Family Travel Experts

Destinations Midwest

Got a case of wanderlust that won’t quit? Your next Midwest family holiday is a click away. Our moms have bounced around the globe testing out family vacation spots from campgrounds to African safaris and they’re dishing the dirt on what works, what doesn’t and what you need to know before you go. Get all the family travel information essentials you need (from a traveling mom's perspective, natch!) to dive into your next Midwest family vacation.

Here you'll find family holiday ideas for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Missouri.

Summer Fun at Midwest Lake Resorts

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abbeyMidwest winters can seem endless. The payoff? Perfect summer temperatures! Each year I vow to savor every minute of the warm weather.

Although I can’t put everything on hold, I can live summer to the fullest, by participating in that wonderful warm weather tradition— a week at the lake. Here are a few favorite laid-back lake resorts in the Midwest.


Just under two hours north of my sweet home Chicago is The Abbey Resort, the only lodging directly on the shores of Wisnconsin’s Lake Geneva. There’s a newly renovated spa, sailing school, indoor-outdoor pools and an arcade.
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Lincoln Lives on in Central Illinois

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Daniel Day Lewis as LincolnIt may not be Daniel Day Lewis walking the streets of Springfield, Illinois, but there’s likely someone who looks a lot like him. OK, it will be someone who looks a lot like Daniel Day Lewis when he looks a lot like Abraham Lincoln.

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Family Travel to the 100 Mile Yard Sale in Missouri

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100mileyardsaleOne hundred miles of bargains -- hard to resist, right?  For the past few years, my gal pals and I have been loading up our vehicles with our kiddos and hitting the 100-mile yard sale that runs from Jackson, MO to Kennett, MO on Highway 25. 
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Five Things to Love About The American Club Resort, Kohler, Wisconsin

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kohler-bathroomIf you live in the Midwest and need a place to quickly rekindle the romance with your significant other, look no further than The American Club located in Kohler, Wisconsin. With cozy rooms, romantic restaurants and one of the best spas on the planet, even 24 hours away from the kids is enough to remember why you got married in the first place.

My husband and I recently spent just that – roughly 24 hours – at this exquisite resort and here’s our top five favorite aspects:

1. The carriage ride around town. We grabbed a bottle of champagne and got picked up right outside the lobby on a blistering night that seemed a bit frosty for a carriage ride.  Yet snuggling under blankets with our horse clomping around the quaint town of Kohler was a perfect parlay into dinner.
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Camping with Mom

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campingbecky5Momma, let's go camping! OK, probably not my favorite words to hear come out of my 4-year-old's mouth, but that little man of mine believes momma is capable of anything. Yes, I know. I have him fooled.

It is no secret that I am anything but an expert outdoors-woman. In fact I have come to the conclusion that they only allow me to call myself that to be nice to me. However, I do have a desire to learn, or at least teach my children about the outdoors, but taking my then-8-year-old and 4-year-old camping alone, well that was not a challenge I was sure I could handle.

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Mastodon State Historic Site in Missouri

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MastodonStateSite 640x427Being a mom of a boy, I sometimes have to take off my “girly hat” and transform into a “boy mom”. You know what I mean those “gross” moments of bugs, reptiles, and things that smell. After years of driving I-55 from our home to St. Louis, I finally made that pit stop at Mastodon State Historic Site and instantly started kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Mastodon State Historic Site is the home of Kimmswick Bone Bed, one of the most famous Pleistocene ice age deposits of fossils…..okay by now I think we all know I am no expert on history, fossils, or anything historic for that matter. However, I am an expert on how to have fun and fun with my kids. I would rate Mastodon State Historic Site as one of the most interpretive, hand on, and intriguing historic site the kids and I have visited in Missouri.
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