With some terrific day trip options in the surrounding area, having your own car makes good sense. Without one, it’d be much harder to experience everything that Yoshkar-Ola, 16 miles away, has to offer. Museum of the History of the Gulag, Sapaev Mari State Opera and Ballet Theatre and Mari El National Shketan Drama Theater alone make the drive out worth it. Cheboksary is another wonderful option. It’s 60 miles away and boasts a range of awesome things to do. Monument of Mother, Chuvash National Museum and Museum of V.I. Chapaev are just the start.