Looking for a Family Summer Getaway

What about Lake Geneva? It's really close and it's a nice place to go for a little trip. I can't help you out with where to stay though. We stayed at the Abby Resort, which was nice, but I'd like to stay someone else the next time around, since we prefer hotels that offer suites, so we have two rooms instead of one.

Another place we use to go to when I was a little girl is Holland Michigan. Saugatuck is close by, which is a cute little town. Holland has a nice lake and beach and has many cottages for rent.

Check out www.blueharborresort.com we LOVE it there! We go every year October. I have some beautiful pictures.....we rent the condos that are lakefront....if you want to see the pictures send me a message and I will e-mail them to you.
C.

we loved Frankenmuth MI.There is a Bavarian lodge there that is super kid friendly. theres also Brommer's Christmas world, hours and you can stop at cereal city usa and blueberry or strawberry picking depending on the season.

I am from Michigan and my husband is from Ohio, so we have gone to both. We are new to the parenthood thing and having to worry about child friendly activities. The west coast of Michigan has a lot of activities close to one another. For example, Muskegon, Grand Haven, Whitehall, and Holland are all really close to each other and offer a lot of great activities. Michigan's Adventure is a great waterpark in Muskegon, many lighthouses to visit, there is a submarine at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, a Jellystone Park in Grand Haven, we like to fly kites on the beach, etc.

Good Luck and Have Fun,
D.

I do'nt know how strict you are with the 3 hour driving limit, but there are islands in lake erie in Ohio that are fun. It is more like a 5 hour drive. I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old and made the drive this weekend. It is a straight shot out 90 into ohio. There are two islands middle bass island and South bass island (also called put-in-bay). http://www.putinbay.com/ http://www.middlebass.org/
either one you take a ferry to get to and there is a boat that takes you between the two islands. I would say for a nice relaxing family vacation to see if you can find a place to rent at Middle Bass because it is a bit less crowded. But again it is a 5 hour drive so you might not be interested.

A.

Starved Rock is wonderful. They have various options for lodging, camping, hotel, or cabins. There is alot in the area to do. Buffalo Rock (right down the road) they can see Buffalo. There are the locks and Dam and they can use the control panel to do a simulation and actually watch barges go through. The little towns are fabulous too.

We always go every summer to Lake Geneva, WI- I am 31 years old and my husband's family has been going for over 50 years. It is great for kids. We usually rent a house on the lake, so we can go down to the beach in front of the house or there is several resort type places there as well. It is beautiful there and my two children who are under two love it as well. You can also look at Michigan City, IN at the beachwalk houses. We rent a house every year there during Notre Dame football season and it is half a block from Lake Michigan. The houses are beautiful and it is a great experience-they also have a pool and playground too! If you need any information-please email me at ____@____.com

We've always loved Michigan.... either South Haven or Sautatuck/Douglas are not too far, not very crowded especially during the week, and there are really nice beaches, hiking, fruit picking opportunities, lots of places to stay with pools.

Have you guys thought about Starve Rock, its about 90 minutes from Chicago , and has a water park (grizzly something along with nature centers and a lake . My husband and I took are 2 boys there last year ( 3 and 2)and it was fun . You can do alot of hiking .

Have fun planning and enjoy the summer .