Cheesy origins: Fair Oaks Farms

As lame as the term "staycation" might be, it's reality for a sad lot of broke-ass food enthusiasts who can't make it to Whole Foods, much less to Napa Valley. Those who wonder what the fine Midwest has to offer (other than corn and flooding) should staycate to Fair Oaks Farms, just down I-65 in Indiana. It’s the Six Flags of dairy farms, housing a dairy museum with how-fast-can-you-milk-teats games, a birthing barn where the public can see cows being born (gross but amazing if you have a soft spot in your heart for Norman of City Slickers), and more cheese and ice cream than you can shake a stick at. And it’s delicious. Go for the aged gouda, the squeak-in-your-mouth fresh cheese curds, and the aged cheddar, and then work it off at the giant milk-carton-meets-rock-climbing-wall. If you can’t make it that far south, the cheese is on sale here in Chicago at Strack and Van Til grocery store, 2627 N. Elston Ave.