Midwest Roadtrip Suggestions

Sorry I'm not from that area so have no suggestions with WHERE to go,but when you're in the car, there are fun games/ideas on www.momsminivan.com to keep the kids occupied and having fun while stuck in the car. (my favorite: hide and go seek and scavenger hunt)

Mt.Vernon, neat! I am from the Marion area. We live in Missouri now. I would suggest Branson, MO, or St.Louis, MO, both are amazing little vacations for kids there is so much to do in both cities. I'm not sure how far you want to travel and how many days you want it to be, you didn't say.

Not sure how far you wanted to drive but Malabar Farm State Park is only about 45 minutes from you - they have lots of farm animals, a fishing pond, visitor center and gift shop; Mohican State Forest is right there also; Amish country is only about an hour from you. Only problem is there's not much open on a Sunday. Sauder Village up in Archbold, Ohio - that's about a three-hour drive but it's really nice. And there are parks up in that area. Longaberger Homestead in Frazeysburg, Ohio is about an hour from you - have to check their website for hours. What about the Columbus Zoo or COSI? You could definitely spend a weekend in Columbus. Have fun!!

Indianapolis Children's Museum! It is a FABULOUS time for the kiddos! Not sure how long of a drive it is to get there, but it is awesome! It is an entire day of fun!

There is also Shedd Aquarium in Chicago -- Not sure how far that is from you either. Our kids LOVED that, too! There are a lot of things to do in Chicago. If you have girls the American Doll place is there, or Navy Pier.

kalahari in sandusky. my kids had a blast there (ages 11 and 6 at the time). the meals can be expensive if you go to the restaurants for every meal, but if you bring a few things with you its not as bad, theres a fridge and micro in every room from what they told me!

or we just got back from frankenmuth Mi this weekend. we stayed at zehders splash bay...great for the little ones. there was a package deal that included dinner at the zehnders inn and breakfast buffet at the hotel. the waterpark is about 1/3 of the size as kalahari, but it is great for little ones and very clean.

Hocking Hills camping? They have cabins so you don't need to tent. Good place to hike and the leaves are beautiful that time of year...There's also Brown County, Indiana where there is Clifty Falls, hiking and shopping. Northern Ohio has Amish with good restraunts and places of interest...cheese factory, horse drawn things....farms...Have fun....Autumn is a great time to be outdoors.....

Pymatuning State Park

Hocking Hills
Brown County IN, I think Madison, IN is not too far from there
Indianapolis Childrens Museum
Indianapolis Zoo
St Louis has this museum called the City Museum and it is really fun. They have a zoo thats free admission. Its about 6 Hours though.
Columbus has COSI
Sandusky

Ever thought of going to Jellystone? Its that Yogi Bear fun park thing. Great for a family get away and I think is only about 3 or 4 hours north of Cincinnati..in MI

This isn't that far for you but if you have never been there, you have to go to The Farm at Walnut Creek. It is an Amish "zoo" basically where you take a horse pulled wagon ride through their grounds. An amish man drives and is the tour guide. You are given a bucket of food and you feed the various exotic animals that come to the wagon; the giraffes at the end are the finale. We went with our young teens and we all laughed so hard, there was something so exhilerating and funny about being this close to these animals! There is also an area to walk through with other small animals, a fun gift shop and it is all beautifully landscaped. It would be lovely in autumn I'm sure.

I imagine you've already been to places like Kalahari or Great Wolf Lodge. That's a great escape with kids.

Pittsburgh also has wonderful museums, ...and the Columbus Zoo is one of the best. We went specifically to see the new exhibit with the swimming polar bears.

Come see your neighbor here in Indiana lol. Brown county state park is really pretty this time of year, or any state park, Or what about Cumberland Falls?

I was thinking Missouri too, but again I'm sort of biased as well! ;) I'm not sure how far of a drive it would be but KC has some great fall festival stuff including an awesome Renaissance Festival, one of the best in the nation! Besides the yummy food the kids would probably enjoy the jousting and other shows, plus lots of kid friendly activities, especially for the 4 y/o. Branson and St. Louis are also good choices. St. Louis has a lot of free activities and a ton of kid friendly stuff. Branson is just a crazy place for kids and adults! They have a small amusement park called Silver Dollar CIty that I'm sure is open through the end of October.

Go to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. It isn't a bad drive, just across Ohio and midway through Indiana on I-70 and well worth the drive. Or go to the Cincinnati area and don't do Kings Island. There is a hotel with an indoor waterpark called Co-Co Key which is less expensive than Great Wolf Lodge, an aquarium in northern Kentucky, a children's museum at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and a fun train activity center called EnterTrainment Junction in West Chester. Tons of stuff to do that isn't Kings Island.

Mid Oct you could see some beautiful fall colors. There is a website (try google) that show when/where peak colors will be and then just choose an area where they will be peak in mid Oct. Not sure how far you are willing to travel, but the UP of Michigan is pretty. We went there once in Oct.
Mammoth Caves KY is awesome too if you haven't been there. I took my kids when they were 3 and 5 and they hiked thru a smaller/shorter path just fine - it was about 1 hr hike into the caves.

How about Hocking Hills. That is a great fall family getaway.

Or Amish Country in Holmes County. We went to a great place there called Rolling Ridge Farm where you got to see all kinds of exotic animals. There is a lot to do there for everyone!