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View Full Version : Looking for mini family vacation ideas in the NY/PA/OH/MI/IN/Ont area



Art Mulder
02-10-2011, 7:42 AM
There are a lot of family-oriented folks here, and a lot of great down to earth advice, so...

I live in Southwestern Ontario, in London. The winter blahs are setting in, and we would dearly love to find a 3-day mini vacation. The downside is that we have four kids, aged 7 - 13, so affordable is key.

Here is a map, showing the area that's on the table -- anything an easy one day drive.
182105
(ie: the 400-500km distance is the practical max)

We've been to The Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/), and Kalahari (http://www.kalahariresorts.com/). Both are great indoor waterpark hotels, but they're also on the pricey side (when you add on the 3rd and 4th child...). I grew up near Niagara Falls, so that is old hat.

Thoughts?

Marty Paulus
02-10-2011, 8:05 AM
Art, Along the lines of the Great Wolf and Kalahari is Avalanch Bay in Boyne, MI. Indoor water park at a ski resort. Swimming and Skiing all in one area. Also close to Traverse City and Macinac City. Not to mention you could get in touch with Larry Edgerton and help him keep his sanity. He lives close to that area I believe.

Lee Schierer
02-10-2011, 8:16 AM
We're just across the lake from you in Erie and we have an indoor water park (http://www.splashlagoon.com/), skiing (down hill and cross country) nearby and tax free shopping on clothing. You can stop by the falls and see them with the ice as you come around the end of the lake.

Matt Meiser
02-10-2011, 9:15 AM
What about Ann Arbor? There's a number of museum, including the Hands On Museum and a number of museums at UofM. There's plenty of shopping and food downtown as well as in the suburban areas surrounding. As long as there no major UofM event that weekend prices shouldn't be too bad. 45 minutes away in metro Detroit there's The Henry Ford (the museum, IMAX, and Rouge tour are open but the village is closed for the winter.) All-in-all a pretty well rounded place to visit.

http://www.visitannarbor.org

Michael O'Sullivan
02-10-2011, 5:05 PM
If any of your kids are baseball fans, Cooperstown (MLB HoF) is great. I have only been there in summer, so I don't know how it is in winter. If you spend a day there, you could go on to the VT/NH ski areas which are within pretty easy driving distance. The drive home would be pretty long, though.

Rich Engelhardt
02-10-2011, 6:55 PM
Way too early for this but:
http://www.tecumsehdrama.com/

The show is nothing short of incredible.
I took my kids to it when they were 5 and 6.
They sat through the entire show wide eyed and with gaping jaws!
I did too!!!!!

You sit in a semi circular amphitheater & the play takes place all around you. There's one particular scence where,,,,,oh heck I'm not going to spoil it for anyone.
Let's just say that at one point, the whole audience is part of a Shawnee raiding party. The actors & action take place on the stage, in the woods surrounding the theater and even in among the audience itself.

Jerome Stanek
02-10-2011, 7:06 PM
Rock and roll hall of fame Cleveland, inventors hall of fame Akron, and football hall of fame Canton all about 1 hour apart. also Hartville kitchen and Hartville Hardware. Keim lumber in Amish country down in Charm, Ohio with a lot of tourist attractions and places to eat down there.

Bill Cunningham
02-10-2011, 10:27 PM
I'm a 'summer' guy, and after hunting season I go into hibernation.

Jim Mattheiss
02-11-2011, 7:23 PM
Art:

Depending on when you will be travelling you might pass me going in the other direction. :)

We are renting a condo on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls in early August.

I really can't add anything to your itinerary though. Cheers

Jim

Art Mulder
02-11-2011, 8:49 PM
We are renting a condo on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls in early August.

That's the time to do it!

When you want to see the falls themselves, I recommend getting up "early" and heading there about 9am. Quietest time of the day, and easiest to wander right up at the brink of the Horseshoe falls. Later on you can browse all the tourist trap stores. I also recommend heading north along the river and go hiking at the Niagara Glen (http://www.niagaraparks.com/nature-trails/niagara-glen-whirlpool.html) (if you like outdoors + hiking) Most restaurants right at the falls are pricey, but a 10 minute ride on the highway puts you in St.Catharines where things are cheaper. If you're bringing kids along, then a day at Marineland would be fun also - see the dolphin show + great white shark show, and ride some rides as well.

Have fun!

Chris Kennedy
02-12-2011, 6:00 AM
I'll second Matt's suggestion of Ann Arbor. I lived there for five years, and it is really just a great little city with lots to see and do.

Charles McKinley
02-19-2011, 12:37 AM
Hi Art,

Ther are a lot of Museums And state parks in the Pittsburgh area. There are a series of Books called Kids Love Travel. http://www.kidslovetravel.com/
It is written by a guy that travels around with his family and writes up the places that they go and LIKE. So you get kid tested stuff and there is a price guide for each activily. I met them at a home schooling convention. Nice people and a great product if you are traveling with kids. If you will be anywhere near to the intersection of I-79 and I-80 (Western PA) let me know and we can get togeather.

Ron Jones near Indy
02-19-2011, 3:53 PM
If Indianapolis in withing range you will find several things family appropriate. If museums are your thing, check out the Indianapolis Childrens Museum (one of the best anywhere), the Indianapolis Art Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. If you follow college sports in the US, the NCAA headquarters features an interactive museum that kids seem to love. There is an interesting museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that is well worth the visit and very inexpensive.

There is also a Rockler and Woodcraft if you wish to visit. Both are "good people" stores in my opinion.

A few seconds with Google gave me the Caribbean Cove Indoor Water Park in Indy. I know nothing of it. I can recommend the Indiana Pacers that have relatively inexpensive seats for most NBA home games if that interests you. Any in a few weeks the AAA Indianapolis Indians will begin play at Victory Field, one of the nicest, most family friendly baseball parks anyplace. I don't know if there are tours available for Luca Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. You might be able to catch a home college basketball game for the Butler Bulldogs in historic Hinkle Field House.

Art Mulder
10-24-2011, 8:37 PM
Just thought I'd drop a small note in on this old thread.

Last weekend I took the family down to Cleveland and we spent some time at the Great Lakes Science Center (http://www.glsc.org/)[/URL], which is right on the waterfront beside the Cleveland Browns stadium. Our kids are from 8-14 and it was fun for them (and for both of us parents also). I'm a space buff, so I quite liked the NASA section of the museum. As well on the top floor of the museum practically EVERY single display is an interactive one, with something for you to try out doing.

Unfortunately, the [URL="http://usscod.org/"]USS COD (http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/zits/s-964321) was closed for the season. It is located right next door, or I would have gladly toured that WWII submarine as well.
There is also a Freighter/Steamship museum which you can tour, which stays open a bit later than the sub. I toured half of that, and it is also interesting to see.

(Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is there also, but no one else in the family was remotely interested in that!)

There is doubtless other stuff to see in the area, but that is what we visited!

...art

ps: Matt, maybe next time I'll manage a Creeker visit as we cruise by on I75, but i see in another thread that you were away in Florida anyways...

Matt Meiser
10-24-2011, 9:39 PM
Yep, wouldn't have worked this time but you pass about 8 miles from me on I-75.

If you ever are in FL, There was some kind of space thing near Port Canveral. :D.

We could see the vehicle assembly building from our ship actually. We didn't actually go to the space center this time but did about 5 years ago while a shuttle was sitting on the launch pad. The next night we saw it launch standing outside the front gate of Magic Kingdom. Almost as cool as the one I saw in the mid-90s from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Doug Colombo
10-24-2011, 9:47 PM
+1 for The Henry Ford - it is great place - the museum has some great items to see - the actual chair Lincoln was shot in at Ford Theater, the car Kennedy was shot in, and the bus that Rosa Parks was on, just to name a few. If you go before the village closes, you can see Thomas Edison's complete Menlo Park labs and the Wright Brothers bike shop. Frankmuth MI has great chicken dinners and a hotel that is very kid friendly with indoor pools, etc. Not as extensive as Great Wolf, but I think it is a bit less $$$. Now, what is there to do in London during the week - I am presently there this week on business : ) Nice area from what I have seen of it.

Matt Meiser
10-24-2011, 9:59 PM
Doug, you know there's a Lee Valley there, right?

Art Mulder
10-24-2011, 10:35 PM
Now, what is there to do in London during the week - I am presently there this week on business : ) Nice area from what I have seen of it.


Doug, you know there's a Lee Valley there, right?

In terms of WW'ing, as Matt said there is the Lee Valley store in the NW end near the airport. Not too far from Lee Valley is Federated Tools (http://www.federatedtool.com/).
Down by the 401 is Busy Bee tools (http://www.busybeetools.com/pages/London-Ontario.html) (Kind of like a smaller Harbor Freight). And finally there is another harbor freight twin called Princess Auto (http://www.princessauto.com/locations/london), also on the south side. The lumber place I tend to frequent is Philmore enterprises, way out on the NW end of town - no website.

If you're into the outdoors, you might visit Novacks (http://novacks.com/), which is downtown. (Mountain Equipment Co-Op is opening a store in November, which I'm really looking forward to...)

If you're into hockey, you could check out a London Knights game this Friday at the John Labatte Centre (http://www.johnlabattcentre.com/eventcalendar.html), which is on the west edge of downtown. (Doesn't look like much else is going on this week there. Last week you could have seen Cirque Du Soleil.)

If you just want to walk, start at Richmond and Oxford St intersection, and walk south until you hit Dundas St, and then turn east. That'll catch a fair bunch of interesting eateries, pub's and local colour.

If you just want to catch a movie, I suggest you check out the Cineplex VIP cinema (http://www.cineplex.com/Theatres/TheatreDetails/Cineplex-Odeon-Westmount-and-VIP-Cinemas.aspx) at Westmount mall. The VIP cinema is a unique theatre -- no kids are allowed (no noisy kids), all seats are reserved seats (so yo don't have to stand in line), and you can order pub food (including beer/drinks) right at your seat. Yeah, you pay a premium, but it is quite an experience. Oh yeah, and the seats are large and plush. Watch out, the cinema also has non-VIP at the same location, so you need to be sure you're selecting the right theatre.

Then there is the Grand Theatre, if you want to catch a play.

There's probably more...

Greg Portland
10-26-2011, 1:55 PM
Hocking Hills state park in southern Ohio & the National Air Force Museum (largest air museum in the world) are both cheap and very interesting for boys of that age.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Rich Engelhardt
10-27-2011, 7:37 AM
ps: Matt, maybe next time I'll manage a Creeker visit as we cruise by on I75,
Plan an extra hour of travel between Cleveland and Toledo and take Rt. 6 & 2 instead of the turnpike.
It's a much prettier ride.

Art Mulder
10-27-2011, 1:50 PM
Hocking Hills state park in southern Ohio & the National Air Force Museum (largest air museum in the world) are both cheap and very interesting for boys of that age.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Wow, free admission and looks like an awesome museum. This just got added to my list of trips to do with my sons someday! (for some reason my wife wasn't that interested in checking out all the hardware...)

Doug Colombo
10-27-2011, 9:52 PM
Doug, you know there's a Lee Valley there, right?


In terms of WW'ing, as Matt said there is the Lee Valley store in the NW end near the airport. Not too far from Lee Valley is Federated Tools (http://www.federatedtool.com/).
Down by the 401 is Busy Bee tools (http://www.busybeetools.com/pages/London-Ontario.html) (Kind of like a smaller Harbor Freight). And finally there is another harbor freight twin called Princess Auto (http://www.princessauto.com/locations/london), also on the south side. The lumber place I tend to frequent is Philmore enterprises, way out on the NW end of town - no website.

If you're into the outdoors, you might visit Novacks (http://novacks.com/), which is downtown. (Mountain Equipment Co-Op is opening a store in November, which I'm really looking forward to...)

If you're into hockey, you could check out a London Knights game this Friday at the John Labatte Centre (http://www.johnlabattcentre.com/eventcalendar.html), which is on the west edge of downtown. (Doesn't look like much else is going on this week there. Last week you could have seen Cirque Du Soleil.)

If you just want to walk, start at Richmond and Oxford St intersection, and walk south until you hit Dundas St, and then turn east. That'll catch a fair bunch of interesting eateries, pub's and local colour.

If you just want to catch a movie, I suggest you check out the Cineplex VIP cinema (http://www.cineplex.com/Theatres/TheatreDetails/Cineplex-Odeon-Westmount-and-VIP-Cinemas.aspx) at Westmount mall. The VIP cinema is a unique theatre -- no kids are allowed (no noisy kids), all seats are reserved seats (so yo don't have to stand in line), and you can order pub food (including beer/drinks) right at your seat. Yeah, you pay a premium, but it is quite an experience. Oh yeah, and the seats are large and plush. Watch out, the cinema also has non-VIP at the same location, so you need to be sure you're selecting the right theatre.

Then there is the Grand Theatre, if you want to catch a play.

There's probably more...

WOW - thanks for all of the ideas !!! I am getting tired of sitting in the hotel at night : )

Matt - I had no idea that Lee Valley is here - that is one stop that I have to make !
Art - Thanks for the lowdown on the area - I am going to be back next week (going home for the weekend) and will be checking out some of the places that you highlighted !!!

Dave Lehnert
10-27-2011, 11:28 PM
Henry Ford, I loved that place. So much history in one place it's mind blowing.

1+, Dayton Ohio is the National Museum of the United States Air force. http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ Right off I-75.
John F. Kennedy's air force one as well as other Presidents planes are there. http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/presidential/index.asp
Best part it's FREE.

Charlie Barnes
10-28-2011, 10:10 PM
If any of your kids are baseball fans, Cooperstown (MLB HoF) is great. I have only been there in summer, so I don't know how it is in winter. If you spend a day there, you could go on to the VT/NH ski areas which are within pretty easy driving distance. The drive home would be pretty long, though.

Also if you or your kids are baseball fans, try the Slugger Museum in Louisville, KY. It has incredible history and the tour is pretty cool, especially for a woodworker. We went the last time in the summer and took in a Bats game (triple A for the Reds) at the same time. Obviously that part won't work for a winter trip, but if you were to go later in the year...

Jim Becker
10-30-2011, 8:34 PM
Well, to plug "local", the Philadelphia area offers a ton of interesting and educational things...

Greg Portland
11-02-2011, 12:28 PM
A little more info on the Air museum: Plan on spending a very full day to quickly browse through the exhibits. If you are the kind of person who reads the sign for each item then it will take 2 days to get through everything. With kids you'll have to plan accordingly (i.e. just visit the rockets and jets, etc.).

Doug Colombo
11-03-2011, 10:26 PM
Doug, you know there's a Lee Valley there, right?
Well I can confirm that you are correct - I am back this week in London and went there tonight - what a great store ! I had looked on their web site before but their planes, etc are very impressive when you see the real thing !!! I had to get out of there before I started to spend $$$ and had to worry about explaining what I bought when I cross back over the border tomorrow : ) But with that said, I will be heading back there again next week - so many tools to look at, so little time .....