In-between WDW vacation ideas

[leadfootlevi]

I need another vacation before my next envisioned WDW vacation (Jan 2012 ). Everything I look at involves so much effort from me though! I want a vacation that I don't have to do much thinking or much work. I don't mind planning, but when I'm on vacation, I just want things to work - you know, much like they do at Disney. KWIM? And, it has to be inexpensive (maximum of $1500 for a week's vacation - is this possible?). Any ideas? We're in Minnesota if that helps. Airfare will probably cut too much into the budget so I'd prefer someplace within a day's drive (12-18 hours MAX).

What do you do for budget conscious, non-Disney family vacations?

 

[Plumeria9]

Sorry, I don't have any ideas for you because you are in Minnesota, way out of my zone! When I need a shorter, close-by vacation I just look at the map. I live in Texas now, and that's pretty much my only option because it takes forever to get outside of state lines! You might have more options. Check out tripadvisor.com, there are tons of good forums if you settle on a few different locations. Good luck!

 

[fakereadhed]

We just did WI Dells in August. We went right before school started(HS kids missed orientation and had to pick their schedules up in office on first day ) but we had a great vacation and it was around $1850 for 6 people.


We stayed at Wilderness on the Lake(condo) for $199 for 5 nights. All the waterparks at Wilderness Territory was included.
We had 2 adults, 3 teen girls, and a 6yo boy. We spent $300 to rent a van which was well worth the cost since we would have been crammed into my Mazda MPV otherwise. We went to the Aldi nearby and bought all of our meals for the 5 days to cook in the condo for $180. We packed lunches drinks and snacks for the parks. We payed for a round of mini golf, but other than that the water parks kept us really busy. I did Orbitz room on the way there and the way home in near Chicago. Great cheap and easy vacation and I'd do it again!

 

[beansmom]

I live in Texas now, and that's pretty much my only option because it takes forever to get outside of state lines!!

I lived in Texas 30 years and when we were making the drive down to Dallas way back then, I read the AAA book and it had this quote that has stuck with me...

"the sun iz riz and the sun iz set and we ain't outta Texas yet".

How true that is!

 

[twooley2]

We just did WI Dells in August. We went right before school started(HS kids missed orientation and had to pick their schedules up in office on first day ) but we had a great vacation and it was around $1850 for 6 people.


We stayed at Wilderness on the Lake(condo) for $199 for 5 nights. All the waterparks at Wilderness Territory was included.
We had 2 adults, 3 teen girls, and a 6yo boy. We spent $300 to rent a van which was well worth the cost since we would have been crammed into my Mazda MPV otherwise. We went to the Aldi nearby and bought all of our meals for the 5 days to cook in the condo for $180. We packed lunches drinks and snacks for the parks. We payed for a round of mini golf, but other than that the water parks kept us really busy. I did Orbitz room on the way there and the way home in near Chicago. Great cheap and easy vacation and I'd do it again!

The rates are no where near that now or next August more to the tune of 500 a night

 

[IUTBAM]

I know a great place if you are into nature/outdoorsy things...the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (if you haven't already been there). We went there in the summer of '09, and it was AMAZING! We had such a good time. The funny thing is that we lived in the Twin Cities for 8 years, but didn't go to Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills until we moved away from Minnesota!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[rusty4]

I know a great place if you are into nature/outdoorsy things...the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (if you haven't already been there). We went there in the summer of '09, and it was AMAZING! We had such a good time. The funny thing is that we lived in the Twin Cities for 8 years, but didn't go to Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills until we moved away from Minnesota!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Where did you stay at?

 

[leadfootlevi]

I know a great place if you are into nature/outdoorsy things...the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (if you haven't already been there). We went there in the summer of '09, and it was AMAZING! We had such a good time. The funny thing is that we lived in the Twin Cities for 8 years, but didn't go to Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills until we moved away from Minnesota!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

DS has said he wants to go to Mt. Rushmore. I'll have to look into the Black Hills. I've never entertained this idea because I didn't know what else to do beside Rushmore - and I've heard that Rushmore itself is kind of boring (you stand way far away and look at a carved mountain, then leave).

 

[fakereadhed]

The rates are no where near that now or next August more to the tune of 500 a night

There are specials offered a few months out at lots of the area resorts and like I said, we had to wait until it was nearly back to school for the best rates. Sign up for their newsletters to get alerts on specials.

 

[rusty4]

What about Branson, MO? They always have great deals. VRBO.com has rentals if you would prefer that over a hotel. We rented a 2 bed condo for $700 for a week in August before. I bet you could even find something cheaper. We have driven to Minnesota in day so I know that is doable. They have Silver Dollar City which is a fun theme park, Dogwood Canyon (expensive but only great reviews on the place), water park, go carts and shows. Just about anything you can think of.

 

[eli3886]

I second the idea for Branson. It is a great family place and there is tons do there.

We also went to Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, and Deadwood for a few days. Other than the very cool scenery, which I thoroughly enjoyed, there wasn't much for the kids to do. However, we did rent a cute bungalow in Rapid City from VRBO.com

 

[scanmom]

is fun, but can get expensive if you're not careful. It can be done cheaply, you just have to plan well. Condos are aplenty there, which gives you the option of cooking at least some of your meals. That can be a huge cost saver. A great place to look around, including their forums is www1branson.com and there is a 2for1 place for show tickets that is very reputable I think it's wwwBranson2for1tickets.com I have used them, and got really good seats at the last minute. I don't know if you can order from them in advance, we have just dropped in and gotten tickets.

 

[merekc]

Not knowing where in Minnesota, I'm assuming the twin cities when I mention distance.

Besides the Dells and South Dakota (which were also both on my list), I was thinking....

St. Louis (9 hours)- zoo, 6 flags, Cardinals, magic house, city museum, the arch, grant's farm and lots more

Tan-tar-a, MO - old resort in the lake of the ozarks, used to be a big deal, still charming feels like you step back into Dirty Dancing's resort. pools, indoor water park, horseback riding, rent jet skis, rent boat, can start to add up.

Denver (13 hours)
Cincinnati/Louisville (12 hours)
Yellowstone - may be outside your distance, but you could drive across S.Dakota do Rapid City stuff, hit the Battle of Little Big Horn and Billings and drop into Yellowstone. It is awesome!
Kansas City - 7 hours

Most of these cities have museums, theme parks, historical sites and other interesting things. These are all places we've driven to. If you have an interest in any, I can tell you more.

There are always neat things to do anywhere you go. We've made vacations out of traveling the backroads of Kansas and Iowa before. They don't sound exciting, but it just requires a little research to find the unique.

 

[McKelly]

Depending on where you live in MN, how about Northern Michigan - Mackinac Island, Taquamenon Falls, Soo Locks, Agawa Canyon, might get kind of pricey depending on what you do. Do you have passports - I think you need those for Soo Locks and Agawa Canyon now. Otherwise Chicago is a great city to visit. Check out the CityPass to save some money on attractions.

 

[rusty4]

is fun, but can get expensive if you're not careful. It can be done cheaply, you just have to plan well. Condos are aplenty there, which gives you the option of cooking at least some of your meals. That can be a huge cost saver. A great place to look around, including their forums is www1branson.com and there is a 2for1 place for show tickets that is very reputable I think it's wwwBranson2for1tickets.com I have used them, and got really good seats at the last minute. I don't know if you can order from them in advance, we have just dropped in and gotten tickets.

We have used the www.branson2for1tickets.com as well. We also bought in person. Not sure if you can buy online. The Branson forum that scanmom mentioned is great as well. Some people on there have condo's and other rentals and can direct you to theirs.

It will get expensive if you try and do everything. There is so much there. Train rides, boat rides and show, duck boats are a fun experience, mini golf and more. We do a little each trip. If you rent a great place, or stay at a nice hotel with pool you can fill alot of time with that. They have a couple of places now with indoor water parks as well.

 

[etoiles]

I second a vacation to South Dakota. We went one year and it was great! You can drive to there over two days and stop to see the Spam Museum, corn palace, and the falls of Sioux Falls. In the evening in Sioux Falls there is a laser light show that tells the history of the area.

We stayed in the Badlands park hotel. It is inexpensive and in the middle of the park. I would not recommend to stay there for your whole stay because it is a long drive to the other attractions but to visit the Badlands and Walldrug it is nice. If you have kids or adult rock enthusiasts they can climb on the rocks in the park. You can stop by the ranger building and they will tell you the best place to see wildlife such as buffalo.

Also around there you can see the Crazy Horse memorial which was very nice to see. At Mt. Rushmore, yes you can just look at it and leave or you can walk the trail around the monument as well which gives you more info about it. We also went to Custer State PArk and did the scenic drive to needle's point which was gorgeous! We also did a tour of an old gold mine. We left much too soon and regretted we had not planned a longer stay there.

 

[Leader of the Club]

Someone mentioned Cincinnati and I thought, "huh? for vacation?" but here are some ideas...

There are several extended stay hotels ini Northern Cincinnati for accommodations. There is also a great camp ground at Winton Woods, if you like camping.

For activites:
Cincinnati Reds often have great deals.
The Cincinnati Zoo is amazing.
The Cincinnati Museum Center is a fun way to spend the day.
We have great parks through the Hamilton County Park District.
Kings Island and their water park is always a good time.
We also have the Beach Waterpark.
The Air Force Museum in Dayton is great, too. Worth the 40 minute drive.

 

[merekc]

Someone mentioned Cincinnati and I thought, "huh? for vacation?" but here are some ideas...

There are several extended stay hotels ini Northern Cincinnati for accommodations. There is also a great camp ground at Winton Woods, if you like camping.

For activites:
Cincinnati Reds often have great deals.
The Cincinnati Zoo is amazing.
The Cincinnati Museum Center is a fun way to spend the day.
We have great parks through the Hamilton County Park District.
Kings Island and their water park is always a good time.
We also have the Beach Waterpark.
The Air Force Museum in Dayton is great, too. Worth the 40 minute drive.

Add to that you get Graeter's ice cream! Yum! (Thanks Disboard for that find).

Also you cross over into Louisville and get the Louisville Slugger Museum, Churchill Downs, Distillary tours, Science Center, several other museums and Lynn's Paradis Cafe (fun kitsch styled diner).