The expanses of forests, plains, lakes and rolling hills make the Midwest ideal for outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, boating and hiking during the summer months, while the winter snowfall levels provide opportunities for snowmobiling, skiing, ice fishing and more. Historical sights, natural wonders and monuments abound within the region providing the opportunity for road trips to incorporate both entertainment and educational stops for kids' vacations.
Across central Illinois are many historical sites relating to the life and career of the United States' 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Coalition, in conjunction with fifty central Illinois communities, have installed over 210 wayside exhibits on the "Looking for Lincoln" story trail. Kids will enjoy the scavenger hunt--style trip as they examine maps, input GPS coordinates and search the landscape for the storyboards that tell of Lincoln's connection to the community. The storyboards also feature medallions for kids to take rubbings of to create a scrapbook of the locations where they have discovered Lincoln. While some communities on the Lincoln trail have only a few story boards, cities like Springfield, Illinois have as many as 48, including museums like the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and the Old State Capitol Historic Site.
Located near the center of the state, Wisconsin Dells has been a popular vacation destination for visitors and residents for over 150 years. Known as the "Waterpark Capital of the World," the Dells area has over 20 year-round indoor water parks and several outdoor water park attractions in a wild assortment of themes from Noah's Ark to Blizzard Bay. Beyond water parks, there is a wide variety of family entertainment attractions, like roller coasters at area amusement parks, zip line rides, and specialty museums and exhibits like the goofy fun of the upside-down White House tour at Top Secret, and the interactive fantasy game at Wizard Quest. To complete the traditional Dells experience, make sure to take in a Tommy Bartlett Water Show and the scenery from a Wisconsin Dells Duck land and water sight-seeing tour, and grab a slab of fudge at one of the many shops in downtown Wisconsin Dells.
The vastness of the Midwest cries out for a classic American road trip experience, and South Dakota's many attractions make it the perfect candidate. Stop by the world's only "Corn Palace" in Mitchell to catch a show and view the tribute to the state's agricultural heritage. In DeSmet, kids will enjoy viewing the actual buildings famed children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her "Little House on the Prairie" series, including the home her father Charles Ingalls constructed with his own hands. Grab a glass of free ice water at Wall Drug in Wall, a kitschy roadside tradition since the Great Depression. While there, enjoy the corny, free attractions like standing at a wall reading wall clippings about people standing at the same wall reading wall clippings about people standing at that wall. Near the Black Hills, take time to stop at the two famous statues carved into mountains: Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
