Last minute spring break ideas?

[baymom]

If you guys enjoy road trips and national parks, we loved our Spring Break trip where we flew to Vegas, rented a car and then did a Southwest Parks trip.

[DietCokeLover]

We are going to Branson Missouri and staying on a lake. Hotel rates are very inexpensive. We will go to Silver Dollar City and the Titanic museum, as well as a few other attractions. It's only a 6 hour drive for us. We thought about Florida but it will be very crowded for spring break.

I was going to suggest Branson as well. There are the things mentioned above as well as outdoor activities like zip lining and they just opened a place that simulates snow tubing.

There are tons of condos that can be rented at reasonable prices.

One hour south is a little town called Eureka Springs, AR (I lived there for about 10 years) that is built on the mountainside and looks like a Swiss village. It’s very quirky and has some fun shops and restaurants. It would make a fun day trip from Branson.

[essnce629]

We are going to Branson Missouri and staying on a lake. Hotel rates are very inexpensive. We will go to Silver Dollar City and the Titanic museum, as well as a few other attractions. It's only a 6 hour drive for us. We thought about Florida but it will be very crowded for spring break.

I was going to suggest Branson as well. There are the things mentioned above as well as outdoor activities like zip lining and they just opened a place that simulates snow tubing.

There are tons of condos that can be rented at reasonable prices.

One hour south is a little town called Eureka Springs, AR (I lived there for about 10 years) that is built on the mountainside and looks like a Swiss village. It’s very quirky and has some fun shops and restaurants. It would make a fun day trip from Branson.

Ooo, I want to know more! DH wanted to go to Zion for Spring Break but that's something you need to plan and book months in advance, not 2 weeks before, so as of now we have no vacation planned! What ages are your kids? My boys are 8 and 14.

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[hwin708]

My Florida preference is the Seaside/Watercolor/Rosemary area. But it is obviously more picturesque beaches and pretty towns that Disney Orlando, so may not be what you have in mind for a kid vacation.

I would look into New Mexico. I think Santa Fe is GREAT with kids. Much of the pretty architecture and galleries when walking around town, like visiting New Orleans. Plus plenty of things for kids to do. Personally, I would rent a car and split the trip, doing the other half in White Sands. I really think New Mexico has some of the best offerings in the US in terms of child and adult friendly (the spas are amazing!).

[DietCokeLover]

Ooo, I want to know more! DH wanted to go to Zion for Spring Break but that's something you need to plan and book months in advance, not 2 weeks before, so as of now we have no vacation planned! What ages are your kids? My boys are 8 and 14.

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DD is 11 and DS is 10. I’m happy to try and answer any questions!

[jenstring95]

For those who are considering Branson, if you get a chance, also swing by St. Louis and go to the City Museum. (I know St. Louis and Branson aren't especially close, but it's worth the drive!). My kids LOVE that place. I've never been to anything else like it. Go check out their website to see it - it's like a combination of a children's museum, art museum, jungle gym, and recycling center. Tons of slides (including 5 and 10 story ones, although they are pretty slow) and places to crawl around, and most of it is made of repurposed materials. It's really impossible to explain and just needs to be experienced!

[Kindra178]

Nashville. Memphis. Indianapolis.


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[mom2binsd]

The City Meusem is so cool, it's best if the weather cooperates as there are a bunch of parts that are outside. Also, wear comfy clothes and sneakers, leave purses locked in the car and put keys and phone in zippered pockets. There are some tight tunnels to explore and super cool climbing!

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[jenstring95]

The City Meusem is so cool, it's best if the weather cooperates as there are a bunch of parts that are outside. Also, wear comfy clothes and sneakers, leave purses locked in the car and put keys and phone in zippered pockets. There are some tight tunnels to explore and super cool climbing!

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And consider knee pads too! They sell them in the gift shop.

Also, Memphis is not a far drive from St. Louis, so both could be done in the same couple of days. We have gone from St. Louis to Memphis for lunch as part of a road trip.

[ahisma]

Thank you all so much! We wound up deciding to explore Atlanta. The deciding factor was a great airbnb that I found outside of the city (easy drive in) - an alpaca farm! Seriously, it looks fabulous: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15936463 So much better than being in a hotel, and I feel like it will really let us unplug.

We're going to do the City Pass (pandas for DS2!) and explore some of the arts - and then head outside the city for some hiking.

To respond to some of your great ideas:

We're in MI. While I'm willing to fly, flights this week are either $$$ (like short flights for what we could otherwise go to Europe for) or horribly timed (do I want to overnight in Baltimore??) I spent a lot of time checking, and just couldn't justify the inflated cost for the short visit.

I was really, really tempted by Florida. At the end of the day, it was going to be 20 hours driving each way (assuming good traffic, which won't happen). While that is certainly something we've done, I couldn't stomach 4 days in the car for 5 days on the beach. We'll do Florida another time when I can buy flights earlier.

We'd love to do CA, but want to do a few weeks in the summer exploring the coast. And, flights were about $700 (x4)

I love the Vegas idea, but DS2 requested no national parks. We visited 11 this summer, so I felt like that was a fair request.

We've visited Niaagra Falls, Toronto, Columbus, St. Louis, and Nashville - several times each.

I'm overwhelmed by Branson, but should probably give it a chance sometime

I would love to do Santa Fe, but it's too far to drive, flights were ridiculous, and I'd like to spend a few weeks exploring the area.

The City Museum is AMAZING. We have family in the area (they actually got married there!) and love going.