Help need ideas for a family road trip with small children!!!!
 

Ok so my husband and I have three children ages 6, 4, and 4 months, we too are young only 24 & 26 but we promised ourselves that since we never really took vacations as children we want to make sure we take a vacation every year no matter what even if only for a weekend now we are of course on a tight budget with three little girls LOL we live in Southeastern WI. We have to take our Roadtrip August 30th - Sept 3. (My hubby used his vacation days as paternity leave)So it cannot be too far for travel purposes also the kids really want to go camping so we figure we will take a roadtrip to somewhere cool to camp we really want to get out of WI & IL and show them that other states really do exsist LOL if you have any advice that would be great I have been toying with the idea of Mount Rushmore but I am uncertain if we could enjoy it with such little time Thanks And God Bless :) Angie

My honest advice to you at this time would be to stay in Wisconsin and enjoy something in your great state, it has so many options. At these ages, the kids may remember playing putt,putt golf with mom and dad and hanging out as a family on a lake beach but they won't remember (or care) what State it happened in. On a tight budget do something that the money won't stress you out on, with the price of gas a "road trip" on a tight budget just isn't worth it. When your kids are a little older you can cruise the country and enjoy the sights but really, at these ages my kids just wanted to chill with mom and dad.

My choice would be Wyalusing State park. It's on a bluff that overlooks the Mississippi. It's a beautiful area, and so different the SE Wisconsin.

Hi Angie,

I think it's great that you and your husband want to show your children everything you can! My family didn't have much $$ either, but my dad used to save quarters in a jar to help pay for trips! :) I think that's why I'm so hooked on travel now...and even better, I've learned how to go on a budget so you can see more places!

Anyway, that was a tangent. Mount Rushmore would be about 12 hours, but the journey is as fun as the destination, right?

If you want something closer, here are a few ideas:

-- Minneapolis/Mall of America -- the weekend you have planned also falls during the Minnesota State Fair! :) (5 hours)

-- Lake Michigan (3 hours -- or camping on any of the lakes in Michigan)

-- Memphis (9 hours)

I'd stay nearby, too. When my kids were that age, we rented an apartment for a week in Galveston....not a whole lot to do, so I was able to nap when the baby napped. (We live in Texas so it was close and cheap.) For the next few years, we vacationed in the San Antonio area. It was only when the youngest was 4 or so that we started to take "real" (out of state) vacations.

Your kids will LOVE camping! Sleeping in a tent, cooking out, card games by lantern light, sitting out at night looking up at the stars - all great. My kids, now in their 20's and world travelers, both remember the first 10 years of family camping vacations with very fond memories. And, as someone else pointed out don't bother spending the money on expensive vacations until they are at an age when they will remember or you will end up having to take them again! You are going to make such gret family memories - enjoy!

Camping is a lot of work for the adults. I think someone wiht kids ages 6, 4 and 4 months deserves a restful vacation with a bit if pampering.

Camping with an infant would be so much work you wouldn't get much vacation out of it.

Since you have four nights, why don't you try and get one or two nights on hotwire on a downtown Chicago hotel?

Camping sites can run between $25-$35 per night depending upon where and you could probably get a hotel room for under $60.

There are all kinds of moderate dining and attractions in Chicago.

How about checking into cabins in state parks in WI, IL and/or MN? That would give you a little more comfort than camping with an outdoor feel. Also check koa.com, as many of their campsites have cabins.

I was thinking about KOAs, but the Kamping Kabins' configuration is a double bed and 2 bunkbeds. I'm not sure that's the best configuration with those ages.

I think a state park cabin is a GREAT idea.

Camping is great, but with such young children, I think you should opt for a cabin instead, not a fancy cabin, but something with four walls, a nonleaky roof, a bathroom and basic kitchen. If the weather doesn't cooperate, do you really want to be in a tent with three little kids during a thunderstorm? What if it rains for more than one day? Your kids will just be soggy and grumpy in a tent and won't "get" how much fun camping is.

Camping in a cabin, or renting one of those trailer campers with the tent top, might make things a lot easier than tent camping.

Kids balk at latrines, campfire food is hard to get right every night, the cooler doesn't last (no meat, eggs, milk ...), and mom and dad won't sleep well on the ground ... it can wear you down.

With 3 small kids, it is worth it to have a bathroom, real cooking facilities, and beds to sleep in.

Or how about a family resort on a lake somewhere -- they will cook the meals and you can do the fun stuff. I am not familiar with what's available in WI though.

Wisconsin State Parks don't have cabins. Who knew?

I checked Michigan and they have lodges, cabins, mini-cabins and even yurts.

Here's a listing of their mini-cabins - which sound a lot like the KOA Kamping Kabins. You're in a campground, but in a building - not a tent.

I clicked on one - Lake Minnewanna - and it sounded like a great weekend camping option. I wouldn't do tent camping with your kids at those ages.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7...7124--,00.html

Another area you might want to look into is Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan. It shouldn't be all that far from you but it's a state other than WI or IL!

We live in the Chicago suburbs, so it's a little bit closer for us (depending on traffic, one and half to two hours). And we don't camp. But we took some wonderful short trips to that area when our kids were little.

I'm a huge fan of Custer State Park, which is in the same area as Mount Rushmore. And I highly recommend that you take your girls there sometime. But not for the amount of time you have now. Wait until you have at least a week to spend.

Would also agree to check out camp sites/cabins in the many state parks on Minnesota's North Shore. Also, there are a lot of very reasonable motel/resorts if you decide against the camping idea. But the North Shore is fairly close to you with the limited days you have and is a beautiful area.

I think the cabin idea is great but at this late date you are probably going to have to go with whoever has availability over Labor Day Weekend.

I hope you don't let all the negative replies discourge you. We started camping with our kids when they were 3 and 6 months and had a blast. As with most things with kids it is all in the presentation. If you and your husband are excited about it, and make it an adventure, the kids will pick up on this enthusiam and you will have a great time. Unless you have days of rain a little rain won't spoil the fun. Just know that every thing and everybody will come back dirty.

I would recommend a state park, maybe in the Michigan UP to get cooler weather. We use to tent camp but I think the suggestion of a pop-up is good too. Most places have modern restrooms, and as for the cooler use a block of ice (lasts longer and you can make it yourself in a milk jug) and replace it as needed. (Camp stores are almost always nearby.) As for meals, hot dogs, hamburgers, or make and bring a favorite dish (freeze for the cooler) to heat up in a pot. Even sandwiches taste better at a campsite!

This Foder's site is awesome but geared more to hotel type vacations. We use RV.net for planing our RV trips but I suspect if you do an internet search you can find a site for tent camping, with lots of suggestions for camping with families. I hope you follow through and take your kids camping, it is an awesome family vacation.

I just wanted to add that I think it's wonderful that you want to travel with your kids. But don't feel pressured to try to do too much too soon.

When our kids were little, we were in the same position you're in. We wanted to travel with them. But vacation time and money were in short supply. So, until they were well into grade school, our trips were short ones in this area.

In fact, when our oldest was in 7th grade, she'd only been in 5 states (IL, WI, IN, MI and MO). She's now 21 and has been in something like 35 states and 7 countries! She recently returned from a four month internship in Ireland.

Frankly, in some ways, I'm almost glad we weren't able to travel more extensively when they were little. By the time we were able to, they were old enough to really appreciate and enjoy it. Not to mention being old enough to do things for themselves!

So relax and enjoy the short trips for now. Expose them to as much as you can in your area. We spent a lot of Sunday afternoons in ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago, took them to the zoo a lot, etc. All of those things help to broaden their horizons too.

I agree with other posters - as anxious as you might be to break out of IL/WI, you're kids will just enjoy the "vacation" of being with mom and dad. I know you said you didn't want IL, but Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria, IL is very nice. They have unique lodging options like a train caboose (which my 10 year old saw on a field trip and is dying for us to go there!). wildlifeprairiestatepark.com. Peoria also has a nice minor league ball team and newer ballpark (including playground equipment) that would be something else to do in the area. Good luck!

As GoTravel mentioned that it's labor day weekend, I'd check out the cabin and camping options asap. Even if you are tent camping, I wouldn't go without reservations and would book very soon.