5 days to travel home.....

[Tjaleks]

Ok, we will have 5 days to drive back from Orlando to Central IL. So the ultimate question is what do we do? Does anyone have any suggestions? We will be leaving Orlando on 12/22 and would like to take our time.

 

[Pop Daddy]

that is gonna suck, just get home early

 

[Tjaleks]

We don't have to take all 5 days, but would like to take our time. We would like to stop and see some of the country between WDW and home.

 

[BethanyF]

Stone Mountain Georgia
Memphis / Graceland
Nashville

 

[Tjaleks]

Thanks Bethany. Anyone else. I have 2 DS's ,9 & 10, that have had a limited exposure to central IL, Chicago, and St. Louis. I would really like them to see some of our beautiful country and I am having a hard time deciding what we should do. Does anyone live between here and there and want to brag about his/her town?

 

[Poohnatic]

Don't live between Orlando and Illinois, but one of my favorite vacations as a kid took my family to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. I'm planning on taking my kids there, since I had so much fun.

Suzanne

 

[MosMom]

Ruby Falls/Lookout Mountain/Rock City in Chattanooga
Mammoth Cave

 

[mom2boys]

If it's not too far out of the way I suggest the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville AL. Really cool stuff - especially with kids. I recommend staying at the Marriott right next door. There is also a drive through Christmas light display in the park down the street.

I second Mammoth Cave. We were there in January - my boys 9 &11 at the time loved it. Want to go back. We also stopped at Abe Lincoln's Boyhood Home. Louisville, KY has the Sluggers Museum & Factory (where they make the famous baseball bats). We also enjoyed the Underground Railroad Museum/Freedom Center in Cincinnati. We did all of this & the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton in the same week trip mainly straight up I-65. If you are interested in any of this, I would be happy to give you more info.

 

[Barb D]

So you'll be on the road on Christmas?

 

[Tjaleks]

So you'll be on the road on Christmas?

Well, we could be. We will be doing Xmas with our families before we leave on vacation. This will be our first Xmas for just the 4 of us all alone. Personally, I am liking the idea of having my kids and DH all to myself and not have to worry about rushing from relative to relatives house. I understand there may be several things closed on Xmas day so that may be an exclusive travel day, but that is fine with us.

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I will be checking all of them.

 

[RadioNate]

5 days is a long time for that drive. Orlando to Chicago is about 16 hours. Where I lived in Orlando to where my parents lived in Chicago took around 14 hours. We'd nearly always stop overnight.

What route are you planning on taking? There are several that don't vary the overall drive times too drastically.

Over the years we've stopped in Memphis to see Graceland and I'm quite partial to the Memphis Zoo. Nashville and the Grand Ole Opery are on the way. Mammoth cave. There is the whole Rock City, Ruby Falls stuff in Chatagnooga, which I would make a whoe day out of but it's good for a stop for a couple of hours. That area can be bad weather wise. I've gotten caught in the pass there in early January and it's no fun being stuck at the 1 hotel in the area with all the roads closed.

There are pleanty of Universities to stop at.