Toledo and Dearborn Areas....

[Leader of the Club]

Hey Fellow Budgetears!

I REALLY want to take my kids (20, 12 and 4) to the beach, but that just is not going to happen. I have come up with plan B:

We will drive 4 hours to Toledo and visit the Toledo Zoo (getting 50% off admission with our Cincinnati Zoo pass.) and stay over night.

Where can we stay and eat at that night that may be interesting, but not cost prohibitive? We usually stay at Country Inn and Suites type places.

The next day I want to take the kids to African Wildlife Safari Park ($29.95 with coupon) in Port Clinton and then visit Maumee Bay State Park and play on the "beach."

that evening we will drive to Dearborn, MI. We've never been to MI, so thought we'd go. Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum look extremely cool. I have a coupon for a one year family membership for $99. (admission for Greenfield Village and HF Museum would cost $111.00 including parking).

Anyhow, we need two nights lodging in Dearborn. We will do Greenfield one day and then HF Museum the next. Any recommendations?

I also hear that there is a Rainforest Cafe' in Detroit. thought they kids would get a kick out of that, too.

Any tips or hints would be great! Thanks!

 

[danjoealexis3006]

I am not sure where to tell you to stay in Dearborn but you will LOVE the museum and the village.You need two days just to see everything! My DS10 son's class just went and we loved it!! Have fun!

Oh can I ask where you got the coupon?

 

[JohnsonsRUs]

Here is a link for hotel packages on the website for The Henry Ford, maybe this will help a little: http://www.thehenryford.org/visit/hotel.aspx

And here is the link to the $99 coupon on their website: http://www.thehenryford.org/support/buymembership.aspx

I think the only Rainforest Cafe is up in Auburn Hills at the Great Lakes Crossing mall, which is quite a distance from Dearborn.

Have a great trip!

 

[preb]

JohnsonsRUs gave you great info. The only thing I wanted to add is that some of the hotels listed are pretty far away from the Henry Ford, so try to stick with the ones in Dearborn or do a mapquest to see how far away you'll actually be.

 

[urgoinagain?]

The Dearborn Inn is right across the street, although a bit expensive it is beautiful.

 

[dawnbu40]

We don't have a Rainforest in Detroit but there is a nice Hard Rock Cafe downtown. We are season pass holders at Greenfield Vlg and the 99$ "family pass" only covers your children that are 18 and under so you may have to pay extra for your 20 yr old. Have a great trip!

 

[cjnix29]

In Toledo....as for an interesting place to eat, you could always try Tony Packos. Toledo Staple, Jamie Farr's favorite. If you are going to the zoo, I would actually stay in Maumee, in the Dussel Drive area, I think there is even a Country Inn there. If you want to go downtown, there are some cool restaunts in the Docks area, you can sit on the river. Great Mexican food at Loma Lindas.

 

[BLLB]

We went a few years ago and stayed at a Holiday Inn which was a couple miles away. It was a nice hotel.

 

[Colleen27]

In Toledo, we just find a reasonably priced chain. There's nothing really outstanding there in my experience. The Baymont Suites is fine for our needs (we do like to have a suite when we go to Toledo, because we eat in our room rather than spend money on chain food we could get at home), but we're thinking about trying the Maumee Bay Resort on our next trip because they have a splash pad for the kids and their Zoo package is pretty reasonable ($188 for the room, breakfast, & 4 zoo admissions).

In Dearborn, we like the Towne Place suites. We haven't found any of the hotels in the HF/GFV area to have a really outstanding pool or anything, so we stick with the place where we can get a reasonably affordable suite, and since Towne Place is mainly a business hotel, their weekend rates are quite good. The Best Western Greenfield is pretty close by too, and we enjoyed our stay there. They have a shuttle over to the museum & village, which is nice for not having to hassle with what can be a crazy parking situation.

As far as food in the area, you should make a point to hit Cheli's Chili Bar while you're in Dearborn. It is owned by Chris Chelios and has great food and a lot of really cool Wings memorabilia all over the place.

 

[jakenjacksmom]

There is a hotel that is a Best Western Greenfield Inn it is about 7 minutes for The Henry Ford. Great hotel indoor pool, restaurant and close Rain forest Café is about 45 min to hour away from Dearborn. Also, the Holiday Inn Express is next door to the Greenfield Inn

 

[fakereadhed]

Some of the best Middle Eastern cuisine is in Dearborn- you should try it when you're there. My favorite has been closed, but any of them would be great to try. My favorite is Hummus Chicken. Mmmmm...

Great Lakes Crossing is a fun place- not terribly close, but worth the drive. And since nobody in MI is working anymore the traffic's not too bad.

If you really want to take them to the beach, what about a further drive to Lake Michigan?

http://www.thinkdunes.com/

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Ah a question i can answer!! My parents live in dearborn but we always stay at "the pink palace" AKA the Best Western right there off of 94. Super Easy to get to and incidentally right next to the Holiday Inn. They have pool that is nice and clean. I love GreenField Village although the Henry ford musuem wasnt as much fun for my DS because there is a lot of no touch stuff.

 

[skip323]

Someone already mentioned this but I will second the Middle Eastern food. I am originally from Southeastern MI (though I no longer live there) and section of Dearborn, a couple of years ago, was named "Little Arabia" comparable to a Chinatown etc. There are some GREAT Middle Eastern restaurants around there.

Some of our best vacations, by the way, have been when we just couldn't afford to do something BIG and instead we learned all of the great things in a neighboring city or state!! There is so much to see in the U.S.!! Have fun!

 

[phillmolly]

Since I live in the Detroit area, I really can't give you an ideas on where to stay, although I do know the Best Western is very close to GV/HF. The Rainforest Cafe is probally about an hour away at Great Lakes Crossing. If you drive over 50 miles to get there (the mall) they will give you a savings pass which is good for 10% off at the Rainforest Cafe and other places in the mall. The best hamburgers in the world are at Millers on Michigan Ave in Dearborn. Otherwise I can't really think of anything that hasn't already been mentioned. Have Fun!!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Tony Packo's is a cool place to eat. You can get up on walk around to see all the hotdog buns that have been signed by famous people who have eaten there. We usually go to the one on Front St in Toledo.
I have been to the Toledo zoo and it is a very nice zoo.

We stayed at a Hampton Inn by Bowling Green that was nice.

Henry Ford museum and the attached Greenfield Village is an interesting place to visit.

 

[kpadalik]

There is a Holiday Inn (I believe) in Perrysburg, which is just a few minutes from Toledo. We stayed there about 5 yrs ago and had a great time. Nice indoor courtyard area and a large indoor pool.

I agree about Tony Packo's!

 

[JohnsonsRUs]

If you are in to burgers, you definitely need to try Miller's, but be prepared that burgers, fries, onion rings and sometimes baked beans is all they do and it is a Bar. Their cheeseburgers are to die for if you like greasy drippy burgers. Another warning-you don't get a bill, you just go up to the bar and tell them what you had to eat/drink and they tell you the charge.

 

[Downrivermama]

I live in Wyandotte which is near Dearborn. There is a Hyatt near The Henry Ford. There are also some smaller hotels along Michigan Ave. If you are coming up I-75 there are some hotel-motels at exits 36-39 and along I-94 in Allen Park is a Best Western Greenfield.

The Rain Forest Cafe is in Auburn Hills at Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall, which is on I-75 north of Detroit. Have fun!

 

[Downrivermama]

If you are in to burgers, you definitely need to try Miller's, but be prepared that burgers, fries, onion rings and sometimes baked beans is all they do and it is a Bar. Their cheeseburgers are to die for if you like greasy drippy burgers. Another warning-you don't get a bill, you just go up to the bar and tell them what you had to eat/drink and they tell you the charge.

Ohh, I second that! haven't been there in ages.