Going on a Trip in My Little Minivan!!

My husband and I just drove to South Carolina with our three children 11, 5, and 3 1/2 years old. We went for spring break as my husband is a school teacher. We left at 4 pm right after school got out and we could load everyone in our minivan and drove straight through. We had a cooler full of drinks and snacks and sandwiches for dinner, a dvd player with a huge variety of movies, mp3 players for all the kids with their own music on them, and travel pillows and small blankets, and our 11 year old brought along Goosebumps books, while the other two had color crayons and color books. They fell asleep just past Chicago in Indiana and slept until 6:30 am when they woke up in the Mountains in Tennesee. I drove until 7 am and then my husband took over and finished up the drive. The only stop other than gas was a Mc Donalds playland for lunch that day and we got into the beach by 4 oclock their time 3 oclock our time. I was tired as I could not sleep when the kids were all awake, but it was so worth it. The ride back was pretty much the same except we decided we had enough money left over to eat out for all our meals. I was very impressed with how great the kids were about the long car ride. Oh, they also each had $15 visa gift cards to buy whatever they wanted at the gas stations for treats along the way too.

We are in the planning stages of a summer trip to Mount Rushmore with our two girls, 9 and 7. Things we plan to see in South Dakota are Jewel Cave, a cave near Rushmore with lots of crystal formations. Wind cave is also supposed to be good if you like that sort of thing.

We will also visit Bear Country, a drive-through wildlife park www.bearcountryusa.com, Roberts Prairie Dog Town and the Fossil Exhibit Trail in the Badlands, Laura Ingalls Wilder's family homestead in De Smet, SD. If you're going in the summer, I hear Custer State Park is nice.

Hope you have a fun trip!

First of all, I own an RV and if you don't mind driving a bigger vehicle and learning how to hook up the water, sewer and electric, RVs are GREAT with kids. If you rent an RV with a bathroom inside, like a class C, the only time you have to stop is to switch drivers or give the driver a break. You can do potty breaks and meals while you're still driving. It is great!
I lived in ND for four years and didn't much care for it. The ND badlands are pretty if you are driving through that area but , in my opinion, the SD badlands are breathtaking and much more worth the stop. Mount Rushmore is fun and educational and the Black Hills are also very beautiful. I've been there about 7 or 8 times in my life now, I love it so much. If you do rent an RV you can camp much cheaper than hotel. A very expensive campground will run you $45 or $50. State parks are free (except for park fee) but you can't hook up to electric, water etc. so you have to rely on your generator and tanks those nights. Some bare-bones campgrounds have hook-ups and can be as little as $15 a night. You save on eating out because you can buy your normal groceries and cook your meals. Have fun on your roadtrip!

Not sure if you plan to go through the Black Hills, or not, but there are tons of things to do there. If you go as far south as Custer, our favorite place to eat is Pizza Works and then the Old Fashion (or "Little Purple Pie Place" as it's locally known) for dessert. Deadwood is one of our favorite spots. Touring Mt. Moriah Cemetary (where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane our buried)is fun, and offers a great view of the town. Miss Kitty's Chinese restaurant is a favorite. Many of the larger casinos offer buffets in their restauarants. If you are around Spearfish, the Spearfish Canyon drive is lovely and there's a great, if somewhat pricey restaurant at the Latchstring Inn near Roughlock Falls. On the drive home, Wall Drug is a great place to stop, and then you can drive through the beautiful Badlands. Al's Oasis in Oacoma is a good place to stay and eat, and I've heard Casey's in Chamberlain (a "twin city" to Oacoma) is good as well. There are many other fun places in the Hills, and on I-90, but hopefully this will give you some ideas!`