Campers/Outdoor Enthusiasts....

[indimom]

Or locals in this particular geographical area:

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, northern Tennessee, southern Michigan.

We are planning to go tent camping somewhere in this general area because we don't want to drive too far. We're only planning on about 4-5 days. Hopefully the end of the summer if we can make the schedules work.

We are looking for outdoor activities like:

Zip lines.
Water Activities: boating, canoeing, "tame" river rafting (we have zero experience and one slightly timid boater).
Hiking/Biking
Go-Karts or something similar. DS really wants this.
Putt Putt or similar filler activities. Short tours or historical sites fine also.
Pool or Lake swimming.

Our kids are DS14 and DD(almost)17.

Oh, and we're not really interested in theme parks this time around.

Decent campground bathrooms preferred, flush toilets a must.

It seems like my searches are so broad I'm having a hard time honing in on a particular area. So, does anyone from these areas or with experience camping have any suggestions I can look into further?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this and for any advice!

 

[InMemory]

We stayed at Winton Woods in Cincinnatti. Not exactly roughing it but I know there are bike trails and a couple zip lining places near by in Kentucky. There were a few other campgrounds that were rougher connected by their website so check it out. Super nice facilities. There is a waterpark in Cincinnatti as well as Kings Island.

Turkey Run and Shades State park are nice in Indiana and we've gone canoeing and tubing there. Awesome hiking trails with waterfalls and ladders. Haven't been in a while so zip lining wasn't popular but I bet if you check it's nearby.

 

[InMemory]

One more, just thought of Brown County Indiana state park is nice. There is canoeing nearby, hiking and horseback riding and a huge downtown area that's all arts and crafts. I'm guessing there's now zip lining there as well but don't know for a fact.

 

[indimom]

Thanks for the tips, InMemory. We've been to Brown County before, and we've also done Kings Island/The Beach a few times. It has been a few years though, I should probably look into those again and see what has changed.
I forgot about Turkey Run, I canoed there back in the early 90s as a college student. That's the sort of water activities I had in mind. Fun, but not scary. Thanks for the reminder. I'll see what else is available there now. I've never heard of Shades, I'll check into it.
Thanks so much for the quick response.

 

[InMemory]

I haven't been there since the 90s either. Shades was right by Turkey Run. We went at a busy time and Turkey Run was booked up so we landed at Shades by default. But it was the same area same woods really.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We are also planning camping however a little too far for you. I will have to dredge up a "camping thread" we have here. There are a lot of good links.

Our must is floating on the river. Happy planning!

Found it!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2960178&highlight=camping

 

[stsomewhere]

Michigan warren dunes,

We have also camped in Muskegon , Mi.
Some of the activities we did:
go cart/ mini golf
day trip to Mac Wood's dune buggy
tubing- Happy Mohawk livery
Michigan Adventures
beach- Lake Michigan can get some waves. The kids boy surfed.

 

[faith]

You mention go-carts, lake activities, so google Mitchell State park in Cadillac Michigan. Nice family campground, go carts, water slide, and putt putt next door.
One hour north will bring you to Riverside canoe rental. Beautiful crystal clear water on Platte River. They have all the gear you need. This is close to the sand dunes also.

 

[Deffenm]

Here are a few places in Ohio.

Hocking Hills: Hiking, Zip Lining, Go Karts,

East Harbor State Park: Lake Erie, Go Karts/Putt Putt, Fishing, swimming, Island Hopping

Mohican State Park: Canoeing, Hiking, Swimming, Go Karts/Putt Putt

 

[indimom]

We are also planning camping however a little too far for you. I will have to dredge up a "camping thread" we have here. There are a lot of good links.

Our must is floating on the river. Happy planning!

Found it!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2960178&highlight=camping

Thanks for the link, I'll check into them.
Hope you have a great trip also!

 

[indimom]

Michigan warren dunes,

We have also camped in Muskegon , Mi.
Some of the activities we did:
go cart/ mini golf
day trip to Mac Wood's dune buggy
tubing- Happy Mohawk livery
Michigan Adventures
beach- Lake Michigan can get some waves. The kids boy surfed.

You mention go-carts, lake activities, so google Mitchell State park in Cadillac Michigan. Nice family campground, go carts, water slide, and putt putt next door.
One hour north will bring you to Riverside canoe rental. Beautiful crystal clear water on Platte River. They have all the gear you need. This is close to the sand dunes also.

 

[indimom]

Here are a few places in Ohio.

Hocking Hills: Hiking, Zip Lining, Go Karts,

East Harbor State Park: Lake Erie, Go Karts/Putt Putt, Fishing, swimming, Island Hopping

Mohican State Park: Canoeing, Hiking, Swimming, Go Karts/Putt Putt

I think I've heard of Hocking Hills. Maybe my sister's crew went there. I'll have to ask her.

I'll have to research the rest, I haven't heard of those.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Sundancer330]

We camp at many places along the Lake Michigan shore on the Michigan side. Grand Haven has a state park right on the lake where you can camp, great town with lots of activities. Further north is Silver Lake state park, the campground is a mile from the big lake but its on a beautiful inland lake with the sand dunes on the west side. You can rent jeeps, atv's and ride all over the dunes or just walk up and view all the action. Our favorite is Traverse City state park, its such a beautiful town right on the water and you can rent any type of water toy you want, near by are go-carts, zip lines, and an alpine slide at the ski resort which is like a bobsled run down the ski hill. We head west from town to Sleeping Bear National Shoreline in Empire which ABC news voted most beautiful place in the USA. The views from 500 foot sand dunes above the lake are beautiful. Just up the road is Fishtown where the charter boats come in and you can buy fresh Salmon and Lake Trout. Its an area dotted with small towns offering great food, wineries, and one of a kind views.

 

[indimom]

We camp at many places along the Lake Michigan shore on the Michigan side. Grand Haven has a state park right on the lake where you can camp, great town with lots of activities. Further north is Silver Lake state park, the campground is a mile from the big lake but its on a beautiful inland lake with the sand dunes on the west side. You can rent jeeps, atv's and ride all over the dunes or just walk up and view all the action. Our favorite is Traverse City state park, its such a beautiful town right on the water and you can rent any type of water toy you want, near by are go-carts, zip lines, and an alpine slide at the ski resort which is like a bobsled run down the ski hill. We head west from town to Sleeping Bear National Shoreline in Empire which ABC news voted most beautiful place in the USA. The views from 500 foot sand dunes above the lake are beautiful. Just up the road is Fishtown where the charter boats come in and you can buy fresh Salmon and Lake Trout. Its an area dotted with small towns offering great food, wineries, and one of a kind views.

This sounds really interesting. We've done an alpine slide before (near Mammoth Cave). The kids really enjoyed that. My husband would love to do some fishing too.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[faith]

Same dunes as Sundance posted. Area is gorgeous.