I live in Geneva, IL (outside of Chicago) and we're looking for a spring break destination that is in reasonable driving distance. Kids are 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 , so it needs to be kid friendly with plenty of area attractions that will be accessible in March. Looking to spend no more than 6 hours in the car. Thanks!
I ditto St. Louis... fun for kids & parents!! I also ditto Omaha!! There are also the islands of Ohio... all in Lake Erie, very pretty & fun!!
St. Louis has a ton of stuff to do! It's pretty kid friendly. The weather in March can be hit or miss, though, but even if it's chilly, you should still be able to be outside, even if you're wearing jackets and long pants...or it could be shorts! ;)
I'm not sure how far Omaha is...about 4-5 hours I think. The zoo there is pretty fun and I've heard they have an awesome children's musuem too! Plus they have a hotel with a water park.
St Louis! Easy to get to and tons of things to do on the cheap too. Your kids are a bit young for some of the major attractions, but once you try St Louis, you will find yourself going back several times as you will have things the kids will love it now and grow into new stuff as well. (Our girls our 7 and 2)
The Zoo is free and is one of the best zoo's in the nation. We ended up spending two days there last fall as our two year old wanted to look at everything. The train ride is 20 min long and has 3 tunnels- they will love it. We carry a membership there as we go so often and amount of ride/attraction tix you get make it worthwhile. Plus we travel a lot and that Zoo membership gets us in free or discounted to other zoos when we travel.
Also hit the Missouri Botanical garden. In March the huge Japanese garden will be nothing but blooms. Make sure you hit their site Mobot.org to confirm when the award winning childrens garden opens for the season. Also hit the American horticulture website. A membership gets the adults in free - your kids would be free but will pay 2$ to get into the kiddie garden. I think the Hort membership gets you into Morton Arb. either free or discounted also.
The Science Center is pitched a bit older but it too is free (pay to park) so go and let the kids look and play anyway they will have a ball pushing buttons and looking at the animated dinos and the Huge kinetic sculpture. There is a preschool room with tons for your 4 year old to do. But you will have to keep on top of the little one. Some stations have building pieces that are small and a hazard. If you have a membership to one of the ASCT museums downtown (see Associated Science and Tech centers reciprocal member list) you park free and get tix to the pre-school room free.
Grants farm (maintained by Budweiser) is smaller but the kids will find stuff to do. A small animal park and petting zoo and tram ride. This is a slower venue, couple of hours at best. Again, a pay to park only. Mom and Dad can see the horse barns and kick back for a free taste of choice of Bud product and the kids see elephants and stuff. Its a bit odd but usually fewer crowds and better enclosure views for smaller kids. It's easy to keep track of the kids and they love the ability to move around with smaller crowds.
Much more to do in St Louis than this as well. But these are top things to do for your ages. Hit the state visitor site for more. Good luck!!
We went to Timber Ridge lodge last summer with our little ones and it was great. it's in Lake Geneva and has a great indoor water park. highly recommend it!
Wisconsin Dells - I think they have indoor water parks. Great place for kids and it's only a 3 hour drive.
