My husband and I want to take our married children and 3 little ones on a vacation that
would not entail traveling to a coast. We live in Kansas and our kids live in the Chicago area. i would love to go to the east coast or California but it would be too expensive.

We're looking for a family vacation that would be enjoyable for all of us. We will have an almost 3 year old and 5 year old and an 8 month old baby so we'd like a resort or cottage that is kid friendly and a place that has lots of activities for adults and children. Good restaurants too Any suggestions? natjgc

We really need more info from you in order to help?

What's your budget? Terms like "too expensive" are meaningless without a point of reference. we have no idea what YOU consider "too expensive". Give us a dollar amount.

When are you planning to Travel?

How long a trip are you planning?

How do you want to travel - Plane, train automobile?

How long are you willing to travel to reach your destination?

What type of activities interest you and your adult kids?

Are you looking for a destination that is geared mainly toward the 3 & 5 YO's (an 8 month old won't really be interested in anything) or do you want more adult activities? Keep in mind children that age won't have any real interest in "adult things" and activities that interest 3YO's and 5YO's rarely interest adults.

If you are traveling in summer have you considered renting a cabin on a lake somewhere in between Kansas and Chicago?

Sorry, you can find "good restaurants" almost anywhere - tell us what you mean by "good" - good as in moderately priced? Good as in lots of food? Good as in gourmet? Good for toddlers?

There are some great resort properties on the Great Lakes... get a couple of cottages with a boat...

We are planning around 5 days, we would fly to our kids in Chicago or have our kids come to us in kansas City. Buying 8 airline tickets to the coast is costly, lodging and meals and activities
also add up. The kind of vacation i really want would really be out of financial range. A beach house on the California coast, very pricey I'm sure. Restaurants, nice places with really good food and yes, gourmet food would be nice. We'd all love that. of course we wouldn't take the
grandkids to them, we hope to take turns staying with them.
Our kids love outdoor activities, shopping, eating and sightseeing. We really want it all.

I was thinking Michigan or Wisconsin or Branson Mo or any place that is geared for all ages.

So sorry i wasn't explicit. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Tell me about the great lakes? natjgc

Have you looked at Big Cedar Lodge, on Table Rock Lake, about 10 miles south of Branson? It's really charming (but pricey) but has lots to do for kids of all ages. Adjacent to the resort property is a timeshare resort (Wilderness Club at Big Cedar)where you can rent a timeshare condo by the week and use all the facilities of the lodge.Timeshare management group is called network is BlueGreen Resorts.

If this trip is taking place in the summer, Door County in Wisconsin and/or Baraboo area could be a good choice. Close to Chicago, wide variety of things to do, family-friendly. Both areas are VERY designed for tourists -- ie, lots of artificial things to do -- but that is a plus or minus, depending on your wishes.