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Family Summer Road Trip ideas?

BigBake

BigBake

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2006
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U'dale
Need some help since I'm not coming up with much. Kids ages 9 and 12 and we're trying to figure out something fun for a summer vacation this summer. I'd consider driving 8 - 10 hours.

- Rocky Mtns (been there a few times)
- Black Hills but everything seems so spread out up there it's hard to stay in one hotel

What am I forgetting? I'd prefer to stay in a hotel and not tent camping. Wife insists on hot shower and indoor plumbing every night.

Any other ideas I'm thinking of?
 
I see a lot of ads for the UP. Tennessee had many neat things when we went a few years ago.
 
The Black Hills can easily done staying in one hotel or cabin. Stay down near Keystone where Rushmore is and everything is within about 30 minutes. I'm there three times a year for work and when with my family stay in Keystone area.
 
Brainerd, MN(Gull Lake area) is amazing. My family has gone there almost every year for the past 20 years. If you like outdoors, fishing and golfing there is seriously no better place in the world imo. Northern MN(Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, Hibbing...so basically the whole Superior coast) is amazing as well.
 
Mackinac Island is a nice trip almost in your range. Drive up through wisconsin and the UP
 
I would like to do a road trip to Nashville, Pigeon Forge, Smokey Mts someday. Never been there so I can't speak for myself, but everyone I have talked to has liked this trip.
 
We hit Badlands on the way in to Black Hills. Stay in Custer and you're no more than a few minutes from Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Windcave National Park, Custer State Park ect.


Wisconsin Dells are a lot of fun as well.
 
mj4cy said:
We hit Badlands on the way in to Black Hills. Stay in Custer and you're no more than a few minutes from Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Windcave National Park, Custer State Park ect.


Wisconsin Dells are a lot of fun as well.
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You forgot to mention the Flintstones place in Custer. That should be a must stop and see!!
 
TKCLONE said:
The Black Hills can easily done staying in one hotel or cabin. Stay down near Keystone where Rushmore is and everything is within about 30 minutes. I'm there three times a year for work and when with my family stay in Keystone area.
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Staying in Keystone puts you in the middle of everything and practically right at the base of Mount Rushmore. We went last year when the kids were 8, 11 and 13 and had a blast. The scenic drives (Needles Highway...) will take more time than you think because of how much the roads twist and turn but enjoying the scenery is the point of these drives. If you have an extra half of a day I would recommend a day trip to Devil's Tower. It is a really unique and awesome thing to see.
 
My favorite road trip when I was a kid - 25 years ago was to Colorado in the summer. We took a train up Pikes Peak, went to the Air Force Base, water park, Budweiser brewery.
 
We did the Black Hills 3-4 years ago. Stayed in a cabin close to Bear Country USA and ventured out from there each day. The kids loved hitting the pool in the late afternoon each day as it was a hot week when we were there.

We did the typical things: Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, Bear Country USA, Reptile Gardens, etc.

We really enjoyed the Mammoth Exhibit down in Hot Springs in the morning and Wind Cave in the afternoon. Kids also enjoyed going to one of the chuck wagon dinners and cowboy music shows.

Did the scenic drive through Custer State Park to check out the bison herd and beggin' mules.

I recommend stopping by Storybook Island in Rapid City. It's a free park that the kids loved.

Another free thing we did was the Geology Museum at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City.
 
alarson said:
Mackinac Island is a nice trip almost in your range. Drive up through wisconsin and the UP
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Did this when I was 12 or so. Went up through Wisconsin and the UP, came back down through Michigan. We were camping, though, and my grandparents wanted to stop off in some town in Michigan (can't remember which one). Good times.

pourcyne said:
Hannibal, MO. You can visit the Mark Twain village, the cave, take a cruise on a river boat...before you go, you all can read Huckleberry Finn or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer together (or dig up an old movie version of them).

http://www.visithannibal.com/index.php?lang=en
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This was fun as well. Agree with reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer before going. My parents found some abridged versions for children that they gave us to read (http://www.greatillustratedclassics.com/). Gets the story across and is easier for young'uns to stay interested in.

jcyclonee said:
Staying in Keystone puts you in the middle of everything and practically right at the base of Mount Rushmore. We went last year when the kids were 8, 11 and 13 and had a blast. The scenic drives (Needles Highway...) will take more time than you think because of how much the roads twist and turn but enjoying the scenery is the point of these drives. If you have an extra half of a day I would recommend a day trip to Devil's Tower. It is a really unique and awesome thing to see.
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Needles Highway and Devil's Tower are pretty cool. I remember I had my learner's permit, so my dad had me riding shotgun in the Suburban. There were some crazy drop-offs through the Needles that made it look like we were going to go over the edge at any time.
 
JP4CY said:
My favorite road trip when I was a kid - 25 years ago was to Colorado in the summer. We took a train up Pikes Peak, went to the Air Force Base, water park, Budweiser brewery.
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Are you my brother? That trip was only 16 years ago btw.

I will also add the dunes along Lake Michigan. A number of state parks in both Indiana and Michigan.
 
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