Where to take 8 months old infant for a road trip in the Midwest?

Door County, WI! Great family destination with old-time country charm, nice little shops, great trails, can rent bikes or mopeds, hike, take a boat, etc. We are going this memorial day weekend with my tot.

Hi! Have you looked at The Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva? It is a huge resort just over the border in Wisconsin and it is a great family destination. Not only do they have a golf course and a fantastic spa, but they also have a huge indoor waterpark (which has some outdoor areas for summer as well). We took my daughter there for a long weekend when she was about 8 months old as well, and she loved it! They have wading pools and areas for small babies as well as things for the big kids - it is the kind of place you could go year after year. And it is only about an hour and a half from Chicago.

If you are comfortable with this type of thing, they also have a program called Kids are Grand which offers babysitting services. We have used this program several times over the years and have had great experiences. All of the sitters are employees of the resort, come dressed in hotel uniforms with name badges, are pre-screened and background checked by the resort. I have nothing but positive things to say about this program. In fact, we just used it this past weekend on Saturday night when we were there for a Mother's Day celebration. The hotel has three great restaurants - I particularly recommend The Geneva Chop House - it is fantastic. So you and your husband can take advantage of some adult time too!

Hope this helps! Whatever you do, have a great time! : )

St. Joseph, Michigan is just 90 minutes from Chicago, but feels like miles and miles away! A small town located on the shores of Lake Michigan - it has great restaurants, boutique shops, etc. Everything is within a few block walk/stroll.

Silver Beach in St. Joe has been rated in the Top 10 family beaches! Really clean and beautiful.

Wineries, orchards, and other excursions are all a 10-15 min drive from the heart of the city.

I recommend staying at The Boulevard Inn, but there are less expensive hotels as well. http://www.sjcity.com

We just did this when my son was 8 months old (he is now 11months). We stayed at a hotel downtown and went to the Shedd, the Lincoln Park Zoo and convservatory. Then we drove to visit family in Bloomington, Ill. Then went on a long hike with our son in a backpack at a forest preserve near Western Springs. it was awesome and such fun.

Quick fix: The Abbey at Lake Geneva. It is relaxing, 15-20 minutes from the main drag of shopping, beach, etc., and it has a great kiddy pool that is like a beach to walk into, so you can take your little one to it. There are restaurants of the TGI Friday's level and also 1 or 2 fancy restaurants on-site, plus a sweet shop, if you don't want to drive into town. We've been going since our daughter was 7 months, and plan to go again this year now that we have a 3-year old and a 1-month old. It's not cheap but you save in drving cost.

Hi K.- I recommend the following for near-by family vacation destinations:

-Starved Rock Lodge (Utica, IL)
-Door County, WI
-New Buffalo, MI (or any of the cute Harbor County towns)
-South Haven, MI
-Saugatuck, MI

Southern Michigan is really a great location for a family getaway. You can find vacation rental cottages on the beach and spend time at the beach, going into the towns (Saugatuck, South Haven - both very cute), ride the Kal-Haven trail if you're into biking, go blueberry picking, tour some wineries (for the adults, obviously), and generally have a really nice little getaway.

Starved Rock

Paducah, Kentucky, but this may be a little too far with an 8-month-old

I love South Haven, MI. It has wonderful places that you can stay near a beautiful, sandy, clean beach. It is very relaxing, not a lot of activity things to see, but a quaint town. Sagatuck, Fenville and Holland, MI are all within 10-20 minute travel where there are fun things to do and see. Easy to take a baby with in a stroller.

And I have a friend who lives there and she always finds me the perfect place to stay because our family has a lot of allergies. Her name is Win Dickson. She owns her own travel agency and is very reasonable.
Graham Travel
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M.
www.new-zealand-vacation.info

Hello, were going to pittsburg with our 5 month old, and will be staying at a farm bed and breakfast, they have a pool and it's quiet and relaxing and pittsburg has tons to doo and it's 45 minutes away, so you can relax and have fun at the same time, just a suggestion.

Another great place to check out with the family is Ann Arbor, Michigan (you can win a trip to Ann Arbor or get more info at http://www.visitannarbor.org/different?id=wRqti8mc97a115p.... There is a wide variety of unique restaurants, boutique shops and kid friendly attractions. There really is something for everyone in Ann Arbor.

Hi K.,

I have a 2 yr old daughter and last year my husband, my daughter and I went to New Buffalo, Michigan. It is an hour drive from downtown Chicago and it is relaxing and beautiful. We stayed at the Marina Grand Resort. It is situated on Lake Michigan w/ the Sand dunes a couple miles away. We had such a nice time we are taking my daughter again this year. Hope this helps.

Door County! It's so relaxing there and lots of family stuff to do. It's right on the lake. You can take boat rides and take long, relaxing walks on beautiful tree lined trails. Do a search on 'Door County'; there are lots of festivals and things going on vertually every weekend during the summer months. My husband and I are going to take our 13 month old this summer and I'm just dying to get out of the city for a while. It's a very quaint town, nothing fancy. Tons of families vacation there so most of the restaurants are very accommodating. Have a great time on your family vacation!

you should trying going to the Orange Lake Country Club in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. Great place