If you’re after a day-trip destination, we’ve got some suggestions. Sitting 30 miles away, Cheboksary is worth the drive. Soak up the sights starting with Monument of Mother, Chuvash National Museum and Museum of V.I. Chapaev. The locals will also likely point you toward Yoshkar-Ola, 60 miles away. If you only see one attraction here, make sure it’s Museum of the History of the Gulag. (But we’re also big fans of Sapaev Mari State Opera and Ballet Theatre and Mari El National Shketan Drama Theater.)