camping with kids in the midwest
 

I am planning a camping trip with a 4 and 6 year old. We will be tent camping. I am looking for recommendations for fully equipped camping sites which are within a 12 hour drive from the Chicago area. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

brown county indiana, hocking hills ohio area are two that come to mind.

i camped years ago at brown county but did not set it up myself and was VERY young and am not sure what was present at site. It is a beautiful area though.

Northern michigan and the islands between M. and Canada are gorgeous. Manotoulin island. etc. area is very nice but colder in summer.

do a google for full service campsites and here is a nice website I found.. looks interesting.

http://www.midwestweekends.com/plan_..._michigan.html

You also may want to consider Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the UP of MI and the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

http://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm

I would also second Brown County IN and the Hocking Hills of OH.

Make sure that you get your reservations for tent sites as soon as possible. Many of these places book far in advance.

My kids are of a similar age, you may want to try something a bit shorter & closer to home prior to going 'all out' (if you've not done that)...Hocking Hills in Ohio.

From the Chicago area, you might consider Ludington State Park in Ludington, MI. The area is gorgeous and tons for kids to do. Time is of the essence in getting a spot in Ludington, however, even with three campgrounds.

I do have a question: What do you mean by 'fully equipped?' Do you mean a campsite that has a picnic table, a fire pit, electricity, water nearby and restroom facilities nearby with you bringing all of the necessary gear? If you need more than that, you might check out the availability for Michigan's First Time Camper program that provides the use of all gear for the weekend for a very low rate. There are only certain state parks that offer this program, however. They also have a similiar program to rent the camper cabins for a great low rate for first time campers (or at least first time in the Michigan system). This program is arranged directly through the individual parks.