Looking for good destinations along the way, including hotel accommodation suggestions. Late June with partner and daughters (13 & 15) and three days of wanderlust.

Burgundy might be a good choice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...55059630/show/

Driving south to where? Any idea of a budget?

Don't know where you are going, but I think driving over the Millau bridge is quite an experience.
You can stop in the Auvergne, at the Puy de Dome, on the way there. There's a vulcano museum there too, quite interesting.

Driving south of Paris is a very vague question. There are dozens of possibilities but since you only have 3 days of driving at your disposal you don't have much time so I would stay closer to Paris and limit your region to either the Loire or Burgundy.

If you want to learn about the Loire look at this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-de-france.cfm

If you want to learn about Burgundy look at this thread:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...-Burgundy.html

Have you considered taking a train somewhere and then driving around for a while?
But as FMT says, you can't really go too far.

Going southwesterly consider Chartres and the Loire Valley

More southerly via autoroute-- Vezelay, Beaune & Chateuneuf-en-Auxois, the latter having a lovely hilltop Relais du Silence Hotel next to the chateau. Beaune would be about 4 hours drive once you clear the city.

South where? That's a big question with a load of possible answers. And you won't get far in 3 days.