[lsdientz]

anybody have ideas about an affordable vacation to somewhere close? We live in South Bend, IN. I have small children and with the price of gas don't really want to travel more than 4 or 5 hours away... We have already been to Indianapolis and brown county. I know there are more destinations out there. Any suggestions??

[mama2gavin]

You could try Covington, KY or Newport, KY. Cedar Point in Northern Ohio, Hocking Hills in Ohio--just went to Old Man's Cave and we had so much fun. They have cabins and horseback riding, hiking, lots of antique malls, and prim stores and there is a CVS nearby.

[danielephant]

yep we have the lovely cedar point here...they just built a new little kid ride area...if you like water we have kalahari the areas largest indoor water park...that could be fun...and we have cvs! ! but no scanners!

[lsdientz]

Originally Posted by danielephant

yep we have the lovely cedar point here...they just built a new little kid ride area...if you like water we have kalahari the areas largest indoor water park...that could be fun...and we have cvs! ! but no scanners!

perfect! I will just scan my card here right before I go. However, methinks the day we go on vacation and I hit a CVS my husband will commit me

[lilac48604]

Michigan's adventure is a pretty cool little amusement park on the west side of michigan. It's got a water park and regular amusement park all in one. Tickets are $25 & there are mtn dew cans that get you an extra $3 off admission. We always made the drive part of the vacation...and it's right off from lake michigan so you get some really pretty coastline with some nice beaches along the way. I'm not sure, but on the way up (or back) I think they might still do tours at the kellog's factory...kids seem to like the tony the tiger stuff. They're GGRRRRREEEEAAAAATTTTT!! haha

[skbrush]

It is just to $$$ to plan a big vacation this year! Here are some ideas I hope you find something fun todo!
My brother & his family go to Louisville, Ky every year. He does the bourbon trail, Bats games and the Louisville bat museum. He loves it!

We love to goto Chicago-we stay out of town to save on hotels & take the loop around town to save $$ on gas.
We don't plan a big vaction with a million things to do. We just pick a spot and discover fun things in the areas surrounding it.

I live at CP/Soak City!!! They lowered the jr/sr admission to 15.95 a day for CP. Meijer/Drug Mart have discounts tix. The only busy day was the 4th of July weekend. The rest of the summer we have walked on to the rides with 0 waiting.

The islands are also a great trip-Kelleys(Island fest is this coming weekend) and Put-in-bay
Here in Ohio we have a ton of festivals each weekend. I have a book I got offline Discover Ohio -. We try new ones when we can.
The waterparks are a bit pricey!!! There are always the beaches.
Don't forget the zoo's indy, detroit, cloumbus, cincy, toledo and cleveland are all close! We collect flat pennies from all of the zoo's we visit.
Or the State fair-we always have fun and love to eat the food!
If you come to Sandusky you can eat at Max and Erma's-I work there PT!!!!

[skbrush]

Originally Posted by danielephant

yep we have the lovely cedar point here...they just built a new little kid ride area...if you like water we have kalahari the areas largest indoor water park...that could be fun...and we have cvs! ! but no scanners!

Danielle and CVS =

[lsdientz]

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone. It has helped. Going to check out all your ideas now. They all sound so fun - too bad we can't do them all

[mama2gavin]

Oh and you might check out Michigan City, IN. I used to live around the dunes, and that can be fun!

[danielephant]

so true sarah! i didnt know you worked at M&E we hardly go there but with the weekly freebies coming up you will see me on pretzel day! ! my fav!

[patbruck]

Six Flags in Gurnee, IL can be a lot of fun. I know at the end of the season, there is advertising on Coke cans for discount tickets. I have also bought tickets for $25 each (I think they're normally $50 for adults) at our grocery store toward the end of the summer.

I am in WI. We have Wisconsin Dells, but that might be a lil far of a drive for you. Its about an hour or hour-and-a-half from Milwaukee.

[kirs10a]

We went to Detroit to see a few baseball games.....and spent a few days @ the beach on the way home. We really like Silver Beach in St. Joseph, MI. We got a great deal on a hotel room in nearby Benton Harbor. 2 1/2 stars, $65/night for a Courtyard by Marriott. It was near a movie theater, putt putt golf, restaurants, and a mall. Great for a laid-back beach vacation.

HTH!

[Guppiesgirl]

So weird! I was just coming here to see what there is to do in MI and IN. My oldest DD is in the Junior Olympics in Detroit (actually Ypsilanti) next week and we need some fun activities. We'll be at the JOs for 2 days, but would like to find a couple of other things to do while we're up there, or on the way home. I'm thinking we'll stop in Indianapolis, so maybe the zoo and/or the children's museum. I know my ds (he's turning 2 tomorrow) would love the zoo. Gas is going to be killer for a 10 hour drive, so we have to keep it as cheap as possible!

[lsdientz]

The zoo and museum in Indy are great! We went there several times now. My husband swtiched careers and is in insurance. The company paid for him to go down there because of training and the kids and I got to tag along. It was great. I know this won't be helpful to you because of the timing but On Aug. 5 there is a discounted rate to the zoo. Normally adults are $13.50 and kids two and older are $8.50. But on one tuesday each month there is a discounted ticket price of $7.00.

The children's musium tickets are the same price as zoo and same ages 2+ pays. But they also have a family night. From 4-8 pm on the first thursday of the month the museum is open free to families. Again, I know timing isn't right for you but hopefully will help someone. I have done a google search on discount tickets and coupons but cannot find anything for you.

Still if it is within budget these places my children LOVED!

[schatz]

St. Louis has a ton of neat stuff for kids as well as adults!! I didn't google to see the distance though
they have a butterfly house, magic house,zoo, science center (which is really cool) along with the arch and union station for shopping. There is a lot more..staviles would know more my memory is fading

[grace.maddie]

my top picks for zoos are toledo and ft wayne childrens zoo. toledo has the bigger animals, but ft wayne is a really big zoo and one of the best around. there is a museume in dayton ohio that is really cool, it also has an indoor zoo!
we actuall bought a yearly pass for there b/c it was lik $69 and it gets the whole family into all the resripicol aquarimines and zoos as well as hundreds of museums. it is a great deal. all the zoos we go to are on there plus science central! if you are going to more than one zoo or museum it may be worth buying that now. it is called the boonshoft museum.

[kirs10a]

Originally Posted by Guppiesgirl

So weird! I was just coming here to see what there is to do in MI and IN. My oldest DD is in the Junior Olympics in Detroit (actually Ypsilanti) next week and we need some fun activities. We'll be at the JOs for 2 days, but would like to find a couple of other things to do while we're up there, or on the way home. I'm thinking we'll stop in Indianapolis, so maybe the zoo and/or the children's museum. I know my ds (he's turning 2 tomorrow) would love the zoo. Gas is going to be killer for a 10 hour drive, so we have to keep it as cheap as possible!

We took our boys to the Henry Ford Museum & Village in Dearborn.....very fun! It was expensive, but worth it IMO.....my boys loved it!

[apreacherwife]

Originally Posted by lilac48604

Michigan's adventure is a pretty cool little amusement park on the west side of michigan. It's got a water park and regular amusement park all in one. Tickets are $25 & there are mtn dew cans that get you an extra $3 off admission. We always made the drive part of the vacation...and it's right off from lake michigan so you get some really pretty coastline with some nice beaches along the way. I'm not sure, but on the way up (or back) I think they might still do tours at the kellog's factory...kids seem to like the tony the tiger stuff. They're GGRRRRREEEEAAAAATTTTT!! haha

If your kids are between 5 and 18 I would say this one for sure! You can really spend all day here, from 9 to 9 and not get bored. Be sure to pack a lunch and take a break on the grass near the cars for lunch as the food is a bit on the high side. I grew up in this area and there are tons of things to do. You can spend a day at Lake Michigan..free...and build sand castles and swim, there are trails to both bike and walk and fun places to eat. Depending on when you go there is a Tall Ship thing in Grand Haven which is about 30 mins from Whitehall (that is where Michigan adventrue is) There is horse back riding and kite flying, there are sand dunes and fun little shops to go into and great food everywhere. There is also a great beach not far from you in Bridgeman, MI which is just into MI..its never busy, you can bring lunch and swim, walk and enjoy the other doors. Michigan adven. will take you about 3 hours from South Bend. I lived in Mishawaka a few years ago and my parents are in Muskegon so I know the timing pretty well. There is also a wonderful zoo in Grand Rapids, MI and don't forget the zoo and hands on places in Indy if your kids are under 13. You can alway go camping in Michigans almost anywhere and when my kids were young that was one of their things they loved to do and the cost is pretty low. You can rent cabins or tents pretty cheep in many places. If your budget would let you try a house on the lake and just move in for a week..its a wonderful low cost vacation after the price of the house to rent.
Have fun!!! Let us know what you do.

[mama2gavin]

Don't forget about Brookfield Zoo. I think it is one of the biggest in the country.

[Guppiesgirl]

I can help with STL. My kids love The Science Center, The Zoo, The Magic House, and The City Museum. I think their favorite is The City Museum. The Zoo is free for everyone everyday and it's not a little zoo. They have lots of animals and several newer exhibits. The food is high, but sometimes we take a cooler and go back out to the car for a picnic lunch. It's in Forest Park, so there are lots of picnic tables and shade trees. There's also Grant's Farm, which is small, but has some animals. Six Flags is close by, too...and it has the water park area. My kids would stay there all day! And we liked Meramac Caverns, which isn't too far away. Most of these places have websites, but if you need more information, just pm me.