My wife and I are seeking some ideas on where to vaction this coming summer. We likely will vacation for 10 days and have a two year old girl. Probably will drive so we are looking for something close to the Illinois area. We have been to Branson, MO, Hot Springs, AK, Wisconsin Dells, WI, Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO. We are looking for other ideas. Any thoughts from anyone?

Have you thought about Door County, Wisconsin? There is a wide range of accommodations - many of which will have some sort of kitchen facilities. There are also a few state parks and several private campgrounds. The towns in the peninsula are very charming and you can even take a ferry to Washington Island which also has some cottages and motels.

Sites to consider:
Minneapolis/Red Wing/Stillwater MN
Agree with Door County WI. (Stop by or stay at the American Club in Kohler WI if you can...beautiful place).
Toronto's a bit of a hike, but a great place to visit (doable if you're in the Chicago area).
If you're near Chicago, is it possible get tix on Southwest out of Midway? Opens up a lot of possibilites...Providence, Manchester (Vermont, NH trip), Baltimore/DC, etc.

We love the North Shore of Lake Superior from Duluth, Mn (surprisingly there is lots to see and do there) to the Canadian Border. Our favorite town on the shore is Grand Marais. People are friendly and sights are beautiful.

We also like the Lake Michigan side of Michigan. Lots of neat little and bigger towns and B & B's and resorts.

When I was a kid, my family took a couple of trips to Saugatuck, Michigan. A couple of years ago I took my own family there for a weekend. There is a wonderful dunes/beach on Lake Michigan, and the town itself is charming. Lots of boats and yachts at the town dock, homemade ice cream and candy shops, plus the usual crafts and antiques through t-shirts gamut of places. We stayed at a B&B that was really family oriented, but there are all sorts of accomodations at every price range available. (In the winter we also used to visit for tobaggan and sledding!)

My first thought was Door County WI. It is kind of like a little Cape Cod. The summer temps are usually cool (70's) and lots to do for adults and children. Minneapolis/St. Paul is also a great area to visit if you want a city vacation. Lakes, waterfalls, parks, shopping, museums, amusement parks, Mall of America,theatre, restaurants galore, etc. etc. How about the Mount Rushmore area--more of a hike from Illinois, but interesting area. Have fun!