Looking for a spring get away in the Midwest that is funf or kids age 3-10. We live in the Chicago area and would be driving.. Also looking at a budget, so the sky is not the limit. Anything fun to do in MO, MN, WII, MI, KY OR TN? Any suggestions anywhere within 6-8 hrs of Chicago. We have been to the Dells a few times and we do love it but I was almost thinking some different but it is an option and probably a good one..
We ended up in St Louis. I can't say enough great things about their zoo or Magic House. I wish we had more time to visit a few others and being March some museums were on winter hours and closed (mon - wed).
There are lots of great places on the west side of Michigan. You could try Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Silver Lake (dune rides). Ludington. Also, anywhere in the UP is awesome!
LOVE the dells.
You don't give a lot of info about how long you will be there and if you are doing a "budget vacation" or if you have saved and are ok to spend some money - or how far you are willing to travel.
There are TONS of things to do
Galena
Starved Rock State Park.
St Louis - Grants Farm, the zoo, riverboat trip
Go to Hannibal, MO and tour Mark Twain's home. Stop in Springfield on the way home and see the Lincoln sites, Lincoln museum and home as well as the capital of your state, etc
Cedar Point in Ohio.
Good Luck and have fun
Would your kiddos be afraid of caves? There's Mammoth Cave around the Bowling Green, KY area. Louisville Slugger - now back in Louisville! The Belle of Louisville might be running - will depend on when your trip is1
Depending on the time of your vacation - there is Huber's in Starlight, IN...
We went to Milwaukee a couple of years ago. Stayed at a hotel with a small water park. Went to a couple of museums, Miller Brewery tour, Sprecher soda tour, ate lunch along the Milwaukee River. Nice getaway. We were only there a few days.
Hmmm.. I am not sure why WI is not in your list, but there are many fun things to do there...
Rockford, IL is on the way to Madison, WI from Chicago
http://www.discoverycentermuseum.org/
In Madison, visit the free zoo, and spend a Saturday morning at the farmer's market.
http://www.vilaszoo.org/
http://www.dcfm.org/
Madison is a very nice mid-size city
Visit one of the state parks (Governer Nelson, Devil's Lake)
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/govnelson/
http://www.devilslakewisconsin.com/
Have fun in Wisconsin Dells
http://www.wisdells.com/
More ideas:
http://attractions.uptake.com/wisconsin/family.html
Have fun!
St Louis is a great choice, as is Branson or Kansas City.
Living in Aurora, IL....what about just doing Chicago as a stay-cation? There are sooo many great things to do in Chicago!
There are lots of things to do in Minnesota: http://www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx
We also enjoyed Wisconsin Dells on our road trip through the midwest. It was budget friendly with plenty of inexpensive motels to choose from. Also fun: The House on the Rock near Spring Green Wisconsin. I liked the architecture, my boys liked seeing all the weird stuff on display. The Lincoln museum in Springfield was really worthwhile.
