Best stuff to do with toddlers in your state? OK, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY, OH, PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA --...

[LCBMAX]

Hi Mamas!

In a few days we're heading out for a cross country road trip with our 2.5 yo son and 2 dogs, in a sleeping van - not a camper. In about 7 weeks, we'll do a slightly different return trip. I'd love your recommendations for stops along the way that would be fun, and places to spend the night. We'd go an hour out of our way for something you think is amazing, or 30 minutes for plain old good fun, and the address of a good playground would save us a melting down toddler as the grownups drive in circles. We love animals, trains (even amtrack), children's museums, story time at the library, community pools, nature and garbage trucks. Places that make dogs happy are also very welcome - they stay leashed. Health food stores? Kid friendly restaurants? See our routes below.

Our style of travel is to stop and play for a few hours midmorning, drive as much as possible during nap, stop and play some more in the late afternoon, and drive 2 - 4 more hours in the bedtime/ early night time. Then we usually pull over in a cornfield, a welcoming parking lot, or a quiet residential area, and we head out again in the early morning looking for a good breakfast, a playground, and a good walk for the dogs. We're quiet at night, and respectful and clean everywhere we go. So if you want to recommend any good places to pull over, or even the spot in front of your house, we'd be so grateful and we wouldn't leave a trace. Sometimes we are desperate for a shower, and we wonder which outlying areas of big cities are good for less expensive and safe hotels.

I was thinking that this could be a good place to collect anyone's recommendations for toddler activities because one day, some other mdc family might be coming to YOUR town and need a way to get those ya-yas out. See my contribution below in case you ever come to Santa Fe, NM!

Thanks so much - mamas who get roadweary just going for groceries know how much your ideas will mean to us!


Coming and going we'll be on these highways -

- the OK panhandle on 56 and across OK on I 44 - 40
- KS on 56 to 50 to I 35
- MO on I 70 and I 44
- IL on I 57
- IN on I 64 and I 70
- a stop in Louisville KY, then I 71
- OH on I 70 or I 71 - 90
- NY on I 86 - 88
- PA on I 70 - 76 - 78 panhandle
- NJ on I 78
- CT on I 95 - 91 - 84
- MA on the MassPike

My favorites in northern NM, mostly Santa Fe:
1. The Children's Museum - great outdoor space, as well as fun indoor activities
2. The Folk Art Museum - has a play area to entertain a baby/ toddler while adults/ big kids do an exhibit. Often has activities for kids too
3. The Audubon Center - go to the orchard for a picnic
4. The Genoveva Chavez Center - great community athletic center has skating rink and fun indoor pool with big kid and little kid water slides
5. Music on the plaza some regular week nights, at St John's College too
6. Tuesday and Saturday am Farmer's Market at the Railyard - fun wandering, music, close to great playground
7. Drive up the ski valley road (Hyde Park) to various hikes and pull offs. Little Tesuque has running water. The ski area itself has great views.
8. Drive south on 14 to the Madrid/ Cerrillos area - rent horses for guided trail rides, see Broken Saddle outfit
9. Go north to Ojo Caliente, soak in hot springs and 30 minute? hike to a mica mine
10. Get directions to "the white place" near Abiquiu, incredible sandstone formations near a mosque in the middle of nowhere
11. Day trip to Taos to see the gorge, and play in the river at Pilar
12. Kid friendly restaurants - The Cowgirl (downtown), Real Food Nation (Eldorado) are some favorites with play structures
13. Bandelier National Park near Los Alamos - great for kids who like to climb ladders
14. Other playgrounds on Alto St., E. Alameda (Patrick Smith Park), Alta Vista St., Avenida de las Campanas
15. Books for Babies (up to 2+) at Llano St Library Weds 10:30

[mamadelbosque]

The first thing that pops into my head is COSI in columbus - its a huge kids' museum where everythings hands on. DS1 went last year and had a blast when he was about the same age Cosi: http://www.cosi.org/

Theres an indoor waterpark on 70 just outside of columbus that'd be a blast to stay at - we did a daytrip there w/ MIL and had a blast also just about a year ago now Its called Fort Rapids: http://fortrapids2-px.trvlclick.com/

Alternatively if your going through cleveland (which I'm unsure of from your itenarary), theres the Great Lakes Science Center, which is similar to COSI , I actually haven't been there in several years (ie never w/ littles), but I'd assume it be a blast too http://www.greatscience.com/

And if your going through Dayton theres the Airforce Museum which is pretty cool, although I'm not sure how fun it'd be for a 2.5 yr old unless they were SUPER into planes

And of course Cleveland & Columbus & Cincinatti all have very nice zoo's

[earthmama369]

- CT on I 95 - 91 - 84

CT has a series of great children's museums and parks along 95, 91, and 84. I'm not too familiar with the area down toward the NY border, but I know there is a children's museum with a good reputation down that way. There's also Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport down that way. Up toward the center of the state, there's KidCity in Middletown, which is a wonderfully colorful, tactile place. You can touch *everything* there. Middletown's a nice, small city to spend a day. Lots of kid-friendly places to have lunch, nice architecture, easy walking city, great children's department at the library and a fun independent toy store (both within a block and a half of KidCity). Can you tell where I live? There's also the Lutz Museum in Manchester. The Lutz is off of 384, which is an offshoot of 84 -- it only takes you 5 minutes from 84. Oh, and the Children's Museum in West Hartford is about 10 minutes from 84, too, and in a nice area. It's a little shabbier than the other children's museums, a little less tactile (geared also toward older kids; the others are very much for younger kids), but it's in a nice area with a Whole Foods and a shopping district you can walk around easily.

[mommariffic]

Seriously, we are in Weehawken right across the river from Manhattan and we have a guest bedroom. You are welcome to stay, and we have two dogs that would love someone to romp with.

Manhattan obviously is awesome to visit for the day! There's so many amazing parks/farmers markets and places to go.

There's a great Story Time at the Barnes and Noble on Route 3 in Clifton - the guy sings/does a craft/reads a few books. I like going because I can get a yummy coffee, and after we can sit and read for a few hours.

Van Saun park has a little zoo and I think it has a train ride but I could be wrong? It's great for a few hours!

[YayJennie]

If you felt like going a few hours north in NY (keeping on 90 instead of going onto 86) you could head through Rochester for some awesome kid/pet stuff (then either head south on 390 back to 86 or continue on 90, although 90 is a toll road).

Awesome stuff in Rochester includes:
Museum of play
Ellison park(where I can show you some great routes to let the dogs off if you want...we go hiking there with toddler and dog off the leash and it's great)
Science museum
several free spray parks
the zoo
a few community pools that aren't terribly expensive to get in (little ones are free and adults are $3-$5)
awesome libraries (Brighton library has an amazing kids room with tons of toys and ac for hot days)
free story time at barnes and noble, as well as libraries across the city
a bunch of indoor play places...bounce it out, kango, the sandbox (great for winter play, not really summer)

There's also several other parks/hiking trails that are easy to get to and dog/kid friendly, as well as tons of playgrounds. If you feel like heading up to Rochester on your trip, definitely let me know. We have a small duplex, but it's toddler and dog friendly with a decent back yard, and more importantly, a shower that you'd be welcome to

[kcstar]

St. Louis Zoo is excellent. I think it's free.
St. Louis Science Center was also really good 10+ years ago, haven't been there with my little one. I believe the science center is in the science center network (your local membership gets you free or reduced admission)

I haven't been to the Botanical Gardens.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the best in the WORLD. Absolutely go there.
Indianapolis Zoo is very nice, they have a dolphin show.
Only drawback is that neither of them share memberships.

On the South side of Indianapolis, I-65 to exit 90 (about 10-15 minutes from the south I-465 loop), there's two or three hotels in Franklin, a Super8 and a couple of others. Not at all fancy, but reasonably priced and safe. Two of them share a pool. Most of them have continental breakfast and waffle irons. There's a WaffleHouse in walking distance.

Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo is fun, we've walked there a lot. It's in the zoo network. I haven't been to the Evansville Children's Museum yet.

Louisville Zoo is in the zoo network (free admission). It has a splash park and (no-pool, very low) water slides. Bring towels and clothes that can get wet. If they aren't potty-learned, they'll need a swim diaper.

Louisville Science Center (in the science center network, but there's a charge for parking in the closest city lot, cash-only) also has a toddler play area, with a huge water table and lots of other playthings.

If you go through Nashville, their zoo (also in the zoo network) has a huge jungle gym play area, stairs and slides and cargo net, and a padded play area for little ones. Also the Adventure Science Center in Nashville is good.

And if you make it to Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium is there. Very pricey, but beautiful. They are in an aquarium network, but I don't know if you'd see many other aquariums on the trip.
Assuming you've got a zoo membership that transfers, the Chattanooga Zoo is also in that network. It was small but okay.

There was a space museum not far from Kansas City, I don't remember exactly where.

[LCBMAX]

omg you guys are amazing!
i'm starting to think this'll be the best trip ever -
keep 'em coming!

[AllyRae]

In central Ohio, the Dawes Arboretum in Newark is about 5 minutes off of route 70. It's awesome for nature walks! I'm right off rt 70 as well, so we travel that a lot. Cosi is a bit off of 70, but really awesome. The zoo is also a bit off 70, but really fantastic too. We also have a ton of metroparks. If you want a safari, The Wilds is about 20 minutes off of the 70 exit in Zanesville.

If you take 270 from 70 near Westerville Ohio (basically a suburb of Columbus), you'll hit Raisin Rack, which is a pretty awesome health food store--every ounce of produce in the place is organic. If you want a lot of food variety, the North Market can't be beat!

[mommajb]

Louisville Science Center last time I was here it had an inddor climbing wall for kids
I haven't been to the Louisville Slugger Museum in a while
the zoo and arboretum

Cincinnati Museum Center
Newport Aquarium with ped bridge to downtown Cincinnati

A fun grocery stop is Jungle Jim's

I'm a distance from both places so I don't feel I have a hidden gem to offer up.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Don't know how far over on 76 in PA you're going, but some awesome places in South Central PA include:

- Hershey Park & zoo America, Hershey, PA

- Strasburg Railroad & the Choo Choo Barn & TRain Museum, Strasburgh, Lancaster County (Thomas is coming the first week of September!)

- Whitaker Center Science Museum in Harrisburg, has a great children's area

- Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (hiking, camping, rafting)

- Apple picking just about anywhere in the fruit belt, might even find a corn maize

- my farmers market is super cool! York Central Market, york, pa

- Gettysburg Battlefield, they just built a great new museum & visitor center

There's so much, but that's all I caN think of now...

[Grace and Granola]

I'm reporting from the St. Louis area! This is an awesome place for toddlers!

The St. Louis Zoo is FREE and rated one of the best in the country. www.stlzoo.org

The St. Louis Science Center is FREE slsc.org

Art Museum and History Museum are FREE

All of the above is located in Forest Park, so you could combine any of them into one big day if you wanted!

Grant's Farm is a great little spot to visit with little kids. You take a tram ride through the property and look at all sorts of wildlife that are roaming free and hear the story of General Grant as well as the Anhuiser-Busch Family who owned the property. and at the end of the tram it is like a mini zoo. It costs 11$ to park and then it's free admission. grantsfarm.com

There is a motel I was checking out just to stay with my kids for fun. It's a Days Inn, but they have an indoor playground and pool and it's fairly cheap. $50. Go to daysinn.com and use the zipcode 63127 They have pictures of the amenities.

You could visit the Arch! You can go under the arch and through the museum for free. Take a ride up to the top for a fee.

Forest Park: 2nd biggest city park in the country (2nd to Central Park) this is where the zoo and the science center are located, it is a lovely park with an awesome playground.

Tower Grove Park, a great park that has fountain jets for the kids to run through.

It is going to be really hot here in the next several days! Hot like 100 degrees and extremely humid. I just thought of another thing you could do just about anywhere. The YMCA allows you to visit with a guest pass two times. So if you are in need of indoor entertainment, you could always hit the pool with kids!

Have FUN! If you need any more STL info, feel free to PM me!

Oh! And in Dayton is the National Museum of US Airforce... Lots of real, amazing, aircraft to look at! http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ FREE

ETA: I should point out that at most of the free places, you have to pay to park. BUT, we have found ways around all of that! So, I can fill you in if you end up planning some time in STL.

[sapphire_chan]

Come by Indianapolis! I can get two of you into the Children's Museum here for free. (Heck, all of you if we pretend your ds is the child on my pass ) I don't know if your ds likes dinosaurs at all, but there are a number of complete fossil skeletons and a palentology lab as well as sand, balls, trains, toys.

There's also a dog park about 15 minutes drive from the museum so one adult could check that out instead and give your dogs some running time.

Edited because I forgot about the dogs.

[Grace and Granola]

Ok, this is a great one! There is a little Train Toy Store that is right off of hwy 44. They have several giant train tables set up for the kids to play with as long as they want. you can browse toys or just sit on the bench and read a book. This is a lifesaver for moms of train loving toddlers in the heat of august! It is set right next to a railroad and there is a real caboose that you can climb up on and have a picture. The location of this shop is right off of main roads, but it is off the beaten path once you get into this "neighborhood." It might provide an inconspicuous spot for you to camp out. It is about 30 minutes west of downtown St. Louis. Make sure you call and get their hours, because I think it's something like 10-4:30 and they're closed on Mondays. Odd...so check!

Whittle Shortline Railroad
24 Front Street
Valley Park MO 63088
636-861-3334

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by Grace and Granola

I'm reporting from the St. Louis area! This is an awesome place for toddlers!

The St. Louis Zoo is FREE and rated one of the best in the country. www.stlzoo.org

The St. Louis Science Center is FREE slsc.org

Art Museum and History Museum are FREE

There is a motel I was checking out just to stay with my kids for fun. It's a Days Inn, but they have an indoor playground and pool and it's fairly cheap. $50. Go to daysinn.com and use the zipcode 63127 They have pictures of the amenities.

Well, I need to make a trip to St. Louis now.

[camracrazy]

Are you going south on 1-35? If you are passig through Wichita, there is:

Sedgwick County Zoo: http://www.scz.org

Botanica: http://www.botanica.org

Mid-America All Indian Center: http://www.theindiancenter.org

A list of playgrounds around the city:
http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/P...laygrounds.htm O.J. Watson Park has playgrounds, pony rides, mini golf, and paddle boats. You should be able to find the rates on the above site.

A list of fountains around the city (the city run pools closed Aug 8th, but the fountains should still be on):
http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/P...nteractive.htm

Derby has a waterpark called Rock River Rapids, but they close Aug 15th:
http://www.derbyrec.com/RockRiverRapids.htm

Exploration Place is a kids museum. They also have a park outside, mini golf, and a Cyberdome Theater: http://www.exploration.org

Going down 50 you will be just a little north of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. You could stop and see Chase Lake Falls:
http://www.kansastravel.org/chaselakefalls.htm

[Grace and Granola]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Well, I need to make a trip to St. Louis now.

Seriously! We just moved here 3 years ago...it's amazing!

[Thing1Thing2]

[tangledblue]

MA--this is several miles off the pike, but the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Right near a grocery called Atkins with amazing doughnuts--maybe museum then picnic? Also, Boston has a good aquarium & children's museum.

[PatchChild]

Also in Massachusetts,
The Ecotarium in Worcester wont be far off the Pike. It's small, a morning would be plenty. Nice walks through the woods to see some critters, a cute, small museum as well.

My absolute favorite would be a little more out of your way. The Acton Childrens Museum I can promise would be a fantastic hit. It's an old house that was converted into a museum years ago. Lots of small rooms with different themes. It's small enough to keep from being overwhelming, and to cut down on the noise. I can't say enough good things about it.

If you do make it to Acton, go to Benjaromes (spelling?) for Thai food. It's maybe a half mile down the road and really tasty.

[Friday13th]

Acton Children's Museum is totally worth the detour. There's also Old Sturbridge Village right off the Pike and a little further away is Plymouth Plantation. Boston has some great museums, the Children's Museum, the Science Museum and the Aquarium are great. If you head north out of Boston (or take the Commuter Rail) there's a lot to see in Salem, especially in the fall.

Have fun, it sounds like a great trip!