles. The drive is interstate the whole way. Setting the cruise control at 70 would give you a nine hour drive. Leaving at 9 am and stopping only for gas and lunch, you should arrive at the Dells at 6 pm. You will pick up a time zone change on the way up, which will help, but you often lose that advantage with traffic and construction, which are extremely common. There is one extensive construction zone near Rockford, Illinois.

We recommend taking I-64 to Louisville, I-65 north to Indianapolis, I-74 west to Bloomington (Ill.), I-39 north to Madison (Wisc.) and I-90 northwest to the Dells. Take 465 around the southwest corner of Indianapolis. We like to stop at Champaign Urbana, which has several exits of fast food outlets and gas stations. You'll see one of the nation's largest wind farms on I-39 (shown at right). Be sure to have change available at Rockford (Ill.), where they charge tolls on the interstate. Do Not Drive Through Chicago, unless you plan on stopping for a night or two on a Chicago sidetrip. The mileage is the same but you will lose two hours or more in traffic backups.

On your return trip, beware as you approach the Illinois line. Construction involves I-90 coming west from Chicago and merging with I-39 coming north from Champaign Urbana. I-90 and I-39 are the same highway south from The Dells. Crews have removed road signs. It appears I-39 and I-90 remain one road and veer off to Chicago, but in fact you need to turn onto I-39, heading south toward Champaign. There are no signs telling you this, and traffic is moving at 70 mph through a complex maze of turnoffs. It is VERY important that you make the right turn here, because if you make the eastward (left) turn you have NO turnoffs for a considerable distance. At three straight turnoffs there are NO entrances back onto the WESTbound side of the highway. But I-90 east is a toll road. So you pay for your mistake. And it gets worse. Once you get back on the westbound highway, and approach the construction zone and the I-39 intersection, there is still no easy way to make that left (south) turn. You MUST turn north and head back toward Wisconsin, get past the construction, exit the interstate, get back on, and try your luck again making that mysterious right turn. It is COMMON for nonlocals to get caught in this circle and trapped on I-90 to Chicago half a dozen times, paying a dollar toll every time. This is not a problem heading north toward the Dells because I-39 flows smoothly into I-90. It is only a problem heading south.