Nice Lake with a lot of spots, check out for spots, wind etc.
http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com
There is also a yahoo-group (kitesurf-chicago@yahoogroups.com) with a lot of nice kiters who are always very helpful.
I'm in South Bend for one year and have some nice spots to ride on different wind-directions. No licence requiered in most of US.