jonesdoll

I'm at the very beginning stages of planning a family vacation for my mom's 80th birthday in August of this year. It will include mom, siblings and spouses (50's), nephews and spouses (30's), and nieces (29 and 18). For sleeping arrangement purposes, if everyone attends, there will be 12 adults and two kids, ages 2 and 5. There are 4 couples and 4 singles. The singles are my brother, two nieces (sisters) and mom. The children belong to a nephew and spouse, so they would sleep in the room with them, if possible. We're thinking of a long weekend, maybe a Thursday to Sunday.

We live mainly in the Midwest: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana. Mom, who is in reasonably good health, would prefer to travel by car rather than fly, so we're trying to find an area that's close enough to drive, maybe 5 hours or so, but also an area that has plenty of varied activities for everyone. A house or cottages or accommodations close together where we could cook and hang out for breakfast or in the evenings would be great, but I am totally open to any other ideas. We need to make it affordable for the younger families who will be chipping in. We don't need it to be dirt cheap but something in a moderate range.

Thanks so much for any ideas or suggestions anyone can offer.

HappyTrvlr

Door County , WI would be a nice spot as would Bayfield, WI,adjacent to Apostles Is National Lakeshore. On Lake Michigan. Traverse City is a good choice too.
Also look at Harbor Country www.harborcountry.org not too far from Chicago, many small lakefront towns. Good luck finding the perfect place to celebrate Mom's 80th as a family.

exiledprincess

This type of vacation plan costs a lot of money.

Lakefront vacation rentals - or those in the immediate vicinity of a lake - go for many thousands of dollars a week during the prime summer season. The closer to the lake, the more they cost. They are usually rented by the week, month or season - not for a weekend or a long weekend.

IF you can find them. Because, most of the time, the best options are reserved far, far in advance - sometimes up to a year in advance.

Those based in areas with more entertainment cost more, accordingly.

IMHO, you're going to have to lower your expectations (quite) a bit for even what you consider a "moderate" budget. You'll see when you look at the rates*.

Maybe you could consider delaying this and going in mid-September instead of August, even though many summer resort towns will have less businesses open. Or stay in an area further inland. Or perhaps it won't have the immediate entertainment options you wish.

As another option, you could look at booking a block of hotel rooms. I'd recommend looking at perhaps the Hilton Garden Inn, just outside of Chesterton, Indiana, by the Toll Road. (I wouldn't recommend the other lodging options in the area that are cheaper. There are some which are comparable, though. You get what you pay for.)

Chesterton is a bedroom community that doesn't have much nightlife. But you are only a couple of miles from the Dune Park South Shore station where you can get into the heart of the Chicago Loop within 1.25 hours (each way) via the South Shore and South Bend Railroad. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park are only a couple miles north. You can drive into Michigan City, Valparaiso or Merrillville for more dining or to go to the movies. And it's less than an hour from the southern point of Harbor Country (trademark) of the one mentioned above.

I should point out, though, that those six communities which make up Harbor Country don't have much nightlife either. The biggest town has only about 600 permanent residents - more during the season.

*If you find a vacation rental that is considerably less than the other options in the area, seriously ask yourself what makes it so much lower? No astute business person will undercut themselves.

DianeGermaine

Our family has had two reunions at Lake Monroe in Indiana, just south of Bloomington. It was a good central location for families coming from all around the midwest. I don't recall the cost, but we did have folks on a budget attend. We rented several condos at http://www.eaglepointe.com/condominiums.html. They have golf, tennis, and swimming pools as well as an onsite restaurant. Eagle Point is not too far from Bloomington, IN. where there are additional activities - we went bowling one day there. We also would rented a houseboat and spent the day on the lake with swimming, tubing, bbq.

exiledprincess

Lake Monroe is a really good suggestion, IMHO. It's a man-made lake, not a natural one, BTW.

I've stayed there myself, although it's been a long, long time ago. In fact, I stayed at a Eagle Pointe condo.

If you weren't looking for a lakefront lodging, you could also look into Brown County State Park and the surrounding areas. But, again, the problem is the end of "summer" (before Labor Day weekend, in other words).

These come at a premium and are/may be booked far in advance. The more demand for them, the higher the pricing. The thing that the OP needs to watch out for is the timing. They'll have to be reserving these asap.

Another example could be the area around Lake Wawasee (around Syracuse, IN), which is indeed Indiana's largest natural lake.

The thing which the OP would have to give up is the "varied activities". I'm not sure if the OP means nightlife and urban pursuits or if outdoor activities would be sufficient. Lake Monroe in near Bloomington, IN (home of Indiana University) and is about an hour's drive away from Indianapolis, though.

bjl

Have you been to, or have you considered, Galena, Illinois? Lots of outdoor fun, shopping, history. You could rent a house or two at Eagle Ridge Resort (although I can't speak to the budget question). Lots of resort activities at Eagle Ridge as well.

celestexeter

For my husband's parents 80th birthdays we went to the Grand Canyon. 5 couples plus older teen grandchildren. Lots of different lodging options within the park. We did rent a suite at El Tovar with a large outdoor deck and split that cost among the group.That was party central. The younger boys camped, the married young ones stayed at the motel, the older married stayed in the cabins. Everything was within walking distance. There is shuttle bus that runs through the park. One night we had a catered dinner for the big celebration. We all agreed it was a great venue for a reunion/ birthday celebration.