I like the idea of seeing not just the fish I'm going to buy but the condition of the store and aquariums. If a lot of the tanks look poorly maintained, I'm leery. To that point, I've yet to encounter an LFS with good marine/reef stock that I'm confident in. Some are no better than the chains (Pet World) where their marine tanks look like a warzone (dead fish in the corners or it looks like they are deliberately trying to grow mats of hair algae).
I live in the Milwaukee area (Wisconsin). Any suggestions for good LFS in Wisconsin or northern Illinois? I'm willing to drive for quality. :)