Seeking Advice for Vaction Destinations!

we have a lot of ideas, too - depending on where you are from... if it is NE Ohio - and you like water parks, SPLASH LAGOON is a good one to try... it is similar to Kalahari. We have been there many times.

I don't know if you live in Ohio but we have done state parks. We have gone to Maumee Bay in Toledo, Salt Fork, and Hueston WOods near Dayton. We have stayed in the lodge and enjoyed the programs they offer there. We really loved these trips and so did the kids. They also have cabins you can rent.

If you are near Sandusky, I hear that Kalahari is fantastic, and they have things for little ones to do now. Even Cedar point has things for everyone to do. My family spent a few days there many, many years ago and we did everything, the water park, theme park, etc. You might even find cheap family packages if you call early enough. Good luck.

If you were thinking about going to gatlinburg, there is also a nice little amusement park for small kids at uber gatlinburg. You ride a tram up over the mountain and can get an all day wristband for a small price. There are rides and a nice little park. If you don't want to buy the wrist band you can buy tickets seperately, but it is cheaper for the wrist band and you can leave and go back all day. There is also the aquarium which my kids loved, and lots of things to do in pigeon forge. There are also all kinds of parks and scenic things. I have been every year since my son was born because of my husbands job. We haven't always had a lot of money when we went, but I have never had any problem finding stuff to do with the kids for pretty cheap. I think the rooms will cost you more, but we stayed in a cabin between gatlinburg and pigeon forge and it was cheaper than the hotels and had 2 bedrooms and a hot tub. Depending on what time of year you are going it may be pretty packed. I think right around this time of year is not so bad, but the summer is busy and then we went in August after school started and it was really quiet.
Have fun

Hello M.,

Sorry I have not read all the posts so please forgive any duplication.

First off, where the heck are you? It would be easier to respond if I knew that.

I must disagree with whoever said Ohio is yucky for vacation, it is NOT! I live in northeast Ohio so yes I am biased.

Ohio's state parks are nice for a getaway. We went to Lake Hope (Vinton County) often when my brother and I were small, we loved staying in the cabins, going to the beach, walking the trails, and gathering wood for the fireplace. My boys were not so impressed a couple years ago, but we didn't stay, just took them for a day so they could see where Mom and Uncle Fred used to vacation. You could stay there and go to the other parks mentioned--Hocking Hills, Ash Cave, Conkle's Hollow--yes there are cliffs, you MUST stay on the trails.

Also in Vinton County there is a castle you can stay in overnight. I forget the name of it, and it's not that old, but kind of interesting. You need to check with them about the ages of your kids, I seem to remember they said somthing about keeping things quiet. They also had little cabins in the same "castle" feeling. Also pricey if that is a concern.

Here in Ashtabula County we have Geneva State Park, with beach, camping, cabins and a lodge nearby with indoor pool. (Lodge is not technically part of park and you probably have to stay there to use the pool.) Not far from there is Geneva-on-the-Lake, a sort of 1950's style resort type ("resort" used loosely) with little shops, arcades, Adventure Zone (paddle boats, mini golf, race cars), water slides (not for your youngest).

Pymatuning State Park, on OH-PA border is nice also.

Near Sandusky and Cedar Point you can find nature preserves with trails, bird watching; Sandusky has a carousel museum (I forget if they have a working carousel or not).

Columbus Zoo is good; so is Cleveland's; Toledo's is supposed to be also, I have not been there.

You can go to Amish country in Holmes County. There is a nice steam train ride in Sugar Creek (I think).

Coshocton is worth seeing, actually Roscoe Village is the big draw there. It is a restored canal town with buildings you can tour. Also you can walk along the canal and/or take a ride on a canal boat. Visitors Center has a neat miniature set-up of a lock (or at least it used to, haven't been there for awhile). Camping right near there too.

If you have AAA go get some tour books and look. Good Luck--let us know where you go!

K. Z.

Well, let's see. Ohio is pretty yucky to go on vacation especially only 3hrs away, can't really do much. If you are willing to go 31/2-4 Hocking Hills is a wonderful trip for anyone at any age. It is walking, minimal hiking, trails and cliffs. There are some horrible cliffs at some of the attractions but simply ask someone coming out (there is always someone coming out or someone who has been there before) what it's like if your not comfortable with that idea. Lake Logan is close by there, maybe another 30min. I took my daughter when she was three and all she wanted to do was go back. Spring is a wonderful time to go because most of the waterfalls are flowing. We went again this past September (she is now 9) and the falls were pretty dry. It's beautiful there anyway and also one of our favorite places to go. Another wonderful place is Pokagon State Park in Indiana. It's only about an hour away but you feel you are in another world. They have an Inn on the premises you can stay at but it can be pretty pricey but there is an indoor pool. There are a number of hotels around that area but it is approximately $5.00 per carload to enter the park, you do get a pass for the day if you need to leave. There is a lake there also with canoes and paddle boats to rent. This is another woodsy place to walk and hike. The best part is the nature center. This is designed around kids. They get to hold harmless snakes and animals. This is another place my daughter keeps asking for and yes she held a snake, we have gone twice and plan to go back. A LOT further away is Sleeping Bear sand dunes in the Traverse City Michigan area although it's about 5-6 hours away. Cool when they are older and in July Traverse City has their cherry picking festival. Hope this helps! Don't have too much info on Traverse City but if you need directions for Pokagon I'd be happy to share!!

Holiday World Holiday World Holiday World!

There's a reason this out-of-the-way amusement park keeps breaking records for family fun, cleanliness, friendliness and pricing (stacked up against all the biggies, it even outperforms Disney World for cost and convenience). It's still owned by the Koch family and Mrs. Koch, the "Queen of Clean" will be out every morning to welcome you personally. I was going to Santa Claus Land when I was a tot and now my children, from infancy on up, love Holiday World. The Kochs work very hard to make this a park for all ages.

Soft drinks, sunscreen and admission to Splashin' Safari (SS has soo much for the little ones) are all free. I don't know about you, but my husband can drink enough soda to pay for one admission at other parks. You can stay at the adjacent campground in a cabin or an on-site RV, so you can cook for yourself and take the little one back to nap whenever. Next day admission is half price.

If you go to the HW website, it'll even tell you the least crowded days, and a wealth of other information.

Keep in mind, you can visit Santa Claus everyday and it's a great place to snap your Christmas card photo!

If it sounds like I work for HW, rest assured I do not. I've just had the opportunity to meet the Kochs (they're everywhere in the park) and enjoy the park for decades, for myself and my kids. I love telling people about it. I hope you find a way to get there sometime.

Best,
S.

I would not recommend an amusement park. We took our 18 month old son to Disney World and it was way too much for him. Maybe take them to a hotel that has a waterpark (either in Indianapolis & Shipshewana has a new one).

Since you have boys, have you considered camping? Some place where they can get dirty and have some adventures of their own. It's fairly cheap, aside from the tents, etc...and you could go as far or as close as you want! Some campsites have cabins where you wouldn't have to take the whole gear.

My daughters even love to camp because it's so different from an amusement park, etc. We usually find one with a nice lake where they can fish and/or swim all day long. They run out so much energy that they sleep like a rock!

Do your kids like animals? We went to the Kentucky Horse Park last summer and my girls (4 and 1 at the time) absolutely loved it. We camped there at the campground next to the park, but there are also hotels close by. There are many things to do and see and admission was cheap. I think the tickets were around $15/adult and the kids were free (we also got a discount for staying at the campground). The horse park is right off I-75 near Lexington. The campground is very nice, clean, with lots to do. We liked it so much we are going back this summer.

Hello! I have a 10 year old daughter and a 2 1/2 year old son, so I understand it's hard to find things for both to enjoy! My first thought was to tell you about the indoor waterpark. We did that when my son was not even a year old and he really enjoyed it, so I'm sure your 18 month old will too! But since you are already doing that, I had a second thought. We actually just did this a few weekends ago. We took the kids to Indianapolis for the weekend and went to the Indy Children's Museum one day (there's soo much to do there or ALL ages!) and then we went to the Indy Zoo the second day! It was a lot of fun! If you go to the Indianapolis Children's Museum website and go to General Information, Plan Your Visit, Offical Hotel. They have some Family Fun Package deals! Hope this helps!

I don't know about the distance because I'm not sure where your town is located in Ohio but I've heard really good things about Holiday World in Indiana. Also, I recall that there was a great zoo in Ohio (Columbus, maybe) I try to take my youngsters to the Indianapolis zoo once a year. They love it. It's a lot of walking but worth it in the end. That might not be to far away for ya. They have opened some new areas in the zoo but I haven't seen them yet. They weren't ready when we went last year but they really do have a lot of neat things. The dolphin show is excellent but I love dolphins so I may be a bit partial. Hope some of this helps. Enjoy your vacation and don't forget the sunscreen for the little ones! Shannon G.

Here are some places we've visited in and around Ohio: Kelly's Island(near Sandusky), Hocking Hills, and Niagara Falls(a little more than 3 hours drive though). We went to Niagara last year when our kids were about the same age as yours are now. We live in Cincinnati and enjoy Kings Island a lot. They have a great waterpark and one of the best amusement park kids areas in the world called Nickelodeon Universe. We also have a great zoo, Newport Aquarium, Cincinnati Museum Center with a great children's museum and lots of great parks. Have fun, whatever you do!

Hi M.. We just went to Gattlinburg. It's about 4 hours away, but our 18 month old twins had a great time. We went to the aquarium, walked around, took them to an activity center in Pigion forge. We also got a hotel with an indoor pool so we went swimming every day. If you would like more info let me know=)

St. Louis, MO is a GREAT place. They have several museums and a zoo....FREE!! Also there is a Mills mall there also! It's one of our favorite places!

Just saw someone mentioned Holiday World!! GREAT place. We live pretty close and go there a few times a summer. They're always adding new things, they even have a new water park this year. Free soft drinks and Sunscreen...can't beat that! If you camp, Lincoln State Park and Lake Rudolph are close! You can't go wrong with Holiday World!

I am not sure where you live but have you considered Sesame Place? It is in Pennsylvania so I am not sure that fits your driving time. Good Luck!

we love the boonshoft museum in dayton. they have a small ohio wildlife "zoo" with otters and owls and ducks, along with your standard science museum stuff. it's really fun, you could easily spend a whole day there and it's perfect for our toddlers. they have a big yellow slide and climbing thing in the middle of the museum, and a cool planet section and lots of hands on stuff.

St. Louis has a wonderful zoo that is free, and Grant's Farm is free, as well. Grant's farm has zoo animals & the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. And the Budweiser brewery tour is free, and pretty interesting (not for an 18 month old, but your older son would enjoy it, I'd think!).

We're going to take our 2 and 4 1/2 year old kids to Chicago to some museums this summer. Last summer we went to Myrtle Beach - we did nothing except hang out on the beach playing in the sand & water. (We even cooked in our hotel the whole time we were there. We never left!) You could go to the Indiana Dunes or some place close to you with a beach.

Just some suggestions. Good luck & have fun!

Try http://www.idlewild.com/ in PA

My boys when they were younger loved it!

Hi,
We just went to Hershey Park in PA, its about 5 hours from the Akron area. We met some friends there from NY with 4 boys ages 4-14 and we have a 3 year old. The park was clean, with a great(and healthy) food selection. They also have a water park which is included in your ticket price and there are lots of water activites for the little one and adults. The best part was that you can use your ticket in the evening the night before and go back the next day. We spent a few hours in the evening(saw the fireworks) and then went back the next day. Stayed at a holiday Inn 9 miles from the park with a wonderful indoor pool.Good luck!!!

Pigeon Forge/Gatlainburg (Tennessee) is a LOT of fun. It's about 4-5 hours from Cincinnati. Great for weekend get-aways with the kids.

Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) is also really cool. It's a little closer.

Hello, My husband and I recently spent five weeks with our two son's in California. On one of our outings we went to the LA Zoo. Our granddaughters are ages 4 and 23 months. The girl's had a fun happy day. It was so much fun to see them enjoy the animal's. Only a suggestion but a Zoo is not only fun but also a learning tool even for as young as they are. Enjoy what ever you decide. K.

It's slighly over 3 hours but not badly over... but near Flint Michigan there is a place called "Hucklyberry Railroad" and there is a small town there. It's all done in the old time thing. You can see a black smith, and that sort of thing and the railroad is a steam engine, I believe, and you can ride on the train. It's all pretty reasonably priced. If you google it you should be able to get info and prices. It is both fun and a learning experience. P.
FYI: I am a stay at home mom with 4 boys ranging in age now from 17 down to 9.

M., I'm sorry what location will you be in? That might help me with some ideas.

S.

I don't know for sure where you are located, but:
I would suggest Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. It is designed for children of all ages and we took just a day trip there when my grandson was 3 to see how he would do as we were going on our first vacation the following year and hoped to include Disney World, after the cruise, and wanted to make sure taking him there would work. He loved it and frankly so did we.
A trip to Chicago to see the musuems and "real" zoos would be good as well, Navy Pier, Aquarium, Planitarium, Science and Industry, Fields, etc. is always great. Brookfield Zoo takes a whole day plus to really enjoy and Lincoln Park Zoo has the highes sucess rate for birthing animals and surviving young than 90% of the zoos in the USA and is very inexpensive, I know very few children who can resist the lures of the zoos.
I know there is a Sesame place the children might enjoy, but don't know how far away it is.
P. R

Idlewild is the best! You can picnic and go at your own pace and the kids area rarely has long lines for the rides. We love it!

Hi Michlle. My husband and I just took our 3 year old son to The Great Wolf Lodge up in Sandusky. We had so much fun. It is VERY clean and very family oriented. My son loved it. We only stayed 1 night and that was plenty. Since you have an older son, 2 days would not be that bad but our son was so tired by the end of the second day. We took him in April and he still talks about it. Very inexpensive getaway. We were able to go during the week and found their prices cheaper through the week!
Good Luck!

We took our daughters 5 yrs and 1 yr old to the Cincinnati zoo on saturday and sunday we went to the newport aquariam in ky. it was wonderful. both my girls loved it. I would recommend going there. We live in Logan, OH and it took us about 3 hrs to get there. good luck and I hope you have fun with what you choose.

Some great places we've enjoyed...
Columbus Zoo- very nice, better than Cleveland because there is much more shade. Kalahari is wonderful for the little ones in the summer- the outside part is very nice, which you can't do in the winter. The new addition is lots of new stuff for the little ones. My daughter (now 4) loves this place. We're going back.
Pittsburgh Zoo is also very nice. We paired this up with the Children's Museum, which someone else mentioned, but we didn't care for the Children's Museum.
As for amusement parks, Kings Island is good for the little ones, a big kids area in the park and water park, which you don't have to pay more for. Stay away from Cedar Point until they are older- not much for the little ones, and the water park is extra. Teens love this park though.
Hope this helps!

Hi M..
Depending on where you live there's a great campground in Fremont, Indiana called, Yogi Bear Jellystone Park. There's a ton of stuff for kids to do. We normally go with my brother in law, his wife and child. That way it's cheaper since we rent a cabin or cottage whichever is availble. Check out there website.

www.jellystonesbest.com

Try IdleWild outside of Pittsburg. It's an amusement park especially for kids. It has bigger rides for the big kids and lots of stuff for the toddler as well. There's also a water park there. It would be great for everyone! We went last year with my cousins, who are 10 and 8 and they love it! My nephew, and neices (who are 3, 2, and 1 1/2) also love that place. There are also lots of parks around that area. Ohio Pile is a great one. They have bikes you can rent, horses to ride, etc. And it's really really pretty out there. Admission to the park is about what you would expect, but there are lots of charcoal grills in the parking lot that you could use to make your own lunch. You can take your own drinks and food into the park as well. We're hoping to go back this summer with my 15 month old and I can't wait!

We just visited the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh--absolutely fabulous, with a great art room, a toddler play area, a huge water play area (bring extra clothes!), and much more. Loved it.

We like to drive up to Niagara Falls (canadian side). Lots to do there now adays, you'll be surprised! It's about a 4 hour drive but we can get there in 3 1/2.

S.

M.,
What area are you from? When did you want to go? We go to a small place called Long's Retreat. They have cabins, houses, and of course campgrounds for tents. They have waterslides, splashpads,picnic areas, go-carts,canoes,etc. Just go to longsretreat.com for more info.
Have a great time!
R.

I love Louisville! Columbus is also great - they have a fantastic zoo and science museum. Or if you are in to camping, there are tons of great state parks around.

How about Sesame Place? I don't think too many people know about it. All I know is that it's in PA. We are thinking about going there.

http://www.sesameplace.com/sesame/pa/parkinformation.aspx

To offer a closer choice, how about Pittsburgh? They have a great zoo, children's museum, great festivals, Sandcastle water park, and Idlewild Park. It is a great place with lots to do.

PS. We were looking into Sesmae Place, which is near Allentown, a 5 or 6 hour drive, and it is through the roof expensive.

Our family went to Cincinnati last summer for a long weekend, and our daughter was almost 2. We went to the zoo one day and the newport aquarium the next day and she loved it.
I'd suggest a place that has similar activities and like some others have suggested a children's museum. Places that have interactive stuff to do then you should be able to find something that entertains both of your children.
And a hotel with a pool.
J.