budget vacation ideas

[mistysue]

We want to try a non-Disney trip.

I think we will drive and it would be at the end of next summer. At the time we will have an 8 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn.

Our ten night disney trip we kept everything including flights, souvenirs and all of the little crap to I think just under $3,200.

We live in Michigan, what the heck should we do with ourselves? We want to be entertained... everything I start looking into we are spending most what our Disney trip cost just for food and a hotel- but have no entertainment at all.

We have a zoo membership so I was thinking of traveling to zoos (most would be half off) so that would be about $20/day just for something to do and I think it will get lame after a few days... how many zoos can you really do back to back? Everything I can come up with is either perfect for the 8 year old or perfect for the babies- but either way somebody just doesn't belong in the environment for the day!

 

[chattyann]

Have you ever been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge TN area?

 

[McKelly]

How about Wisconsin Dells? IF you really research, you can make it budget. At the end of August, Wilderness Territory usually has some good deals if you travel Sunday-Thursday, and there is plenty to do right at the resort. The multiple indoor/outdoor waterparks are included with your hotel as well as an indoor play area. All areas have slides for the big kids and little play areas for the little ones. Mini-golf, Duck rides from the resort, and arcade are all on property, but are an additional cost. There is a microwave and refrigerator in the room to help cut down on food costs. And there are several fast foods establishments nearby, McDonalds, Culvers, etc.

The Dells CAN get quite expensive, but you would have to pick and choose things before you go.

 

[crl]

I guess it would depend on which part of Michigan you live in and how far you wanted to drive. My MIL lives near St. Joe and the kids love the area. We go to Silver Beach most days. Next to the beach, they have a new spash fountain area that my kids (7 and 4) both enjoyed spending an hour in each day after the beach and it was a great way to rinse off the sand. The town also has a Curious Kids Museum which is great if you get a rainy day. We've also tried bowling on rainy days. There are some sand dunes within a half hour drive and a nature place that I can't remember the name of. If you're interested, I could get more details from FIL. If you are looking into renting a house, you would need to book early since the summer fills up quick.

Again depending on where you are in Michigan, there is a fun looking place in Ohio called Put-in-Bay. My kids are trying to talk the inlaws into meeting us there some year instead of our long drive from PA to Michigan. I believe Toldeo, Ohio has a zoo, a kids museum called Imagination Station, a marine time museum, a fire fighters museum and some botanical gardens as well as other activities. Cleveland, Ohio has a zoo as well as lots of tourist stuff.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We live in Michigan, what the heck should we do with ourselves? We want to be entertained... everything I start looking into we are spending most what our Disney trip cost just for food and a hotel- but have no entertainment at all.

We ran into the same problem several years ago. We'd been to WDW every year and decided to do "something other than Disney" thinking that we'd save a little $$ and see some other place. We drove to the Grand Canyon and then Las Vegas and all the while I kept thinking that we would have had more fun at WDW for about the same amount of $$. For us, Disney gives us the best bang for our buck.

 

[adventure_woman]

HAHA. I'm interested in this as well! I am also from MI, and I haven't come up with anything that is more budget oriented! That's why this year we just haven't gone anywhere and decided to just save our money and go on a cruise in Jan!

Anyway, for shorter vacations - we love Chicago. We usually get a nice but cheaper room from Travelzoo.com (lots of times incl. parking). Lincoln Park zoo is free. Shedd's is there too...but that is more on the expensive side.

Frederick Meijer Gardens in GR.
Like you said - travel around to the different zoos.

Oh...you could go to Columbus - they have the #1 rated zoo in the US I think. A lot of the hotels there also have waterparks.

 

[mistysue]

Those look like some great places!

We live in the South East of the state, so it's so easy to remember how fun the west can be. They seem to have developed it for families.

DH went through grad school in Columbus and they do have a great zoo there. I always forget we could actually go back. Our zoo membership is for Toledo so I know we get a Columbus discount, and both of those cities do have some great children's museums.

crl- it's funny you mention Put-in-bay. I grew up in a family that had a boat we took for vacations every summer. We ALWAYS went to put-in-bay - but there didn't use to be so much there... So I always think of it as this terrible wasteland where I have to anchor out and live on the boat for days, then ferry to shore to sit on a huge cannon before mom got sick of us running in circles and made us go back while my dad stayed on the island to go out drinking with his friends... Then I remember they put actual things to do there now!

 

[scrapquitler]

Can you rent a cottage on a lake?

The other idea I had, and I'm not so sure about distances in the mid-west because here in New England things don't seem so far (I can cross 5 states in a couple of hours0... How about Niagara Falls and Toronto?

 

[Jennifer in MI]

We live in MI too. We did a budget trip last year to northern MI. Ours was a very quick trip though. We did Sault Ste. Marie and took a lock tour. There's a wonderful museum right there too. For our family of 6, I think that day was just under $200.

Then, we went to Mackinac Island and stayed at the Grand Hotel. We got an AMAZING rate ($150/night for ALL of us and that included ALL our meals!). But, you could stay in Mackinac City much cheaper and take the boat over. There's SO much to do on the island - we did horseback riding, bike riding, butterfly house, croquet on the lawn of the hotel, etc, etc, etc.

We hope to visit Taquemanon Falls and the Painted Rocks in a couple years. But those things are not very expensive either.

We save money by bringing our own food (except at the Grand). Simple stuff. Mac and Cheese (pre-cooked), nachos (meat - precooked), burgers, etc. We travel with a microwave and a cooler. It's all we need!

Anyway, I think our 5 day trip up north, including gas cost us under $1000 for 6 of us.

And, then there are the fabulous beaches! But, you must already know about them!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Have you ever been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge TN area?

This our other favorite vacation spot.

 

[Jennifer in MI]

Another idea - we recently spent 8 days and drove out east - we spent 2 night in Niagara Falls and did the Sky Wheel and Maid of the Mist. Both cost under $200 for our entire family. Hotel was $75/night (BIL was with us - he has lots of points at Marriott and we were able to stay in the Presidential Suite for that cost!!).

Then, we stopped in Rochester, NY at the International Museum of Play. That was just over $50 for our entire family. We should've spent longer here. WONDERFUL museum!!! We spent the night with cousins.

Then, on to VT. We stayed in White River Junction for $99/night. There, we did a TON of hiking and sightseeing. Lots of free wine tastings, cheese tastings, etc. We spent money at a nature preserve ($50) and attended demonstrations on the animals there.

Then, we went to Killington and did their summer package - alpine sliding, trampolines, horseback riding, etc. I think that entire day cost us $200. WELL worth it for our active family.

Then, it was on to Rutland for a family wedding. We found a coupon on the NY Throughway for the Comfort Inn there for $49! We hiked part of the Appalachian Trail here and LOVED it!!!! (My 4 yo dd learned to pee outside on this hike! She was SO excited!)

Anyway, this trip also cost us less than $1000. We're big fans of these shorter, less expensive trips that satisfy my travel itch!!!!

Have fun deciding!!!

 

[disneyfan55]

We want to try a non-Disney trip.

I think we will drive and it would be at the end of next summer. At the time we will have an 8 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn.

Our ten night disney trip we kept everything including flights, souvenirs and all of the little crap to I think just under $3,200.

We live in Michigan, what the heck should we do with ourselves? We want to be entertained... everything I start looking into we are spending most what our Disney trip cost just for food and a hotel- but have no entertainment at all.

We have a zoo membership so I was thinking of traveling to zoos (most would be half off) so that would be about $20/day just for something to do and I think it will get lame after a few days... how many zoos can you really do back to back? Everything I can come up with is either perfect for the 8 year old or perfect for the babies- but either way somebody just doesn't belong in the environment for the day!

Visit National Parks. You can get an annual pass good for the family (up to 4 adults) kids under 16 are free and don't count. You have some in MI plus you are not that far from some of the western beautiful NPs. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Devils tower, the Badlands to name a few are not that great a distance. You can camp or even get a cabin in most for not that much of a cost. We have gone cross country 6 times, of which 3 times were with young children. Just a thought. The NP service has a passport book that you can purchase for about $8 and you can get cancellations at all National park sites. Neat for the kids to collect. I first saw them on our second crosscountry trip in 1988 and bought them for my kids. I didn't buy one for myself until a trip to Alaska and now I collect the cancellations as well. Fun for the kids!! Zoos and museums are great in between as well. Planning the trip great fun too. The NP website is a wealth of info plus they will send information in the mail as well for free!

 

[TnTWalter]

Living in Michigan you have a gold mine of vacation spots.

We live in Indiana and ADORE Lake Michigan Beaches. Our family spent a week this summer in Grand Haven. It was so affordable, only 4.5 hours and FUN FUN FUN. Ludington, Grand Haven, South Haven, Holland...all fab. And the water isn't as cold as farther north.

We rented a house for $600 total for the week that allowed our dog so we saved money on a kennel. We ate out and at home so it was affordable. The kids could build sand castles all day long. We also climbed dunes, visited farmers market, a street dance, went on bike rides, went to a carnival, toured coast guard ships. Awesome.

 

[mistysue]

Jennifer your vacations sound amazing!

I tried to get out to the sand dunes this last summer- we ended up skipping it because we went to a beach first... when we got there both kids were excited and jumping around because they wanted to swim. As soon as they set foot on the wet sand they both froze in place and stood there staring at us like "what did you just bring me to?" Funny, but apparently I just don't have beach kids or something. My daughter was actually mad for the rest of the day because "I tricked her." Not sure how, but I opted to delay the other sand wonder for another time.

 

[chattyann]

The reason I recommend Gatlinburg is because there are tons of things to do and it is just a relaxing enjoyable place to be if you like the Mountains. They have a great Aquarium. You can either stay in Hotels or Rent a nice Cabin or Chalet. They always have deals for free days or discounts on the Chalets and Cabins. That way you can cook some meals in to save some money and a lot of these offer hot tubs and game rooms for the same or less than the price of a hotel room. There are really pretty scenic drives you can take with the possibility of seeing bears and other wild life. You can also go over to Cherokee NC, about an hour or so away, it is a really pretty drive also. They have a really cool place in Pigeon Forge called the Rain Forest that has different animals, snakes, and birds. My kids love it there. It is their second favorite place behind Disney World.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

If you have never been to Chicago there are lots of things to do: Shedd Aquarium, Museum Of Science And Industry, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Navy Pier has a little amusement park and has boating excursions (anything from cruises on down to sight seeing and speedboat rides).

And there is the WI Dells with lots of stuff to do (and if you buy tickets online for most things you can save on the price for getting into attractions).

If you are looking for a more scenic trip I highly recommend Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Tennessee.

 

[bearzabout]

I live in Michigan and my favorite spot in the state is also the Grand Haven area. They have a wonderful festival in early August called the Coast Guard Festival. Do a search on it. It runs for about 10 days and has a street carnival, various events, boat tours, parades, craft shows, car shows and concerts (make sure to see the clown band) and a fantastic fireworks display the first Saturday of August.

Rent a house or condo (book it early - the festival is very popular).

From Grand Haven, you can tour Grand Rapids and see Frederick Meijer Gardens with its great children's play area. The waterpark in Muskegan should be a hit with the kids. There are nice sand dunes to climb and other unique communities closeby. The water should be warm by August and the beaches in the area are really nice. There are great food options as well. This should be a great trip for a not so high price.

I love the festival so much that I have gone most years for the past 25.

 

[ltl engine]

It seems like quite a way for you but we live in Chicago and during the summer we drove to WI Dells spent 2 nites during the week at a water park hotel for a pretty reasonable rate..did the Ducks, ate at a train restaurant and wandered their downtown area, then we drove to Minneapolis for Mall of America for 2 nites...The kids LOVED Nickelodeon Universe, Underwater Adventure (an aquarium), mini-golf, etc. and we did NO shopping. The hotel rates around Mall of America are pretty good since it is close to the airport. Also the aquarium has a deal where you can buy your tics within 2 hrs of closing then you can get in the next day free. Good Luck!

 

[neatokimmo]

I'd take Amtrak to DC. The train ride itself is interesting, you see a lot.

Once in DC, I'd priceline a room for Arlington and hopefully you'll get the Kimpton. It is a fantastic 4 star and we paid just $70. Go to betterbidding.com for how to bid on priceline.

Metro passes are cheap.

All the museums and the zoo are free. Arlington has several low cost options for eating (fast food and fancy fast food) so you don't have to spend a ton on dining out.

When you buy the Amtrak ticket you'll be prompted to apply for their MC. If you get it, you'll get enough points for 1-2 tickets later on. You apply for one and get your spouse to apply for one.

 

[5stljayhawks]

Long driving travel trips with youngens can be a P.I.A. I speak from exp. having made numerous trips ranging from 1200 to 1500 miles one way. (stl to FL and STL to WY) Keeping a kick ball in the car and freq, reststops to feed the baby and exercise the kids will help.

If you really like shows, Branson MO has some really cool stuff, somewhat kid friendly and great fishing, trout, bass, walleye. There are two lakes - Table Rock(bass) and Tanaycomo(trout), there is also a bass pro resort on table rock.

St. Louis has a free Zoo, one of the best in the world. Free Art Museum, Free Science Center, City Museum, Ted Drews frozen custard, toasted ravioli, imos pizza and lion's choice. There is baseball, six flags, Merimac Caverns - there is a great cave complex around mid/southern MO.

Thoughts on MO