Vacation Destinations

Well, this isn't exactly a "vacation"ut my family has so much fun going to Magic Waters in Rockford, much less expensive than The Dells and a lot closer. Otherwise if you want more of a road trip head up to the upper peninsula of michigan or starved rock in illinois.

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You did not mention if you were looking for resorts, hotels or campgrounds. I recommend the Michigan lakeshore - anywhere from Sawyer, MI north all the way to Muskegon. Great food, beaches, shops, etc. - lots to do and relax too.

M. in IL

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Hi S.,

I suggest Indianapolis. It's about three hours from Chicago an has a lot to do with kids. They have a terrific children's museum (currently with a Star Wars exhibit), the Indianapolis Zoo (which is a zoo, aquarium and botanic gardens), and White River State Park located right downtown with a lot of activities, including bike and paddle boat rentals. It has the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art, the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Indianapolis Speedway Hall of Fame (if nothing is going on there you can take a bus tour of the racetrack). A few miles out of town is Conner Prairie, a pioneer village, Indian camp and Victorian farm with a hands-on kids' discovery area. If you happen to go there in August (aside from your brother's wedding) you can also go to the Indiana State Fair.

J.

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St. Louis! We did that two years ago when my girls were that age and they loved it! I think it was only a 4-5 hour drive, we stayed in St.Charles, just outside the city, they have a beautiful riverwalk in that area with cobblestone streets and a bunch of places to eat. We even took the kids on a carriage ride one evening and they thought they were Cinderella! As for things to do:
- St. Louis Zoo
- Science Center
- The Arch (you can go up to the top) and a Riverboat ride on the Mississippi River – you can get on right by the Arch
- Meramec Caverns – I think this was about a 45-60 minute drive from the city, but it was great to see
- Missouri Botanical Gardens
- Anheuser/ Bush tour – tour is free, you get to see the beautiful Clydesdales horses and free drinks after the tour =)
- Grants Farm
- The Magic House Children’s Museum
- City Museum
You can use this link to request a visitor’s guide.

http://www.explorestlouis.com/myStl/visitorsGuide.asp?Pag...

Have fun!

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St. Joseph MI has Silver Beach - great clean white sand and kid's play areas and Curious Kids museum. Kalamazoo, MI has Binder Zoo where the girls can hand feed giraffes. We did the combo trip last summer and will do it again this summer. They loved the zoo and want to go back. It is very small and out in the woods but perfect for little ones. We will do that trip again this summer.

Indianapolis has a great Children's museum and zoo.

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How about the great state of Michigan? New Buffalo and such lakeside areas have all sorts of resorts. Game rooms, activities, swimming, sand castle buildings. You could pack crayons, chalk, books to read them, music, etc. We use to stay at Camp Sokal. There were motel and log cabins. The kids had a ball. Michigan is close and reasonable. Holland, Michigan has many many things to do also.

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how about a "stay"-cation! check out this site for family-oriented fun in:

illinois: http://enjoyillinois.com/getaway/home.aspx

indiana: http://www.allgetaways.com/view_destination.asp?destinati...
http://www.alltravelingkidsfamilyvacations.com/indiana-wh...
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/vacations-indiana.htm

wisconsin: http://www.thefamilytravelfiles.com/locations/wisconsin/

here is another website if you want to travel outside the immediate area: http://www.familevacations.com/

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How about St. Louis? They have a wonderful zoo and parks and the Arch to go up into. Near the arch is a very old section of town called LaCleedes's Landing (That may be misspelled) They have horse and buggy rides and wonderful restaurants. The kids would like the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant. It's about 275 miles from the Chicago area. We love St. Louis...Also downtown they have the old Union Station and of course the Cardinals ballpark!

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