need vacation ideas for trip w/ toddler

Heather24

Ava will be about 1 1/2 when we are planning on going. (want to travel btwn April-June or so)

We want to go somewhere via car that takes 6 hours or less. 

Any ideas?

We might go with some friends with kids, so we were thinking about renting a house.

Any lake resort type places around here?

buckeyechik

I've heard good things about Lake Cumberland in Kentucky.  I don't know of specific places to go there, but I think it would be family-friendly. 

Go to www.vrbo.com to look at different places you can rent by the week.

OHFallBride06

Lake Cumberland is so fun! But...usually you rent boat houses and I don't know how good you would feel about having a toddler running around by water...they would have to wear a lift vest 24/7.

You could make a trip up to Cedar Pointe or Kings Island. They have great Kiddie parks (KI is better), which would be fun. Or you could head up north towards CP and stay at Put-n-Bay or Kelly's Island.

PrincessRock

We're taking a vacation in early June to South Carolina...also by car. We're renting a beach house for a week with my SIL, her DH and their 2 DC's. This will be the 3rd year in a row that they have rented a beach house in SC. They leave Columbus at night, so that the kids sleep during the drive there. We are so excited to try it!!  And, I cant wait to see Maisie react to the water!!! I'm not sure the name of the city, but if I find out within the next day or 2, I'll let you know. I think it's roughly an 8-9 hour drive. HTH

pHeather

We've traveled quite a bit with DS (now 2 yrs, 3 mos). Asheville, NC is really fun, but about 7 hours and we have friends that we stay with. Lots of rivers for swimming (maybe too cold in April) and great hiking. Other places we've gone - upstate NY and NH, NYC and Martha's Vineyard. He had fun at all of them, but they are a further drive. Asheville is his favorite. I've heard Oglebay, WV is great for families and isn't too far. DC is about 6 hours, so is Chicago. Some of the lakes in NY would be close to 6 hours. A few tips: When the drive is 8+ hours, we split it in half and stay at a Holiday Inn Express. The free breakfast means there is usually a microwave they'll let you use and tables for snacks and dinner at the hotel. We always pack lots of food in a cooler. A portable DVD player can be really helpful. A new toy and a lollipop (or other special treat) can make an hour go by really quickly. We also usually sit in the backseat with him, which makes him not get bored so quickly. Puzzles and books are great time killers too.