Ouro Preto is a historical city and UNESCO world heritage site. It was the center of the gold rush in Brazil and at one time the capital of Minas Gerais. It is also the place where one of Brazil's most important revolutionaries was executed. Tiradentes was executed here and the weekend of our wedding is actually the holiday that celebrates his sacrifice. If you want to go to a place with beautiful architecture and one that is historically significant, you won't find a better place than Ouro Preto.
Inhotim is one of the largest open air art museums in the world. It is thousands of acres of botanical gardens with massive outdoor art exhibits and one of the largest collections of contemporary art in all of Brazil. If you're into art at all Inhotim is a great place to plan a visit to. One thing to note is that the museum is closed on Monday's so if you want to visit, keep that in mind.
Capitólio is a beautiful place southwest of Belo Horizonte. It is known for it's large lake with beautiful water running through impressive canyons. This destination is for people who are planning to spend more time in Brazil and willing to rent a car with offroad capabilities.
Serra do Cipó is a small town which has a national park nearby and an abundance of waterfalls that you can travel to. Serra do Cipo is a place for those who enjoy the outdoors and want to do some hiking and swimming under the waterfalls.
The revolutionary Tiradentes also has a city named after him. It's another city that began during the gold rush and you will find a lot of the colonial Portuguese architecture from other historical cities in the area, but it has some other things that make it stand out. It has a steam train that you can take through the country to a neighboring city (Sao Joao do Rei) that was cool for seeing some wildlife and the back country. This city also has some great restaurants (we particularly LOVED the restaurant Tragaluz) with traditional food from the region.